In this photo taken Thursday, flames and smoke billow from a fire on a target in Ras al-Ayn, Syria. This is the result of shelling by Turkish forces, the same day Turkey and the U.S. were negotiating a cease-fire agreement.

As the five-day cease-fire along Turkey’s border with Syria continues to falter, the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) tells NPR he thinks the deal is “really terrible.”

Under the deal, announced Thursday by Vice President Pence, Turkey agreed to halt its military offensive into the Syrian border region and the U.S. agreed to help usher the Kurdish-led forces out. Gen. Mazloum Kobani Abdi, top commander of the SDF, said his troops are committed to a temporary pause in fighting — but he is unwilling to fully evacuate his forces from the highly contested 20-mile-wide zone along hundreds of miles of the Syrian border.

Abdi says the SDF only agreed to withdraw its forces from “a few specific points,” not the entire region under discussion. In an interview with NPR’s Daniel Estrin and Lama Al-Arian, the commander said, “We’ve asked for a corridor in order for us to be able to withdraw our forces … but [Turkish forces] haven’t yet opened one.”

Meanwhile, Turkish-backed forces remain in the area. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that if the Kurdish-led forces do not retreat by Tuesday, Turkey will resume its offensive.

On Saturday, The Associated Press reported that the two sides were still trading fire around Ras al-Ayn, a strategic border town.

Intense fighting began after the U.S. rapidly withdrew troops from northeastern Syria earlier this month. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told CBS last week that the U.S. would withdraw 1,000 troops in northern Syria. Two U.S. officials close to the conflict told NPR all U.S. forces involved in fighting ISIS in the area would leave.

Members of Congress largely disagree with the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the region; the House denounced it in a 354-60 vote on Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the decision “a grave strategic mistake” in an op-ed on Friday.

In an interview on Saturday, former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus told NPR’s Michel Martin that he agrees with McConnell’s strongly-worded assessment. Petraeus, the former commander of Central Command in charge of U.S. forces in the Middle East, said the policy was unfair to Kurdish fighters who had been key U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS.

“The Kurds always used to say … that [they] have no friends but the mountains, and I would reassure them,” Petraeus said. “I would say, ‘Americans are your friends.’ … And sadly, this is arguably a betrayal.”

Petraeus told NPR the withdrawal of American forces has turned what was a stable area in Syria, where more than 10,000 Kurdish-led forces had been killed in the fight against ISIS, into “a scramble.”

As NPR’s Jane Arraf has reported, the short period of conflict this month has led to up to 200 civilian casualties and the displacement of about 200,000 people.

Petraeus said that he understands the desire to reduce the toll on U.S. troops overseas but that in the region being disputed along Syria’s border with Turkey, “we’d essentially done that.”

“We had less than 1,500 [troops],” Petraeus said. He added that those forces included special operations forces who played an important role in the U.S. campaign there — “but surely that’s affordable for the world’s only military superpower.”

“What we were doing was not fighting on the front lines — we were enabling those who were doing that,” Petraeus said. It was U.S. allies — Kurdish-backed forces — “who bore the brunt of the fighting on the front lines.”

Sozda Rakko of the Kurdish Red Crescent, northeastern Syria’s equivalent of the Red Cross, told NPR’s Arraf that she had gotten reports of a hospital bombing along a border city on Friday, one day after the cease-fire agreement was announced.

In a statement on Friday, Kurdish forces said that though attacks had slowed, artillery and drone attacks and gunfire by Turkish-backed militia killed five civilians and at least 13 Kurdish fighters in Syria on Thursday.

“We will not refrain from using our right to legitimate self-defense in case of any attack by Turkish-backed militias,” the statement said.

On Friday, President Trump tweeted that he had spoken with Erdogan, who told him that “there was minor sniper and mortar fire that was quickly eliminated.”

“[Erdogan] very much wants the ceasefire, or pause, to work,” Trump wrote.

Erdogan told reporters that he intends to move some of the millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey to the border area where Kurdish-led forces are being asked to evacuate. Syrian Kurds fear hostility from these refugees and worry that their demographic majority would be threatened in certain areas.

“If we stay on this path, it will have catastrophic consequences that will affect the people of the area and create ethnic cleansing,” Abdi told NPR. “We are asking Trump and the U.S. administration to keep its promises.”

