Jakarta – The National Awakening Party (PKB) has declared support for Medan Mayor Bobby Nasution and his bid in the North Sumatra gubernatorial election, becoming the latest political party to back the son-in-law of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in the November regional head race.

Amy Sood – Ferdy Susanto, a 23-year-old tech graduate in Indonesia, is feeling down on his luck. He has applied for at least 20 jobs in the past year but has yet to land one.

"It is very competitive ... there are so many applicants but not enough positions," Ferdy told This Week in Asia.

New York – Indonesian authorities must conduct an independent and credible investigation into the house fire that killed journalist Sempurna Pasaribu, determine if the blaze was sparked in retaliation for his news reporting, and bring any perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday.

Makassar – Police have admitted to seizing Free Papua Organisation (OPM) flags from a Papua student dormitory in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

"We have conducted a seizure of Morning Star flags at the dormitory", said Makassar Metropolitan District Police Chief (Kapolrestabes) Senior Commissioner Mokhamad Ngajib when sought for confirmation on Friday July 5.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – Former Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo claimed on Friday that he has been targeted in a smear campaign as he presented his defense plea after prosecutors recommended a 12-year prison sentence for alleged corruption while in office.

Antara, Palembang – The South Sumatra Provincial Government is looking for a new investor for its $2.3 billion (Rp 37.5 trillion) coal downstream project in Muara Enim after the withdrawal of US investor Air Products. Acting Governor Elen Setiadi confirmed this in Palembang on Friday.

Antara, Jakarta – The Jakarta Provincial Government aims to finalize regulations limiting private vehicle usage and vehicle age in the city by year-end.

Monique Handa Shafira, Jakarta – The Indonesian Retailers and Shopping Mall Lessees Association (Hippindo) has voiced concerns over the government's plan to impose a 200 percent import tariff on Chinese goods, arguing it fails to address rampant illegal and bulk imports.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) has confirmed that the 2024 regional elections will proceed as planned despite the dismissal of Hasyim Asy'ari from his position as KPU chairman.

On 30 June 2024, military members allegedly arrested Mr Atinus Kum (see photo on top), a member of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), in the Intan Jaya Regency, Papua Tengah Province. According to the information received, Mr Kum was unarmed and on the way to the town to buy some necessities. The military members reportedly tortured and executed Mr Kum.

Duncan Graham – Indonesian politicians are getting in a righteous tizzy over child protection. Their target is online pornography and gambling, and their condemnation is absolute. Curiously absent is another kiddy-harming vice that reportedly takes more than 200,000 lives a year.

The 6th July marks 26 years since the Biak Massacre when the Indonesian security forces massacred scores of people in Biak, West Papua. The victims, included women and children who had gathered for a peaceful rally. They were killed at the base of a water tower flying the Morning Star flag.

Maria Gabrielle Putrinda, Jakarta – Law authorities have recovered nearly 1 million square meters of land and buildings from individuals and corporations who took massive debts from the government during the 1998 financial crisis but failed to repay.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office has launched a criminal investigation into the alleged illegal production of minted gold bars totaling 109 tons over more than a decade at state-owned gold miner Aneka Tambang (Antam).

Denpasar – An Indonesian court sentenced an Australian man to six months of medical rehabilitation Thursday after finding him guilty of possessing methamphetamine on the tourist island of Bali.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The visiting UN Committee that is in charge of promoting Palestinian rights said Thursday that it had high expectations for Indonesia's next administration set to be led by the current defense minister Prabowo Subianto.

Laura Dobberstein – Brain Cipher, the group responsible for hacking into Indonesia's Temporary National Data Center (PDNS) and disrupting the country's services, has seemingly apologized for its actions and released an encryption key to the government.

That key was in the form of an 54 kb ESXi file. Its efficacy has not yet been confirmed.

Muawwan Daelami, Jakarta – The State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Ministry, as the majority shareholder of local carrier Garuda Indonesia (GIAA), is proceeding with plans to merge Garuda and Pelita Air Service, a subsidiary of the state-owned energy company Pertamina, into the tourism holding company Aviasi Pariwisata Indonesia, also known as InJourney.

Antara, Solo – The Festival Pecinan Nusantara, a non-halal culinary event hosted at Solo Paragon Mall in Surakarta, Central Java, has been temporarily suspended amidst controversy.

Veronica Lahji, Chief Marketing Communication of Solo Paragon Mall, announced on Thursday that the mall is unable to confirm the future of the Chinese food festival at this time.

Jakarta – A woman who has completed her prison sentence for a terrorism conviction has voluntarily pledged allegiance to the Republic of Indonesia and vowed to abandon her radical views, a police officer said on Wednesday.

Bella Evanglista, Jakarta – Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, the Director General of Informatics Applications at the Communications and Informatics Ministry, resigned from his position in the wake of the breach of the Temporary National Data Center (PDNS) 2.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The United Nations' recent report of a learning crisis experienced by low-and-middle income countries globally has raised concerns about the state of early childhood education in Indonesia, which appeared to be lagging its neighboring countries.

Kate Lamb and Ananda Teresia (Reuters), Jakarta – Senior members of Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian militant network blamed for the deadly Bali bombings, have announced they are disbanding the group, according to a report by a Jakarta-based think tank on Thursday.

Jakarta – The family and lawyers of a 13-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten to death by police officers in Padang, West Sumatra, are in Jakarta this week, visiting several state institutions and media organizations in the hope of finding support in their search for justice.

