Jakarta – Chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Yahya Cholil Staquf, on Thursday held a meeting with outgoing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at the Presidential Palace to discuss the outfit's plan to invest in the mining industry.

Ary Hermawan – The large-scale rally by Indonesia's pro-democracy activists to prevent the passing of a piece of legislation aimed at stifling electoral competition and cementing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's political dynasty is proof that grassroots forces are alive and well.

Resty Woro Yuniar – The nationwide protests in Indonesia over proposed changes to the election law are seen by analysts as a reflection of public outrage over President Joko Widodo's attempts to entrench his political influence and his family's lavish lifestyle.

Responding to the excessive use of force against peaceful protesters by the Indonesian police yesterday, Usman Hamid, Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director, said:

Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) condemned police brutality while dispersing protests against the Regional Head Election Law revision by the House of Representatives (DPR) on Thursday. Komnas HAM believed the deployed military personnel used excessive force against protesters.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad of the House of Representatives (DPR) could not guarantee the regulation for age requirements of regional candidates in the upcoming regional head election. According to Dasco, the age requirements will be ruled under the General Elections Commission Regulation (PKPU).

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – The Indonesian government plans to establish the first nuclear power plant (PLTN) in the country by 2032. Greenpeace Indonesia reminds the government of its risk against the Indonesian people, including past explosions, which still looms over the potential of nuclear power plant development in Indonesia.

Resty Woro Yuniar – Indonesia's outgoing president Joko Widodo has found himself at the centre of a lawsuit after dozens of students were forced to remove their hijabs during Independence Day ceremonies to maintain uniformity of the country's prestigious flag-raising squad.

Bagus Pribadi, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch or ICW pushed the National Police to disclose its tear gas purchase documents allegedly worth Rp188.9 billion. "[The tear gas] is worth Rp188.9 billion that comes from citizens' tax money," said ICW Coordinator Wana Alamsyah on Friday, August 23, 2024.

Jakarta (Agencies) – Lawmakers scrapped a controversial plan to change election rules, a House of Representatives official announced Thursday, after thousands rallied in the capital over a move seen to help the outgoing president build a political dynasty.

Bella Evanglista Mikaputri, Jakarta – The office of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo hailed Thursday's nationwide protests as a powerful display of democratic rights, emphasizing the government's commitment to safeguarding freedom of expression.

Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of President Joko Widodo, has requested a criminal record check as part of the administrative requirements for the upcoming Central Java gubernatorial election, the South Jakarta District Court disclosed on Friday.

Novie Fauziah, Jakarta – Renowned singer and lawmaker Krisdayanti made a surprising announcement on Thursday evening, revealing her decision to withdraw from the mayoral race in Batu, East Java, despite being officially endorsed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Jakarta – A Jakarta court ordered two local companies to pay up to Rp 60 million ($3,850) to each family whose children died of an acute kidney injury or were seriously injured after consuming toxic cough syrup.

More than 200 children died of the injury and about 120 more survived, some of whom lived with disabilities which led to financial hardships for their parents.

Jakarta – The integrity of November's regional elections is being undermined once again, this time by a massive identity theft scandal, which the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) have been quick to dismiss.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia has highlighted the excessive use of force by security forces during protests against the revision of the Regional Election Law at the Parliament Building in Senayan, Jakarta, and other regions.

Ronny Kareni & Dennis Kuiai – West Papua, arguably a trust-territory, has been embroiled in a prolonged struggle for freedom from colonial oppression. Its indigenous right to self-determination has been denied and undermined by international inaction, negligence and complicity.

Indah Handayani, Jakarta 00 The Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) closed higher on Friday, gaining 55.62 points, or 0.74 percent, to end at 7,544.2, as investor sentiment improved following the easing of domestic political concerns. This upward movement marked a recovery from the previous day's decline.

Antara, Jakarta – State logistics company Bulog recently reported that it had absorbed 800,000 tons of rice from local farmers so far this year as of Aug. 20.

Bulog's president director Bayu Krisnamurthi recently said that his agency could absorb over 900,000 tons of rice throughout 2024.

Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – The Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) officially nominated former high-ranking police officer Ahmad Luthfi for the Central Java governorship on Friday, with Taj Yasin Maimoen as his running mate, putting to rest speculations that the president's son, Kaesang Pangarep, would be running in the provincial election.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – A total of 301 individuals were arrested during a protest at the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Thursday, according to the Jakarta Metro Police. The demonstration, which involved damage to public facilities and acts of violence, led to widespread arrests across Central and West Jakarta by local police forces.

Antara, Yogyakarta 00 The Agriculture Ministry is preparing 1.5 million hectares of land for dairy farming to back President-elect Prabowo Subianto's Free Meal Program, aimed at providing lunch and milk to students across Indonesia. This land allocation will support the import of 1.5 million dairy cows and ensure adequate milk production.

Ichsan Ali, Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has dismissed rumors suggesting that the government might issue a Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) regarding regional elections.

Jakarta – The authorities have arrested a man from Melawi regency, West Kalimantan, for allegedly trafficking two orangutans for Rp 27 million (US$1,737).

