Monday's explosion at the General Elections Commission (KPU) office aside, there was not a lot of excitement to mark the announcement of the official results of the July 5 presidential election.

Nana Rukmana, Indramayu – The Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) said on Monday it was investigating a boycott of a presidential election revote at the Al-Zaytun Islamic boarding school in Indramayu regency, West Java.

Melbourne – Australia has warned that it may suspend the next round of negotiations with East Timor on a maritime border in the resource rich Timor Sea that will decide the ownership of billions of dollars worth of oil and gas.

Australia and East Timor held talks in April and are scheduled to meet again in September.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – A recent study conducted by the Asian Labor Network on International Financial Institution (ALNI) has shown that a number of ongoing projects financed by the World Bank in Bali, infringe on core labor standards.

Jakarta – All convictions of the Bali bombers remain in force despite a legal decision that the law under which they were tried is unconstitutional, the head of the court which made the ruling said yesterday.

Jakarta – Hundreds of supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) reaffirmed on Tuesday their stance against any candidate with a military background, following Monday's announcement of the ballot results.

Kurniawan Hari and Evi Mariani, Jakarta – An explosion halted the finalizing of the presidential election vote count by the General Elections Commission (KPU) for several hours on Monday afternoon.

Tiarma Siboro and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The final results of the presidential election announced on Monday show that the number of people who did not use their right to vote on July 5 increased to 32,044,063, or about 20.9 percent of registered voters.

Abdul Khalik and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Police admitted on Monday that a video compact disc (VCD) recording of a police meeting in Banyumas, Central Java, was genuine but denied accusations that they had sided with Megawati Soekarnoputri in the July 5 presidential election.

Jakarta – Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid turned down a judge's suggestion on Monday that he settle his dispute with the General Elections Commission (KPU) out of court.

"There will be no amicable settlement," Gus Dur said at the Central Jakarta District Court.

Jakarta – A final tally of most votes in Indonesia's presidential election has confirmed ex-general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the winner, the election authority said yesterday, a day before the official results were to be announced.

Sisira Jayasuriya and Chris Manning, Canberra – The recent announcement by the Investment Coordinating Board Chairman that foreign direct investment (FDI) was down by one-third in the first half of 2004 is hardly news these days (The Jakarta Post, July 15).

A bomb has rocked the offices of Indonesia's election commission, delaying the announcement of the winner of this month's presidential poll.

Matthew Moore – Just an "advisory opinion" is how Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has for three days been playing down Friday's stunning decision by Indonesia's highest court upholding an appeal by one of the Bali bombers.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – A group of non-governmental organizations demanded on Saturday that the Attorney General's Office resume its investigation into Sjamsul Nursalim, saying the President's order to stop the legal process against the business tycoon violated the Anticorruption Law.

Nana Rukmana, Indramayu – More than 11,500 voters from the Al-Zaytun Islamic boarding school boycotted the presidential election revote on Sunday, but committee officials declared the poll results valid, while observers called for a criminal investigation into the matter.

Jon Afrizal and Indra Harsaputra, Jambi/Surabaya – The celebration of National Children's Day on Friday, may be already over, but there is work to be done, for people of all walks of life in the country, especially the government on issues that need to be addressed immediately.

Jakarta – Controversy over Newmont's operations, sparked by allegations from non-governmental organizations that the firm polluted waters in North Sulawesi, has dealt another blow to the nation's mining industry and hurt investment in the sector, an official and expert said on Sunday.

Wahyuana, Bekasi – The stench along the Kalimalang River that runs beside a road linking Bekasi and Jakarta had long been overlooked by residents and motorists until the Bekasi environmental management agency found hazardous levels of toxic substances in the river.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – The trial tomorrow of the alleged financier of the Bali bombings will be the first case affected by Friday's landmark decision disallowing the law used to prosecute the bombers.

The lawyer representing Idris, the alleged money man, said the Constitutional Court decision meant prosecutors may have to abandon the case.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Several members of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) network are still planning to launch terror attacks in various parts of the country despite the arrest of some of their leaders, a senior police officer said.

JI is listed by the United Nations as an organization that is linked to the Al Qaeda terrorist group.

Canberra – The government threatened Sunday to suspend the second round of talks with East Timor over a maritime boundary between the two neighbors after the opposition called for a fresh start to negotiations on how seabed oil and gas riches will be shared.

The Federal Opposition says it is the Government that is playing politics over Australia's negotiations with East Timor over the boundaries in the Timor Sea, which determine control over oil and gas reserves.

Opposition Leader Mark Latham says it appears there has been bad blood in the negotiations so far and if Labor is elected, it would restart the talks.

Sydney – Australia's foreign minister has threatened to suspend talks with East Timor on disputed multi-billion-dollar Timor Sea gas and oil fields, saying the opposition Labor Party had politicised the issue.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – Jakarta could be a "smoke-free city" soon as the Sutiyoso administration is planning to ban all cigarette smoking in public places.

