Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Senior minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan recently revealed that Bali still planned on constructing an underground light rail transit – popularly abbreviated as LRT – to ease traffic congestion.

Indonesia has long been wanting to proceed with this project. But the tourist haven has yet to break ground on the transport infrastructure to this day.

Amy Sood – Amid nationwide protests in Indonesia against outgoing President Joko Widodo's perceived power grab, his successor Prabowo Subianto has managed to escape criticism by deftly positioning himself as a defender of democracy, a move analysts said might allow him to "benefit from this entire fiasco".

Calvin Yang, Singapore – More foreign investors are showing interest in the Nusantara megaproject, said newly-appointed Indonesian Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani.

Mr Rosan said he was confident about attracting more investments to Indonesia's new capital. This is despite critics casting doubts over the project's feasibility and challenges securing investors.

Jakarta – A declining middle class population in Indonesia is ringing alarm bells in the country, analysts have warned, even as the government introduces a raft of measures aimed at supporting this group.

And the analysts further added that more support is needed to bolster this segment of the population to prevent a further drop.

Dili – Timor-Leste's independence was a gift to the world because it showed conflict could be resolved through negotiation, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Aug 30, the 25th anniversary of its vote to separate from Indonesia.

Heru Andriyanto, Aep Sopandi, Bandung – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) registered relatively unknown party members as candidates for the West Java gubernatorial election just 30 minutes before the midnight deadline on Thursday, following Anies Baswedan's refusal of the nomination.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has had enough of Bali being overcrowded by unruly foreigners.

Jakarta – A member of the House of Representatives' special committee on the haj, Iskan Qolba Lubis, questioned the Religious Affairs Ministry on Thursday on the reasons behind the late departure of some haj pilgrims.

Fito Akhmad Erlangga, Jakarta – The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has just awarded President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo the Agricola Medal, which recognizes the Indonesian leader's support for attaining global food security.

FAO's Director-General Qu Dongyu gave Jokowi his medal at Jakarta's State Palace on Monday.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) continues its efforts to reduce reliance on the US dollar by forming a strategic partnership with the Bank of Korea (BOK) and South Korea's Ministry of Finance.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – Indonesia is importing growing amounts of paper and plastic scrap but remains ill-prepared to process the material, which is aggravating the country's already immense waste problem.

Jakarta – Indonesia has been very active in the realm of defense over the past few months, with activities ranging from joint exercises to leveling up its defense cooperation agreement (DCA) with Australia.

Stanley Widianto and Johan Purnomo, Jakarta – Over 1,000 ride-hailing drivers staged a strike in several cities on Thursday to protest their low pay, calling on the government to provide more protection against what they said were unfair practices by on-demand services companies.

As President of the ULMWP and on behalf of the people of West Papua, I welcome the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Communique reaffirming the 2019 call for a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visit to West Papua:

Leaders recalled their decision from 2019 and 2023 and noted the update from the Special Envoys.

Paul Gregoire – Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto was in Canberra early last week to meet with soon-to-be counter-part-prime minister Anthony Albanese and to further negotiate a new defence deal, in his current capacity as Indonesian defence minister with our own defence minister Richard Marles.

Alex Bainbridge, Magan-djin/Brisbane – More than 100 people marched through the streets of Magan-djin/Brisbane on August 30 as part of a School Strike 4 Climate student strike for West Papua.

"Right now my people, the people of West Papua are living through a painful reality," a message from Papuan activist Jeffrey which was read to the crowd said.

Jakarta – The government is reminding Indonesian migrant workers to sign up to be members of the state employment insurance scheme BPJS Ketenagakerjaan.

Jakarta – The Indonesian public recently spotlighted the link between the subsidiaries of SEA Limited, Shopee, and Garena, to President Jokowi's youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, and his wife, Erina Gudono.

This occurred after Indonesians suspected that the Gulfstream private jet that Kaesang and Erina boarded to the United States belonged to Garena Online (Private) Limited.

Gantry Meilana, Dili, East Timor – East Timor on Friday celebrated the 25th anniversary of a U.N.-backed referendum that secured its independence from its major neighbor Indonesia, which invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975.

M Ambari, Jakarta – A milestone debt-for-nature agreement to conserve coral reefs in Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic country, has drawn a mix of optimism and skepticism from environmentalists.

Barita News Lumbanbatu, Sipahutar, Indonesia – On the Indonesian island of Sumatra lives a man named Efron Simanjuntak. With a stern face and thick, graying mustache, he roams the forests near the village of Bona ni Dolok. Once a player in the region's illegal logging industry, he's now a dedicated forest protector.

Asad Asnawi, Pacitan, Indonesia – Indonesia's mining ministry has ordered a suspension of operations at a controversial copper mine on Java Island following claims by local farmers that it was responsible for massive pollution wrecking the livelihoods of 200 families living downriver.

Advist Khairunikmah, Jakarta – The Jakarta Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) said Dharma Pongrekun-Kun Wardana did not violate Election Law for misusing Jakarta voter IDs to register as gubernatorial candidates in the upcoming regional head election.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition pushes the Indonesian government to use the upcoming submission of the Second Nationally Determined Contribution (SNDC) in September as momentum to correct its commitment to climate change and democracy.