Abdi said he wants Trump to reverse the withdrawal of American troops from northern Syria and reverse the U.S. deal with Turkey — “so we can find a complete political solution to the Syrian conflict.”

Abdi also said his army had not made a deal with the Syrian regime about which areas it would control in the future. Turkey has expressed a desire for the contested border region in Syria to become “buffer zone,” while many see it as a Turkish occupation.

In the meantime, Russian troops are making inroads. As NPR’s Greg Myre has reported, video shows Russians taking over an abandoned U.S. outpost, with half-eaten meals left by American troops on the dining tables.

Eugene Rumer, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Myre that Russia’s “mission of getting itself reestablished as a major power broker in the Middle East has been facilitated by the fact that the United States has been trying to disengage.”

Trump told reporters earlier this week that he does not mind the Russian presence.

“Russia’s tough,” Trump said. “They can kill ISIS just as well, and they happen to be in their neighborhood.”

On Friday, Trump celebrated the deal with Turkey on Twitter: “Think of how many lives we saved in Syria and Turkey by getting a ceasefire yesterday. Thousands and thousands, and maybe many more!”

Moving forward, Petraeus told NPR’s Martin, the U.S. needs to determine what can be “salvaged” in the fight against ISIS.

“We have to try to get into a political process, in which now Iran and Russia and [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad clearly have an upper hand,” Petraeus said. “We have to take care of those refugees that are being pushed out of their homes … and somehow, we have to also try to shore up our international credibility at a time when it has been called into question.”

After struggling to put matches to bed this season, leading to plenty of criticism, the Rossoneri cruised to a 3-1 victory over Chievo at San Siro

Gennaro Gattuso has bemoaned AC Milan’s struggles to put games to bed this season but was satisfied with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Chievo, with his side never considered to have been “in crisis”.

Milan had won only two of their six Serie A matches heading into Sunday’s clash at San Siro but they cruised into a 3-0 lead against the league’s bottom club, thanks to a Gonzalo Higuain brace and a second-half strike from Giacomo Bonaventura.

A sloppy pass out of defence by Cristian Zapata set up a consolation goal for Sergio Pellissier and Gattuso says there is still plenty of room for improvement, despite now sitting only three points adrift of second-placed Napoli.

“The performances were always there, we were just missing the three points,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

“The worst performance was on Thursday against Olympiacos [a 3-1 win in the Europa League].

“We made mistakes again today, gifting their goal, but we always want to play the ball. This wasn’t a team in crisis before, we just struggled to kill games off after good performances.

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“At times we run a few too many risks at the back, but we do want to play the ball and keep it moving.”

Gattuso called on his players to create more chances for Higuain, who has now scored three goals in two matches since returning from injury.

“Higuain is a champion, a great finisher, a player who is working very hard for the group, is demanding and also well-loved,” he added.

“The team creates a lot but we could do with more quality from Hakan Calhanoglu, who can create many more chances for Higuain, but isn’t very sharp at the moment.

“We have to improve on the left, as we were far stronger there last season. Franck Kessie played below par in the first half and wasn’t very dynamic today, but I like to give more width to the team.”

Gattuso’s men face a Milan derby against Inter after the international break.

“The derby is a game everyone cares about a great deal, there are 80,000 fans in the stands and we’ll be ready to focus when we come back from international duty on beating a very strong Inter,” said Gattuso.

The Belgian will be taken to hospital after he was injured in a challenge with Lucas Biglia, and his coach complained the midfielder was chopped down

Radja Nainggolan will be out for “a while” after the midfielder was injured in Inter’s derby victory against AC Milan, said Luciano Spalletti.

Nainggolan limped off after half an hour of Sunday’s Serie A clash at the San Siro, where Inter won 1-0 thanks to a late Mauro Icardi header.

The former Roma star appeared to sustain the injury in a heavy tackle from Lucas Biglia that saw the Milan midfielder booked, although Nainggolan also caught the Argentina international in the incident.

Nainggolan initially played on but after he was on the end of another firm challenge he was replaced by Borja Valero.

And Spalletti suggested Nainggolan could face a lengthy lay-off, with Inter next in action against Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.

“Nainggolan has been chopped down,” Spalletti said to Sky Sport Italia.

“We have to take him to the hospital and see. He won’t be with us for a while.”

