Jakarta – Kaesang Pangarep, chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), suggested that his party would not be joining the Golkar-led coalition in the Banten gubernatorial election to support frontrunner Airin Rachmi Diany.

Irfan Maulana, Padarincang, Indonesia – On a white-hot afternoon in June, people from Padarincang subdistrict gathered near a mountain lake to recite an istighosah, an Islamic prayer blended with Indigenous context here in Indonesia's Banten province.

Zach Hope and Amilia Rosa – Consider yourself a "quality" tourist? Bali, Australia's favourite jaunt, has set an easy bar for qualification: follow the rules (the important ones at least) and be respectful.

This year the Balinese have added another, exceedingly modest, condition. And it is already being violated by about half the island's foreign visitors.

Shela Octavia, Jessi Carina, Jakarta – TNI (Indonesian military) Commander General Agus Subiyanto is considered to have been too hasty in concluding that there was no involvement of TNI personnel in the fatal fire at the home of Tribrata TV reporter Rico Sempurna Pasaribu in Karo regency, North Sumatra.

Antara, Jakarta – The new Law No. 4 of 2024 on Maternal and Child Welfare (KIA Law) can protect Indonesian couples from the rising childfree trend, according to Bonivasius Prasetya Ichtiarto, Deputy for Population Control at the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN).

Alfi Dinilhaq, Jakarta – Cybersecurity expert Alfons Tanujaya has called for a decisive response from the government to online gambling operators who have hacked government websites in retaliation for the crackdown on online gambling.

Antara, Jakarta – Ridwan Kamil, the curator of the new capital city Nusantara (IKN), announced that the core area, comparable in size to Jakarta's National Monument (Monas), is expected to be completed by August.

Jakarta – Certain connecting roads in South Lampung regency, Lampung, appear to still be damaged despite President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's visit last year, following a viral video showing the worsening conditions of the roads in Sumatra's southernmost province.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Activists allege that two of the world's biggest pulp and paper companies have violated their zero-deforestation pledge by clearing natural forests and peatlands in Indonesia.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – As public anger over the failure to prevent the ransomware attack on a temporary national data center facility in late June starts to wane, experts and civil groups have urged the government to be transparent about its progress in recovering the impacted databases.

Saskia E Wieringa – Despite a long history of acceptance of trans and same-sex practices, homosexuality in Indonesia is currently framed as deriving from the West, and as alien to the country's traditions and majority religion, Islam.

Sandy Yule – When Melbourne-born Helen Hill, an outstanding social activist, scholar and academic, died on May 7, 2024, at the age of 79, the Timorese government sent its Minister for Education, Dulce de Jesus Soares, to deliver a moving eulogy at the funeral service at Church of All Nations in Carlton.

Anton Nilsson – The suspected killing by fire of an Indonesian journalist last month is just the latest case of reporters in the country being intimidated for their work, journalists and researchers tell Crikey.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – North Sumatra Police named on Thursday a third suspect allegedly involved in an arson attack that killed a journalist and his family in Karo regency in the province.

"We have named B as a new suspect in the case," provincial police chief Comr. Gen. Agung Setya Imam Effendi said on Thursday, identifying the person by his initial.

Jakarta – Former agriculture minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo was jailed for 10 years on Thursday after he was found guilty of misappropriating more than $900,000 of public funds.

The Jakarta Corruption Court found the Nasdem Party politician guilty of ordering officials in his ministry to send him money from state coffers, some of which was used for his personal expenses.

Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – Indonesia has set its sights on ratifying a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Iran, with many expecting it to open doors for local products to markets in Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East, but experts have urged caution over its geopolitical situation and sanctions from Western countries.

Astrid Meilasari-Sugiana, Gunardi Endro and Siwage Dharma Negara – Public expectations for corruption eradication will never be met unless fundamental reforms are implemented within Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and other law enforcement agencies, including the National Police and the Attorney General's Office.

Jakarta – Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto will allow the nation's debt-to-GDP ratio to rise to 50 per cent provided his administration can boost tax revenues, the Financial Times reported citing one of his closest advisers.

Jakarta – Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs stated that the Indonesian Armed Forces' (TNI's) dual functions contained in the TNI Bill will not bring the state institution into the New Order era.

Nirmala Maulana Achmad, Aryo Putranto Saptohutomo, Jakarta – Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Director Muhammad Isnur has questioned why a Presidential Letter (Surpres) on the Draft National Police Law (RUU Polri) has been issued before a problem inventory list (DIM) has been drafted or study of the bill.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – An American government official said Thursday that the promised JETP money worth billions of dollars meant to help Indonesia's energy transition is already moving.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – Authorities are investigating 11 faculty members at Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM) who have been accused of violating academic ethics to earn their professorships, as public pressure rises on the government to sanction academics of similar cases plaguing the country's higher education.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – Former Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo offered an apology to National Democratic Party (Nasdem) Chairman Surya Paloh shortly after a court hearing on Thursday, where he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption.

Antara, Jakarta – Investment Minister and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia is advocating for the extension of gold miner Freeport Indonesia's (PTFI) Special Mining Permit (IUPK) before President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's term ends in October.