Antara, Jakarta – Chairperson of the Government Commission at the House of Representatives (DPR) Ahmad Doli Kurnia Tandjung said the parliament would evaluate the medium and long-term position of the Constitutional Court (MK). Doli said MK often undertakes matters outside of its authorized duty.

Antara, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor candidate Ridwan Kamil has addressed the controversy surrounding his old tweets that recently resurfaced on social media. He acknowledged that his views have changed since becoming a public official and apologized for his past comments.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) updated its report on the number of evacuees from the flash flood disaster in Rua Village, Ternate City, North Maluku. Thus far, the number of evacuees has increased from 150 to 250 people.

Antara, Jakarta – PT PLN (Persero), through its subsidiary PLN Batam, in collaboration with PT Aruna Cahaya Pratama (Aruna PV), has successfully launched Indonesia's largest ground-mounted solar power plant, Antara reported.

Jakarta – Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, has recently been in hot water over allegations of gratification and his business ventures.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has refuted claims that he played a role in obstructing Anies Baswedan's candidacy for the 2024 gubernatorial elections in Jakarta and West Java.

Jokowi said the decision to nominate candidates is determined by political parties and their coalitions, which operate under their own processes.

Aryo Putranto Saptohutomo, Jakarta – The discourse on the House of Representatives (DPR) immediately passing the Draft Law on Asset Seizures (RUU Perampasan Aset) is seen as a counterattack by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to hide his disappointment because his political interests were not accommodated.

Muhammad Ridwan – The Instagram account belonging to Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), @sahabaticw (@friendsoficw), was suspended or temporarily blocked by Meta. The reason given was that it had violated the internal platform rules.

Ahmad Fikri, Jakarta – The President's Special Staff Coordinator, Ari Dwipayana, emphatically denied allegations that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo played a role in preventing Anies Baswedan from advancing in the 2024 Regional Elections.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – The government has ordered thousands of doses of mpox vaccines from Denmark in an effort to prevent the illness' spread, amid escalating global concern over the viral infection.

A shipment of 1,600 vaccine doses, the second from the Scandinavian country, is expected to arrive next week, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Tuesday.

Teguh Adi Prasetyo, Sella Rizky, Medikantyo Adhikresna, Jakarta – Thousands of online motorcycle taxi (ojek) and courier drivers rallied in Central Jakarta's Monas area on Thursday, demanding fairer tariffs and legal recognition for their profession.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia is currently seeking the Singaporean government's green light before it can start exporting solar power to the city-state, according to a senior government official.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini, commonly known as Risma, has been officially nominated as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) candidate for East Java governor, with Muslim scholar Zahrul Azhar Asad as her running mate for the November 27 election.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) and the government have agreed on the 2025 State Budget assumptions, setting the rupiah exchange rate at Rp 16,000 per US dollar, slightly lower than the government's proposed Rp 16,100.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani admitted Wednesday that a 5-percent growth would not be enough for Indonesia to become a high-income country by its centennial in 2045.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) on Thursday denied ever considering Anies Baswedan as a candidate for the Jakarta gubernatorial election, clarifying that he was never the party's nominee.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Indonesia's Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Basuki Hadimuljono has requested an additional budget of Rp20.32 trillion for the development of Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara or IKN, in 2025.

Jakarta – This week we saw more candidates submit their bids for the local elections, and without President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's youngest son Kaesang Pangarep on the ballot, thanks to the Constitutional Court rulings that aim to foster more competitive races for regional heads across the country in November.

Jakarta – The public should be educated on the health risks of consuming foods and drinks with high sugar content, an official at the Women's Empowerment and Children Protection Ministry said on Tuesday.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) plans to ask Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, to clarify his use of a private jet on a recent overseas trip, as well as who paid for the travel, its deputy chief said on Wednesday.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has, once again, postponed his planned relocation to Nusantara in East Kalimantan, saying that he will wait for the future capital's airport to be up and running first.

Jakarta – Gerindra Party politician Ahmad Riza Patria and his running mate Marshel Widianto, a comedian, have withdrawn their candidacies in the South Tangerang, Banten, mayoral race after the party decided to instead back incumbent Benyamin Davnie, who has already received support from some of Gerindra's partners in the February presidential election.

Niniek Karmini, David Rising and Nicole Winfield, Dili, Timor-Leste – When the Vatican acknowledged in 2022 that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning, East Timorese independence hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo had sexually abused young boys, it appeared that the global clergy sexual abuse scandal that has compromised the Catholic Church's credibility around the world had finally arrived in

Resty Woro Yuniar – Students and pro-democracy activists in Indonesia have dismissed allegations that recent nationwide protests against proposed changes to the election law were backed by the Central Intelligence Agency or other foreign agents, as observers warn such claims could be used to stifle future dissent.

Kiki Siregar, Jakarta – Much is at stake in Indonesia's upcoming local elections in November and the outcomes could shape the political landscape and determine the country's progress over the next five years, said analysts.

Wahyu Setyowati, Bangka Belitung – Indonesia is intensifying its efforts to counter the European Union's Deforestation-Free Regulation (UEDR), which aims to block products linked to deforestation from entering the European market.