Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – The parliamentary watchdog Forum of Concerned Citizens for Indonesia's Parliament (Formappi) has criticised a working visit (kunker) by the Capital City Draft Law (RUU IKN) special committee to Kazakhstan accompanied by members of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas).

Muhammad Hendartyo, Jakarta – Statistics Indonesia (BPS) revealed foreign tourist visits to Indonesia from January-November 2021 reached 1.48 million. BPS Head Margo Yuwono said the figures plummeted by 61.82 percent year-on-year (yoy).

Jakarta – Indonesia manufacturing companies have ended 2021 in an expansion mode, albeit at a slower pace due to further slow down in demand, according to the latest monthly report from research firm IHS Markit published on Monday.

Adi Renaldi – Juwita* thought she had met "the one" when she encountered Tio* on Facebook's Messenger app in 2019.

Then aged 16 and a secondary school student in Denpasar, the capital of Indonesia's resort island of Bali, Juwita spent much of her time online.

Antara, Jakarta – A number of villages in the Lumajang Regency, East Java, were been inundated by cold lava floods from Mount Semeru on Sunday evening which destroyed the emergency bridges connecting villages.

Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin announced additional cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, bringing the total to 152 cases as of Monday, January 3.

"There are 152 cases [of the new coronavirus variant]. Six of them are local transmissions," said Budi at a press conference at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, on Monday.

Muhammad Hendartyo, Jakarta – Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded domestic air passengers in November 2021 reached 3.5 million, up by 19.81 percent from the previous month.

"Increased passengers took place at all monitored airports," said BPS Head Margo Yuwono in a virtual press conference on Monday, January 3, 2022.

Jakarta – Indonesia will begin giving COVID-19 booster shots to the general public from January 12, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday, as the Omicron variant spreads in the country.

Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – Indonesia's public health response to malaria has continued to improve.

The incidence of the parasitic infection has continued to decline, but the illness remains one of top threats to public health in the nation. Hundreds of thousands of malaria cases and deaths are estimated to occur in the country every year.

Karen Graham – Shares of Indonesia's leading coal miners fell on Monday (Jan 3) after the government banned exports of coal for January due to concerns about low supplies triggering power cuts in the world's biggest exporter of thermal coal.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia is ranked 82nd out of 149 countries in the 2018-2019 World Happiness Report but this year, has been ranked by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in the World Giving Index 2021 as the most generous country.

Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – The Indonesian government decided to slash the mandatory quarantine period for international arrivals from 10-14 days to 7-10 days.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo announced on Monday that Indonesia's vaccination drive had topped 281 million doses, managing to cover more than half of the country's 208 million population aged 12 and above with two doses of vaccine.

Indonesia had set the goal of administering 280 million vaccine doses by the end of 2021.

Dian Septiari – The government is seeking a more integrated approach to its policies in the country's easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua, one that it hopes will improve the welfare of Papuans and effectively address the longstanding conflicts in the region, Indonesia's chief security minister has said.

A'an Suryana and Norshahril Saat – A recent public spat between President Joko Widodo and a prominent cleric underscores how the former is facing challenges in reining in conservatives in his inner circle.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesian Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin, in a written statement on Saturday, affirmed that the Attorney General's Office had handled 147,624 criminal cases out of which it resolved 94,461 in 2021.

Antara, Jakarta – The budget realization for infrastructure spending in 2021 was recorded at 94.21 percent until the end of December, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR).

Andi Firdaus, Fardah, Jakarta – The National Commission (Komnas) for KIPI (adverse event following immunization – AEFI) has said there has been no death caused by COVID-19 vaccination in Indonesia so far.

Mulyadi, Jakarta, Indonesia – The Indonesian Navy rescued more than 100 Rohingya migrants traveling in a wooden boat, bringing them to safety early Friday morning following pressure from locals.

The naval ship arrived in Lhokseumawe on the north coast of Aceh province shortly after midnight, according to AFP journalists at the scene.

Ernes BK, Rahmad Nasution, Sorong, W Papua – Six men accused of launching an attack on a military post in Maybrat district, West Papua, on September 2, 2021, which claimed the lives of four soldiers, will be tried at the Makassar District Court.

Head of the Sorong Prosecutors Office's Intelligence Section, I Putu Sastra Adi Wicaksana, conveyed this information on Friday.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has released its 2021 End of Year Report. Over the last year, the foundation has received 2,598 complaints, both from the public as well as organisations.

Bernadette Christina – Indonesia has banned coal exports in January due to concerns that low supplies at domestic power plants could lead to widespread blackouts, a senior official at the energy ministry says.

Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – Indonesian Health Ministry confirms the 68 additional Omicron cases, totaling the number to 136 people. The ministry's Covid-19 vaccination spokesman, Siti Nadia Tarmidzi, stated that the new cases were international travelers and 11 of them are Indonesian citizens.

Jayapura – West Papua National Committee (KNPB) spokesperson Ones Suhuniap says that the KNPB is committed to continuing the struggle and resistance against Indonesian colonialism by peaceful and dignified means.

Jakarta – The province of South Sulawesi is said to be heading for destruction or collapse due to the continuing loss of forest cover. The remaining forest cover is less than 40 percent.

