Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – Former Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo offered an apology to National Democratic Party (Nasdem) Chairman Surya Paloh shortly after a court hearing on Thursday, where he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption.

Steve Rushton – Indigenous people in West Papua face systematic murder and destruction of their lands. They were colonised by Indonesia in the 1960s. West Papua is the western part of the island of New Guinea – home to the world's third largest rainforest.

Herman, Jakarta – In an effort to curb airfare hikes, the Indonesian government plans to implement duty exemptions and ease restrictions on specific imported goods vital to aviation, alongside tax incentives and a revised tariff structure.

Bella Evanglista, Jakarta – Redma Gita Wirawasta, Chairman of the Indonesian Filament Yarn and Fiber Producers Association (Apsyfi), said that despite strong consumer demand for textiles, the market is dominated by Chinese imports, leading to the closure of many local textile companies.

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo's decision to force through an allocation of Rp71 trillion to cover the costs of the free milk and nutritious meal program in the 2025 Draft State Budget is inappropriate. As well as potentially being a violation of regulations, this kind of arbitrary policy ignores the significant burden on state finances next year.

Tempo.Co, Jakarta – The Judicial Commission (KY) reacted to the acquittal of former Langkat Regent Terbit Rencana Perangin Angin by the Stabat District Court in the case of human trafficking (TPPO). The panel of judges declared that Terbit Rencana had not been proven guilty according to the prosecution's case and released him on Monday, July 8, 2024.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Executive Director of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), Esther Sri Astuti, said the construction of Nusantara Capital City, or IKN burdens the State Budget.

Esther said other programs such as President-elect Prabowo Subianto's free meal program also burden state funds, but no more than the new capital project.

Han Revanda Putra, Jakarta – Chairperson of the Indonesian Textile Association (API) Jemmy Kartiwa Sastraatmadja urged the government to limit imports of textiles and textile products from more than 700 Harmonized System (HS) codes.

Jakarta – Indonesia said it is beginning to recover data that had been encrypted in a major ransomware attack last month which affected more than 160 government agencies.

Nazarudin Latif, Jakarta – Indonesia will go ahead with planned Independence day events next month at its new capital site in Borneo despite massive construction delays, including the lack of a clean drinking water network, officials said Thursday.

Jakarta – It would be unwise to assume that the decline in the poverty rate in Indonesia, which reached a historic low of 9.03 percent in March according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), is indicative of a major improvement in the country's socioeconomic front.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Tuesday detained three suspects accused of inflating the price of a power plant component procured by the state-owned electricity company PLN.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Twelve unsuspecting job applicants have handed over personal data and copies of their identity cards, only to find themselves indebted by over Rp 1 billion (around $61,500) from online lenders, police said on Tuesday.

The scam is new to the Jakarta Police, who are now investigating the case.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – At least 50 alumni of the Australian National University (ANU) in Indonesia are disputing a statement made by Bambang Soesatyo (Bamsoet), the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), regarding research publication at ANU.

Jakarta – Military personnel are suspected of involvement in the murder of Rico Sempurna Pasaribu, a local journalist who wrote about gambling. The perpetrator must be tried in a civil court.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo does not want Indonesia's regents to spend the hard-earned government money on imports.

Apriadi Gunawan, Karo – The North Sumatra Police arrested two suspects and are pursuing another person allegedly involved in an arson case that killed a journalist and his family in Karo regency in the province.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – Indonesia's antitrust agency, the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU), has accused e-commerce firm Shopee and tech giant Google of engaging in monopoly practices. Shopee, accused of monopolizing its courier services, has since closed its case by agreeing to make changes to its services.

Pes Yanengga, Jayapura – Papuan students have called on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to immediately withdraw TNI (Indonesian military) and Polri (Indonesian police) troops from Puncak regency, Central Papua Province. According to the students, the presence of non-organic troops has triggered an increase in violence against civilians.

Jakarta – Lawmakers passed the long-awaited revision to the 1990 Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation Law; a change the policymakers claim will ensure better legal protection for wildlife and the environment.

Jakarta – Security forces in Papua reported that a civilian turbine engine aircraft was shot by members of an armed criminal group upon landing at the Sinak Airport in Puncak regency, Central Papua, on Monday.

Jakarta – The National Police said Wednesday Australia sent back dozens of illegal migrants to a remote southern island after intercepting their vessel at sea, at least the second time this has happened this year.

Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta said in a visit to Luanda that Timor-Leste becoming the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2025 will open new opportunities for all Portuguese-speaking countries.

Jakarta – Early today, approximately 100 Satpol PP (municipal police) personnel, supported by dozens of police and military officers, conducted an eviction at the PKBI (Perkumpulan Keluarga Berencana Indonesia) office in South Jakarta.

Ikhsan Reliubun, Jakarta – A senior economist from the University of Indonesia (UI) Faisal Basri said he's skeptical that the global ultrarich would deposit their funds in Indonesia, in response to the government's plan to establish a family office in the country.

