West Papua, Indonesia – On 16 October 2024, in the early hours of the morning, an attack targeted the Jubi editorial office, a prominent media house in Jayapura, Papua, known for its coverage of human rights and environmental issues.

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Indonesia – Just one day after President Prabowo Subianto's inauguration, a minister announced plans to resume the transmigration program in eastern Indonesia, particularly in Papua, saying it was needed for enhancing unity and providing locals with welfare.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Former Trade Minister Tom Lembong has been named a suspect in a corruption case involving sugar imports. Tom is suspected of unlawfully granting an import permit for 105,000 tons of raw crystal sugar to PT Angels Products in 2015.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The implementation of agrarian reform on the Land Management Rights (HPL) of the Land Bank in the Nusantara Capital City, or IKN, has entered the final stage.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – Political observer from Al Azhar University Indonesia, Ujang Komarudin, assessed that the willingness of President Prabowo Subianto to meet with the 7th President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is a form of loyalty and commitment of a soldier. He emphasized the success of the partnership between Jokowi and Prabowo in the 2024 presidential election or Pilpres.

Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto instructed the Minister of Law, Supratman Andi Agtas, to review all existing regulations in Indonesia. The minister conveyed the president's directive during the first working meeting with Commission XIII of the House of Representatives (DPR) on Monday, November 4, 2024.

BeritaSatu, Jakarta – The Jakarta Police announced on Sunday that 11 officials of the Communication and Digitalization Ministry have been arrested during the recent crackdown on online gambling.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto asks ministers and subordinates not to excessively conduct seminars and to refrain from making working visits abroad. In addition, the Head of State also reminds subordinates not to engage in excessive 'leisure activities' and to take more actions.

Antara, Jakarta – Armed Forces Commander General Agus Subiyanto has issued a decree for the rotation and promotion of 76 high-ranking officers holding strategic positions within the military.

Among those affected, two officers have been appointed to new roles within the presidential office.

Jakarta – The newly established Public Housing and Settlements Ministry has recently launched the groundbreaking of 250 landed houses in Tangerang, Banten, intended for low-income citizens including civil servants from teachers to low-ranking police and military officers.

Catherine Thorbecke, Tokyo – Even the world's fourth-most populous country, which has more active cell phones than people, seems to be no match for Apple.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto visited the Papua region of Indonesia on Sunday to oversee the development of a key food programme aimed at creating three million hectares (7.4 million acres) of food estates across the country.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto ratified five laws on Indonesia's defense cooperation, each with India, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, and France.

Soppeng, South Sulawesi – A centuries-old tree, the size of a car, collapsed on a cabin, killing at least nine people who were seeking shelter from a rainstorm in Soppeng Regency, South Sulawesi, on Sunday.

Local officials reported that the incident also left eight people seriously injured, most suffering from broken bones.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Jakarta – Police have dismantled another online gambling ring, this time operated by a Chinese national. Previously, authorities arrested several suspects allegedly linked to the Communications Ministry, who were facilitating gambling sites.

Jakarta – Indonesian worker groups said on Friday (Nov 1) that a Constitutional Court ruling on labour laws should lead to higher minimum wages next year, even though parts of their petition challenging the legislation were rejected.

Agencies, Jakarta – The Supreme Court rejected on Friday an appeal by an indigenous tribe in Papua in its lawsuit against a palm oil firm, a decision a rights group said put the tribe at risk of losing vast swaths of ancestral forest.

Jakarta – This year is seen as a critical juncture for sustainability, especially October and November.

The United Nations biodiversity conference (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, has wrapped up just two weeks before the COP29 climate change conference kicks off 12,000 kilometers away in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.

M. Raihan Muzzaki, Jakarta – The Center for Economic and Legal Studies (Celios) presented the results of its study on the economic losses due to the theft of sea sand that occurred in the waters of Batam, Riau Islands last Wednesday, October 9, 2024.

Larius Kogoya – According to the chairperson of the Malind and Condodigun Indigenous Peoples Forum in Merauke, Simon Petrus Balagagaze, the atmosphere of terror and intimidation began to be felt after August 27.

Sella Rizky Deviani, Jakarta – State-owned pharmaceutical company Biofarma has secured a contract valued at Rp 1.4 trillion ($88 million) to supply vaccines to international organizations and foreign countries for next year.

M. Raihan Muzzaki, Jakarta – The Ministry of Manpower has confirmed that the calculation of the Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) for 2025 will adhere to Government Regulation (PP) Number 51 of 2023.

Andreas Harsono – In December 2008, I visited the Abepura prison in Jayapura, West Papua, to verify a report sent to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture alleging abuses inside the jailhouse, as well as shortages of food and water.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Constitutional Court on Thursday (Oct 31) ruled that changes must be made to some labour rules including ordering the establishment of sectoral minimum wages, in response to a petition by several workers unions.

