Jakarta – Many may be surprised to hear that Indonesia, the world's largest nickel producer, is also importing the commodity. Incoming shipments of nickel ore amounted to almost 54,000 tonnes in the first half of 2023, up from 22,500 tonnes in 2022, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Several provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan have been blanketed with haze from raging forest fires that worsened in August, causing a surge in people with respiratory ailments such as sore throat and shortness of breath.

Makassar – A demonstration by the Makassar State University (UNM) Student Alliance demanding a resolution to cases of past human rights violations in Indonesia has ended in a clash with police. Three protesters were also arrested at the rally on Tuesday September 12.

Aswin Lin, Deasy Simandjuntak – Notwithstanding his high popularity in recent polls, Prabowo Subianto's uneven track record as defence minister begs more scrutiny from Indonesian voters before they head to the presidential vote next February.

BTV, Makassar – The General Election Commission (KPU) has confirmed that no action will be taken against presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo, who recently appeared in a televised advertisement while preparing to perform a prayer, a move criticized by some as a demonstration of "identity politics."

Manokwari, Jubi – Following an incident in the Kramomongga District, Fakfak Regency, West Papua Province on August 15, 2023, the police have apprehended a total of 12 individuals suspected of involvement in the attack. Seven of them have faced legal prosecution, while five were fatally shot by law enforcement officers.

Jayapura, Jubi – Yustus Yekusamon, a key figure and driving force behind the economic progress of indigenous communities in Grime Nawa Valley, Jayapura Regency, is collaborating with the Assessment and Empowerment of Indigenous Peoples Association (PPMA Papua).

Ahalla Tsauro & Fakhridho Susilo – Observers of the Indonesian 2024 presidential race recently witnessed a surprising turn of events. After a period of relative silence on the matter, presidential hopeful Anies Baswedan finally declared his choice of running mate.

A Radio New Zealand (RNZ) journalist has alleged that an Indonesian official attempted to both bribe and intimidate him following an interview at a recent meeting of a Melanesian intergovernmental organisation in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Jakarta – A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck North Maluku province on Monday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said, but there were no immediate reports of heavy damage or deaths.

The Indonesian geological agency pegged the magnitude at 5.9 with no threat of tsunami. North Maluku covers the northern part of the Maluku islands.

Jakarta – Jakarta is planning to extend remote working for public employees and ramp up water misting from tall buildings as the city's air quality has not improved despite various efforts to curb air pollution.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – Promoting the country's ambitious Nusantara capital city project at the Group of 20 Summit in India last week, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo returned to Jakarta with four fresh investment commitments, albeit still with no concrete promises of actual funding.

Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Minister Teten Masduki has questioned the plan of TikTok to expand into e-commerce and other sectors, saying the popular social media platform could become a "monopoly" and potentially threaten Indonesia's small businesses.

Cindy Layan, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will revise the nomenclature used in national holidays commemorating key events in the life of Jesus Christ by replacing the current name adopted from Arabic, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Jakarta – Former police general Ferdy Sambo, who was convicted of murdering a subordinate, has been transferred from Salemba prison in Jakarta to Cibinong Penitentiary in West Java after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction, an official announced on Tuesday.

Jakarta – State-owned oil company Pertamina says it is adopting carbon capture storage (CCS)/carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies in a bid to help the government reach net-zero emissions by 2060.

Moh. Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – Transportation Ministry through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, held a forum group discussion with the theme of "Advancing Together to Improve Civil Aviation Safety in Papua" on September 11-12, 2023 in Timika, Papua.

Antara, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo mentioned that the lack of communication between law enforcers and Rempang residents is the cause of conflict on the island.

According to Jokowi, the incident would not have happened if the residents had been involved in dialogues and were given solutions in regard to the development of Rempang Eco-City in the area.

Riani Sanusi Putri, Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Communication and Information (Kominfo) Budi Arie rebutted the report that he proposed a tax policy on online gambling, asserting that online gambling is an illegal activity.

Antara, Batam – Riau Islands Police and Barelang Police arrested a total of 43 people for allegedly committing violence against officers and vandalism during a protest in front of the Batam BP Office on Monday, September 11, 2023, related to the Rempang island fiasco.

Rizki Dewi Ayu, Raden Putri, M Faiz Zaki, Naufal Ridhwan, Jakarta – Social media has recently been abuzz with the news that Tanah Abang Market in Central Jakarta is increasingly empty of shoppers.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – A court in Indonesia's Riau province, the country's palm oil heartland, has sentenced a high-ranking official to 12 years in prison for taking bribes in exchange for issuing or renewing plantation permits.

Moh. Said Mashur, Cilegon – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo expressed concerns on Tuesday regarding the recent clash between law enforcement personnel and residents of Rempang Island, who opposed to their forced relocation for a government project.

Antara, Jakarta – Jakarta-owned bus operator PT Transportation Jakarta (Transjakarta) shares optimism about replacing its entire fleet with electric buses by 2030. The company's director of operations and safety, Daud Joseph, said the goal is to create a clean service that does not produce air pollution.

Catholics have joined advocacy groups to ask the Indonesian government to end violence aiming to crush opposition to a controversial tourism project on a picturesque island.

