Jakarta – With campaign season in full swing, presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo and his wife visited a toy-producing hub in Central Java, where they highlighted the strength of local producers amid a surge of imports.

A Catholic official in Indonesia's Christian-majority Papua province has hailed the acquittal of two rights activists in a defamation case related to a controversial gold mining project.

Jakarta – In a break from the tradition of courtesy and respect, presidential candidates Anies Baswedan and Prabowo Subianto did not shake hands on Sunday night after spending about three hours in a heated debate that saw the frontrunner Prabowo defending his programs as defense minister.

Dr. Jose Ramos Horta, the President of Timor-Leste, made history by engaging in the first-ever Head of State or government-level interaction between his nation and India during his visit to participate in the 10th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – After years of declining deforestation, forest loss caused by Indonesia's pulp sector is on the rise again, showing a fivefold increase in 2022 compared with 2017 levels, a new analysis shows.

Rebecca Ratcliffe Randy Mulyanto in Jakarta – He is a former general who was dismissed from the military amid allegations he was involved in kidnapping and torture. But today, Prabowo Subianto, frontrunner in Indonesia's looming election, projects a very different image: a cute grandpa with awkward dance moves and a softer side.

Yuni Rohmawati, Jakarta – The director of Imparsial Gufron Mabruri said that the acquittal of Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti is a small win for the fight for human rights in Indonesia. Both activists were sued over alleged defamation against the Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – From a presidential palace renovation to oil gas fields, President Joko "Jokowi " Widodo's economy-heavy diplomacy has culminated in Indonesian state-owned enterprises or SOEs expanding overseas.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo flew Tuesday for a trip to some ASEAN member states, namely the Philippines, Vietnam, and Brunei Darussalam over the next few days.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto calls for the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to bolster consumer and investor protection services.

Jakarta – The acquittal of human rights defenders Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti is seen as a milestone and a victory for freedom of expression, and sets a good precedent for the fight against the criminalisation of activists.

The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) says it appreciates the court's decision to release Azhar and Maulidiyanti.

Jayapura – West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organisation (TPNPB-OPM) spokesperson Sebby Sambom has expressed his gratitude to Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti who were found not guilty by the East Jakarta District Court on Monday January 8.

Ayos Carlos, Jakarta – Some Pertamina gas stations are implementing restrictions on subsidized fuel purchases, raising concerns about fuel shortage. However, the state-owned oil and gas company denied any limitations.

Jayapura – The Papuan people and the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) in the Meepago area have welcomed the acquittal of Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti who were found not guilty by the East Jakarta District Court on Monday January 8.

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jeddah – Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, is set to send a record-breaking 241,000 hajj pilgrims to Mecca for the 2024 hajj season.

Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, and Saudi Arabia's Hajj and Umrah Minister, Tawfiq F Al-Rabiah officially signed the 2024 hajj agreement (ta'limatul hajj) in Jeddah on Monday.

Jakarta – Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has criticized the Jakarta administration for denying former residents of Kampung Bayam the necessary permission to occupy the Rusun (low-cost apartment) intended for them.

Jakarta – The head of the national campaign team for Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD, Arsjad Rasjid, has expressed his disapproval of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's social assistance (Bansos) distribution, saying that it is off-target and involves too many forms of ID.

Nabiel Gibran El Rizani, Jakarta – The East Jakarta District Court on Monday acquitted two rights activists of defamation charges brought by Chief Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

The activists, Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti, were accused of defaming Luhut in a now-deleted YouTube video discussing security issues in the eastern province of Papua.

Jakarta – The East Jakarta District Court acquitted on Monday human rights activists Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti on all counts of defaming senior cabinet minister Luhut Pandjaitan in a YouTube video.

Jakarta – Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan claims that he was unable to fulfill his promise of divesting the Jakarta provincial administration's stake in beer producer PT Delta Djakarta due to the motion being blocked by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Jakarta – Vice presidential candidate Muhaimin "Cak Imin" Iskandar has defended the program to distribute social assistance (Bansos), saying that it is the government's responsibility to offer a safety net to the poor.

Yvette Tanamal, Dio Suhenda and Yerica Lai, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto was put on the defensive in Sunday's third electoral debate, which explored international relations, defense and security, as the defense minister's rivals scrutinized his weapons procurement plans and defense spending in an uncertain geopolitical landscape.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – While polls have indicated that the Indonesian presidential race will most likely be a two-round affair because three pairs are contesting, the leading ticket in electability ratings maintains that winning the election outright in February is still possible.

Jakarta – Given the state of the world today, it's no overstatement to say that Sunday's presidential debate was one of the most – if not the most – consequential electoral debates of our current election cycle.

Jakarta – The government is working on an agreement with Taiwan to protect Indonesian migrant fishers amid increasing cases of human rights violations against them.

Jakarta – Indonesia's three presidential candidates wrestled with the topic of the South China Sea, the role that regional grouping Asean plays in keeping peace in the waterway, and other issues of defence, foreign policy and ethics in their third debate on Jan 7.

