Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto has proposed creating a special ad hoc court to investigate alleged legal violations by executives of Indonesia's state-owned enterprises (SOEs), including those who served in the past three decades.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – Indonesia risks losing tourists to competing destinations if it doubles the fee for visitors obtaining a Visa on Arrival, the country's tour and travel industry has warned, as immigration authorities propose raising the cost to as much as Rp1 million ($56).

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – The existential threat facing the Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) is closely tied to the relentless shrinkage of its natural habitat. Data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) shows that more than 69 percent of the Sumatran elephant's potential habitat has been lost over the past two decades.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – A collective of professors and scholars under the Interdisciplinary Intellectual Forum (FIAD) has raised alarms over various problems gripping the nation. The academics convened to present a manifesto charting a path forward for a just, democratic, sovereign, and sustainable Indonesia.

Rahmat Hidayat – Hundreds of people gathered at a house in Rawalumbu, Bekasi City, West Java, after social media posts linked the property to an event host accused of promoting alcoholic drinks through a Quran memorization challenge at a music festival in North Jakarta.

Heru Andriyanto, Cikarang – President Prabowo Subianto said on Thursday that Indonesia's government-backed national electric car is expected to enter mass production by 2028 at a planned manufacturing facility in West Java.

Nawir Arsyad Akbar, Jakarta – The Interdisciplinary Intellectual Forum (FIAD), comprising professors, intellectuals, experts and activists, has delivered a manifesto expressing concerns over various problems in Indonesia.

Philip Jacobson – On April 20, Jafet Potenzo Lopes was surveying the south coast of Manatuto municipality, in Timor-Leste, when he recorded something he had not seen in years: three Timor green pigeons, alive, in a location where the species had never been documented before.

Giovanni Torre – Saturday will mark 64 years since the New York Agreement, which saw the West Papuan people "betrayed by the international community", the Australia West Papua Association noted this week.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – The government's proposed rupiah assumption of Rp 16,800-Rp 17,500 per US dollar for the 2027 state budget is too optimistic, an economist said, as the currency is currently trading around Rp 17,900 and has breached Rp 18,000.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – The Transportation Ministry has ordered a comprehensive verification of passenger data after a ferry carrying significantly more people than listed on its manifest caught fire off Bali on Wednesday, raising questions over whether all passengers had been properly registered.

This year will mark 64 years since the New York Agreement when the West Papuan people were betrayed by the international community.

The New York Agreement

Wamena, Jubi – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) says it was denied an opportunity to meet with members of the Highland Papua Legislative Council (DPR Papua Pegunungan) after representatives of the organization visited the council building on Wednesday (August 12, 2026).

Yenni Kwok, Jakarta, Indonesia – Indigenous groups in Indonesia have made a legal challenge to parts of a new conservation law. The groups say it could allow the government to designate their ancestral lands as conservation areas without their consent and threaten their land rights.

Dian Rahma Fika Alnina, Jakarta – The Parliamentary Complex is gearing up to host the annual joint session of the House of Representatives (DPR), the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), and the Regional Representative Council on Friday, August 14, 2026.

Alfi Dinilhaq, Jakarta – Indonesia's Constitutional Court has ruled that criminal complaints over alleged insults against the president or vice president can only be filed by the official who is the target of the alleged offense, barring family members, supporters and political volunteers from initiating cases.

Ananda Teresia, Gorontalo – Loan sharks are circling a kitchen that stands on stilts above the waters of Tomini Bay, off the coast of Sulawesi in the remote fishing village of Torosiaje.

A group of soldiers stationed in Indonesia's predominantly Christian Papua region intimidated and forced Catholics to record a video thanking the president and armed forces inside a village church, alleged a Catholic youth group.

Rahmat Hidayat – Eleven government offices in Puncak Regency, Central Papua, were burned or damaged after a crowd protested the distribution of village funds, according to local police.

Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform has responded to a statement by Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander General Agus Subiyanto who claimed responsibility for public security throughout Indonesia.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – With more than 107,000 hectares already ravaged by land and forest fires this year, the government is scrambling to strengthen its response as a prolonged dry spell and worsening climate conditions threaten to fuel a wider fire season.

Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara – A navy vessel and other ships rushed in Wednesday to rescue over 100 people from a ferry on fire off Bali, officials said, in the second such incident in days.

There were no immediate reports of casualties among the passengers and crew, with at least 114 people on board, according to the manifest.

A'an Suryana – The leadership contest in Nahdlatul Ulama is consequential. The next executive chairman could stay the course and remain close to the President, or respond to grassroots calls for change.

Doug Bright – A recently completed drone-based aerial geophysical survey has lit up a grab-bag of new drill targets for Estrella Resources it plans to test during an upcoming initial 3000-metre drill campaign which will be the deepest mineral-exploration drilling ever completed in the country.

Noah Secomb – An all-female delegation from East Timor has visited Canberra and made history by sitting on the floor of Parliament House.

