Singapore – Singapore and Indonesia launched cross-border payment services Friday, the countries' central banks said, as part of a regional drive to boost connectivity.

Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – The National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) official Nur Achmadi Salmawan reported that the agency recorded 361 million traffic anomalies or cyber attacks in Indonesia from January 1 to October 26, 2023.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Retailers have started to feel the pinch from a call to boycott pro-Israel products with firms wary that it could lead to a bigger jolt to businesses unless the government intervenes, associations said on Wednesday.

Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) announced on Thursday the arrest of Puji Triasmoro, the head of a district prosecutor's office in Bondowoso, East Java province. He stands accused of allegedly extorting a sum of at least Rp 475 million ($30,600) from two businessmen by threatening them with corruption charges.

Jakarta – As a matter of fairness, we should say "bravo" to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo for his courage and statesmanship in frankly telling his host, United States President Joe Biden, to do more to stop "atrocities" in Gaza, Palestine.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and his United States counterpart Lloyd Austin signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting or ADMM-Plus in Jakarta on Thursday, Nov. 16.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – American oil and gas giant Exxon Mobil is planning to invest up to $15 billion in Indonesia for a green petrochemical refinery and carbon capture storage (CCS) facility, according to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Moh Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – Indonesian new capital city Nusantara (IKN) Authority inked an MoU with Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, California, on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. President Joko Widodo or Jokowi was also present at the signing.

Nabire, Jubi – Father Yance Wadogoubi Yogi, chairman of the YPPK Regional School Board in Intan Jaya Regency, criticized the placement of explosives in the Titigi Parish area. This act led to the severe injury of a 10-year-old student named MH from the YPPK Titigi Elementary School on November 9, 2023. The perpetrators remain unidentified as of today.

Maroosha Muzaffar – A Coldplay concert in Indonesia on Wednesday was marred by violent clashes between riot police and conservative Muslims, who protested the band's support for the LGBT+ community.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – Indonesia's recently elevated status as the United States' comprehensive strategic partner remains insufficient as a means to boost Jakarta's standing among Washington's trading partners, analysts have said.

Icha Rastika, Jakarta – University of Melbourne Asia Institute Social Science Director Vedi R Hadiz says there is no guarantee that presidential candidate Number 2, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, can be controlled by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo if he is indeed elected as president in the 2024 elections.

Taufan Bustan, Sigi, Central Sulawesi – Every morning, Abter Tendesabu puts on his boots, grabs his machete and heads to his farm in the forest.

As he nears the edge of the woods, he hears the cicadas – their loud buzzing, chirping, squawking sounds.

Jayapura, Jubi – In the midst of ongoing discussions surrounding the incorporation of Freeport shares in Indonesia and the potential extension of mining licenses – a matter reaching its final stages – there is an urgent plea directed at President Joko Widodo and PT Freeport Indonesia.

Jakarta – Hundreds of people calling themselves the East Java Defend Palestine Coalition descended on McDonalds and KFC fast food restaurants on Jalan Basuki Rahmat in the provincial capital of Surabaya on Friday November 17.

Novianti Setuningsih, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo says that so far not one foreign investment has come into the new capital city (IKN) Nusantara.

The president however, is convinced that foreign investors will soon come into the new capital after domestic investors become active.

Aisyah Llewellyn, Medan, Indonesia – Indonesia is facing a renewed refugee crisis after the arrival of three boats in as many days with nearly 600 Rohingya people on board.

Han Revanda Putra, Jakarta – Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto stated that Indonesia currently has no plan to withdraw its military forces deployed in a UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. The information was relayed during a press conference after the 17th ASEAN Defense Minister's Meeting (ADMM) and the 10th ASEAN Defense Minister's Meeting Plus 2023.

Uday Bakhshi – On August 28, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) killed a Papuan social worker, Michelle Kurisi Doga (suara.com, August 31). The group alleged that she was collecting data on Papuan refugees and mapping out TPNPB camps for Indonesia's security forces in the restive territory of Nduga.

Jakarta – Two light attack aircraft, each carrying a pilot and a co-pilot, crashed in the East Java town of Pasuruan just before noon on Thursday. The fate of the personnel onboard remains unknown pending the evacuation process.

Residents living on the slope of Mt. Bromo in Pasuruan, East Java, reported witnessing flaming aircraft wreckage after hearing explosions.

Jakarta – The Indonesian government said it would complete a contract extension for PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) by the end of this month, as it seeks to increase its ownership in the copper and gold mining giant., resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo met on Monday with Freeport-McMoran CEO Richard Adkerson in Washington, DC, in a show of commitment to supporting the company's operation in

Ilham Oktafian & Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Firli Bahuri, head of the powerful Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), spent around four hours at the interrogation room of the National Police headquarters on Thursday following allegations that he had extorted a high-profile corruption suspect under investigation by his office.

Swa.Co.Id, Ali Akhmad Noor Hidayat, Jakarta – Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said that the foreign exchange in the tourism sector already surpassed the lower margin of US$2.07 billion and upper margin of US$5.95 billion during the third quarter of 2023.

With a total defence budget of $8.8 billion in 2023, Indonesia presently ranks as the second-highest military spender after Singapore in the Southeast Asia region. Driven by ongoing defence modernisation initiatives, the country's defence expenditure is forecast to reach $9.7 billion by 2028, according to GlobalData, a data and analytics company.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Labor unions have expressed their dissatisfaction with the 2024 minimum wage formula and announced nationwide walkouts involving millions of workers to take place by the end of this year.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The semiconductor cooperation under Indonesia's freshly announced "comprehensive strategic partnership" – also known as the CSP – with the US is so-so compared to that of fellow ASEAN member Vietnam, according to an expert.

