At least 36 suspected militants have been arrested ahead of President Joko Widodo’s inauguration on Sunday, including two former policewomen, one of whom was thought to be planning a suicide bomb attack.

Amid Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria, some Indonesia Isis militants and their families are believed to have escaped prison, a counterterrorism source says.

Kurdish rebels have been guarding 12,000 Islamic State prisoners captured in Syria, but Trump’s troop withdrawal could offer hundreds of Southeast Asian jihadists a chance to flee, regroup and re-energise.

Ex-constitutional court chief justice Mahfud MD, who is now a government adviser, revealed the seriousness of Wiranto’s injuries after he was stabbed by an IS sympathiser this week. The attacker had recently bought a set of ‘Ninja-style’ knives online.

The stabbing has prompted President Joko Widodo to consider plans to step up security for all senior ministers.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is set to reveal a new cabinet, but with just days before his inauguration, political machinations continue over whether his government can accommodate key opposition politicians.

Authorities initially believed plotters were using petrol bombs but upon investigation, found the devices were filled with gunpowder and nails.

Achmad Fadil Muzakki Syah, who told reporters he and his wives ‘regularly sleep together in one bed’, aims to showcase his family as an example of polygamy done right.

Puan Maharani, the daughter of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and granddaughter of founding president Sukarno, was unanimously elected as speaker, while a number of celebrities were also sworn in as MPs.

Two men give statements on camera saying they were paid to provoke raids on Chinese stores as Indonesia reels from its worst unrest since 1998.

Fear of the Chinese is deep-rooted in the region, but the plethora of misinformation has reached a crescendo, and policymakers now face a choice: crack down or educate.

The Corruption Eradication Commission has consistently been voted the country’s most trusted institution but lawmakers now plan legal revisions that will subject the agency to government oversight.

Claims that mainland Chinese are being granted Malaysian identification cards have been circulating online media for the past month. The National Registration Department has lodged a police report in response.

On social media groups, Malay-Muslims have been urged to avoid buying goods, including halal products, from non-Muslims.

The Kelantan palace urged the people not to be swayed by false information after the ruler’s former wife Oksana Voevodina posted a picture of the pair having a candlelight dinner.

Fake images of the Malaysian flag and inflammatory comments by a preacher are among the recent developments ratcheting up ethnic and religious tensions in multiracial Malaysia, causing security concerns.

In restive Papua, a separatist movement has simmered since the 1960s. While President Joko Widodo has sought to improve outcomes for the region, observers say long-standing racism against Papuans risks undermining his plans.

Indonesian president discussed migrant workers, border issues and palm oil cooperation with Mahathir Mohamad during the two-day visit.

Nahdlatul Ulama has 60 million followers and is a voice for moderate Islam and has thrown its support behind Widodo. But analysts say its growing prominence could disenfranchise conservatives and worsen identity politics.

President Joko Widodo has hinted the Islamic Defenders Front could be outlawed in an effort to tackle a growing wave of conservatism, but opposition leader Prabowo cautions against the move.

Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict says government’s efforts to curb hate speech could further inflame religious and political tensions.

The funds have been used by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, say counterterrorism police. Malaysia has been vocal about getting justice for the persecuted minority but the realisation that some members could be a security threat has caused disquiet

Facial recognition technology has failed to identify the person seen in a leaked clip as the economic affairs minister, but police say the ‘leader of a political party’ paid ‘hundreds of thousands of ringgit’ to produce the video.

Women in Indonesia’s ultraconservative province of Acehare unhappy with efforts to legalise polygamous marriages through a special by-law being debated in the local legislature.

The threat exposes the rising militancy against the Shia Muslim minority in multicultural Malaysia.

Little has been heard of the Southeast Asian offshoot of al-Qaeda for the past five years, but the arrest of JI leader Para Wijayanto reveals it is now self-funded, focusing on recruitment, and posing a renewed threat to the region.

After a bitterly-fought, divisive election, a broad political coalition could bring much-needed stability so President Joko Widodo can focus on economic reforms. But there are downsides too.

Para Wijayanto – known as the “crown prince of Jemaah Islamiah”, the Southeast Asian wing of al-Qaeda – was involved in a spate of bombings across Indonesia, and evaded capture for so long because he often used a burka to disguise himself.

The suspect, a 32-year-old man, belonged to the Muslim Cyber Army, 14 of whose members were arrested on similar charges in March last year.

‘The plaintiff’s case is legally groundless. We reject [his] demand in its entirety,’ chief justice Anwar Usman said.