Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Judge Rudi Suparmono has been accused of accepting bribes from the defense team of a defendant who fatally assaulted his girlfriend while serving as the chairman of the Surabaya District Court, a senior prosecutor revealed on Wednesday.

New vehicle sales in Indonesia declined by 6% to 79,806 units in December 2024 from 85,284 units a year earlier, according to wholesale data compiled by the local automotive industry association Gaikindo. Last month's sales came up against already weak year-earlier volumes, after the strong rebound from the pandemic lows had fizzled out last year.

Wahroni, Jakarta – Housing Minister Maruarar Sirait announced plans to use land confiscated in corruption cases as a resource for the government's 3 Million Houses Program.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto is planning to send elected regional heads, including governor-elects, on a retreat – similar to what his ministers went on at the start of their term.

Jakarta – Following the failure of its pilot project, the government is actually extending the food estate program in North Sumatra. Natural forests and customary lands are under threat.

Anwar Siswadi (Kontributor), Bandung – The Bandung City government is urging the developers of the Jagat app to take responsibility for the damage caused to public parks by users engaged in "coin hunting" within the app.

Septia Ryanthie, Hussein Abri Dongoran, Solo – Former President Joko Widodo or Jokowi responded to a report on docking to the Police Criminal Investigation Unit.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Zacharias Wuragil, Batam – The Riau chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) regrets the move by the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam) which is allegedly involving the TNI (Indonesian Military) in pushing through the Rempang Eco City National Strategic Project (PSN).

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto on Wednesday criticized the tendency of many wealthy Indonesians to shop abroad rather than spend their money locally, arguing that this behavior undermines the national economy.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the immediate removal of bamboo barriers illegally installed along 30 kilometers off the coasts of Tangerang Regency, Banten province, a close aide said on Wednesday.

Rania Teguh – On the eve of a long-anticipated increase in Indonesia's value added tax (VAT) rate from 11 to 12 per cent, President Prabowo Subianto abruptly decided to revise the hike, announcing that it would apply only to luxury goods.

Basudiwa Supraja, Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said Wednesday that Bank Indonesia's decision to cut the key interest rate to 5.75 percent could boost the people's purchasing power.

President Prabowo Subianto might not have thought his remarks would spark a controversy when he recently suggested that Indonesia expand oil palm plantations without worrying about deforestation.

Fika Nurul Ulya, Robertus Belarminus, Jakarta – The Denny JA Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) has revealed that the discourse on the election of regional heads (Pilkada) by Regional Representative Councils (DPRD) has received a negative response from the public, with as many as 76.3 percent expressing a negative sentiment on the idea.

As reported on its website, the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam) held a coordination meeting with the Wira Pratama 033 Sub-Regional Military Command (Korem) on Monday January 13. It is known that the coordination meeting discussed synergy in order to accelerate the Rempang Eco-City project.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Environment said food waste generated from the free nutritious meal program will be influenced by several factors, including the scale of the program, the number of beneficiaries, distribution efficiency, consumer behavior, and the program's operators.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, has expressed concerns that abolishing the parliamentary threshold could disrupt legislative functions. He argues that an excessive number of political parties in parliament would hinder the effectiveness of both the legislature and the executive branches.

Daniel Ahmad Fajri, Jakarta – Prabowo's spokesperson, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, said that President Prabowo Subianto and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri are good friends.

When asked about whether Prabowo is open for PDIP to join the government, Dahnil said it has been Prabowo's stance "from the start."

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – The Nusantara Capital Authority (IKN) is still awaiting President Prabowo Subianto's availability to conduct the groundbreaking ceremony for the ninth phase of the IKN project. IKN Authority Spokesperson Troy Pantouw confirmed that his team and the Ministry of Public Works have submitted a request for the inauguration to the Presidential Palace.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Prominent Indonesian environmental forensic expert Bambang Hero Saharjo faces yet another potential lawsuit for serving as a state witness against alleged violators, this time in a high-profile tin laundering case.

Jakarta – Indonesia plans to issue a regulation to set a minimum age for users of social media, a move aimed at protecting children, its communications minister has said.

Ali Mirin – Indonesia officially joined the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa – consortium last week marking a significant milestone in its foreign relations.

John Duerden – In 1938 Indonesia, with their bespectacled captain, Achmad Nawir, went to the World Cup as the Dutch East Indies and "Dutch" should perhaps be put back in the title somewhere given all that has happened with their men's football team this century. Patrick Kluivert's appointment as the head coach on Wednesday has not come out of nowhere.

Titi Anggraini – After nearly 17 years of repeated legal challenges by civil society groups and political parties, the Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi, MK) finally annulled the electoral threshold for presidential and vice-presidential nominations on 2 January.

Jakarta – The Indonesian people need to learn from people in Kenya when responding to announcements by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Rather than objecting, they protested that the global organization did not place President William Ruto at the top of the list for organized crime and corruption in 2024.

Indonesia, West Papua – On 10 December 2024, a group of students from the Walter Post School of Theology (STT) in Jayapura were arbitrarily stopped by police while they were driving to a public commemoration worship for the Human Rights Day, organised by the Papuan Council of Churches and Indigenous Pastors.