Herman, Jakarta – In an effort to curb airfare hikes, the Indonesian government plans to implement duty exemptions and ease restrictions on specific imported goods vital to aviation, alongside tax incentives and a revised tariff structure.

Bella Evanglista, Jakarta – Redma Gita Wirawasta, Chairman of the Indonesian Filament Yarn and Fiber Producers Association (Apsyfi), said that despite strong consumer demand for textiles, the market is dominated by Chinese imports, leading to the closure of many local textile companies.

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo's decision to force through an allocation of Rp71 trillion to cover the costs of the free milk and nutritious meal program in the 2025 Draft State Budget is inappropriate. As well as potentially being a violation of regulations, this kind of arbitrary policy ignores the significant burden on state finances next year.

Tempo.Co, Jakarta – The Judicial Commission (KY) reacted to the acquittal of former Langkat Regent Terbit Rencana Perangin Angin by the Stabat District Court in the case of human trafficking (TPPO). The panel of judges declared that Terbit Rencana had not been proven guilty according to the prosecution's case and released him on Monday, July 8, 2024.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Executive Director of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), Esther Sri Astuti, said the construction of Nusantara Capital City, or IKN burdens the State Budget.

Esther said other programs such as President-elect Prabowo Subianto's free meal program also burden state funds, but no more than the new capital project.

Han Revanda Putra, Jakarta – Chairperson of the Indonesian Textile Association (API) Jemmy Kartiwa Sastraatmadja urged the government to limit imports of textiles and textile products from more than 700 Harmonized System (HS) codes.

Jakarta – Indonesia said it is beginning to recover data that had been encrypted in a major ransomware attack last month which affected more than 160 government agencies.

Nazarudin Latif, Jakarta – Indonesia will go ahead with planned Independence day events next month at its new capital site in Borneo despite massive construction delays, including the lack of a clean drinking water network, officials said Thursday.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Chief Security Minister Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed on Thursday that the upcoming simultaneous elections for governors, mayors, and regents will proceed as planned.

Indonesia will elect 38 governors and more than 500 mayors and regents across the country on November 27.

Steve Rushton – Indigenous people in West Papua face systematic murder and destruction of their lands. They were colonised by Indonesia in the 1960s. West Papua is the western part of the island of New Guinea – home to the world's third largest rainforest.

Irfandi, Heru Andriyanto, Makassar – The government has announced vacancies for new commissioners of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), but the selection committee reported on Thursday that only one woman has applied among the 79 applicants so far.

Iman Rahman Cahyadi, Jakarta – Several websites belonging to the central and local governments were compromised by hackers on Thursday in what appears to be a retaliatory attack against the ongoing crackdown on gambling apps and websites.

Jakarta – The national petrochemical industry is also in need of protection from the rush of imported plastic raw materials just like the textile industry after the 2024 Trade Ministry regulation entered into force. This is crucial to ensure the sustainability of the domestic industry and also to convince companies who wish to make major expansions to meet the domestic demand.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Tuesday detained three suspects accused of inflating the price of a power plant component procured by the state-owned electricity company PLN.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia has scrapped the proposal to collect tourism fees through airline tickets. Travelers can breathe a sigh of relief as this means no additional burden will be added to ticket prices.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo does not want Indonesia's regents to spend the hard-earned government money on imports.

Apriadi Gunawan, Karo – The North Sumatra Police arrested two suspects and are pursuing another person allegedly involved in an arson case that killed a journalist and his family in Karo regency in the province.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – Indonesia's antitrust agency, the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU), has accused e-commerce firm Shopee and tech giant Google of engaging in monopoly practices. Shopee, accused of monopolizing its courier services, has since closed its case by agreeing to make changes to its services.

Jakarta – It would be unwise to assume that the decline in the poverty rate in Indonesia, which reached a historic low of 9.03 percent in March according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), is indicative of a major improvement in the country's socioeconomic front.

Jakarta – Lawmakers passed the long-awaited revision to the 1990 Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation Law; a change the policymakers claim will ensure better legal protection for wildlife and the environment.

Jakarta – Security forces in Papua reported that a civilian turbine engine aircraft was shot by members of an armed criminal group upon landing at the Sinak Airport in Puncak regency, Central Papua, on Monday.

Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta said in a visit to Luanda that Timor-Leste becoming the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2025 will open new opportunities for all Portuguese-speaking countries.

Jakarta – The National Police said Wednesday Australia sent back dozens of illegal migrants to a remote southern island after intercepting their vessel at sea, at least the second time this has happened this year.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Twelve unsuspecting job applicants have handed over personal data and copies of their identity cards, only to find themselves indebted by over Rp 1 billion (around $61,500) from online lenders, police said on Tuesday.

The scam is new to the Jakarta Police, who are now investigating the case.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – At least 50 alumni of the Australian National University (ANU) in Indonesia are disputing a statement made by Bambang Soesatyo (Bamsoet), the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), regarding research publication at ANU.

Jakarta – Military personnel are suspected of involvement in the murder of Rico Sempurna Pasaribu, a local journalist who wrote about gambling. The perpetrator must be tried in a civil court.