Both teams had a goal ruled out for offside while Stefan de Vrij hit the post in the first half, but Spalletti was in no doubt the result was fair.

“It’s obvious Inter deserved it, we played from start to finish in their half, pressed high and went for it,” the coach added.

“Therefore, we deserve compliments. Not because we wanted it more, but because we played better. If you say to me, ‘The team that wanted it more got the win’, that is not accurate. The team that played better football won the game.

“I came here to win, not to just sit on a bench for a season and bring home a salary. I came here to organise the future of Inter and the players must do the same.

“I liked that after the final whistle, Icardi said we must find consistency and keep pushing. Inter chose us to bring this side back to the level that the fans deserve. It is our job, we must do it with a sense of belonging and prove they were right to choose us.

“It’s dangerous when you press high, as there is always the risk of conceding a counter, but we were perfect and forced Milan to continually lose the ball. We ensured Milan were incapable of playing their quality passing game that Gennaro Gattuso had spoken about.”

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The Chile midfielder was reportedly furious not to start for Barcelona against Tottenham, but Ernesto Valverde does not appear concerned

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde says he does not know if Arturo Vidal was left angry by the decision to leave him out of the starting line-up against Tottenham.

Vidal was reportedly furious not to be named in the first XI for the 4-2 Champions League win at Wembley on Wednesday, in which Valverde reverted to a four-man midfield.

An angry emoji was posted on social media by the Chile international, although it was later removed and followed up by a Twitter message in which he said: “Never give up! The best is yet to come.”

Vidal has struggled to force his way into the starting line-up since joining from Bayern Munich and is reportedly growing frustrated with his lack of involvement, but Valverde appears unconcerned by his latest reaction.

“We’re a team. He hasn’t told me anything. I don’t know if he’s angry about the game or about a domestic accident,” Valverde told a news conference.

Barca’s win over Spurs was inspired by Lionel Messi, who scored twice and played an important role in the goals from Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Rakitic.

Valverde admits playing in Europe probably encourages the Argentina star to show greater “enthusiasm”, but he thinks this is true of all of his players.

“I think he’s the same every game,” he said. “As far as enthusiasm goes, yes, certain games maybe bring more out of the players. There was an incredible rhythm to the game the other day and that brings more out of every player, not just Messi.

“But, mentality wise, I see Leo going into every game the same.”

Barca face Valencia at Mestalla on Sunday in their final match before the international break.

There have been concerns Luis Suarez will miss the match due to a knee injury, for which he will start treatment on Monday, but Valverde hopes to have him involved.

“He’s training with us today, he didn’t yesterday because it was part of his recovery. He’s part of the plans. The idea is for him to play,” Valverde added.

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Saul Niguez has been linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid in the last year, but he has no intention of ever leaving Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez intends to retire at the club despite reported interest from the likes of Barcelona.

Saul came through the ranks at Atletico and has established himself as a key player under Diego Simeone.

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Although he is still just 23, this season is Saul’s fifth successive campaign in the Atletico first team, with his versatility proving a key part in the club winning five trophy, including two Europa League triumphs.

Barcelona were strongly linked with Saul in pre-season, while he felt compelled to say a move to Real Madrid was “unthinkable” in September.

But Atletico can feel safe in the knowledge that the Spain international never wants to leave the club, having signed a nine-year deal in 2017.

When asked whether he will retire at Atletico, Saul told Radio Nacional Espana: “That’s why I signed a long-term contract.

“That’s my intention, to be at Atletico Madrid all my life, but in the world of football you never know.

“For me, yes [I want to retire at Atletico], but maybe I have a bad couple of years and then they grow to not love me anymore.”

The midfielder has played over 200 times for Atleti in all competitions, as well as 70 more times for the club’s B team in the Segunda Division. He has been in Madrid all his career, even joining local side Rayo Vallecano during his brief loan spell away from Atletico in 2013-14.

After a strong season with Rayo, he returned to Atletico Madrid, becoming a key part of their first team, where he helped them reach the Champions League final. He was named in the starting XI against Real Madrid and despite scoring in the shootout, saw his side suffer defeat on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

His good form also saw him receive international recognition, earning 12 caps to date. He was an unused substitute during the 2018 World Cup, but has been a key player under new head coach Luis Enrique and scored his first international goal against England in September before adding his second in the following game with Croatia.

With Tokyo 2020 on the horizon, what are the chances of Great Britain going for football gold?

