Linda Yulisman, Garut (West Java) – A decades-old social forestry scheme where local communities tend to state land mostly for the purpose of conservation has become a key part of the government's free meal programme for millions of people.

Alfitria Nefi P, Jakarta – Indonesia's Center for Education Standards and Policy (PSKP) revealed that male students are vulnerable to becoming victims of sexual violence. This finding is based on data from the National Assessment of the Ministry of Education and Culture or Kemdikbud throughout 2022 and the results of the PSKP analysis.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto recently clarified what he meant by pardoning people engaged in graft, saying that all he wanted was for the criminals to return the money that they had stolen.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto said Saturday that his government had zero intention to make Indonesians suffer, while asking people to give more time for his relatively new cabinet to prove itself.

Wijayanti Putri, Solo – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has voiced support for the government's decision to raise the value-added tax (VAT) rate from 11 percent to 12 percent, despite public opposition.

"The government must have already conducted calculations and considerations regarding the concerns raised by the public," Jokowi said on Friday in Solo, Central Java.

Jakarta – Anything can happen if it is forced. This is what happened when the government ordered a number of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to reduce the costs of their services affect the price of plane tickets.

Jakarta – If we allow President Prabowo Subianto to get his way in reforming the regional electoral law, we will be betraying the spirit of the political reforms which turned Indonesia into a democratic nation.

Antara, Majalengka – The Indonesian National Police's counterterrorism unit, Densus 88, arrested five suspects in West Java on Friday, believed to be part of a terrorist network. The arrests took place in Majalengka and Tasikmalaya in separate operations.

Cut Mery, Banda Aceh – The city government of Sabang, located in the conservative province of Aceh, issued a statement on Saturday banning any form of New Year celebrations, citing adherence to Islamic teachings.

Anis Firmansah, Kediri – A group claiming to be involved in President Prabowo Subianto's flagship Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program for children and pregnant mothers has defrauded dozens of catering business owners in Kediri, East Java.

Jack Moore and Marchio Gorbiano, Jakarta – France has sent Indonesia an official request for the transfer of a French death row inmate who has spent nearly 20 years in prison, an Indonesian minister told AFP on Saturday.

Aswin Ariyanto Azis, Indonesia – Indonesia's decision to pursue membership in BRICS, a bloc of emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, signals that President Prabowo Subianto is steering foreign policy in a direction that contrasts with his predecessors.

Wahyu Prakoso, Esposin, Solo – Students who are members of the Greater Solo Student Executive Council (BEM) Alliance and civil society activists held a demonstration in the Gladak area of Solo, Central Java, on Saturday afternoon December 28 to reject the planned value added tax (VAT) increase.

Edo Rusyanto, Jakarta – Several foreign investors from China, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have expressed their readiness to invest in the construction of 6 million houses, officials said on Thursday.

Antara, Jakarta – The Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) of Hulu Sungai Tengah Regency, South Kalimantan reported that floods have submerged three subdistricts in the past two days. BPBD has deployed 25 members of the Rapid Response Team to help 6,340 people affected by the floods.

Jakarta – In the Batanghari River, corruption and abuses of authority have directly led to environmental destruction. The longest river in Sumatra is now in very poor condition because of uncontrolled exploitation. Dredging of sand, gold and coal mining, cultivation of trees and oil palm plantations – both legal and illegal – are the causes of this degradation.

Alfitria Nefi P, Juli Hantoro, Jakarta – The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) found that 43.9 percent of teachers became actors of violence against students in schools. This data is based on reports of violence in the education sector collected by JPPI throughout 2024.

Pranoto Susilo, Tegal – A massive fire broke out at the main port in Tegal, Central Java, early on Friday, destroying at least 11 vessels anchored in the dockyard.

Fire Department officials reported that the blaze began at approximately 3:15 a.m., quickly spreading across the dockyard and sending thick black smoke into the air.

Fika Nurul Ulya, Dani Prabowo, Jakarta – University of Indonesia (UI) Political Studies Centre (Puskapol) Director Hurriyah believes there is a hidden agenda by the political elite who are proposing changing the election of regional heads (Pilkada) from a direct to indirect system.

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Antara, Jakarta – The type of foods given to the schoolchildren in the upcoming free meal program will vary depending on the region. This means that some students will receive moringa leaves, locally known as kelor, instead of milk for their calcium intake, according to the National Nutrition Agency (BGN).

Radhiyya Indra, Banda Aceh – As Aceh commemorates 20 years since the 2004 earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands in the province, authorities are striving to ensure that people are better prepared when future disasters come knocking at the door.

Jakarta – When early in his administration around three months ago President Prabowo Subianto made a pledge to crack down on corruption, the decision to name secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Hasto Kristiyanto suspect in a graft case was most likely not at the top of his priority list.

Indah Handayani, Jakarta – The Indonesian rupiah weakened sharply against the US dollar at Friday's close, depreciating by 0.28 percent to Rp 16,235 per dollar, amid mounting external pressures. The currency briefly dipped to a low of Rp 16,190 on Tuesday.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Jakarta – A Jakarta court on Friday sentenced business tycoon Budi Said to 15 years in prison and imposed a massive financial penalty after he was found guilty of fraud involving gold purchases from state-owned supplier Aneka Tambang (Antam).