Jakarta – The Jakarta Police have arrested 301 protesters involved in a rally against the Regional Elections Law amendment outside the House of Representatives compound, which ended in chaos on Thursday.

Among those arrested were Lokataru director Delpedro Marhaen and Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) legal assistant Iqbal Ramadhan.

Jakarta – The son of outgoing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), Kaesang Pangarep, has secured three letters of recommendation from the South Jakarta District Court, which he would have submitted as an administrative requirement to register his deputy gubernatorial candidate position in Central Java province.

The case of Papuan journalist Victor Mambor, who was the victim of a Molotov bomb attack in early 2023, continues to be a source of controversy and concern. Despite multiple attempts to seek justice, the perpetrators of the attack remain at large.

The advocacy groups of the Catholic Church in Papua have urged the Indonesian government to protect civilians from violence in the predominantly Christian region.

Jakarta – Protesters from a number of different social organisations held demonstrations in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta on Thursday August 22 to protest proposed revisions to the Regional Elections Law (UU Pilkada).

Bella Evanglista Mikaputri, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo let the public know on Wednesday that he has been following the ongoing social media conversations about alleged government interference in the upcoming gubernatorial elections.

Bella Evanglista Mikaputri, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo donned a yellow outfit as he attended the closing of the Golkar Party's national congress in Jakarta on Wednesday evening, explaining that he wanted to blend in with the host.

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Jakarta – Police deploy tear gas at protestors in the Governor's Office and Central Java Legislative Council (DPRD) in Semarang City on Thursday, August 22, 2024. The protest in Semarang demands the Indonesian government and the House of Representatives (DPR) abide by the Constitutional Court's regional election ruling.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – The Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) fell by 43.3 points (0.57 percent) to 7,511.2 at the close of the first session on Thursday. The index fluctuated between 7,479 and 7,554, with most sectors showing declines, notably the transportation sector.

Jakarta – Thousands of Indonesians flocked to key locations in Jakarta on Thursday (Aug 22) to protest a parliamentary decision that could have far-reaching impact on November's local elections and, observers have noted, the country's democracy.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – The government has granted the country's largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) the concession to manage 26,000 hectares of coal mine.

The government has allowed religious groups to manage mining concessions, and NU is among the organizations who already accepted the offer.

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo canceled his attendance at the National Financial Literacy Movement (Gencarkan) launch, organized by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) at Jiexpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, on Thursday, amid ongoing protests in the city.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – PBNU – the executive board of Indonesia's largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama – is planning to invest in the country's planned future capital Nusantara.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – Megawati Soekarnoputri, Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said PDI-P might back Anies Baswedan for Jakarta governor in 2024, but only if he aligns with the party.

Jakarta – Independence Day is an occasion for reflecting on the people's struggle to break free from colonial rule and claim sovereignty as a nation. This year's commemoration on Aug. 17 was also special because the government instituted a nationwide ban on the practice of pasung, or shackling people with a mental illness.

Jakarta (Agencies) – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Wednesday said he respected decisions of the country's institutions, amid a move by his allies in the House of Representatives to try to reverse a court decision that changed qualification criteria for regional elections.

Jakarta – Social media users across different platforms on Wednesday shared a screen grab of an emergency warning sign traditionally used for natural disasters to express concerns over possible constitutional crisis following the House of Representatives' move to block a Constitutional Court ruling that lowers the electoral threshold for the November regional election.

Jakarta – A number of civil society groups and academics have urged the House of Representatives to hold off on passing the revision to the Regional Elections Law initially scheduled for Thursday, and instead abide by the Constitutional Court's previous rulings to save the country's democracy.

Jakarta (Agencies) – The House of Representatives postponed ratifying changes to an elections law on Thursday amid protests in multiple cities, following outcry over legislation seen to strengthen the political influence of outgoing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Parliament postponed ratifying changes to an elections law on Aug 22 amid protests in multiple cities, following outcry over legislation seen to strengthen the political influence of outgoing President Joko Widodo.

Amy Sood – A plan by Indonesia's parliament to override new election rules set by the top court has sparked outrage across the country as protesters gather in Jakarta and other cities to rally against what they perceive as President Joko Widodo's attempt to undermine democracy.

Muh. Syaifullah, Yogyakarta – The Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta issued a statement regarding the ongoing political conflicts that disregard the current constitution. The university's lecturers agree that Indonesian democracy is facing significant challenges.

Riang Karunianidi – On Monday August 20, the Constitutional Court found in favour of a lawsuit submitted by the Labour Party and the Indonesian People's Wave Party (Gelora) on the Regional Elections Law (UU Pilkada). The court made two important rulings on the same day.

Harry Pearl, Brisbane – Papua New Guinea's media council has condemned as "concerning" and "shameful" the exclusion of a BenarNews journalist from media events during a visit by Indonesia's President-elect to the capital Port Moresby on Wednesday.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) has kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged and sees room for a cut opening up only in the fourth quarter, despite signals pointing to faster monetary policy easing in the United States.

Hundreds of Indonesian Catholics who would otherwise miss out on an audience with Pope Francis in their country will join him in neighboring Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste thanks to support from the government.