"Stop daydreaming," said Faisal, in West Jakarta on Tuesday, July 9, 2024.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – NGOs working with Indonesian smallholder farmers have developed a set of guidelines aimed at helping oil palm farmers prove that their products are deforestation-free, allowing them a foothold in markets increasingly demanding sustainably produced goods.

Members of the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) have been accused of intimidating journalists while covering activities in Jalan Bubara, Klaligi Village, Sorong City, on 9 July 2024.

Muhammad Ghafur Fadillah, Vinnilya, Jakarta – The financial downturn globally, exacerbated by recent elections, has dampened fundraising activities in Indonesia's capital market, with total funds raised amounting to Rp 100 trillion ($6.16 billion) as of July 5.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia has scrapped the proposal to collect tourism fees through airline tickets. Travelers can breathe a sigh of relief as this means no additional burden will be added to ticket prices.

Adhyasta Dirgantara, Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – TNI (Indonesian military) Commander General Agus Subiyanto has bragged that TNI soldiers are needed everywhere by the government and society.

He gave as an example, the TNI being needed by the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) to build rice fields in the context of the food estate program.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has uncovered allegations of extortion by locals towards tourists in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua, with suspected amounts reaching staggering figures.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia is set to grant visa-free visits to 20 countries by October, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. The proposal is now in its final stages.

Jakarta – Authorities are scrambling to respond to a spate of disasters that has swept the country, including a deadly landslide in Sulawesi and flooding across several regions in Java that they believe has been precipitated by weather anomalies at the height of the dry season.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is supposed to start working from the new capital Nusantara starting this month. Still, the outgoing leader recently revealed that he would move to the yet-to-be-built city once the water infrastructure is ready.

Jakarta – What an anticlimactic end to the hyped cyberattack on Indonesia's frail data system. Brain Cypher, the hacker group that claimed responsibility for hacking a temporary national data center recently, apologized for its action and handed over encryption keys to the government for free on July 3, after previously demanding a ransom of US$8 million.

Marc Jones, London – The US has agreed to forgive $35 million of Indonesian debt over the next nine years, the US Treasury said on Monday, in return for the Southeast Asian country restoring and preserving coral reefs in what experts estimate is the world's most biodiverse patch of ocean.

Jakarta – At least 10 people had died and 40 were missing after torrential rain caused a landslide at a gold mine in Sulawesi's Gorontalo province at the weekend, officials said on Monday, with bad weather hampering rescue efforts.

Jakarta – The death toll from a landslide near an illegal gold mine in Gorontalo had risen to 23 people, while 35 others are still missing, an official said Tuesday.

Unlicensed mines are common across Indonesia, where abandoned sites attract locals who hunt for leftover gold ore without proper safety equipment.

Jakarta – An Indonesian court has acquitted a former government official accused of human trafficking after people were found in cages near his palm oil plantation, a ruling the country's rights body said on Tuesday signalled impunity for state actors.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Allegations of illegal activity and land-grabbing against Indonesia's second-largest palm oil company continue to mount as a new report reveals the firm's violations appear to be more extensive than initially documented.

Nabiha Shahab – The impacts of climate change are increasingly undeniable, weaving into the fabric of our daily lives. From erratic weather patterns to rising seas threatening coastal cities, the climate crisis is a reality we can no longer ignore.

Pizaro Gozali Idrus, Jakarta – Indonesian human rights groups on Tuesday condemned the acquittal of an ex-regent charged with slavery and torture after dozens of people were found caged on his plantation, saying the ruling showed that state officials still enjoy impunity for serious crimes.

Riri Rahayu, Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Arifin Tasrif said that nuclear energy is part of the country's renewable energy mix plan.

Timor-Leste and Mozambique signed a series of cooperation agreements last Friday in Maputo as part of Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta's working visit to the African country.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – The central government's fiscal deficit this year is projected to be much larger than planned as the state is set to spend more but collect less in tax than laid out in the budget for this year.

Suherdjoko, Batang, Central Java – A total of 240 houses were damaged after a magnitude 4.4 earthquake hit Batang regency and Pekalongan city in Central Java on Sunday. While no deaths were reported, 13 people were injured in the incident.

The Batang regency administration has declared a seven-day emergency response period following the disaster.

Jayapura – Zakarias Talaty, the sole judge at the Jayapura District Court, has rejected a pretrial motion on behalf of senior Papuan journalist Victor Mambor against an Order to Stop Investigation (SP3) issued by the North Jayapura Sectoral Police (Polsek) on the grounds that the SP3 was legitimate due to the lack of witnesses who saw the bomb attack on Mambor's home in March 2023.

Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – Online gambling is so rampant in Indonesia that the country's lawmakers are also among the players, and calls are mounting for some firm action against these law-breaking legislators.

Jakarta – The state employment security agency BPJS Ketenagakerjaan recently announced its audited financial and program report for the financial year 2023.

Panji Satrio, Karo, North Sumatra – The North Sumatra Police announced on Monday that they have launched a murder investigation and arrested two suspects after a local journalist, his wife, son, and grandchild were found dead inside their burned house in Karo regency on June 27.