Angelina Tiara Puspitalova, Jakarta – Indonesia, an archipelago blessed with abundant natural resources, including oil and natural gas, remains an importer of oil. This paradox often raises the question, why does a country brimming with oil reserves need fuel imports? Here are seven reasons behind this phenomenon.

1. Limited capacity of oil refineries

Jakarta – Scrolling on social media, moviegoer Jessica Sihotang stumbled across a film depicting a fellow woman in her 30s struggling to make the dream of buying a Jakarta home a reality.

Nearly two million like-minded moviegoers tuned in to watch the protagonist's house-hunting journey when "Home Sweet Loan" was released last year, the movie's producer said.

Sapto Yunus, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto plans to gather elected regional heads to attend a briefing or retreat. Yusril said the briefing will resemble the retreat of the Red and White cabinet in Magelang, Central Java, October 24-27, 2024.

Erwan Hartawan, Jakarta – The Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI) reported that 572,506 units of motorcycles were exported to various countries in 2024, marking a slight increase in the number of exports compared to the previous year with 570,004 units.

Wahroni, Jakarta – Health workers at Soekarno-Hatta (Soetta) and Halim Perdanakusuma Airports in Jakarta have increased surveillance efforts to prevent the spread of human metapneumovirus (HMPV).

Antara, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) reported a revenue of Rp 300.2 trillion ($18.44 billion) from customs and excise in 2024, growing 4.9 percent year-on-year and achieving 93.5 percent of the state budget target.

Muhammad Ghafur Fadillah, Jakarta – The Financial Services Authority (OJK) is evaluating the implementation of a Single Investor Identification (SID) system for cryptocurrency owners, which could conflict with the decentralized nature of crypto.

Wijayanti Putri, Jakarta – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Tuesday that he did not mind that his successor Prabowo Subianto would review his so-called "national strategic projects".

Jakarta – For a country that makes it quite hard for its citizens to bear arms, Indonesia has a notable gun violence problem.

Recent incidents, such as the fatal shooting of a civilian on the Tangerang-Merak toll road earlier this month, underscore the pressing need to reevaluate gun restrictions.

Jakarta – Police are intensifying security patrols in Yalimo regency, Papua Highlands, following the shooting of two civilians last week, as they seek to stabilize the situation and capture the shooter.

Jakarta – One of the highlights of Foreign Minister Sugiono's first foreign policy speech late last week was the prominent display of images of Indonesia's first president Sukarno as a backdrop for the event.

Jakarta – Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid has appointed model and celebrity Raline Shah as an official at the ministry, serving as a personal staffer advising the minister on global partnership and digital education.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), together with the Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), reported a doxing incident experienced by one of its researchers to the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police on Monday morning, January 13, 2025.

Mathias Hariyadi, Jakarta – The discovery of a mysterious 30.16-kilometre-long bamboo fence in the Java Sea, north of Tangerang, has left Indonesians disconcerted. A group of fishermen raised the alarm last week, expressing their concerns on social media.

Indonesia, West Papua – Protests by Papuan students in the cities of Yogyakarta, Java Tengah Province, and Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan Province) were forcefully dispersed by police officers on 1 and 2 December 2024 in commemoration of the 1st December 1961.

Jakarta – The results of a Kompas Research and Development (Litbang Kompas) survey show that the majority of people agree with the removal of the electoral threshold that was required to nominate a presidential candidate or the presidential threshold, which was abolished by a Constitutional Court (MK) ruling earlier this month.

Jakarta – The coin-hunting craze through the Jagat application has hit the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex (GBK) in Senayan, Central Jakarta, as coin hunters reportedly crowded the area over the past week.

Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has reported the alleged doxing of ICW researcher Diky Anandya to the National Police (Polri) Criminal Investigations Directorate (Bareskrim) Cyber Crimes Unit.

Antara, Jakarta – Six former executives of state-owned mining company Antam (IDX: ANTM) have been charged with corruption, allegedly causing a loss of Rp3.31 trillion ($203.19 million) to the state. The charges relate to mismanagement and fraudulent activities involving 109 tons of gold from Antam between 2010 and 2022.

BeritaBali.com, Badung, Bali – Indonesian authorities have dismantled an international online prostitution network, arresting two Russian nationals involved in the operation.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Jakarta – Indonesia is preparing to follow in Australia's footsteps in restricting social media access for children. Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid announced that the government is drafting regulations to set a minimum age limit for accessing social media. However, she did not disclose the specific age under consideration.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Monday rejected a request by high-profile graft suspect Hasto Kristiyanto to delay his investigation until a court ruling is issued on his pre-trial motion.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Ninis Chairunnisa, Jakarta – Democracy activists and academics have criticised President Prabowo Subianto's plan to send elected regional heads on a retreat similar to the one that ministers went to at the start of his term in office.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – The government allotted Rp13 billion for the construction of a memorial living park in Pidie Regency, Aceh, as part of the reparation for the victims of gross human rights violations in the region, said the Deputy Minister of Public Works, Diana Kusumastuti.