Jakarta – Prabowo Subianto was declared as the elected president on Wednesday after the General Election Commission (KPU) certified the national results from the Feb. 14 election.

The defense minister, who teams up with President Joko Widodo's eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his running mate, won by 58.59 percent of the vote, meaning that a runoff is not necessary.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Defense minister and presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto went to the new capital Nusantara on Monday – just a few days before the official election results come out.

The Nusantara megaproject, which calls for mammoth-sized investments, is known to be one of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's biggest legacies after 10 years in office.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – The government's attitude toward the country's human rights issues remains avoidant and contradictory to reality, activists said on Monday, after last week's International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) session in Geneva, Switzerland, put Indonesia on the defensive.

Djibril Muhammad, Jakarta – State-Owned Enterprise Minister Erick Thohir said Tuesday his office is in the process of merging seven state-run infrastructure companies into three enterprises to boost efficiency and reshape their business focus.

The seven companies include Hutama Karya, Waskita, PTPP, Wijaya Karya, Brantas Abipraya, Adhi Karya, and Nindya Karya.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Contributor), Jakarta – The Faculty of Philosophy of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University (UGM) is currently investigating a student's confession of committing sexual violence, both verbal and physical, against eight victims. The confession was recorded in a 20-second video posted on X on Sunday, March 17.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia wants to keep foreign investors to be its top source of investments again this year.

In 2023, Indonesia secured Rp 1,418 trillion (approximately $90.3 billion) in combined foreign and domestic investments. About 52.4 percent – or around Rp 744 trillion – came from foreign direct investment (FDI).

Irsyan Hasyim (Contributor), Jakarta – Several environmental NGOs have noted that agrarian conflicts have become more frequent in the era of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (2014-2024) compared to the era of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (2009-2014).

Dani Prabowo, Jakarta – The neutrality of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in the 2024 presidential election has been highlighted by the UN Human Rights Committee. The reason being because Widodo's son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was able to run as a vice presidential candidate.

Arif Perkasa, Jakarta – Indonesia ranks 109th out of 181 countries in DHL's latest global connectivity report. This figure is far below neighboring countries such as Singapore, which holds the top spot, and Malaysia, which ranks 26th.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – Climate change and global warming are predicted to have a severe impact on Kalimantan.

Jakarta – The Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM) reported Minister of Investment and head of the Investment Coordinating Agency (BKPM), Bahlil Lahadalia, to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) today, Tuesday March 19.

Jakarta – Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto raised alarm among the public, in particular civil society, when he described democracy as "very, very" tiring, messy and costly.

Maria Gabrielle, Jakarta – Police admitted on Monday that they faced challenges in unraveling the circumstances surrounding the deaths of a couple and their two teenage children who jumped from the roof of a Jakarta apartment earlier this month.

Antara, Jakarta – From 2023 to 2024, the investment in smelters in Indonesia is projected to amount to $11.6 billion (Rp 182.3 trillion) for the development of 16 smelters.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Defense Minister and Gerindra Party Chairman, Prabowo Subianto, is on the verge of being announced as the victor of the 2024 Presidential Election.

Herdiansyah Hamzah, a researcher at Mulawarman University, suspects that this move could be an attempt by the KPK to improve its image after recent internal corruption cases, including the alleged extortion of Syahr

Jakarta – Indonesian hospital ship KRI Dr. Radjiman Wedyodiningrat has completed its mission of sending humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, arriving in Jakarta on Friday.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has announced areas permitted for sea sand mining, inviting businesses to apply for licenses to conduct the activity in those locations.

Abdullah Faqih – On 3 January 2024, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), the state agency authorised to oversee broadcast television content in Indonesia, issued a warning to Ivan Gunawan, a prominent male Indonesian fashion designer. The warning was prompted by his perceived feminine appearance (kewanitaan) on the Brownis variety show on a leading TV station, Trans TV.

Jakarta – Jokowi has ambitions to take control of the Golkar Party. It is his new way to stay relevant to those in power.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – The Kudus Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) reported that seven people died during the floods that have swept the region since Thursday, March 14.

"Six drowned and one fell during the flood," said the Head of the Emergency Section of the BPBD of Kudus Regency, Munaji, in a written statement on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

Jakarta – Thousands of people have fled their homes in Demak and Kudus as floods devastated the two regencies in Central Java over the weekend, killing at least five.

Jakarta – Solikah, a housewife living in the fishing village of Teluk, was in tears as she pointed to piles of trash strewn on a beach close to her home of 40 years.

Teluk, located in Banten on the western edge of Java island, has one of the country's dirtiest beaches as villagers said that heavy rain has led to stronger tides, bringing more trash to shore.

Antara, Jakarta – The Manpower Ministry is urging ride-hailing and logistics courier companies to provide Eid bonuses (THR) to their workers in 2024.

This initiative follows a Circular Letter from the Minister of Manpower regarding the Implementation of Eid Bonuses for Workers in Companies.