House of Representatives Speaker Milton Dick extended a warm welcome to the delegation on Wednesday.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is accelerating the expansion of public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLUs) to keep pace with the growth of electric vehicles (EVs) through cross-stakeholder collaboration.

Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) chapters in Numbay and Sentani have submitted official notices of a planned peaceful protest to several government and security institutions ahead of a nationwide demonstration on August 15, 2026.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has confirmed that its warship will engage in a series of "passing exercises" on the way back from Russia's Vladivostok amid Taiwan's wrath over the planned Chinese drills.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia's nickel boom is colliding with its efforts to protect biodiversity and reduce emissions from forests and other land uses. A new study warns that meeting growing global nickel demand could increasingly put some of the world's most important ecosystems at risk.

Shreya Dasgupta – A massive wildfire within a national park in Indonesia has forced a total closure of one of the country's best-known tourist destinations.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin is moving to reinforce bilateral ties with the United States government to deepen future military cooperation.

The initiative was highlighted when Sjafrie hosted United States Ambassador to ASEAN Kevin Kim at the Ministry of Defense office in Central Jakarta on Monday, August 10.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto is preparing a regulation that would classify ride-hailing drivers as micro-entrepreneurs, potentially giving them access to government incentives and other benefits available to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), a minister said on Monday.

Khoo Jian Teng Petaling Jaya – Malaysia is seeing a return of haze as dry weather and an intensifying El Nino combine with fires in Indonesia, with experts warning that air quality could worsen in the coming weeks.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The US has named defense modernization as something it wishes to focus on when engaging with Indonesia, as Washington doesn't want ASEAN nations to rely on it too much for regional security.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Surabaya – Indonesia made history on Friday by starting the construction of the first of two Scorpene Evolved submarines with a steel cutting ceremony to become the first ASEAN country to build a submarine from scratch domestically.

Surabaya, East Java/Kuala Lumpur – Dozens of schools were shuttered for a second day Tuesday to protect against the spreading haze from wildfires at the start of a long and intense dry season worsened by El Nino.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has required meals served under the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program to be consumed within four hours of being prepared as part of efforts to ensure food safety and quality.

Jakarta – Jakarta police are investigating a viral video allegedly showing religious blasphemy during The Sounds Project music festival in Ancol, North Jakarta.

Jakarta Metro Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Budi Hermanto said the incident allegedly occurred at the festival venue at around 10 p.m. local time on Sunday, August 9.

Wamena, Jubi – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) and Indigenous communities from the Lapago customary region marked the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples at the KNPB Balim secretariat in Jayawijaya Regency, Papua Highlands Province, on Sunday (9 August 2026).

Antara, Jakarta – Forest and land fires plagued over a dozen regencies and cities across 10 Indonesian provinces in early August 2026, as reported by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) on Monday, August 10.

Prisma Ardianto, Jakarta – Growth in bank lending to Indonesia's property sector slowed to its weakest level in more than four years in June, reflecting sluggish demand for housing and continued weakness in several property segments.

Indonesia's Supreme Court on August 5 upheld the acquittal of Misran Toni, an Indigenous Dayak farmer known as Imis, who was participating in a coal mining protest and charged with stabbing other protesters in East Kalimantan.

Sumitro Djojohadikusumo once rebelled against Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, believing the central government was treating provinces outside of Java unfairly. Now, his son – President Prabowo Subianto – is instead centralizing regional policies and budgets, leaving regency, city, and provincial governments in dire straits.

On 3 August 2026, Indonesian police forces repeatedly blocked and dispersed a peaceful demonstration organised by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) at several locations in Sentani, Jayapura Regency, Papua Province.

Jayapura, Jubi – The documentary 'Pig Feast' (Pesta Babi) – Colonialism in Our Time has received both the 2026 Udin Award and 2026 Tasrif Award from the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia during the organisation's 32nd anniversary celebration at the Press Council Hall in Jakarta on Friday evening (7 August 2026).

Reiner Brabar, Jayapura – The presence of the Republic of Indonesia in the Land of Papua is considered to have caused the indigenous Papuan people to continue to experience suffering on their own ancestral land.

Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has called on law enforcement to release two Cimahi residents detained for uploading social media content regarding President Prabowo Subianto's remarks on Iran's alleged nuclear arms.

Jeff Neilson – Drive almost anywhere in rural Indonesia now and it's hard to miss them: prominent red-and-white buildings, based on a uniform 30 by 20 metre layout, all with the same centrally-designed features and deposited on whatever land the village administration was willing to hand over.

On 4 August 2026, a mass food poisoning incident linked to meals distributed under President Prabowo's flagtship Free Nutritious Meals (Makan Bergizi Gratis, MBG) programme affected hundreds of residents in Depapre District and surrounding coastal areas of Jayapura Regency, Papua province.

Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan journalist Angela Flassy has received the 2026 SK Trimurti Award from the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia for her more than two decades of work promoting independent journalism, human rights and the voices of marginalised communities in Papua.