Antara, Jakarta – Tens of election observers from various countries confirmed that they will participate in Indonesia's Election Visit Program that enables them to monitor voting at polling stations on the election day, a KPU commissioner stated.

Antara, Jakarta – Head of Indonesia's General Elections Commission (KPU) Hasyim Asy'ari has pledged to trace 3,238 duplicate names in the final voter list (DPT) for registered voters in Malaysia's Johor Bahru.

Medan – Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan believes that winning North Sumatra province would significantly impact the outcome of the general election on Feb. 14.

Bill Birtles and Mitch Woolnough in Solo, Central Java – Less than a fortnight out from Indonesia's election, President Joko Widodo's son is proving to be the decisive factor driving some of the country's almost 200 million voters towards his joint ticket.

Reno Reza Mahendra, Jakarta – The West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization or TPNPB-OPM Spokesperson Sebby Sambom revealed the reason why the OPM Armed Criminal Group has yet to release the Susi Air Pilot Philips Martens it took hostage since March 2023.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – The Association of Indonesian Catholic Higher Education Institutions (APTIK) has asked President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to hold firmly to his oath of office as president.

The association, which consists of rectors and heads of Catholic universities in Indonesia, also urged Widodo to uphold ethics in working as the head of state and government.

Yogyakarta – The wave of criticism by the academic community against the leadership of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo continues to grow.

Most recently, a council of professors, rectors and students at the Yogyakarta Muhammadiyah University (UMY) in Bantul, Yogyakarta province, has issued a national message and moral appeal to 'Safeguard Indonesian Democracy".

Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka (Prabowo-Gibran) vowed to continue and add to the existing social welfare cards program. The purpose of these programs was to eradicate absolute poverty in Indonesia.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia recently said that it was looking into accusations launched by South Korea that its engineer had tried to steal technologies related to the KF-21 fighter jet.

The KF-21 is a joint project between South Korea and Indonesia to develop fighter jets.

Jakarta – Bobby Nasution may have had to serve a prison sentence of between six months and five years for committing cruelty against animals if he was a mayor in the United Kingdom.

The mayor of Medan must be held partly responsible for the deaths of four tigers over the past three months in the North Sumatran city's zoo for neglect.

Jayapura, Jubi – Jayapura Bishop Mgr. Yanuarius Theofilus Matopai You stressed the need for careful consideration in building the Mountainous Papua Governor's office on the ancestral lands of Walesi and Wouma, as it would disrupt and take away the livelihoods of the indigenous communities there.

Nivell Rayda, Banyuwangi, Indonesia – At an Islamic boarding school in the far eastern corner of Java Island, Indonesia, a group of teenage girls clad in white Islamic garbs were spotted crying hysterically, struggling to contain the shock of encountering their idol.

Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – After a half day work as Indonesia's defence minister, Mr Prabowo Subianto arrived after lunchtime on Jan 4 at the Indonesian Journalist Association (PWI) office in Jakarta, where a group of senior journalists and chief editors were ready to hear about his programmes as well as commitment to free speech and freedom of the press in the country.

Jayapura, Jubi – Rev. Benny Giay aprreciated the enthusiasm of Papuan artists through the art exhibition titled 'Bholuh' (From the Earth) organized by Udeido Collective in collaboration with Papuans Voices and Alyakha Art Center at Sophie Building, Jayapura City on Wednesday (31/1/2024).

Niniek Karmini, Jakarta – Separatist rebels asked for the immediate release Saturday of the New Zealand pilot who's been held hostage for almost a year in Indonesia's restive Papua region.

Antara, Makassar – Indonesian Communication and Information (Kominfo) Minister Budi Arie Setiadi targeted the country's internet speed to reach 765 megabits per second (Mbps), or 30 times faster than today, by Indonesia's 100th year of independence in 2045.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi denied allegations that he politicized social assistance that could benefit presidential candidate pair number 3 Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka. He stressed that the budget for the aid had been approved by the House of Representatives (DPR), not just the executive government.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – An American diplomat recently said that the US was ready to implement the cooperation under the recently announced "comprehensive strategic partnership" with whoever wins the Indonesian presidential election.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia recently announced that they would relax the golden visa requirements for investors who are investing in the new capital project Nusantara.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – Indonesian entrepreneurs have a creative approach to reducing abstention rates and encouraging citizens to exercise their voting rights in the 2024 elections. They are offering discounts to shoppers who can provide evidence of participating in the February 14 elections.

Sella Rizky Deviani, Jakarta – Education expert from Multimedia Nusantara University (UMN), Doni Koesoema, highlights the significance of presidential candidates addressing the issue of teacher welfare in the upcoming fifth and final debate of the 2024 Presidential Election.

Aep, Bandung – The Rector of Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Reini D Wirahadikusuma, has issued an apology for the controversy related to the utilization of online loans from a private company for tuition payments. This issue arose after hundreds of students recently protested against the single tuition payment (UKT) scheme.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has appointed Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian as the Acting Chief Security Minister, replacing Mohammad Mahfud MD, who resigned on Thursday.

The Coordinator of the President's Special Staff, Ari Dwipayana, said Tito's appointment is outlined in Presidential Decree Number 20 of 2024, signed by Jokowi on Friday.

