Indonesia's decision to appoint core staff of its Free Nutritious Meals programme kitchens as contract-based civil servants has sparked parliamentary warnings and criticism over recruitment standards, fiscal priorities, and widening inequality with honorary teachers.

Rescuers on Friday has found the bodies of 10 passengers on a fishery surveillance plane that went missing in Mount Bulusaraung, South Sulawesi, after almost a week of search in the area.

Antara, Malang – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa is considering adding an excise tier for cigarettes, a move the government says could provide a pathway for illegal tobacco products to enter the legal market.

Irfan Ahmad, Andrew Tito, Jakarta – Flooding in Jakarta is expected to continue through the weekend as heavy rain and extreme weather are forecast to return to the capital, the city's disaster mitigation agency said on Friday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia said Friday that Palestinian independence would remain a key goal in its foreign policy as Jakarta joined the Gaza peace board amidst concerns over Israel's involvement in the organization.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia is recording a surplus of around 1.4 billion liters of subsidized low-grade diesel fuel, sold domestically under the Solar brand, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Friday.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa stated that the rupiah exchange rate had already begun weakening before Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Djiwandono was nominated as Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia. The rupiah's exchange rate has recently edged toward Rp17,000 per US dollar.

Hariz Baharudin, Singapore – Making his World Economic Forum (WEF) debut as Indonesia's president, Mr Prabowo Subianto used the Davos stage to outline his view of Indonesia as a steady, investable economy amid a more unsettled global environment, stressing the importance of stability and credibility as geopolitical risks rise.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia has tightened its SIM card registration rules, requiring citizens to register mobile numbers using their national identity number (NIK) and biometric facial data, while foreign nationals must use passports and valid residence permits, as the government steps up efforts to curb fraud and digital crime.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has launched the Mak Comblang Project (named after the Indonesian term for matchmaker), an initiative designed to directly connect local farmers with kitchens supplying the government's Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, in an effort to fix what officials describe as an inefficient and fragmented food supply chai

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – The Global Citizenship of Indonesia (GCI) program is drawing lukewarm response from diaspora and mixed-marriage groups, who warn the policy risks becoming a symbolic gesture rather than a real solution to long-standing citizenship problems.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Floodwaters as high as 180 centimeters submerged several areas within the Green Lavender housing complex in Suka Mekar Village, North Bekasi, on Friday morning, January 23, 2026. The head of Neighborhood Association (RT) 02 Green Lavender, Hendro Fernando, stated that flooding in their area has been overflowing since Monday, January 19.

Jakarta – Beyond the fuss over the inclusion of the word kapitil in the latest edition of the official Indonesian language dictionary Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) – a colloquial opposite of kapital, meaning uppercase – there is a more serious issue in our language politics.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Indonesia's national police have raided the Jakarta office of Islamic fintech lender Dana Syariah Indonesia (DSI) as part of a criminal investigation into alleged fraud, embezzlement, falsified financial reports and money laundering, authorities said.

Nicholas Kusnetz – The Indonesian government said it has revoked the licenses of 28 companies for violating forestry regulations in provinces hit by devastating flooding in November.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – Indonesia's entry onto the Board of Peace for Gaza on Thursday has stoked fresh fears that Jakarta could be coerced into a United States-controlled agenda in the war-torn territory, amid concerns it might stray from or even rival existing United Nations mechanisms to restore peace.

Ria Fortuna Wijaya, Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia's plan to further tighten mandatory repatriation rules for foreign-currency earnings from natural resource exports is drawing fresh criticism, with industry groups and economists warning that the policy could raise business costs without delivering meaningful gains for the rupiah or foreign exchange reserves.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia and eight Muslim-majority countries including Gaza mediators Qatar and Turkey have agreed to join US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace", the Saudi foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi admits that high rainfall is not the sole contributing factor to the floods that inundate Jakarta this month.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has decided to become part of the Board of Peace, an organization led by US President Donald Trump that will oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has signaled a sweeping rotation of senior officials at the Directorate General of Taxes (DGT), saying a recent reshuffle in North Jakarta is just the beginning of a broader reorganization aimed at restoring public trust amid mounting fiscal pressure.

Phnom Penh – More than 1,400 Indonesians have left cyberscam networks in Cambodia in the last five days, Jakarta said on Wednesday, after Phnom Penh pledged a fresh crackdown on the illicit trade.

Jakarta – Forest and land fires have erupted in several regions across the country despite most areas still being in the peak of the rainy season

In Aceh, authorities are continuing efforts to extinguish fires that broke out last week in several villages in West Aceh regency.

Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – The Jakarta High Court has rejected an appeal filed by Indonesian Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman against Tempo in a Rp200 billion (around US$13 million) civil lawsuit, overturning a previous ruling by the South Jakarta District Court.

Dayat, Jakarta – Meat sellers in Jakarta and its surrounding areas began a coordinated strike on Thursday after the government reduced beef import quotas for private companies, a move traders say has pushed up wholesale prices and disrupted supply at traditional markets.

Heru Andriyanto, London – Indonesia and the United Kingdom launched a new strategic partnership in London on Wednesday, marking a significant step forward in bilateral relations between the two countries.