Tenggara Strategic, Jakarta – The establishment of Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara) as both a superholding agency for Indonesia's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and an investment management agency has raised questions among investors due to its unclear scope and legal basis.

Abdul Manan, Antara, Jakarta – The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Pamekasan Regency Government, East Java, recorded at least 22 units of buildings in houses, kitchens and public facilities damaged by heavy rains accompanied by strong winds in the last two days.

Hariz Baharudin, Singapore – The anti-corruption agency's decision to name Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto as a graft suspect has sparked claims that the move is politically motivated and reflects the agency's bias.

Sarah MacDonald – Tributes are pouring in for Irishman Tom Hyland, who played a pivotal role in highlighting the genocide in East Timor, following his death on Christmas Eve in the Timorese capital of Dili.

The 72-year-old former Dublin bus driver from Ballyfermot was described by President Michael D. Higgins as "exceptional".

Jakarta – The Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry is reevaluating a ministerial regulation issued by the previous administration regarding incentives for lecturers, including a performance allowance.

Prisma Ardianto, Nusantara, East Kalimantan – The future national capital, Nusantara, has attracted 112,000 visitors since September, largely due to the adoption of the city tour app known as IKNOW. Public enthusiasm is evident in the increase in app downloads, which now total 99,600 users, with an additional 15,000 downloads since early December.

Don Wiseman – Indonesia's new president Prabowo Subianto has revealed plans to pardon as many as 44,000 convicts – about a third of the country's prison population.

It is being cast as a human rights gesture but given Prabowo's own record on human rights, critics believe it may be a tough sell.

Mahmud Ichi, East Halmahera, Indonesia – Halik Fanen and his wife, Fatimun, spent much of the day sifting the couple's inheritance into seven plastic sacks near the east of Indonesia's Halmahera Island.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has secured a Japanese loan worth 23.1 billion yen or approximately $146.7 million from Japan to repair disaster management facilities damaged by volcanic eruptions.

Dani Aswara, Antara, Jakarta – Minister of Immigration and Corrections Agus Andrianto said his ministry noted that Christmas remissions and sentence reductions given to a total of 15,976 inmates could result in state budget savings of Rp 8.19 billion.

Jakarta – It is difficult to hope that the composition of the new leadership of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) will result in improvements for the anti-graft body. The domination of law enforcement officials means that it is vulnerable to pressure from outside, which ends in major cases vanishing before they are properly investigated.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – Indonesia stands out as a bright spot in the global transition to electric mobility, with strong growth in electric vehicle (EV) sales in 2024, even as major markets like Germany and Japan experience declining demand.

Gaza – Israeli troops forced the evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza and many patients, some of them on foot, arrived at another hospital miles away in Gaza City, the territory's health ministry said on Tuesday.

Beritasatu Team, Jakarta – The Manpower Ministry predicts layoffs in the textile industry could rise sharply, with job cuts potentially increasing from 80,000 in 2024 to 280,000 workers, according to Deputy Minister Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Karyoto has initiated a significant reshuffle, rotating 34 officers in response to a high-profile extortion scandal targeting foreign attendees at the Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) concert.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has just adopted a new rule that forces its employees, including ministers, to go on fewer foreign trips in a bid to save state money.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Jakarta High Court has upheld the corruption conviction of Supreme Court Justice Gazalba Saleh and added his jail time by another two years in one of the country's most complicated trials.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia's plan to clear rainforests half the size of Switzerland for sugarcane plantations isn't just an agricultural gamble, experts warn – it's a potential environmental catastrophe.

Dayat, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Former chief legal affairs minister Mohammad Mahfud MD on Thursday voiced strong opposition to the government's idea of pardoning corruption convicts and suspects in return for payment.

Algi Muhamad Gifari, Bandung – At least 104 motorists have suffered dermatitis and burns due to spills of liquid caustic soda from a tanker along an intercity road in Cimahi, West Java, police reported on Thursday.

Jakarta – Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), made his first public statement on Thursday after being named a corruption suspect, declaring his resolve to resist what he calls political intimidation.

Makassar – Students from the Makassar State University (UNM) held a protest action rejecting the Prabowo Subianto administration's plan to increase the value added tax (VAT) rate to 12 percent by blocking the road in front of the university campus.

Jakarta – Scores of protesters from the Populist National Association of Student Executive Councils (BEM SI Kerakyatan) held a demonstration in the Horse Statue area of Central Jakarta on Thursday afternoon, December 26, to oppose the planned increase in value added tax (VAT) to 12 percent.

Wijayanti Putri, Jakarta – Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka recently said he had nothing to do with the corruption charges against Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – It is best for the government to focus on having a tax evasion crackdown rather than raising the value-added tax (VAT), according to an analyst.

Septia Ryanthie, Sukoharjo – Some 15,000 workers from PT Sri Rejeki Isman Textile, or Sritex Group, planned to take to the streets in Jakarta to protest the Supreme Court (MA) that rejected an appeal to revoke Sritex's bankruptcy status, which had previously been decided by the Semarang Commercial Court.