Will Dunham, Jakarta – On the ceiling of a limestone cave in South Sulawesi, scientists have discovered artwork depicting three human-like figures interacting with a wild pig in what they have determined is the world's oldest-known confidently dated cave painting – created at least 51,200 years ago.

Jakarta – Not a day goes by without stories about the "flood" of products from China and calls for protective trade barriers in response. Indonesia is no different in this regard to the United States or Europe. The only difference is the types of products we fear.

Jakarta – Key members of the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in Indonesia have dissolved the organisation but analysts caution that the threat posed by the group, which has claimed responsibility for a string of deadly attacks in the region, remains potent.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – The country's poverty rate has fallen to a historic low this year while inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient, has hit its lowest point in more than a decade, but both figures remain below the government's target.

Antara, Malang – A Malaysian national is alleged to be the mastermind behind a synthetic drug factory in Malang, East Java. The case, unveiled by the Narcotics Crime Directorate of the Indonesian National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), is the largest of its kind in Indonesia.

Laila Afifa, Jakarta – Mistakes with government import regulations continue to claim victims. After many textile companies collapsed as a result of a shortage of raw materials, now it is the turn of airlines, which are having to limit their operations because they are unable to import aircraft spare parts.

Afron Mandala Putra, Jakarta – Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) confirmed that it has attempted to use the decryption key provided by the Brain Cipher ransomware group to unlock access to the compromised Temporary National Data Center (PDNS).

Antara, Jakarta – The government's plan to address the shortage of medical professionals by bringing in foreign doctors has ignited controversy. Professor Budi Santoso, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Airlangga University (Unair) in Surabaya, Indonesia, was recently dismissed for publicly opposing the policy.

Andika Dwi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) is gearing up for Super Garuda Shield 2024, a large-scale multi-country military exercise scheduled from August 26 to September 5, 2024.

Iman Rahman Cahyadi, Jakarta – The General Election Commission (KPU) has appointed Commissioner Mochammad Afifudin as the acting chairman, replacing Hasyim Asy'ari, who was dismissed by the Election Organizer Honorary Council (DKPP) after being found guilty of sexual harassment.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia is planning to ramp up its funding to the UNRWA – the UN's relief agency for Palestinian refugees – this year as the Southeast Asian country grows increasingly concerned with what is happening in Gaza.

Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – The National Awakening Party (PKB) is considering nominating Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno for the West Java gubernatorial election, a party executive said on Thursday.

PKB is currently monitoring Sandiaga's electability to run in the country's most populous province before making the final decision, said PKB Deputy Chairman Jazilul Fawaid.

On 14 June 2024, Mr Pilemon Gobai, 42, was unlawfully killed, and Mr Melkias Yatipai,47, a tribal leader, sustained a bullet injury on the left heel as security force members raided the area around the Odiyai Village.

Hendro D Situmorang, Jakarta – The son of President-elect Prabowo Subianto played a key role in designing the kit for the Indonesian Olympic team.

Ragowo Hediprasetyo Djojohadikusumo, more popularly known as Didit Prabowo, unveiled the new design on Thursday, which prominently features the national flag's colors of red and white.

Jakarta – Chemical engineering expert Panut Mulyono is calling for some government measures that can protect the Indonesian petrochemical industry from an influx of imported goods.

Herald van der Linde – Jakarta is a fabulous city. To many, this statement might sound odd. The city conjures up images of endless traffic jams, immense shopping malls that all sell pretty much the same thing and, of course, floods.

Thresa Sandra Desfika, Jakarta – MNC Land (KPIG), owned by conglomerate Hary Tanoesoedibjo, will launch Trump International Golf Club-Lido, Trump Residences Lido, and Hyatt Regency Lido in the MNC Lido City Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the second half of this year.

Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – Indonesian immigration officials have detained 15 foreign asylum seekers who had been camping outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Setiabudi, South Jakarta.

Jakarta – A non-halal (non-kosher) culinary festival in Solo (Surakarta) was cancelled after objections from the Surakarta City Shariah (Islamic Law) Council (DSKS).

Jakarta – Protesting workers have dispersed after holding a demonstration rejecting Minister of Trade Regulation Number 8/2024 on Import Policies and Regulations in front of the Ministry of Trade offices in Central Jakarta on Wednesday July 3.

Ikhsan Reliubun, Jakarta – Labor Party President Said Iqbal said hundreds of thousands of workers are affected by mass layoff, based on the data from the R&D of the Labor Party and the Indonesian Trade Unions Confederation (KSPI) over the last three months.

Jakarta – Indonesia launched its first electric vehicle battery plant on Wednesday, President Joko Widodo said, as Southeast Asian countries move to gain a foothold in the emerging industry.

Jakarta – Vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of outgoing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, assured his supporters on Wednesday that Defense Minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto is in a healthy condition following leg surgery last week.

Jakarta – A woman was found dead inside the belly of a snake after it swallowed her whole in South Sulawesi, police said Wednesday, the second python killing in the province in a month.

Siriati, 36, had gone missing after she left her house Tuesday morning to buy medicine for her sick child, police said, prompting relatives to launch a search.

Jakarta – Bogor Police have arrested four female influencers in West Java over the past week for allegedly promoting online gambling via their social media accounts amid the government's nationwide crackdown against the illegal activity.

The four influencers, identified only by their initials IP, LN, MS and AP, were arrested in different districts across Bogor regency.

Jakarta – NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh has said his party will support Bobby Nasution for North Sumatra governor in the November regional elections.

Paloh said the party had yet to discuss the candidate for deputy governor, adding that Bobby should make his own decisions on his running mate.