Maire Leadbeater – Since August 17, Indonesia's national day, West Papua has been in the grip of an unparalleled uprising. Conflict has been relentless since 1963, when Indonesia took control of the territory, but this time Indonesia's repressive response is backed by a renewed determination to exclude the rest of the world.

New research finds that large filter feeders in the waters of Indonesia could be ingesting dozens to hundreds of microplastic particles every hour.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Darwan Ali, an Indonesian politician at the center of a palm oil licensing scandal and charged in a separate corruption case, died on Nov. 18 before he could stand trial.

Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – The carcass of an elephant with its tusks and trunk cut off has been found decomposing in the concession area of PT Arara Abadi (AA) in Bengkalis regency, Riau, in an apparent poaching case targeting the endangered animal.

Fajar Pebrianto, Jakarta – Cigarette corporations launched at the Health Ministry's announcement to increase the mandatory health warning labels to cover 90 percent of a cigarette pack's visual appearance, a 50 percent jump to the current regulation.

Police in West Jakarta on Saturday arrested a man who allegedly threw acid on nine women – most of them junior high school students – on three separate occasions over the past couple of weeks.

Lani Diana Wijaya, Jakarta – Subaidah (40) is one of the settlers in an area in Sunter, North Jakarta, that was evicted from her home. She claims to remember clearly the promise made by Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno – who was running for the 2017 Gubernatorial Election – who asserted that there will be no more evictions in Jakarta.

Jakarta – The handover of the investigation dossiers and the six suspects charged with raising the Morning Star independence flag to the Central Jakarta State Prosecutor's Office (Kejari Jakpus) is seen as an attempt by police to avoid the pre-trail suit challenging their arrest.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The group of suspected terrorists allegedly behind the recent suicide bombing in Medan, North Sumatra, planned on establishing their own country, according to the police.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo wants the new Indonesian capital city to become the most iconic in the world by making use of Balikpapan Bay in East Kalimantan to "build an Indonesian-style presidential palace", according to the national development planning chief.

Jakarta – High-ranking figures from the Berkarya Party, including two children of former president Soeharto, are to attend a meeting with leaders of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) on Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for PKS has confirmed.

Devina Heriyanto, Jakarta – The political divide in the country with the world's largest Muslim population appears to go deeper than the bitter enmity between President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his former archrival, Prabowo Subianto.

Eva Safitri, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud Md says that cases of human rights (HAM) violations are still being used as a political commodity and his ministry is serious about resolving them through a non-judicial mechanism.

Eva Safitri, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud Md says that Veronica Koman has gone back on her promise to the Indonesian government. He says that Koman should return Indonesia to accept her scholarship obligations.

Robert O'Neill, Peter Edwards and David Horner – Media reports that officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are impeding the publication of the first volume of the Official History of Australian Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and Australian Peacekeeping Operations in East Timor on the grounds of diplomatic sensitivities, are concerning.

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir has discharged all the ministry's Echelon I officials in a restructuring effort to improve bureaucratic efficiency in accordance with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's mission.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – The government has indicated that the 2019 fiscal deficit could hit its worst-case estimate as it plans to keep spending despite sluggish revenue collection.

Nedi Putra AW, Malang – The commemoration of the International Day for Tolerance in Malang, East Java, saw Buddhist temple Vihara Dharma Mitra Arama hosting an Islamic-themed book discussion centered on Prophet Muhammad.

The book, titled Muhammadku Sayangku (My Muhammad, My Love), was written by Edi AH Iyubenu.

Benny Mawel, Jayapura – Concerns over contaminated fish have arisen among residents of Jayapura, Papua following a broadcast message about fish that have been contaminated by mining waste at a bay in Papua New Guinea.

Jakarta – Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia, or pesantren, have an image problem. They are often derided as "terrorist schools," where young people, often boys, are said to be radicalized by hardline preachers.

Jakarta (Antara) – The Education and Cultural Affairs Minister Nadiem Makarim voiced commitment to "liberate" the country's education unit that is hoped to spark new innovations.

Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – Graft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) responds to the sneering comments made by the Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian in terms of the renowned Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) sting operations (OTT).

Arie Firdaus, Jakarta – Six activists who were detained after a rally demanding a referendum on self-determination for Indonesia's Papua region could soon go on trial on charges of treason after police submitted their case files to prosecutors, their lawyers and families said Tuesday.

M Rosseno Aji, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) announced that it has commenced the standardization program for religious preachers as of Monday, November 18, which is also known as the da'i certification.

Halida Bunga, Jakarta – The Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) rejected the implementation of indirect Regional Head Election (Pilkada) in which regional legislative councils (DPRD) would have the authority to elect regional heads, slashing the people's rights to vote.

M Rosseno Aji, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) opined Sukmawati Soekarnoputri had offended the feelings of the Muslim community for comparing Prophet Muhammad with Soekarno. Her remark was deemed to have harmed the Islamic belief that a prophet shall not be compared.

Jakarta – The North Jakarta administration recently evicted illegal settlements on Jl. Sunter Agung Perkasa VIII in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, leaving dozens of residents unsheltered and feeling betrayed over the pledge made by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan during his campaign trail not to carry out evictions.

Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – House of Representatives (DPR) Commission VII Deputy, Marwan Dasopang said he rejects the initial birth of Draft Bill on the protection of ulema, which was initially pitched by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Nur Yasmin, Jakarta – The Finance Ministry will freeze regional government accounts that have been channeling rural development funds to bogus villages, an official said on Tuesday.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati raised the issue on Thursday, saying state funds had gone to ghost villages with no residents.

Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – A middle-ranking police officer has been demoted by the order of the National Police Chief Idham Azis, who was reportedly angered by the subordinate natting away during an official briefing.

Jakarta – State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir has demoted senior officials in his ministry and moved them to various posts in state-controlled firms as the minister seeks to streamline bureaucracy in the notoriously labyrinthine ministry, media reports have said.

Jakarta – Indonesia reported a near flat income in January-October compared with the corresponding period a year earlier on Monday, as revenues from some taxes shrank, underlining the government's struggle to keep the budget deficit in check.

Update: Tasikmalaya Police say they have arrested the alleged semen flinger at his home on Monday afternoon. The man has been taken in for questioning but no charges against him have been announced yet.

Police in Tasikmalaya, West Java are searching for a man accused of masturbating and flinging his semen at women in the city.

Viriya Singgih and Karlis Salna – Indonesia's budget deficit has ballooned to more than $20 billion and is set to widen further as Southeast Asia's largest economy struggles amid a global slowdown.

Editorial Board, ANU – After he won re-election last April, Indonesian President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo was eager to emphasise the liberating effects of not having to worry about re-election. In his second and final term, the President told the Associated Press he wouldn't face the same 'political burden[s]' he had in his first.

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has appealed to the Supreme Court in response to a not-guilty verdict handed down by the Jakarta Corruption Court against the former president of state-owned electricity firm PLN, Sofyan Basir.

Jakarta – Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia's first president Sukarno, has been accused of blasphemy after purportedly comparing her father to Prophet Muhammad.

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – Residents of Batang Dua Island in Ternate, North Maluku, are still traumatized following a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that jolted areas of the province as well as North Sulawesi late on Thursday.

Afraid of spending the night in their homes amid numerous aftershocks, many residents seek safety in nearby hills away from the beach for better sleep.

Benny Mawel, Jayapura – The Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) has reiterated its reluctance to Jakarta's plan to establish new provinces in Papua, saying the administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo should first address human rights violations in the country's easternmost region.

Jakarta (Bisnis) – Indonesian Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita is optimistic that Indonesia remains the preferred destination for the world's manufacturing industry as the country is home to a massive market for raw materials.

He also says that Indonesia has the supply of competitive human resources that can help develop the country's industrial sector.

M Yusuf Manurung, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) deputy Amirsyah Tambunan gave an official response to the supposed blasphemy by Diah Mutiara Sukmawati Soekarnoputri who reportedly compared the country's first president Sukarno to Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

Jakarta (Antara) – The Environment and Forestry Ministry (KLHK) said that the compensation that the government is set to receive from a number of corporates in the forest fire public lawsuit reaches Rp315 trillion.

Jakarta – The government has launched a program to replant and protect natural forests in Indonesia, luring local people to join it with the promise that they would be allowed to harvest some of the forests' yield.

Investor Daily, Jakarta – Chinese producers have stamped their domination in the Indonesian smartphone market, with Oppo and Vivo dethroning South Korea's Samsung in the third quarter of this year.

Nur Yasmin, Jakarta – The Education and Culture Ministry is holding an exhibition of Papuan culture, titled "The Diversity of Papuan Culture," at the Sarinah Mall on Jalan Thamrin in Central Jakarta from Nov. 18 to Dec. 18.

Jakarta – On Monday November 18, the Metro Jaya regional police (Polda Metro Jaya) handed over six suspects charged with raising the Morning Star flag in front of the State Palace in August to the Central Jakarta State Prosecutor's Office (Kejari Jakpus).

Jakarta – Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) says that violations against freedom of religion and belief (KBB) occur because the law is bias towards the majority. Imparsial researcher Amelia says that several regulations guarantee the right to freedom of religion and worship but others threaten this freedom.

Burhanuddin Muhtadi – Unlike the euphoria that surrounded his first electoral victory in 2014, Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's second term is starting on a sombre mood. Public disillusionment – especially among students – stems from Jokowi's handling of a controversial corruption bill. His second term will likely further erode democratic values as an economic recession looms.

Michael Koziol – Australia's longest-serving foreign minister Alexander Downer has urged his former department and its leader, Marise Payne, to release the full and uncensored version of an official history of Australia's peacekeeping operations in East Timor.

Arya Dipa, Bandung – The Bandung Industrial Relations Court (PHI Bandung) in West Java has found state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga (Persero) and a cooperative affiliated to the company, Jasa Marga Bhakti VI Bandung, guilty for an unlawful outsourcing practice and ordered the firm to pay almost Rp 150 million in compensation to three former workers.