Antara, Jakarta – Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar disclosed in a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission IV on Thursday, August 31, that 351 industrial companies contributed to air pollution in the Greater Jakarta areas, or Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo confirmed that he met with NasDem Party chair Surya Paloh at the State Palace, Central Jakarta, on Thursday evening, August 31, amid the rising issue of Paloh appointing the National Awakening Party (PKB) chair Muhaimin Iskandar or Cak Imin as vice presidential candidate for Anies Baswedan.

Akhmad Riyadh, Jakarta – The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) and KontraS Aceh condemned the alleged kidnapping and torture leading to one's death by a member of the Presidential Security Force (Paspampres), Chief Private Riswandi Malik (RM) and his accomplices in Jakarta on Thursday, August 24, 2023.

M. Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo appointed Nana Sudjana, the former chief of Metro Jaya regional police as the Acting Governor of Central Java. Nana is set to replace Ganjar Pranowo, the current governor who will step down on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

Anisa Fauziah, Bogor – The Democratic Party on Friday decided an immediate withdrawal from the coalition of political parties that had been supporting former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan's candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.

Achmad Ali, Surabaya – The National Awakening Party (PKB) on Friday announced its decision to part ways with the political alliance supporting Prabowo Subianto for president and join a rival group endorsing Anies Baswedan as the 2024 presidential candidate.

Jakarta – The Jakarta Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) is urging central and regional governments not to show favouritism in acting against business owners that contribute to air pollution.

Sebastian Strangio – The 2023 Super Garuda Shield exercise will involve 24 nations as participants or observers, including several for the first time.Indonesia will today kick off its largest-ever annual joint military drills with the United States and a host of other countries, at time of rising tension in Southeast Asian waters.

Stefani Wijaya, Jakarta – The police recently arrested 31 people for allegedly running online gambling sites in Bali.

"They were operating gambling sites such as Hotel Slot 88, Cuan 88, Jaya Slot 28, Oscar 28, Sera 77," Adi Vivid Agustiadi Bachtiar, a director at the police's criminal investigation department, told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday.

BeritaSatu, Cikarang – US food and beverage giant PepsiCo has announced a substantial investment of $200 million to build a new snack factory in Indonesia. This move marks the company's return to the country after a four-year absence.

The factory, located in the West Java town of Cikarang, is currently under construction and is expected to become operational by 2025.

Jakarta – Weeks have gone by as the government works left and right to solve Jakarta's choking air pollution. Yet the problem seems to be worsening instead of improving.

Two and a half weeks after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo ordered measures to curb Jakarta's pollution, the quality of the air above the capital is showing little sign of changing.

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo reported on the effects of extreme drought caused by El Nino in Indonesia. The minister said rice production was reduced by 5 percent amid the phenomenon.

Jakarta – Thousands of Indonesian and American troops began two weeks of joint exercises Thursday, joining allies from five countries in drills aimed at ensuring stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

Jakarta – Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who is also the Gerindra Party's presidential candidate, visited the Presidential Palace on Thursday for a meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Prabowo arrived at the palace at around 3 p.m. and was immediately escorted to a private location where he was expected to have a meeting with the President.

Neo Chai Chin and Lewa Pardomuan, East Kalimantan – As Indonesia's future capital, Nusantara, gears up to welcome its first residents in less than a year's time, some nearby villagers are praying they do not get left out in the cold or displaced without compensation.

An Australian advocacy group in support of West Papuan self-determination has criticised the Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders for failing to grant West Papua full membership in the organisation at last week's summit in Port Vila.

Lucy Cormack and Karuni Rompies – High-rise buildings in Jakarta will soon be forced to spray water mist from their rooftops as part of the government's desperate bid to tackle the toxic air pollution that has been choking the megacity for weeks.

A provincial government in West Papua has launched a campaign to promote fish consumption among school students to help overcome the condition, which is generally caused by poor nutrition.

The Antara news agency quotes governor George Yarangga saying this is an extension of a programme that has been used in other parts of Indonesia for nearly 20 years.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Democratic Party expressed strong resentment on Thursday, accusing coalition partners of treachery for choosing Muhaimin Iskandar as Anies Baswedan's running mate in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

Anwar Siswadi, Jakarta – Around 50 journalists from four organizations, student press, residents, and artists staged a protest in front of the Bandung Metropolitan Police headquarters today, Thursday, August 31, 2023. The protestors were condemning police violence against journalists and civilians in Bandung.

Tazkia Royyan Hikmatiar – A 2023 Press Freedom Index (IKP) survey conducted by the Press Council found a significant decline compared to 2022, with the IKP dropping to 71.57 from 77.87 points in 2022.

Rifat Alhamidi, Bandung – Journalists from four organisations in Bandung, West Java (Jabar), held a demonstration at the Vanda Park on Thursday August 31. In their demands, they condemned the violence by police during a clash between police and Dego Elos residents on August 14.

Akhmad Riyadh, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) and the Civil Society Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances demand the government ratify the bill on the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

Leader of Opposition Hon Matthew Wale has expressed disappointment with the Prime Minister's stand on the West Papua issue labelling it as 'hypocritical'.

Hon Wale said the current Prime Minister used to be a strong supporter and advocator for West Papua in the past but he has taken a 180-degree on the issue.

Jakarta – Indonesian presidential hopeful Anies Baswedan has declared his intention to adopt a "values-based" foreign policy for the country if he wins the upcoming election, even as he criticises the current one under President Joko Widodo as being "transactional".