Yoes C Kenawas and Amalinda Savirani – The proposal to replace direct popular regional head elections (pilkada langsung) with indirect selection (pilkada tidak langsung) by the regional legislative councils (DPRDs) is gaining traction.

Jakarta/Singapore: President Prabowo Subianto's participation in the Gaza peace summit in Egypt affirms Indonesia's elevated international profile and highlights the opportunities and potential pitfalls in his brand of diplomacy, analysts said.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – The Jakarta administration is set to begin the development of the so-called giant sea wall along the city's northern coast in September, as part of President Prabowo Subianto 's 500-kilometer megaproject aimed at protecting flood-prone communities from Banten to East Java against rising sea levels.

Jakarta – The Forest Area Enforcement (PKH) Task Force claims to have seized 4.09 million hectares of oil palm plantations within forest zones throughout 2025. At first glance, this looks like proof of state firmness. However, the massive scale of the land involved is a glaring indicator that forest destruction has been tolerated for far too long.

Denny Armandhanu, Jakarta – Indonesia has said that it will accept an invitation from United States President Donald Trump to join the Board of Peace, a move seen as a diplomatic opportunity for the country but one that has also sparked concerns among experts over foreign policy risks and potential domestic fallout.

Gregory, Yangon – For victims of military repression in Myanmar, East Timor (Timor-Leste) has become a new battleground. Not an armed one, but one involving the law.

A human rights organisation representing Myanmar's ethnic Chin minority has lodged a complaint in Dili against the country's military junta, accusing it of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Financial Service Authority (OJK) said West Java residents were the most affected by digital fraud nationwide, based on complaints recorded by the national anti-scam task force.

Hanaa Septiana, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Mochamad Irfan Yusuf, will bar regional leaders from becoming hajj officers this year. This ban responds to last year's presence of regional heads within hajj operations, including Gresik Regent Fandi Akhmad Yani.

The minister assures there won't be a repeat of this occurrence during the 2026 hajj season.

Heru Andriyanto, Davos – Indonesia's free meal program for children and pregnant and lactating mothers has expanded so rapidly that it is on track to surpass the daily meal output of global fast-food giant McDonald's, President Prabowo Subianto said on Thursday.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto is seeking to attract leading British universities to establish campuses in Indonesia as part of broader efforts to bolster education partnerships with the United Kingdom during his working visit to the country.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said a gas pipeline leak operated by PT Transportasi Gas Indonesia (TGI) disrupted production at the Rokan Block, one of the country's largest oil-producing assets, causing a potential loss of around 2 million barrels at the start of the year.

Andrew Tito, Jakarta – Flooding across Jakarta continued to spread on Thursday afternoon as persistent heavy rainfall inundated residential areas and major roads, according to the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Indonesia's state-owned telecommunications giant PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk reported a nationwide service disruption affecting its major subsidiaries Telkomsel, Indibiz, and IndiHome on Thursday afternoon, January 22, 2026.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has revoked the permits of 28 companies over environmental violations that authorities say exacerbated the deadly floods and landslides that struck the island of Sumatra in late 2025.

Panji Satrio, Ihsan Syahreza, Tebing Tinggi, N – Sumatra. Nine people were killed after a passenger car was struck by a train at an unguarded railway crossing in Tebing Tinggi, North Sumatra, on Wednesday evening, police said.

Heru Andriyanto, Davos – President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday underscored Indonesia's fiscal credibility, telling participants at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the country has never failed to honor its debt obligations, regardless of changes in government.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Indonesia is planning to establish waste-to-energy plants (PSEL) this year. Intan Salsabila Firman, a researcher from Tenggara Strategic, said the government must disseminate the safety of PSEL to the public, ensuring that if done right, the facilities will have no negative impacts on the surrounding environments.

Maxime Aubert, Adam Brumm, Adhi Oktaviana and Renaud Joannes-Boyau – When we think of the world's oldest art, Europe usually comes to mind, with famous cave paintings in France and Spain often seen as evidence this was the birthplace of symbolic human culture. But new evidence from Indonesia dramatically reshapes this picture.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – Permata Bank Chief Economist Josua Pardede urged that the Indonesian government immediately restore market confidence through certainty of policy direction and strengthening foreign exchange sources. According to him, such mitigation would effectively encourage the strengthening of the rupiah exchange rate.

Indonesia, West Papua – The Indonesian government's militarised approach to conflict resolution and economic development in West Papua has reached alarming levels, triggering widespread internal displacement, human rights violations, and growing civil society resistance.

On 16 January 2026, Mr Kataw Kulua, 27, Mr Yaikunus Murib, 26, and Mr Lois Murib, 29, were arbitrarily arrested by personnel of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) near the BNPB Logistics Warehouse, Agandugume District, Puncak Regency, Central Papua Province.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – Indonesian law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into reports that a sugar factory was permitted to operate on land owned by the Indonesian Air Force in Lampung province.

Jakarta – Terrorism is a criminal act. Therefore, the response to it falls under the authority of the police, the law enforcement agency tasked with matters of public safety.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia, through the Ministry of Forestry, has joined The Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets. The move aims to bolster global climate financing while representing Indonesia's forestry sector and nature-based solutions.