Jakarta – Police are pushing ahead with their investigation of an alleged scam surrounding a halal certification agency, with Vice President Ma'ruf Amin's expert staff member Lukmanul Hakim reportedly questioned as a witness.

Dian Septiari, Jakarta – Indonesia is to host the 12th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) next week when representatives from at least 81 foreign countries and international organizations sit together to discuss democracy and inclusiveness and how they could contribute to development around the world.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has said the government will replace top civil service positions with artificial intelligence, instructing ministers to remove two ranks of public servants.

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court has refused to accept a judicial review petition on the recently revised Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law, citing errors in the first attempt to legally challenge the controversial law.Constitutional Court Chief Justice Anwar Usman read the ruling on Thursday that the nine-panel bench could not continue the review as re

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The Red Scare may not be entirely over in Indonesia more than 50 years after the 1965 anticommunist hysteria that led to the massacre of thousands if not millions of Indonesians. But the specter of communism is now overshadowed by the new political bogeyman in Indonesian politics: Islamic radicalism.

Syailendra Persada, Jakarta – The lawyer and human rights activist Veronica Koman opened up about her reasons for not returning yet to Indonesia. The woman said she is deliberately staying in Australia as she is studying there.

Jakarta (Koran Tempo) – Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim announced that he plans to review the relevance of continuing the National Exam (UN). The announcement received many support from the education sector.

Nur Yasmin, Jakarta – Next week's Bali Democracy Forum will highlight the role of women in democracy with an official theme of "Democracy and Inclusivity," an official said on Thursday.

Jakarta – The internet economy is rapidly growing in Indonesia amid an increase in the use of digital payments across Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo again raised the European Union's discriminatory measures against Indonesia's palm oil during a meeting with EU's business representatives in Jakarta on Thursday.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A blind male orangutan that was found with 24 air rifles pellets in his body was declared to be a stable condition on Thursday after a team of veterinarians removed three pellets from his head.

Dian Septiari, Jakarta – Amid increasing trade tensions between Indonesia and the European Union, European businesses called for constructive dialogue over the contentious issue of palm oil on Thursday as they seek to expand trade and investment in Indonesia.

Jakarta – The State Logistics Agency (Bulog) has set a target to increase its commercial business revenue by carrying out initiatives, including rice distribution partnerships and the launch of an online foodstuff marketplace.

Sophie Raynor, Perth, Australia – An Australian senator says he is concerned that the country may be missing out on opportunities to invest in neighbouring East Timor's energy sector, and in the process allowing China to exert growing influence in the geostrategically important Pacific region.

James Massola, Jakarta – Australia's ambassador to Indonesia, Gary Quinlan, has let fly with a withering assessment of Australia's national capital, describing Canberra as "one of the biggest national mistakes we ever made".

Jakarta – The Indonesian police have banned people in Papua from holding celebrations in the lead up to the anniversary of the Free Papua Organisation (OPM) on December 1.

Victim-blaming has transcended the realm of the living in Indonesia.Recently, a video has gone viral online showing a self-proclaimed supernatural healer telling a spirit, which supposedly resides in a woman's body, that she should be to blame for the gang rape that led to her death.

Andita Rahma, Jakarta – National Police chief General Idham Azis and Indonesian Armed Forces or TNI commander Air Chief Marshall set to leave for Papua today, November 27. The visit was reportedly aimed at monitoring the situation ahead of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) anniversary that falls on December 1.

Thresa Sandra Desfika, Jakarta – The operator of Jakarta's mass rapid train, MRT Jakarta, is on course to book a profit in its first year of operation, paving the way to become a publicly listed company in the next three years.

Jakarta – Indonesian Home Minister Tito Karnavian has suggested that nondemocratic countries are more economically well-off than democratic countries.

Ghina Ghaliya, Kharishar Kahfi, and Devina Heriyanto, Jakarta – The joint decree, issued on Nov. 12 and signed by 11 ministries and state bodies, prohibits civil servants from expressing opinions on social media that contain "hate speech" against Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the country's motto of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) and the government.

M Rosseno Aji, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was shocked by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's decision to favor the plea for clemency submitted by former Riau governor Annas Maamun.

KPK recalled the corruption case incriminating Annas was a complex one and required a long time for the investigation.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and anticorruption activists have lamented President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's decision to grant clemency to former Riau governor Annas Maamun, making him eligible for parole in October 2020.

Elizabeth Byrne – Two ex-leaders of Timor-Leste and a former Australian cabinet minister have provided evidence in support of Bernard Collaery, the lawyer for Australian ex-spy "Witness K".

Leaving babies, especially newborns, unattended is highly ill-advised. A mother in the Pasir Jambu village in Bogor regency found this out the hard way when her newborn was attacked by what she described as a large rat.

Dewi Nurita and Yogi Eka, Jakarta – Human rights advocacy group Setara Institute deputy head Bonar Tigor Naipospos said his agency agreed with the decision of Batam 21 Junior High School to expel two students for declining to salute the red-and-white national flag during a ceremony. They allegedly had a particular belief.

