Victor Mambor and Tria Dianti in Jayapura and Jakarta – Hundreds of indigenous Papuans staged protests on Wednesday to highlight ongoing violence and displacement in the conflict-torn Papua region as Pope Francis met with Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Jakarta – Pope Francis praised Indonesians on Wednesday for their large families and suggested that people in other countries are choosing to have pets rather than bring up children.

The 87-year-old pontiff was speaking alongside President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in Jakarta on the first stop on a four-country trip to Asia.

Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – At its conclusion on Tuesday, the Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) 2024 had seen the signing of 32 new business partnerships, according to the Foreign Ministry, including nine in the health sector, six in renewable energy and four in strategic industries.

Jakarta – The Indonesian government provided military aid comprising assault rifles, handguns and ammunition totaling US$500,000 to Cambodia during a handover ceremony on Aug. 29 in Phnom Penh.

The aid, which was distributed through the Defense Ministry, is part of the government's efforts to strengthen bilateral defense and security cooperation with its ASEAN neighbor.

Antara, Jakarta – Chief Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan paid tribute to the late renowned economist Faisal Basri on Thursday, visiting his home in South Jakarta to honor his contributions to the nation's economy.

Faisal, widely respected for his constructive critiques of government policies, passed away earlier in the day at the age of 65.

Alfi Dinilhaq, Jakarta – Gubernatorial candidate Pramono Anung has pledged to transform Jakarta into a "city of joy" with global influence, should he win the upcoming election on November 27.

Jakarta – Once again, the selection of members of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) is like trying to clean a filthy house with a dirty broom. The state auditor body that determines how public funds are used will be filled by people from political parties – the institutions that in Indonesia were set up to accommodate crooked interests.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) received a visit from several officials of mining giant PT Vale Indonesia Tbk at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, September 5, 2024, around 10:30 a.m.

Antara, Jakarta – Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, finally appeared in public on Wednesday night, September 4, 2024, following public criticism over his use of a private jet and left the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) puzzled about his whereabouts.

Maria Baru, Jayapura – West Papua National Committee (KNPB) General Chairperson Agus Kossay was released from the Class IIA Abepura Penitentiary (Lapas) in Jayapura city, Papua, on Tuesday September 3. He had been imprisoned for one year.

Haryanti Puspa Sari, Bagus Santosa, Jakarta – Two British nationals, Benjamin James Lovell and Benjamin Thomas Sloan, were deported from Indonesia on Wednesday September 5 for violating immigration rules.

Jakarta – The Solidarity Action Committee for Munir (KASUM) is urging the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to immediately take responsibility for and solve the assassination of renowned human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

Teguh Adi Prasetyo, Jakarta – The trial of alleged corruption at state-owned tin miner Timah resumed Thursday, with witness Ichwan Azwardi detailing how illegal mining within Timah's areas was hindered by protected officials, despite ongoing efforts to address the issue.

Djibril Muhammad, Jakarta – The Central Jakarta Immigration Office has deported British nationals Benjamin James Lovell and Benjamin Thomas Sloan for participating in a demonstration by online motorcycle taxi drivers (ojek) in Jakarta.

Jakarta (Agencies) – Only rockstars and presidents can usually fill the Gelora Bung Karno stadium, but on Thursday it was octogenarian Pope Francis who drew more than 80,000 fans to a Catholic Mass in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.

Liam Pritchett – A planned five million-acre sugarcane megaproject in Indonesia's Papua province could threaten its uniquely biodiverse rainforest and the Indigenous Papuans who depend on it.

A National Strategic Project (PSN) in Bintuni Bay (Teluk Bintuni Regency), Papua Barat Province, has sparked concerns about the potential violation of indigenous land rights.

The project, handled by Genting Oil Kasuri Pte. Ltd, is facing criticism for lack of transparency and adherence to the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC).

Indonesia, West Papua – On 24 August 2024, a 17-year-old Papuan named Justa Kobak was reportedly beaten by members of the Mobile Police Brigade Corps (Brimob) during a night patrol in the town of Dekai, Yahukimo Regency.

Indigenous Christians in Papua province took to the streets on Sept. 4 to seek the pope's attention and intervention against the Indonesian government's military operations in their troubled province.

Ato 'Lekinawa' da Costa – A Timorese scholar, Josh Trindade, currently pursuing a PhD at the Indigenous Knowledge Institute, Australia has issued a public demand for Pope Francis to apologize for the Catholic Church's historical and ongoing impact on Timorese culture and spirituality.

Ali Mirin – Members of the Indonesian mobile police (Brimob) fatally shot Tobias Silak, a 24-year-old Papuan employed by the local election supervisory agency (Bawaslu) and seriously injured 17-year-old Papuan, Naro Dapla, in Dekai, Yahukimo District, West Papua, on August 20.

Jakarta – Politics is the art of the possible, yet in the Jakarta gubernatorial election, political parties in both the ruling coalition and the opposition camps think it impossible to include former governor Anies Baswedan on the ballot in the Nov. 27 race.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – A plan by India, the world's top buyer of vegetable oils, to increase its import tax on the commodity could hamper the growth of Indonesia's palm oil exports.

Feiral Rizky Batubara, Jakarta – The government launched an extensive program in 2007 to replace kerosene with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as the primary cooking fuel in homes.

