Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has received a barrage of criticism for appointing over 100 people to his Red and White Cabinet, which is likely now the world's largest.

Fetty Azizah, Jakarta – Indonesia's 2024 regional head elections have revealed the overwhelming dominance of the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) Plus, which secured victories in several strategic provinces, including Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java and North Sumatra.

Jakarta – The Gunungkidul Regency administration in Yogyakarta is working to deactivate three extreme routes leading to tourist destinations from Google Maps for the Christmas and New Year holidays to reduce potential accidents.

According to the Gunungkidul Transportation Agency, there are at least three tourist destinations with quite extreme terrain.

Jakarta – Former Indonesian president Joko Widodo has not yet decided on his next political move after being officially dismissed from the country's largest political party on Monday (Dec 16) for backing Prabowo Subianto in February's presidential elections.

Zach Hope and Amilia Rosa, Bali – The brother of Bali bomber Ali Imron has questioned why the remaining Australian members of the Bali Nine have been set free when his allegedly deradicalised family member is still serving a life sentence.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court recently confirmed that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has the authority to investigate alleged acts of corruption involving or implicating the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Jayapura – Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) says that military operations in the land of Papua only sacrifice civilians and create massive internal displacement.

Vitorio Mantalean, Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) Executive Director Djayadi Hanan believes that President Prabowo Subianto's proposal for regional heads to be elected by Regional Houses of Representatives (DPRD) is unsuitable because Indonesia adheres to a different system.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) has decided to keep its benchmark interest rate at 6 percent to maintain inflation within its target range of 2.5 percent for 2024 and 2025, while also supporting sustainable economic growth amid global uncertainties.

Batam – Barelang Municipal Police Chief Senior Commissioner Heribertus Ompusunggu says that the situation at a village on Rempang Island is now conducive after an attack by unidentified people (OTK) early on the morning of Wednesday December 18.

Grace Gandhi, Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the value of investment in special economic zones (KEK) in the tourism sector is still sluggish due to a lack of investors.

Maulana Ilhami Fawdi, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) noted that between January and December 2024 there were 113 human rights incidents in Papua, 85 of which had the dimensions of armed conflict and violence.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – Former Justice Minister Yasonna Laoly was questioned by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Wednesday regarding the corruption case involving Harun Masiku, a fugitive and fellow Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) executive.

Jakarta – Meikarta Customer Care Community Association chairman Yosafat Erland says he hopes for a solution for customers of the stalled mega-apartment project after tycoon Mochtar Riady met with former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in Surakarta, Central Java, on Friday.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has recorded 113 alleged human rights violations in Papua from January to December 16, 2024. Of these, 85 were related to armed conflicts and violence.

Dat Nguyen – The list of 50 richest individuals in Indonesia is made up of all billionaires for the first time this year, with combined wealth rising 4% to $263 billion.

The list, compiled by Forbes, put the Hartono brothers, R. Budi and Michael, at the top with a net worth of $50.3 billion, a new peak for the duo.

Defara Dhanya, Jakarta – Floods are still inundating several coastal areas of Jakarta, including the Sunda Kelapa Port area, Ancol Village, Pademangan District, North Jakarta. Today, Tuesday, December 17, 2024, the tidal flood (flooding due to maximum sea tides) at that location is 70 centimeters high.

Jayapura – In view of the Christmas celebrations on December 25, the Bishop of Jayapura, Yanuarius Teofilus Matopai You, calls for an end to the measures that prevent displaced Papuans from returning home to celebrate Christmas in the Oksop district.

Jayapura – The Journalist Justice and Safety Advocacy Coalition (KAKKJ) in Papua, which consists of journalists, human rights defenders, students, the Cipayung Group and the Front, held a peaceful demonstration in front of the Papua Regional Police (Polda) Headquarters in Jayapura city, Papua, on Tuesday December 17.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) raided the headquarters of the central bank in Jakarta on Monday in relation to a probe into alleged mishandling of a corporate social responsibility programme, the agency and the central bank said.

Yusuf Wahil and Victoria Milko Kabaena, Indonesia – The crystal blue waters that once surrounded Kabaena are murky brown now, and the octopi and colorful fish that locals used to catch nearby to eat and sell have fled. The lush seaweed they used to harvest is gone.

Dandy Koswaraputra and Pizaro Gozali Idrus, Jakarta – The Indonesian president's decision to pardon tens of thousands of prisoners is ill-conceived because it fails to address harsh laws that call for incarceration and lead to overcrowding, critics said, amid not inconsiderable cynicism about the plan's intention.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – At the U.N. climate conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Indonesian government announced an ambitious plan to reforest 12.7 million hectares (31.4 million acres) of degraded land, an area 80 times the size of London.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) has reiterated that the current system of direct regional head elections in the country must be maintained. The KPU's Commissioner for Technical and Implementation, Idham Holik, said the spirit of direct elections lies in strengthening people's sovereignty.