At London 2012, Great Britain fielded a men’s team at an Olympic Games for the first time since 1972.

All four home nations allowed their players to participate, while a women’s team was also entered for the first time as Team GB competed in every sport at the Games.

But the associations from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales failed to agree to the same terms for Rio 2016, when neither the men’s nor women’s side were entered.

The trio are fearful that allowing their players to compete would risk their independence in the eyes of FIFA – though world football’s governing body insists it will not intrude.

FIFA stated it will only accept GB’s entry if all four member nations are in agreement.

Stuart Pearce managed the first men’s Team GB football team for 40 years, but it was a campaign which failed to match the success which was enjoyed in other sports.

After a limp draw with Senegal, GB overcame the United Arab Emirates thanks to goals from Ryan Giggs, Scott Sinclair and Daniel Sturridge.

Sturridge struck again against Uruguay to secure a quarter-final berth, where Pearce’s side were faced with South Korea.

All but three members of Team GB’s 18-man squad hailed from England and the nation’s problems in penalty shoot-outs rubbed off as they were downed on spot-kicks in Cardiff.

However, the team was discontinued for Rio and participation for the men’s team in Tokyo has already been ruled out.

Team GB’s women competed at the Olympics in the football competition for the first time at London 2012.

Hope Powell’s side won all three of their group games against New Zealand, Cameroon and two-time silver medalists Brazil with Steph Houghton netting in each game.

Come the quarter-final GB came unstuck at the hands of Canada, who secured a 2-0 win in Coventry and would end up scooping the bronze medal.

Similar to the men, no squad was entered for Rio with all four members nations failing to sanction the team.

Football Association chairman Greg Clarke stated in the immediate aftermath of the Rio Olympics that he wanted there to be a men’s and women’s team in Tokyo.

He said : “My personal view, and a view of a lot of people in government and at the FA, is: ‘Why would we deprive our athletes in the men’s and women’s football team of competing at the Olympics?'”

However, two years down the line, Clarke’s hopes have been dashed, though only partially.

At the start of October,  FIFA announced  it had received written confirmation from all four home nations confirming their intention to allow a British women’s team to qualify for 2020.

England, managed by Phil Neville, have been nominated to secure a berth in the tournament at the 2019 World Cup, where three entry slots are available.

It remains to be seen, however, whether Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will release their own players, with the Football Associations of the latter pair remaining hesitant.

Meanwhile, no men’s team will be permitted to attempt to qualify and, with those aforementioned three nations having described London 2012 as a ‘one-off’, it appears unlikely that stance will change in the near future.

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Tiemoue Bakayoko could be in line for an early return to Chelsea after a poor start to his loan spell with AC Milan

AC Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso has opened up on Tiemoue Bakayoko’s difficult start to the season, amid reports the Chelsea midfielder could have his season-long loan deal with the Serie A side cut short.

The 24-year-old was shipped out on loan by the Blues in the summer after an underwhelming first season in the Premier League following his big money arrival from Monaco.

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in July, replaced Bakayoko by bringing in Jorginho from former side Napoli, whilst he also secured a loan deal for Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic.

Bakayoko’s misery has continued, with the Frenchman yet to start a league game for the Rossoneri this season.

Gattuso has admitted that the midfielder is struggling from a lack of confidence and has also hinted that he’d have preferred to see his side add a more experienced midfielder to their squad in the summer.

“Bakayoko has to learn how to get the ball,” said Gattuso. 

“We must work correctly. It will not be easy.

“One week is not enough to remove the defects of a player. I would have preferred to be managing older, more experienced club players.”

It is not the first time Gattuso has had to discuss this midfielder as thus far Bakayoko has made only six appearances for Milan, including just two starts, both of which came in the Europa League.

Reports in Italy over the weekend suggested that Gattuso’s side could even be tempted to bring an early end to his loan deal if there is no improvement in his performances.

Big things were expected of the midfielder after he signed for the Blues from Monaco in July 2017.

He signed a five-year contract with the club following a season where he played a crucial part in Monaco’s Ligue 1 winning campaign, with the French side also reaching the Champions League semi-finals in the same season.

Milan have the option to sign Bakayoko on a permanent basis when his loan deal expires, but that appears to be unlikely at this stage.

