Among them: ethnic clashes in West Java, a riot following an earthquake in central Sumatra, and an anti-pollution protest that led to riots in Pasaruan, East Java.

CNN: INDONESIA

When the forest is on peat, as in much of central Kalimantan, Sumatra and Papua, the cost of Indonesia's messy land use becomes epic.

ECONOMIST: A special report on forests: Better REDD than dead | The

On July 16, West Sumatra governor Muchlis Ibrahim sent a letter to the central authorities.

CNN: 'THE PEOPLE'S ASPIRATION'

In Padang, an impoverished industrial town in Sumatra, local officials have simply seized a cement plant that the central government wanted to privatise.

ECONOMIST: Devolution isn't working as planned

Eleven conventional banks with operations in Aceh province are studying the conversion of their branches in the northern Sumatra territory, says Mulya Siregar, a senior analyst at the central bank's newly established Sharia division.

CNN: Islamic Finance 101