Dhaka – The maiden visit of the President of Timor-Leste Dr. Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta in Bangladesh ushered in a new era in the bilateral relations between the two countries, said a joint communique here today.

Basudiwa Supraja, Jakarta – Education expert Darmaningtyas urged the government to exclude elite schools from the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, arguing that it should focus on students from low-income families who face food insecurity.

Jakarta – It is time Indonesia abandoned the dream of obtaining significant funding from the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). Two years after this idealistic-sounding program was first spoken of at the November 2022 G20 Summit in Bali, only a small amount of funding has actually been received.

Jakarta – Central Kalimantan Police have dishonorably discharged an officer from the Palangka Raya City Police, identified only as Brig. AK, for his involvement in a murder case, following a professional code of ethics hearing.

Betty Herlina, Elviza Diana, Enggano Island, Indonesia – Milson Kaitora's grandparents never had trouble finding water to grow food here on Enggano Island. But today, coastal abrasion is pushing back the shoreline of Milson's village, and the dearth of freshwater has reduced the annual rice harvest from twice a year to just once.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's new target to build 3 million homes a year will never solve Indonesia's housing shortage, especially if the government does nothing to fix the broken housing market.

Theressia Sunday Silalahi, Jakarta – Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka responded to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) decision to expel him, his father Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, and his brother-in-law Bobby Nasution, acknowledging the move with respect.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Violence against women and children remains a pressing issue in Indonesia. National Police (Polri) Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo revealed that over the past five years, there have been 401,975 cases of violence against women, 105,475 cases of domestic violence, and 15,120 cases of violence against children.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The government will roll out an income tax incentive package for people working in the labor-intensive industries as a means to cushion Indonesia's middle class from the value-added tax (VAT) hike.

Antara, Jakarta – Ahead of the preparations for Christmas 2024 and New Year 2025, tens of thousands of joint personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police (Polri) will be deployed to secure more than 61,000 crowded locations and places of worship.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Following a series of recent police shootings, the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the use of firearms by police officers.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) noted an increase in imports of ready-to-wear clothing entering Indonesia. Acting Head of BPS, Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, said that the largest imports of textiles and textile products or TPT came from China.

Grace Sihombing and Eko Listiyorini – Indonesia will proceed with its value-added tax hike in 2025, while offering a raft of incentives to mitigate the impact on consumption and economic growth.

Zach Hope, Karuni Rompies and Amilia Rosa, Bali – A key member of Indonesia's parliamentary justice committee has strongly criticised the decision to allow the remaining members of the Bali Nine to return to Australia, saying the deal goes against his own nation's laws.

Tim Lindsey – Following weeks of intrigue about a possible deal, the remaining members of the Bali Nine have been released from prison in Indonesia and returned to Australia. The five Australians had served nearly 20 years of their life sentence for their involvement in a drug-smuggling operation.

Kirsten Han – In April 2015, Mary Jane Veloso was moved to Nusa Kambangan, a maximum security prison island in Indonesia. The plan had been to execute her by firing squad with other death row prisoners, including Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. Veloso was spared at the eleventh hour.

Gandhi Armansyah, Jakarta – For the past four days, 11 neighborhood units (RT) in the Muara Angke area of North Jakarta have been submerged in tidal floodwaters, with water levels ranging from 30 to 90 cm. Residents have been forced to continue their daily activities amid the floodwaters, which are mixed with seawater.

Jakarta – Indonesia's exports rose 9.14 per cent in November from a year earlier to $24.01 billion, official data showed on Monday, above a projected increase of 4.92 per cent in a Reuters poll of analysts.

Jakarta – The Immigration Directorate General has detained 12 Vietnamese women for their alleged involvement in a prostitution ring in Muara Karang, North Jakarta.

Jakarta – This month the National Police are planning to play a greater role in investigating corruption cases, which have been dominated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

The National Police joined the antigraft bandwagon through the establishment of the new Corruption Eradication Corps (Kortas Tipidkor).

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Jakarta – Relatives of victims of the fatal 2022 Kanjuruhan stadium crush in Malang, East Java, are seeking Rp 17.5 billion (US$1.1 million) in compensation from five people who were found guilty of negligence in the incident.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, his son Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and his son-in-law Bobby Nasution have been officially dismissed from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) following a year-long rift that began before the presidential election.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded a trade surplus of $4.42 billion in November, marking the 55th consecutive month of a positive trade balance since May 2020, according to data released by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) on Monday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia announced Monday that it would roll out a tax incentive for hybrid cars in an attempt to reduce the country's carbon emissions.

Ni Made Tasyarani, Jakarta – The retirement business remains underdeveloped in Indonesia, but experts say the aging population at home and abroad means the time to invest is now.

According to the World Health Organization, the number of people aged 60 years and older was 1 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The value-added tax (VAT) hike to 12 percent will officially enter into force in January 1, according to Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto.

The government, however, will make staple goods VAT-free.