A week after Indonesia's elections on 14 February 2024, former Muhammadiyah and Indonesian Co

Yohanes Maharso Suharyoso and Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – During the Golkar Party's thanksgiving event in Badung Regency, Bali, on Friday, March 15, Golkar Party Chairman Airlangga Hartarto stated that his party played a significant role in helping Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka win the 2024 presidential election.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has revealed that certain countries are making attempts to thwart Indonesia's industrialization efforts.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) of Indonesia has disclosed that micro and small-scale businesses in Jakarta are encountering challenges in disbursing Eid bonuses (THR).

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) stated that he is still reviewing the evaluation or revision of Minister of Trade Regulation Number 36 of 2023 concerning the Import Policy.

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani met Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin at the Attorney General's Office, South Jakarta on Monday, March 18, 2024. Sri Mulyani submitted a report on alleged corruption at the Indonesian Export Financing Institution (Indonesia Eximbank) worth Rp2.5 trillion.

Septia Ryanthie, Jakarta – Vice presidential candidate number 2 Gibran Rakabuming Raka ensures that his father, President Joko Widodo or Jokowi, will not interfere in Prabowo-Gibran's cabinet talks if the pair is elected. Gibran assures that the arrangement of ministerial positions will only be carried out by Prabowo Subianto.

Alfi Dinilhaq, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is currently probing a report from the Finance Ministry concerning alleged corruption involving the Indonesian Export Financing Agency (LPEI), also known as Indonesia Eximbank, totaling more than Rp 5 trillion ($318,5 million).

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Indonesian House of Representatives' Legislative Body and the government has agreed to change the rules for the Jakarta Gubernatorial election.

Instead of requiring a 50+1 majority vote, the election will now be decided in a single-round election where the candidate with the majority vote is declared the winner.

Jakarta – Indonesians will have to pay more for most goods they buy in 2025 once the government increases value-added tax (VAT) to 12 percent in 2025, from the current 11 percent.

The planned new rate will apply to the clothes you buy, the restaurants you choose to eat at, the video games you will play or the Netflix subscription you decide to pay out for, all in 2025.

Thomas Rizal, Bandung – Comedian Alfiansyah Bustami, popularly known as Komeng, was confirmed Monday as one of four elected senators from West Java, securing a remarkable 5.4 million votes in the Feb. 14 election.

His vote tally is nearly double that of presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo's count in Indonesia's most populous province.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – Most political parties automatically extend the term of their chairman if they have performed well in a general election. Yet, this rule does not seem to apply to Golkar, which, under chairman Airlangga Hartarto, saw its tally of votes increase in last month's legislative election to come second.

Isnaya Helmi, Jakarta – A demonstration by a number of protesters in front of the General Elections Commission (KPU) offices in Menteng, Central Jakarta, has continued into the night on Monday March 18.

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Jakarta – Arief Prasetyo Adi, the Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), defended his decision to raise the maximum retail price (HET) of premium rice to ensure sufficient rice stocks in the market.

Jakarta – A number of groups that make up the civil society coalition consider the Indonesian government through its delegation provided contradictory information on the state of Indonesia's human rights at an International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) hearing in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday March 12.

Max Lane – A popular documentary about ten exiles has had an extraordinary run in Indonesia, not least because it sings a different tune from the official historical narrative about the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) and its supporters, perpetuated since the Suharto era.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia's capital of Jakarta is in need of long-term plans that might require 20 years of implementation for it to emerge as a world-class business metropolis, stated the Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) Indonesia.

Irsyan Hasyim (Contributor), Jakarta – High-intensity rains that lashed Central Java on March 16 caused six dams to burst, flooding several districts in Demak.

The Wulan River embankment, which is located on the border of Demak and Kudus Regencies, also broke again on March 17. Previously, the embankment broke after the flood in early February 2024.

Antara, Jakarta – Chairperson of the House Budget Committee Said Abdullah has urged the government to ensure that its social assistance programs can reduce people's economic pressure as the prices of several staple goods remain high.

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jakarta – The government is in the process of developing a scheme to provide soft loans for university students from low-income and middle-income families who do not receive financial assistance from the state, an official said on Monday.

Jakarta – Two Indonesian nationals working for a South Korea-Indonesia fighter jet program in Seoul have been ordered not to leave the country as authorities investigate a suspected leak of technology from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The electric vehicle (EV) battery plant, which lies in the West Javan regency of Karawang, will begin commercial production this April, according to Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia.

Jakarta – A number of civil society groups have criticised the move by the government which is planning to allow active Indonesian military (TNI) and police (Polri) officers to fill state civil service (ASN) positions.

Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) Executive Director Gufron Mabruri is urging President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to cancel the discourse.

Sarjan Lahay, South Kulawi, Indonesia – In a forested valley in the interior of Sulawesi Island, Elisabet Heta gathers up a clutch of farming tools used by the Moa Indigenous people and leaves home.

"I want to go to the pampa," Elisabet told Mongabay Indonesia, before the mother of four set out for the fields here in Sigi district, Central Sulawesi province.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) is racing to finish its tiered vote tabulation of last month's general election after sluggish progress in several provinces, including West Java, has cast doubt over the poll body's ability to meet its March 20 deadline.

Jakarta – The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry aims to attract 1.5 million tourists from China this year, around double last year's figure.