Adam Prireza, Jakarta – Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Endra Zulpan on Friday said there would be 1,730 personnel mobilized to help secure the capital city ahead of New Year's Eve. This came after Jakarta administrators decided to enact a crowd-free night to safeguard the COVID-19 health protocols.

Jakarta – The government needs to add a new portfolio in the cabinet to deal exclusively with domestic security issues, a respected think-tank group said on Friday.

Putu Indah, Raka Adji, Jakarta – The Sexual Violence Bill (RUU TPKS) and the Personal Data Protection Bill (RUU PDP) should be the main priorities for the government in 2022, political analyst from Pelita Harapan University Emrus Sihombing has said.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – In less than 24 hours, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership – also known as the RCEP – will enter into force.

Fajar Pebrianto, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto said the government is set to roll out four new programs of the National Economic Recovery (PEN) next year, starting from the micro-credit program or KUR subsidies to cash aids for street vendors.

Jakarta – This once-in-a-century pandemic has certainly tempted some of us to think that we live in the worst of times, if not the end of times. And with the ongoing climate crisis, it is difficult for many not to break under the weight of existential dread.

New year, new COVID-19 vaccination phase in Indonesia, as the government has set Jan. 12 as the possible launch date for its booster shot program.

The Indonesian Navy stationed in Denpasar rescued 32 sea turtles from illegal poachers on Thursday, as the marine creature comes under increasing threat amid desperate economic conditions.

Three fishing vessels set out from South Badung on Wednesday afternoon and returned the following morning after having caught dozens of sea turtles.

Antara, Jakarta – The Health Ministry spokesperson for the COVID-19 vaccination, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said it is impossible for the government to block the entry of international travelers despite the Omicron variant having entered the country.

Denpasar (AFP) – Foreign revellers on Indonesia's resort island of Bali have been warned they may be deported if they are caught violating Covid-19 health rules during New Year celebrations, authorities warned on Thursday (Dec 30).

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) deputy chairman Berman Limbong revealed a number of obstacles in expanding Transjakarta services to the capital's buffer cities in order to facilitate the mobility of Jakarta workers residing in the city's outskirts.

Jakarta – State-owned steelmaker Krakatau Steel recently announced that it has repaid the tranche B debt of Rp 2.7 trillion to three state banks, namely Mandiri, BRI, and BNI.

With this repayment, Krakatau Steel (KRAS) has completed its working capital bridging loan facility worth $200 million to the three aforementioned banks.

Alfath Asmunda and Mulyadi, Bireun, Aceh – Fisherman Edi Saputra had been at sea for four days off the coast of Indonesia's Aceh province when he got a call from a friend asking him to come urgently: he had stumbled across a crippled boat packed with foreigners.

Endy Bayuni, Jakarta – In the run-up to the National Games (PON) in October, the government worked hard to make sure that as many people as possible in Papua and West Papua provinces, hosts of the biennale event, get their Covid-19 vaccines.

Leo Suryadinata – The Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) no longer exists in the country's political landscape. But this has not stopped some groups from using the PKI bogeyman for political gain.

Francisca Christy Rosana, Jakarta – The Communication and Information (Kominfo) Ministry had shut down access to 5,429 online loan sites reported by the public from 2018 to December 26, 2021. One of the reasons for the access blocking was due to misuse of personal data.

Jakarta – As we remember those who perished in the Boxing Day tsunami that devastated Aceh and affected neighboring countries near and far 17 years ago, Southeast Asia once again is marking the year-end in grief.

It's that time of year again, when the Bali Immigration Office releases its annual list of naughty foreigners who were kicked out of the island (or the country altogether) over various run-ins with the law.

Joniansyah Hardjono, Jakarta – The Soekarno-Hatta airport immigration office as of Thursday, December 30, denied the visas of 782 foreign nationals with various considerations throughout 2021. Head of immigrations and intelligence Andika Kurniawan revealed that it was due to Covid-19 restrictions consideration.

Jakarta – Indonesia on Wednesday said it will let dozens of Rohingya refugees come ashore after protests from locals and the international community over its plan to push them into Malaysian waters.

Jean Chien Tay – An Indonesian man recently revealed that he had been paid to take 14 shots of the Covid-19 vaccine on behalf of others, Kompas reported.

Abdul Rahim, 49, said in a video that he had taken 16 jabs in total, with 14 of those meant for other people. The video has reportedly gone viral.

Dili – After the dual shocks of COVID-19 and natural disasters, East Timor's economy is showing some signs of recovery and this year's gross domestic product (GD) growth in real terms is expected to improve to 1.9 percent, according to the latest World Bank economic update, 'Timor-Leste Economic Report: Steadying The Ship', released earlier this month by the global lender based in W

Mirza Bagaskara, Jakarta – National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) chairman Ahmad Taufan Damanik outlined a number of notes on cases of human rights throughout 2021 which are dominated by issues of agrarian conflicts and violence committed by law enforcement officers.

Jakarta – Dozens of Rohingya refugees intercepted after their boat ran into trouble off the coast of Aceh province were being sent into Malaysian waters, authorities said on Tuesday.

At least 100 mostly women and children aboard a wooden vessel said to be taking on water were denied refuge in Indonesia and instead pushed into the neighboring Southeast Asian country.