Sevianto Pakiding, Nduga, Papua – The West Papua Liberation Army, a faction of the Free Papua Movement (TPNPB-OPM), has confirmed plans to release Susi Air pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The General Election Commission (KPU) has officially announced the simultaneous regional elections (Pilkada) for 2024 will take place on Nov. 27, 2024.

Jakarta – The administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, like others before it, has stood by Indonesia's well-established foreign policy of neutrality amid major-power rivalries, and other countries have generally accepted that stance.

Jakarta (Agencies) – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Friday his cabinet was working normally, amid reports of discontent among his ministers.

"The cabinet has no problem," Jokowi told reporters when asked about unease in the cabinet, adding it was normal and democratic to have differences of opinion.

Susana Rita Kumalasanti, Jakarta – An attempt by a group of students from the Anomaly Forum to approach the Constitutional Court building on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta on Friday February 2 has failed.

Jakarta – With human rights campaigners and their protection having suffered setbacks in the past decade, rights group Amnesty International Indonesia (AII) said the Feb. 14 presidential and legislative elections should be a defining moment for the country to get back on solid footing.

Jakarta (Agencies) – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati is working as usual, the presidential palace official Ari Dwipayana, said on Friday, when asked about the speculation that she planned to resign.

President Jokowi earlier said his cabinet was working as usual and it was normal to have differences of opinion.

Jakarta – Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto claims that he has received information about plans to tamper with ballots during the 2024 general election, one method of which is by damaging ballot papers.

Jayapura, Jubi – As of now, there has been no agreement reached for the release of Phillip Mark Mehrtens, the Susi Air pilot from New Zealand who has been held captive by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) since early last year, spokesperson for the Cartenz Peace Operation Adj. Sr. Comr. Bayu Suseno said on Wednesday (31/1/2024).

Sharisya Kusuma Rahmanda, Jakarta – At least eleven regional heads submitted a judicial review with the Constitutional Court (MK) regarding Article 201 Paragraphs 7, 8, and 9 of Regional Head Election (Pilkada) Law.

Ashlynn Hannah, Jakarta – Ivan Gunawan, a well-known entertainment TV host, recently lost his job following a reprimand from the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) for being deemed "too feminine." This incident highlights what a prominent rights activist describes as another instance of blatant discrimination against the LGBTQ community.

Jakarta – Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, confirmed his resignation from the position of chief commissioner at the state-run oil company Pertamina on Friday. The decision is in pursuit of his commitment to join the campaign team of presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo.

David Oliver Purba – The Andalas University (Unand) academic community alliance in Padang, West Sumatra, is urging President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to stop political "cawe-cawe" (meddling) and interference in the 2024 presidential election.

Jakarta – The Ministry of Health on Friday emphasized the importance of early pregnancy planning by couples, citing high maternal and infant mortality rates in Indonesia.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – Coordinator for Presidential Special Staff Ari Dwipayana said the current stream of criticism from academic institutions against President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his administration is a deliberate orchestration for electoral interest.

Tria Dianti and Arie Firdaus, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ganjar Pranowo readily accepts the hospitality of his constituents, Anies Baswedan charms with his eloquence in town halls across the archipelago, and Prabowo Subianto highlights his achievements as the nation's defense minister.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – In the upcoming fifth and final presidential debate scheduled for Sunday, the Chairwoman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), Shinta W Kamdani, calls on presidential candidates to prioritize addressing labor issues – from unemployment to minimum wage – to lead Indonesia towards advanced nation status by 2045.

Jakarta – The Trade Minister issues new regulations that ease restrictions on importing batik fabric products. This endangers the future of the traditional batik industry in Indonesia.

Andika Dwi, Raden Putri, Tim Tempo, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud Md officially stepped down from his post after presenting his resignation letter to President Joko Widodo or Jokowi at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday afternoon, February 1.

Michelle Gabriela, Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Masses from the Indonesia Village Administration Association (Apdesi) held another protest in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) on January 31. Hundreds of village heads and other village officials called for the revision of Law No.

Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – Bhima Yudhistira, executive director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), criticizes presidential candidates' economic growth targets that he deemed too high. Met on February 1, he said that the high growth targets set by the candidates were unrealistic as they were too optimistic.

Nur Janti, Jakarta – Indonesia's efforts to eradicate corruption seem to have been hampered by various causes, from attacks against law enforcers to vote-buying, as suggested by the country's unimproved score in the global graft index.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that foreign tourist visits from January to December 2023 reached 11.68 million, a surge of 98.3 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

However, this achievement still falls below the level of visits in 2019 (pre-Covid-19 pandemic), which reached 16.11 million visits.

Jakarta – Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has said that if he is elected president, he will uphold the bans on hardline groups the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), but would be cautious about banning more mass organizations.

Jayapura, Jubi – The Papua Police and the XVII/Cenderawasih Regional Military Command (Kodam XVII/Cenderawasih) have not yet endorsed civil aviation activities to Bilogai Airport in Sugapa, Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua Province. Civil flights to Intan Jaya have been suspended since the escalation of armed conflict in the region on January 19, 2024.

Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said on Thursday that it will continue its graft investigation against former Vice Justice Minister Edward Omar Sharief Hiariej, known as Eddy Hiariej, despite a recent court ruling instructing the commission to drop the case.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD has announced his resignation from the cabinet to allow him to focus on running for vice president and avoid any potential misuse of power ahead of the election next month.