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The Blancos are on the cusp of reversing their flagging fortunes, according to under-fire head coach who has seen his position called into question

Julen Lopetegui insists Real Madrid cannot afford to dwell on their woeful run of form and is continuing to ignore speculation over his future as head coach.

Madrid return to domestic action against Levante on Saturday after the international break looking to halt a run of four straight games in all competitions without a win, in which they have failed to score a goal.

It is their worst drought in front of goal since 1985 and has already led to suggestions that Lopetegui, who was appointed as Zinedine Zidane’s successor in June, is facing the axe at the Santiago Bernabeu.

But Lopetegui has seen enough from his team to remain convinced Madrid can get out of their rut and is not planning on signing players as a solution.

“No [we don’t need to sign players], I think the solution is in every game. I’m completely confident in players and the squad we’ve got, I think we’ll have a great season,” he told a news conference. 

“There is a long way to go in everything, I think we’re close to arriving at one of the peaks you have in the season, we’ll be very strong very soon.

“I think we’ll have a great season and we’re focused to face a complicated opponent who are in great form. We can’t look back, we can only look forward.”

Asked if the players were anxious about their poor form in front of goal, Lopetegui replied: “We’ll just try to do what we try to do and focus on our play. We’re not worried about the record or anything, we just have to create chances and take them, that’s the best way we can be in this game.”

Madrid’s latest defeat, a late 1-0 reverse at Deportivo Alaves, saw the pressure crank up a notch on Lopetegui, who was forced to insist he did not fear for his job.

And the former Spain boss does not believe focusing on aspects outside of his control will help the team.

He said: “I’m not worried about what people are saying, I’m not taking much notice. We’re worried about Levante and ourselves, like who’s fit and who isn’t – the rest is not in my control, so I try not to take too much notice. It doesn’t help us win if I take notice of that.”

Lopetegui was asked if his plans had changed given Madrid’s struggles and the 52-year-old said it is inevitable that a coach must adapt during the course of a season.

“Plans change all the time, you have to keep evolving, keep changing things. You go into a season knowing what you’ve got and change when circumstances come along,” he said. 

“I keep believing in what we’re doing well and try to change certain aspects, but that’s no different to any other team.

“We’re at a point where there are question marks over every team in every competition, nothing is decided and there is a long way to go.”

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Simon Cheng, a staff member of Britain’s consulate in Hong Kong, who has been detained by Chinese authorities in the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen, is seen in an unknown location in this undated photo obtained from the Facebook page “Free Simon Cheng.”

China’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that an employee of Britain’s Hong Kong consulate was detained nearly two weeks ago during a business trip to the mainland.

Although consulate officials suspected he’d been detained by Chinese authorities, Cheng’s exact whereabouts had been unknown to family and friends since he disappeared on Aug. 8 in Shenzhen, a city in China’s Guangdong province just across the border from Hong Kong.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, speaking at a daily briefing, said that the consulate employee had been given 15 days of “administrative detention” by Chinese authorities and was being held in Shenzhen for violating unspecified security regulations.

He gave no further details, but if Cheng was detained on Aug. 8, it could mean that he would be freed in the coming days.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Cheng’s family said he had not been seen since his trip to Shenzhen. “We lost contact with him since then,” the family wrote. “We feel very helpless and are worried sick about Simon. We hope Simon can return to Hong Kong as soon as possible.”

Weeks of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, a former British colony that was handed back to China in 1997, have raised tensions between Beijing and London.

The protests, which began on June 9, were sparked by anger over a proposed extradition law that would have allowed some Hong Kong residents to be sent to mainland China to face justice there.

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Hong Kong’s government has since backed off the law, but protesters have kept up their demonstrations, insisting that the bill be entirely withdrawn. They have also added new demands for a more transparent and open government and to investigate alleged police brutality during a crackdown on the demonstrations.

Geng, who acknowledged that Cheng is a Hong Kong resident, told reporters that because he is a citizen of China, his detention is an internal matter. The comment appeared to signal that even without the extradition law, China sees Hong Kong as being under its laws and regulations.

In the early days of the pro-democracy protests, Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt – who has since resigned — stressed the U.K.’s support for freedoms in Hong Kong which were meant to be guaranteed by a “one country, two systems” philosophy embodied in the 1997 handover agreement.