Makassar/Pelembang/Pekanbaru/Samarinda – Prosecutors are unearthing more evidence of endemic corruption in provincial administrations involving potential losses to the state of billions of rupiah, with dozens of local councillors and government officials allegedly involved.

Steve Lewis and Nigel Wilson – The Howard Government is threatening to suspend talks with East Timor over control of billions of dollars worth of oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea until after the election, following remarks by Mark Latham that a Labor government would consider restarting negotiations.

Jakarta – Presidential front runner Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and running mate Jusuf Kalla have begun their search for coalition partners even though they had insisted just days ago that any political alliance would be made only after the September 20 run-off.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Lobbying among politicians has intensified in the past few days, with vice presidential candidate Siswono Yudohusodo and several Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) clerics being the latest group of people to meet President Megawati Soekarnoputri at her official residence on Jl. Teuku Umar here on Friday.

Luhur Hertanto, Jakarta – The level of golput(1) in the first round of the presidential elections was higher in comparison with the legislative elections. In comparison with international standards however, the level of golput in Indonesia is still small.

Jakarta, Kompas – A number of non-government organisations (NGOs) and students from the pro-democracy movement have rejected the planned deliberation of the draft law on the Indonesian National Armed Forces (RUU TNI) by the People's Representative Assembly (DPR).

Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta – A group of legislators suspect that some of their colleagues have been bribed into approving the governmental regulation in lieu of law which allows open pit mining in protected forest areas.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Parliament Watchdog joined the opposition to the amended bill on the Indonesian Military (TNI) on Friday, calling on the House of Representatives not to push for a deliberation due to time constraints.

Margo Kingston – G'day. I'e just heard the news that Indonesia's top appeal court has ruled the conviction of a Bali bomber unconstitutional because he was convicted under retrospective criminal laws in breach of Indonesia's constitution. This could be another Howard scandal in the making.

Matthew Moore, Mark Forbes – The Bali bombers may be set free after a ruling from Indonesia's Constitutional Court that the terrorism law used to convict them is illegal.

Suherdjoko and Slamet Susanto, Semarang/Yogyakarta – The dry season has started in Central Java and Yogyakarta, leading to critical water shortages and serious damage to rice crops, officials say.

Olivier Roy, Project Syndicate – Many believe that religious revival and political radicalism among Muslims who reside in the West reflects the traditions and conflicts of the Middle East or the wider Muslim world.

Michelle Grattan, Canberra – The Flood report has rejected an allegation that a pro-Jakarta lobby within the Defence Intelligence Organisation distorted intelligence estimates on East Timor so that the Government got what it wanted to hear.

Mark Dodd, Darwin – Anti-government demonstrations this week in East Timor's capital involving former guerrilla fighters indicate a growing frustration among veterans who feel robbed of their independence dividend in a fledgling nation with a profoundly weak economy and high unemployment.

Canberra – An Indonesian court's ruling that the country's anti-terror laws can't be applied retroactively does not necessarily mean those already convicted in the Bali bombings will be set free, the Australian government said Friday.

Canberra – East Timor's economic future would be given more weight in talks over oil and gas royalties if Labor was elected, Opposition Leader Mark Latham said today.

A riot in the East Timorese capital Dili this week has turned the spotlight on simmering political tensions in the country. Cornelio Gama, a dissident former commander of Falintil who goes by his jungle codename L-7 led about a hundred supporters in a demonstration against the government. The government denies that it's facing a serious challenge.

Dadan Kuswaraharja, Jakarta – Worker and environment activists demonstrated at the PT Newmont Mining Group Jakarta office following the exposure of pollution in the Gulf of Buyat which has cased Minamata sickness. They were demanding that Newmont take responsibility.

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Puteh will still be free to resume his duties as Aceh governor and the province's civil emergency administrator, after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has finished questioning him in a graft scam, a minister has said.

P.C. Naommy and M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Non-governmental organizations grouped in the Coalition Against Debt (KAU) called for the establishment of an independent body to audit World Bank loans to the country to determine whether or not they must be repaid in full.

Tiarma Siboro and Ruslan Sangadji, Jakarta/Palu – Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) called for the withdrawal of reinforcement troops and police personnel from Central Sulawesi on Wednesday for their failure to stop renewed attacks in Poso and Palu.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri officially stripped Abdullah Puteh of his powers as Aceh governor and administrator of the civil emergency on Wednesday.

However, Puteh's lawyers say the move means Puteh would be back at work in his job as early as this week.

P.C. Naommy, Jakarta – A non-governmental organization has alleged that smuggling and trading in endangered bird species continue unabated, despite legislation that prohibits the illegal activities.

Syofiardi Bachyul and Slamet Susanto, Padang/Yogyakarta – The theft of eggs of three protected turtle species in West Sumatra is threatening the very existence of the turtles, researcher Harfiandri Damanhuri has warned.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The Ministry of Forestry will issue new regulations to establish strict conditions for firms operating in protected forests, in a bid to minimize environmental destruction.