Medan – A former regent in North Sumatra, who had been a corruption suspect since last month, was arrested after being nominated for reelection by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Jakarta – Authorities have been ramping up mitigation measures against the spread of mpox after three suspected cases were reportedly found in Jakarta, with one case being closely monitored at a health facility and the other two undergoing self-isolation at home.

Antara, Jakarta – High living costs, traffic congestion, and parenting trauma are key contributors to mental health disorders in Jakarta, according to Samanta Elsener, a psychologist and board member of the Indonesian Psychological Association (Himpsi).

Vinnilya, Jakarta – The S&P Global Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for manufacturing in Indonesia dropped to 48.9 in August 2024, down from 49.3 in July, indicating the second consecutive month of contraction in factory activity. A reading below 50 signifies a contraction.

Antara, Jakarta – Investment Minister and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Rosan Roeslani, announced that Indonesia's investment realization for the first half of 2024 reached Rp 829.9 trillion ($53.59 billion).

"As of the first semester of 2024, the realized investment stands at Rp 829.9 trillion," Rosan said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Bella Evanglista, Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – Pope Francis, the leader of the global Catholic Church, arrived at Merdeka Palace on Wednesday morning to meet with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Juan Ardya Guardiola, Jakarta – Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi is encouraging more Indonesians to embrace electric vehicles (EVs) in their lives as the country wishes to boost its e-mobility adoption.

According to information published by Indonesia Defense on September 3, 2024, Indonesia's Defense Minister and newly elected President, Prabowo Subianto, is preparing to enhance the country's naval capabilities through the acquisition of new military assets from Europe. This plan was revealed by the Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff, Admiral Muhammad Ali.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The Banda Aceh Police are investigating a grenade explosion in front of the house of Aceh gubernatorial candidate Bustami Hamzah in Syiah Kuala district, Banda Aceh city.

The city police's criminal investigation department head, Comr. Fadillah Aditya Pratama, said investigators had gathered evidence from the crime scene, including CCTV footage.

Nanda Perdana Putra, Jakarta – A protest action was held by a number of people across from the Vatican Embassy in ??South Jakarta shortly before Pope Francis returned from the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta today, Wednesday September 4.

Alex Arifianto – On 28 July 2024 Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second largest Islamic organisation, officially announced that it would accept an offer of mining concessions from President Joko Widodo's government. This followed the decision of the nation's largest Islamic organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which accepted their concession a month earlier.

Indonesian police have dismantled a baby trafficking ring in Depok, West Java, making eight arrests in a case that saw newborns being bought from parents via Facebook, before being resold in Bali for a higher price.

Georgina Giannopoulos – Despite consistent national efforts to close the gender gap in the Indonesian education system, pervasive patriarchal views – especially in more conservative regions – continue to contribute to girls' disadvantage in schools. The autonomy and isolation of particular regions complicate efforts to implement reforms at a local level.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – Nine out of 76 candidates in the running to become Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) members for the 2024-2029 period are politicians from political parties in the Onward Indonesia Coalition Plus (KIM Plus) supporting president-elect Prabowo Subianto.

Duncan Graham – The paperwork signing late last month by Defence Minister Richard Marles and his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in Magelang (Central Java) is being paraded as an extraordinary advance in relationships. It's not.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Ahmad Fathanah Haris, attorney for the CNN Indonesia Workers' Solidarity (SPCI), explained that employees faced layoffs after addressing the unilateral wage cuts by the media company.

Jakarta – The police continue to resort to brutality to silence demonstrators. This is a violation of human rights.

Dicky Kurniawan, Jakarta – Indonesian Investment Minister or Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Rosan Roeslani revealed the reason behind Tesla's decision not to invest in Indonesia.

He spilled that the primary factor is the country's continued reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation.

Winda Nelfira, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia hopes that Pope Francis' visit to Indonesia on September 3-7 can be used as a momentum to urge the Indonesian government to resolve past gross human rights violations.

Yustinus Paat, Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – The 2024 East Java gubernatorial election is shaping up to be highly competitive, with strong female contenders including Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Tri Rismaharini, and Luluk Nur Hamidah.

Andreas Harsono – Pope Francis is in Indonesia as part of a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region. His visit comes as numerous discriminatory regulations in Indonesia target religious minorities around the country.

Jakarta – Ace Hardware is leaving Indonesia as of December 31, 2024, even though the presence of the U.S. appliance retail chain was just mentioned by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto as an indicator of national economic growth.

Pope Francis, 87, landed in Muslim-majority Indonesia on Tuesday for a visit dominated by inter-faith ties, at the start of an ambitious four-nation tour that will be the longest of his papacy.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Tri Atmoko is a regular visitor to the mangrove forests of Balikpapan Bay on the east coast of Indonesian Borneo, where he studies proboscis monkeys, an endangered species best known for its comically large nose.

Made Supriatma – Less than two months before stepping down, the outgoing president of Indonesia's plans to hang onto power are at risk of unravelling. What is worse, his previously sky-high popularity is also starting to fray.

The Santos-led Bayu-Undan joint venture (JV) has agreed on the terms for a sale and purchase deed with TIMOR GAP, allowing the Timor-Leste state-owned company to join the Bayu-Undan upstream project.

TIMOR GAP will gain a 16% stake in the Bayu-Undan upstream project located in the Timor Sea. The transaction has an economic date of 1 July 2024.