"We regret the repressive actions and tear gas shooting which resulted in students being treated at the hospital," said a Sept. 10 statement from a lay group called, Catholic Youth.

Jakarta – Soaring food prices have become more concerning and for rice, it is alarming. The price of rice was Rp 12,530 (81 US cents) per kilogram in early September, up 16 percent year-on-year, according to National Food Agency data.

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo on Monday said Indonesia has sufficient rice stock at home, seeking to allay concerns about supplies as prices of the staple hit multi-year highs due to periods of drought and low output.

Rice prices rose at the fastest pace in over a decade in August, even as the inflation rate remained relatively low.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Jakarta – Thousands of indigenous Malay people from the Riau Islands held a demonstration in front of the office of the Free Trade Zone and Free Port Authority or BP Batam on Monday, September 11, 2023.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – The country's political landscape has changed after the announcement that former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan will partner with National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Muhaimin "Cak Imin" Iskandar as presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

The Regent of Bintuni Bay Regency in West Papua Province, Petrus Kasihiw, has officially recognized the ancestral lands of three clans within the Moskona tribe: Masakoda, Yen, and Yec clans, totaling 6,262 hectares. This decision was made following the issuance of a Decree during a meeting on Saturday, September 9, 2023 in Waraitama Village, Manimeri District.

Syafiq Hasyim – As his running mate, Muhaimin Iskandar could bring something to the table for Anies Baswedan's 2024 campaign and the former would not be down and out even if their team does not beat the other two presidential contenders next February.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Former West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil is among the few potential running mates being considered by Prabowo Subianto for the upcoming presidential election, according to an executive of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).

Maria Gabrielle, Jakarta – The Jakarta Police have taken four men and one woman into custody, charging them with the production and distribution of explicit adult content.

Law enforcement officials are actively seeking at least 11 other women who are believed to have been featured in the clandestinely produced videos linked to this group, an officer said on Monday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – A senior government official on Monday revealed a global company is looking to invest in a petrochemical plant in Indonesia. However, not much is known about the project except for the fact that Indonesia's large carbon storage capacity was what got the mysterious investor hooked.

Jakarta – Ahead of the 2024 elections, the political elite who have stepped forward as presidential and vice presidential candidates have begun to outline their promises if elected. These promises have been conveyed publically on several occasions.

Summarised by CNN Indonesia, the following are the promises that they have conveyed to the public.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Golkar Party indicated on Monday their intention to nominate former West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil for the upcoming gubernatorial election in either West Java or Jakarta amid speculations that he might be considered as a running mate in the presidential race taking place in the same year.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The government is planning to allow other countries bury their carbon in Indonesia through a process popularly known as carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – An Indonesian court has upheld a government decision to curb the expansion of a multibillion-dollar oil palm plantation project in the country's easternmost region of Papua.

Christopher Knaus – Australia's parliament will be given only a limited ability to scrutinise unlawful and improper intelligence operations, prompting concerns it will not be able to meet a pre-election promise for an investigation of the 2004 Timor-Leste bugging scandal.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi returned from the G20 Summit in India on September 10, 2023. During his three-day visit, Jokowi paid attention to climate issues and explored further investment possibilities for the Indonesia's new capital city (IKN), Nusantara.

Jakarta – State-owned energy firm Pertamina is setting up solar panels in Tanjung Karang Village, Aceh. The new solar panels will power the Rumah Kreatif Tamiang, a workshop dedicated to training people with disabilities.

Subsidiary Pertamina Hulu Energi – particularly the Pertamina EP Asset Rantau Field – is in charge of this solar panel project.

Riang Karunianidi – On August 16, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo presented his State of the Nation address to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) making the commemoration of the proclamation of Indonesian independence on August 17.

Heru Andriyanto, New Delhi – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo seized the opportunity to garner support from leaders of major powers for Indonesia's bid to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) During the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

Heru Andriyanto, New Delhi – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in New Delhi on Saturday to express his government's appreciation for France's investment commitments in Indonesia's new national capital, Nusantara.

Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – The specter of the New Order's state-sponsored women's organization Dharma Wanita came to my mind when I recently attended a routine gathering of a group of young mothers with their three-year-old kids and tutors in a public kindergarten in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta.

Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – When a friend asked her to do pro-bono legal work for farming communities in a number of villages across Indonesia, lawyer Helianti Hilman, who loves to travel, jumped at the opportunity.

BeritaSatu, Jakarta – The recently inaugurated Light Rail Transit (LRT) system in Greater Jakarta has proven its popularity by ferrying an average of more than 30,000 passengers daily during its first ten days of operation, the government said on Saturday.

Jakarta – In a scramble to tackle the suffocating air pollution in Jakarta, the city administration has now pushed the pedal further on vehicle emissions testing in the greater metropolitan area.

Melissa Meehan – Indonesia has lifted its suspension of Australian live export cattle, declaring it safe from lumpy skin disease.

The country had stopped the importation from four Australian facilities in early August after its authorities found a small number of Australian cattle had been detected with the disease.

Antara, Bogor – Head of Gunungsindur Subdistrict Dace Hatomi said residents have been complaining for the past seven years about wells allegedly being contaminated with fuel oil. According to him, the well water smelled like gasoline.