Chris Barrett – With upbeat music blaring inside the stadium in Semarang, Indonesia's presidential election frontrunner, Prabowo Subianto, shuffled his stout, 72-year-old frame across the stage, delighting the thousands of assembled supporters.

The former general's inclination to break into dance at the rally in the Central Java capital wasn't spontaneous.

Muhammad Aulia & Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Former high-ranking tax official Rafael Alun Trisambodo was found guilty on Monday of corruption and money laundering and sentenced to 14 years in prison in a high-profile case that began after his troubled son assaulted a teenager and was imprisoned in a separate trial.

Nabiel Gibran El Rizani, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo expressed disappointment regarding Sunday evening's debate, saying that it deviated from discussing crucial issues and instead turned into a platform for personal attacks among the candidates.

Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan raised concerns during the 2024 presidential debate regarding the purported misuse of the Defense Ministry's budget of Rp 700 trillion ($45.15 billion), alleging it was used to acquire second-hand military equipment.

Jakarta – A woman died due to a landslide in the Cipondok spring area at Pasanggrahan Village, Subang Regency Sunday afternoon, January 7, forcing 140 residents to evacuate. The affected area is on a hillside with rice fields underneath.

Jakarta – State-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) transported 3,505,787 passengers during the Christmas and New Year period, which was from December 21 to January 7. This brings the number of passengers to an average of 194,766 per day during the period.

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the Pamulang-Cinere-Raya Bogor Toll Road at the Limo Utama Toll Gate in Depok, West Java, today. Spanning 14.8 kilometers, the project's cost of investment reached a total of Rp4 trillion.

Teguh Firmansyah, Jakarta – Lokataru Foundation for Human Rights Executive Director Haris Azhar and former Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Coordinator Fatia Maulidiyanti have spoken out after being found not guilty in a defamation case brought against them by Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Bandung (Bernama) – Indonesia targets to conclude three land border segments with Malaysia by the end of this year after 24 years of negotiations, said Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (pix).

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Bandung – Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said Monday that Indonesia had been pursuing non-transactional diplomacy, indirectly taking a jab at candidate Anies Baswedan's recent criticism of the country's approach to international relations.

Jakarta – Young voters, who will make up the majority of voters in February's election, are hoping that the new president and vice president will keep public discussions alive to ensure grassroots aspirations are heard in the future.

Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – In order to turn their campaign promises into reality, the three presidential candidates have sought to boost state revenue by tweaking the country's taxation policies, such as by targeting the country's richest individuals, big tech companies and increasing the share of value added tax (VAT).

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Bandung – Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said Monday that the foreign investments that Indonesia recorded had skyrocketed thanks to the economic diplomacy under Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's presidency.

By Max Lane

Executive summary

Responding to the acquittal of two human rights defenders, Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti, of defamation charges initiated by an Indonesian cabinet minister, Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid said:

Jakarta – Civil society activists from a variety of backgrounds have called for the release of human rights defenders Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar ahead of the reading out of a verdict in a defamation case against the pair on Monday January 8 at the East Jakarta District Court.

Sentani, Jubi – The family of Daud Bano, a resident of Kwansu Village in Kemtuk District, Jayapura Regency who died after being slain by an Indonesian Military (TNI) soldier, requests that the perpetrator be fairly and openly prosecuted.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has asked the local administration in North Sumatra's Deli Serdang regency to find temporary shelter to accommodate the 157 Rohingya refugees who recently arrived in Karang Gading village, Labuhan Deli district.

Antara, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto will prioritize the development of cyber defense systems to protect crucial government data and information. To achieve this goal, Prabowo's team proposes integrating cybersecurity education into various educational institutions, including universities and schools.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Presidential hopefuls – Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo, and Anies Baswedan – are about to go on another debate later this evening with this round focusing on international relations, among others, and ties with the European Union (EU) will likely come up.

Mike Wangge, Jakarta – Scores of activists made a breakthrough by holding a solidarity action to support human rights defenders Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti at the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle in Central Jakarta.

The activists held the action to coincide with Car Free Day (CFD) on Sunday, January 7, when political activities are banned.

Muhammad Iqbal Ikromi, Semarang – Semarang City Police in Central Java intercepted a truck transporting hundreds of dogs bound for Solo, Central Java. They were found tied up with their mouths and legs bound and suspended using sacks. The dogs were intended for slaughter, and their meat would be sold for consumption.

Antara, Jakarta – Vietnam-based automotive company VinFast Auto Ltd. plans to construct an electric vehicle assembly plant in Bekasi, West Java, with an investment of $1.2 billion, according to reports on Sunday.

The Bekasi plant will serve as VinFast's regional production base for right-hand drive EVs.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – The presidential candidates' stance on the Palestine issue will be a focal point in the upcoming presidential debate on Sunday, centered around defense, security, international relations, and geopolitics.