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – A civil coalition for victims and people against forgetting past human rights abuses said that those who committed human rights crimes during the New Order era are not fit to hold a state position, let alone run for the upcoming presidential election.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has arrested three soldiers on suspicion of kidnapping, torturing and killing a civilian in an extortion plot, officials said Tuesday.

According to the TNI, the victim was tortured to death and local media reported his body was later found in a river in the West Java town of Karawang.

Jakarta – Disgraced taxman Rafael Alun Trisambodo attended the opening hearing of his corruption trial on Wednesday only to discover that his wife might soon join him as a co-defendant.

He stands accused of accepting bribes totaling Rp 16.6 billion ($1.1 million), which he allegedly used to purchase land, properties, jewelry, luxury vehicles, and high-end branded bags.

Batam, Riau Islands – Dozens of Chinese nationals were arrested in Indonesia on suspicion of running an online love scam syndicate that ensnared hundreds of victims in China, police said Wednesday.

Acting on a tip-off from their Chinese counterparts, police arrested 83 men and five women at an industrial park in Batam city in Riau Islands province on Tuesday.

Mai Nguyen and Siyi Liu – Nickel smelters in top producer Indonesia are making rare purchases of ore from the Philippines to ease tight supplies, people familiar with the matter said, upending trade flows of the raw material and pushing up costs across the supply chain.

Jakarta – Indonesia's upcoming presidential election will be a close contest between two popular candidates, the country's defence minister and a governor of one of its most populous provinces, an opinion survey showed on Wednesday.

Jakarta – Indonesian state energy company Pertamina plans in 2024 to mix more of its gasoline products with ethanol in a bid to offer alternative fuels to the public, its chief executive said on Monday.

Melissa Conley Tyler, Anders Hofstee and Kara Chesal – When Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong visited Dili last month, one of the projects she highlighted was the Timor-Leste South Submarine Cable.

Len Garae, Port Vila – The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) has failed West Papua, says a Vanuatu government champion of West Papuan self-determination.

Yamin Kogoya – The Jakarta District Court heard the case of alleged bribery and gratification against suspended Papua governor Lukas Enembe on Monday with evidence from expert witnesses saying that an audit showed records to be "clean and accurate".

The hearing was convened to hear the testimony of three expert witnesses on the allegations against Governor Enembe.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – For the last year of his final term in office, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has set ambitious targets in terms of economic growth, poverty reduction, job creation and reducing inequality, using the state budget as an instrument to achieve these.

Jakarta – For what it's worth, the scathing attack against President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's food estate program, from no less than the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), gives us a rare glimpse of what a democracy should look like.

Yerica Lai, Jakarta – Presumptive presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has renamed his augmented electoral alliance after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's cabinet and has asserted it represents "team Jokowi", as he seeks to portray himself as the popular president's rightful successor.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – Resistance has been growing against a plan to erect a 100-meter-tall statue of Indonesia's founding father Sukarno in a new economic hub in West Java, as some observers have questioned the urgency and purpose of the costly project.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Wednesday threatened to impose sanctions against factories that do not install pollution control devices as Jakarta grapples with worsening air quality. The sanctions may even include a shutdown of the factory's operations.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia – the world's largest Muslim-majority country – reported that its Sharia-compliant finance assets had totaled hundreds of billions of American dollars in value.

Devy Ernis, Jakarta – A junior high school teacher in Lamongan shaved the heads of dozens of hijabi students for not wearing an inner hijab or ciput as it is locally known. This action was met with strong protests from a number of parents, demanding the teacher to be disrespectfully fired.

Adi Warsono, Jakarta – Passengers of Light Rail Transit or LRT Jabodebek departing from Bekasi were evacuated this morning, August 30, due to a problem with the train. Passengers were asked to leave the train five minutes after departure.

"I took the train from Jatimulya and was asked to get off at Cikunir 2," a passenger Devina Amelia said this morning.

Medan, Indonesia – Indonesia's Chinese-funded high-speed train service has been delayed for the second time in less than a month, in the latest setback for the project plagued by cost overruns and local scepticism.

The trial launch of the $7.3bn Jakarta-Bandung high-speed service, scheduled for Friday, will not go ahead as planned, a spokesperson for the project said.

Syakirun Niam, Jakarta – A 1965 exile who resides in Amsterdam, Holland, Sri Budiarti or Ning, has related her experience of being berated and accused of being a member of the now-defunct Indonesian Women's Movement (Gerwani).

Sebastian Strangio – Myanmar's military government has ordered Timor-Leste's senior diplomat to leave the country in retaliation for a meeting that his government held with the opposition National Unity Government (NUG).

Timika, Jubi – The families of the murder and mutilation victims in Mimika Regency expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision made by the Appellate Judges Panel of the Surabaya High Military Court III, which reduced the sentence for Maj. Inf. Helmanto Fransiskus Dakhi, the defendant, from life imprisonment to 15 years in jail.

In spite of again being denied full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has welcomed the call from the MSG Leaders' Summit in Port Vila last week for Indonesia to allow the long-awaited visit of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to West Papua.

Jakarta – Indonesia's government has widened public access to a 7 million rupiah ($458.87) subsidy to buy an electric motorcycle after a lack of uptake due to limited eligibility, as it aims for long-term mass adoption of electric vehicles (EVs).

Aisyah Llewellyn – Two weeks ago, this column discussed the Indonesian Supreme Court's decision to slash the sentences of four convicted murderers, including two police officers, after the defendants appealed their guilty verdicts following the slaying of a young police brigadier.