Hunt’s successor, Dominic Raab, went further, telephoning Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, to condemn police violence against the protesters and to call for an independent investigation of their actions – a move that was not well received in Beijing.

“It is simply wrong for the British government to directly call Hong Kong’s chief executive to exert pressure,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at the time.

It wasn’t clear whether Cheng’s detention had anything to do with London’s show of support for the protesters, but Geng, referring to comments coming from the U.K., said Beijing had “made stern representations to Britain for the series of comments and actions they’ve made on Hong Kong.”

“We request they stop making these irresponsible statements, stop meddling in Hong Kong’s affairs and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs,” he said.

NPR’s Emily Feng in Beijing contributed to this report.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (center) says the new capital city will be in East Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo. He’s seen on Monday with Vice President Jusuf Kalla (right) and Minister of Agriculture and Land Planning Sofyan Djalil.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo says his country will create a new capital city on the island of Borneo, revealing new details about his plan to move the central government out of Jakarta. The capital’s current location faces a number of problems, including the fact that it’s sinking.

Widodo’s announcement Monday comes months after he said he wanted to move the capital, seeking a place that can offer a break from Jakarta’s environmental challenges as well as its relentlessly gridlocked traffic.

While rising seawater levels from climate change are a widespread concern for island and coastal areas worldwide, experts say Jakarta has played a central role in its own predicament.

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“Jakarta’s problems are largely man-made,” NPR’s Merrit Kennedy reported earlier this year. “The area’s large population has extracted so much groundwater that it has impacted the ground levels, and many surface water resources are polluted.”

As it looked for a new capital, Indonesia’s state planning and development agency, called Bappenas, chose the Kalimantan site because it fit all the government’s criteria, “including being relatively free from earthquakes and volcanoes,” The Jakarta Post reports.

The new capital, which has yet to be named, would be in eastern Borneo, hundreds of miles northeast of Jakarta across the Java Sea. While the selected area is close to the cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda, the region is mostly known for its beaches and dense rainforests. Borneo’s lush jungles also form large national parks that are vital habitats for orangutans.

Widodo’s announcement has met with a broad range of reactions, from concerns about the environmental impact on Borneo to support — and suggestions that the president should focus more on Indonesia’s economy and its energy and health needs rather than on building a new capital.

It’s common for politicians to take office with promises to clean things up in the capital — to “drain the swamp.” But that rhetoric is both more literal and more complicated in Jakarta, which is seen as ” the fastest-sinking city in the world, with almost half of its area below sea level,” Kennedy reported.

With Jakarta’s situation predicted to grow increasingly dire, Widodo announced his new-capital initiative shortly after winning reelection in April. And while some on Borneo welcomed the idea that its infrastructure could get a boost, the idea of a central government moving in next door also raised concerns.

“I hope the city will develop and the education will become as good as in Jakarta,” one high school student told the BBC in April. “But all the land and forest that’s empty space now will be used. Kalimantan [the Indonesian portion of Borneo] is the lungs of the world, and I am worried we will lose the forest we have left.”

By building a new presence in Borneo’s East Kalimantan province, Indonesia would be putting its capital closer to several neighbors. Most of the island is Indonesian, but it’s also home to Brunei, and a chunk of its northern section is part of Malaysia.

If it all goes according to plan, Indonesia will carry out an idea that was first discussed decades ago, but one that has never gained enough traction. Widodo says the current project is the result of three years’ worth of intense study.

A detailed plan has not yet been announced about what the change could mean for Indonesia’s international partners — specifically, whether they will need to build new embassies or whether a diplomatic center might remain in Jakarta. The city is also home to the regional ASEAN Secretariat.

By contrast, Borneo’s status is far from the regional travel and business hub that defines Jakarta. And Widodo says it’s the weight of Jakarta’s combined status that makes it vital to move the capital. Seeking to bolster support for his plan, the president said via Twitter that as the hub of government and trade, Jakarta currently bears a burden that is too heavy.

Indonesia isn’t the only country looking to move its capital. In recent years, South Korea has been shifting administrative offices to Sejong — some 75 miles southeast of Seoul — after an initial plan to officially relocate the capital hit legal obstacles. Egypt is building a new capital that will sit in the desert between the Nile and the Suez Canal. And more than 50 years ago, Pakistan moved its capital from Karachi to Islamabad. Past examples also include Brazil’s creation of Brasília and Australia’s construction of Canberra.