Moh. Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – IKN Authority and tech company Microsoft inked an MoU on November 14, 2023, in San Francisco, United States of America. The agreement is intended to realize the smart city concept by centering digital technologies in IKN.

Ihsan Reliubun, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) announced that the commission has published the wealth report of the three running general elections presidential candidate pairs on the State Official Wealth Report (LHKPN) site.

Antara, Jakarta – The Ministry of Environment and Forestry reported that wildfires engulfed 994,313 hectares of land from January to October 2023.

Antara, Jakarta – The National Alms Agency (Baznas) informed on Wednesday that it has so far received Rp50.5 billion (around US$3.3 million) in the first stage of humanitarian fund collection for Palestine, which will end on November 30, 2023.

Indonesia's Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) is a fund of up to US $20 billion earmarked for investment in clean energy over the next three to five years. Indonesia signed onto the deal with the International Partners Group – led by the US and Japan – at the G20 summit in 2022.

Ruth Chai – Anti-LGBT protesters in Jakarta gathered outside Coldplay's first-ever concert in Indonesia on Wednesday (Nov. 15), where they jeered at concertgoers and clashed with the police, AFP reported.

Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) has officially qualified the contenders for the Feb. 14, 2024 presidential election, setting off the latest electoral race for the State Palace.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Achsanul Qosasi, one of the nine members of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), returned to the Attorney General's Office $2 million in cash he allegedly had accepted as a bribe, a top prosecutor said on Thursday.

Antara, Jakarta – Statistics Indonesia (BPS) Papua Province revealed that China is the province's one of the six biggest export destinations with US$138.38 million as of October 2023.

Head of BPS Papa Adriana Helena Carolina stated that amongst the exported commodities are ores, slag, and ash (HS26).

Jakarta – Indonesia's leading presidential hopefuls are considering a push to end the state power utility's monopoly as part of efforts to speed up the transition to greener energy, their teams told Reuters.

Jakarta – General elections in Indonesia are rarely, if ever, about our foreign policy, so it was good to see the three presidential candidates separately address this issue in their foreign policy speeches at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) during the past week.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's visit to the United States this week has signaled an "elevated" bilateral relationship, punctuated by US$15 billion in pledges and early groundwork for a deal to help develop Indonesia's electric vehicle (EV) supply chain.

Jayapura, Jubi – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has thrown its support behind the proposed humanitarian pause aimed at alleviating the armed conflict in Papua, as advocated by national leaders.

Jakarta – Hundreds of conservative Muslims protested outside Coldplay's first ever gig in Indonesia on Wednesday, clashing with police and booing concertgoers over the band's support for the LGBTQ community.

Jakarta – Indonesia's trade balance posted a surplus of $3.48 billion in October, marking a record 42nd consecutive month of a positive balance, according to government data released on Wednesday.

The October surplus saw a slight increase from $3.41 billion in the previous month but narrowed by 2.12 percent on a year-on-year basis.

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Jakarta – Floods have wreaked havoc in a number of areas in Semarang City, Central Java, since Tuesday evening, November 14, including Jalan Kaligawe in the Gayamsari District. The floodwater has risen up to 50 centimeters in the area, causing breakdowns of dozens of two-wheeled vehicles.

Moh. Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – The Statistics Indonesia (BPS) Deputy for Statistics Distribution and Services Pudji Ismartini reported that the value of Indonesia's export to Israel was higher compared to that of Palestine between January to October 2023.

The export value to Israel during this period reached US$140.57 million, whereas it was US$2.37 million to Palestine.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has caught wind of various potential violations, fraud and abuse of authority in the election of presidential and vice presidential candidates on February 14, 2024.

About 20 percent of young people in Timor-Leste do not study or work due to lack of education, limitations in healthcare provision and ineffective social protection, according to a report from the World Bank (WB).

Nabire, Jubi – Teachers and students from the Titigi Catholic Education and School Foundation Elementary (SD YPPK Titigi) protested at the Intan Jaya Regent's Office in Sugapa, the capital of Intan Jaya, Central Papua Province, on Tuesday (14/11/2023).

Jayapura, Jubi – Students and indigenous advocates protested at the Southwest Papua Forestry Office in Jayapura's Kilo 7 on Monday (13/11/2023), pleading to the Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry to revoke the licenses issued to PT Mancaraya Agro Mandiri and PT Hutan Hijau Papua Barat for forest exploitation.

Ihsan Reliubun, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo asked supporters of running candidates to report general elections fraud. According to Ganjar, silence is not a choice when faced with a threat to democracy.

Amy Heppy, Jakarta – The Indonesian Retailers Association (Aprindo) commented on the recent demand for a boycott of products linked to Israel in the wake of the Israeli attacks on Palestine. Aprindo's chair Roy Nicholas Mandey said that people have the right to choose what goods to buy according to their needs.

Ade Irma J, Resinta Sulistiyandari, Jakarta – Israel's aggression on Palestine did not have a significant impact on Indonesian trade, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).

BPS' Deputy for Distribution and Service Statistics, Pudji Ismartini, stated that this was due to the small percentage of export and import activity from both Israel and Palestine to Indonesia.