Beritasatu, Jakarta – Indonesian police have uncovered a plot to carry out more attacks on police facilities and places of worship after examining a laptop belonging to a militant group blamed for a suicide bomb attack at the Medan Metropolitan Police headquarters two weeks ago.

Jakarta – In a bid to more widely disseminate information about the government's programs, the Communications and Information Ministry wants to make use of civil servants who have large followings on social media to be influencers for the government.

Diana Mariska, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ombudsman revealed on Wednesday that the National Police was the third most complained about state institution after regional governments and the Education and Culture Ministry.

Jakarta – An Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) executive has called a plan by Muslim activists to hold a reunion marking the anniversary of the 2016 anti-Ahok rally in Jakarta "unnecessary". He said the event should not become a yearly tradition.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI) sees flat sales next year as an increase in cigarette prices and rising power prices, along with softening economic growth, limit people's spending, an AISI official said on Wednesday.

Andita Rahma and M. Rosseno Aji, Jakarta – The Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) assessed that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has no commitment to eradicating corruption, said a researcher Kurnia Ramadhan in response to the president's clemency to graft convict Annas Maamun.

Andita Rahma and Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – National Police ensured the legal process against Papuan college students who were suspected in the alleged cases of racism in Surabaya would be continued.

Shotaro Tani, Jakarta – Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is seeking to bolster his public support by handing a number of advisory and cabinet posts to media moguls or members of their families.

This has prompted observers to say he is trying to use their influence to silence his critics as he seeks to push through potentially unpopular economic reforms.

Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – Deputy Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Laode M. Syarif, openly complains that the House of Representatives (DPR) has seemingly shown a lack of respect for the corruption watchdog.

He argues that it is driven by the number of recommendations produced by the anti-graft agency that are not adhered to by members of the House.

Hans Arnold Kapisa, Jakarta – A joint police team in Manokwari, West Papua, reportedly arrested eight locals who are believed to be involved in the preparation of an illegal commemoration of the region's resistance movement. Police personnel also confiscated 29 morning star (Bintang Kejora) flags in the raid.

Ahmad Faiz Ibnu Sani, Jakarta – Commissioner of Indonesian Ombudsman, Adrianus Meliala, warned the government about its newly-launched website dubbed aduanasn.id, a complaint portal through which radical state apparatus (ASN) could be reported.

Jakarta – Residing in a quiet suburb is a luxury not everyone can afford, especially in jam-packed Jakarta. With a population of 10 million people, Jakarta does not provide many options when it comes to living space.

Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Indonesia is seeking to secure a board membership with the International Maritime Organization, or IMO, for the 2020-2021 period. Government officials have been lobbying several countries to support Indonesia's nomination at the 31st plenary meeting of the IMO in London this week.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has officially issued a regulation that streamlines all business licensing toward the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) and grants the agency the authority to review policies deemed as unfavorable for investors.

It's officially that time of year again! No, not for Christmas cheer, but for the annual "take off that Santa hat" paranoia.

Nindya Astuti and Andita Rahma, Jakarta – House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission II legislator from Gerindra faction, Sodik Mudjahid said that the rights of the LGBT community should be fulfilled, even though he says that the community's behavior goes against Indonesia's five-state ideologies or Pancasila.

Jakarta – A self-proclaimed healer is under fire for claiming in a video that has gone viral on social media that rape victims were to blame for their own sexual assault.

Jakarta (Antara) – The Indonesian government should work harder to prevent environmental pollution and destruction instead of focusing on just discussing it, Coordinator of Political Desk of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) Khalisa Kalid said.

Galuh Putri Riyanto, Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) lamented the local government's response to the recent issue on the contamination of eggs and tofu with dioxins generated from the burning of plastic waste in the tofu factory at Tropodo Village, Krian, Sidoarjo, East Java.

Ayu Retnaningtyas, Jakarta – State energy company Pertamina is seeking to triple its crude oil import from the United States next year, taking advantage of the competitive price of US oil to meet baseload demand of its refinery in Cilacap, West Java, a senior executive of the company said on Tuesday.

Diana Mariska, Jakarta – Members of Indonesia's Regional Representative Council and researchers say the government should prioritize a "cultural approach" to end decades of conflicts in Indonesian Papua.

A special committee on Papua has been set up by the council (DPD) to formulate feasible solutions to bring stability to the resource-rich region.

Jakarta – The North Jakarta Police force is preparing a special program for its overweight officers to help them lose weight so they can be healthy and perform their jobs better.

The North Jakarta Police gathered together about 50 overweight personnel on Monday to be measured and weighed.

Alfian R, Rahmad Nasution, Jayapura, Papua – Commander of the 172/PWY Regional Military Command, Colonel J Binsar P Sianipar, urged all the residents of Jayapura to remain calm and not get provoked ahead of the commemoration of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) anniversary on December 1, 2019.

Hans Arnold Kapisa, Jakarta – Papua Regional Police Chief Insp. General Paulus Waterpauw revealed that authorities found indications of the government's village funds being misused to support local armed criminal groups also known as KKB.