Vitorio Mantalean, Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court granted of a number of points in a legal challenge submitted by labour groups related to the Omnibus Law on Job Creation (UU Cipta Kerja) on Thursday October 21.

Dr. Budi Hernawan – I was privileged to attend two important events in Jakarta on 16 and 18 October 2024 where representatives of the Malind and Ye tribes from the Southern Papua advocate for their rights to exist in their own land against the encroachment of the so-called Proyek Strategis Nasional Food Estate (the National Strategic Projects for Food Estate, hereafter PSN).

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto recently shared photos of a dinner with Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Ridwan Kamil on his personal Instagram account @prabowo.

The post, made around Friday midnight, features three images showing the two politicians enjoying their meal of Nasi Padang (Minang-style rice and side dishes) together.

Stefanno Sulaiman, Gayatri Suroyo, Jakarta – Indonesia's headline annual inflation rate cooled in line with expectations, but its core inflation rate accelerated to its highest in over a year, official data showed on Friday.

Jakarta – As his state visit to China next week will be his second meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping after his introductory meeting in his capacity as president-elect in April, President Prabowo Subianto can use his tete-a-tete with his host to raise substantive and sensitive issues that are known only to the two leaders.

Rino Fajar Setiawan, Bekasi – At least eight people died and several others are missing after a fire broke out at a cooking oil factory in Bekasi, just east of Jakarta, on Friday morning.

"The bodies have been sent to Kramat Jati Police Hospital. So far, we have identified eight bodies," said Priadi Santoso, head of the local Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).

Jakarta – The number of foreign visitors to Indonesia reached over 10 million as of September, inching closer to the full-year target of 14 million, according to data released by the government on Friday.

M. Raihan Muzzaki, Jakarta – The Director General of Industrial Relations and Social Security of Manpower, Indah Anggoro Putri, stated that Jakarta Province had the highest number of layoffs as of October 28, 2024. She said that 14,501 workers were affected by layoffs in Jakarta.

Tiara Juwita, Jakarta – The newly inaugurated President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, established the National Economic Council in the Red and White Cabinet. The institution, chaired by Luhut Binsar Panjdjaitan, is tasked with providing advice and recommendations to ensure the proper implementation of prioritized economic programs.

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Controversy has erupted across the country after a high-flying Cabinet minister was awarded a doctoral degree by a top Indonesian university following a short period of study, giving rise to allegations that he used the services of a writer-for-hire, or "joki", for his dissertation.

Antara, Jakarta – Said Iqbal, President of the Labor Party, expressed his relief and gratitude after the Constitutional Court granted a partial judicial review of the Job Creation Law.

"Justice prevails. We appreciate the Constitutional Court's judges. No dissenting opinion today," Iqbal said on Thursday, October 31.

Agencies, Jakarta – The Industry Ministry has banned sales of smartphones made by Alphabet's Google due to rules requiring the use of locally manufactured components, days after blocking sales of tech giant Apple's iPhone 16 for the same reason.

Jakarta – A former investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has urged graft suspect Thomas Lembong, who served as trade minister in 2015-2016, to assist authorities in uncovering alleged corruption in the country's sugar trade.

Bella Evanglista Mikaputri, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto hosted a gathering with leaders from his coalition's political parties at the State Palace on Friday, many of whom also serve in his cabinet.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is ramping up efforts to address a spike in layoffs, with Labor Minister Yassierli announcing nearly 60,000 workers affected nationwide as of October 2024 – a rise of 25,000 in just the past three months.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Anti-corruption activists visited the South Jakarta Red and White Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building on Thursday, October 31, 2024.

Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – An official under fire for demanding 300 times the budget earmarked for his new ministry. Invitations to a family event marked with official government letterheads.

The administration of Indonesia's new president Prabowo Subianto may only be several days old but his Cabinet has already been dogged by controversies.

Jakarta – Indonesia's new leader Prabowo Subianto wants to complete key government and parliamentary buildings in the country's $32 billion new capital city in the next four years, according to a cabinet minister.

Agencies, Jakarta – Six people have died as nearly 100 Rohingya landed by boat in Aceh province, a local fishing community said on Thursday, in the latest wave of arrivals to Indonesia in recent days.

Miftach Tjut Adek, chief of the community, told Reuters that the 96 arrivals, including seven children, were still at the local beach in the eastern part of Aceh.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – A Russian diplomat recently revealed that Moscow was still keeping its fingers crossed that Indonesia would implement its contract purchase for Su-35 fighter jets.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – The government has given the green light for textile giant Sri Rejeki Isman, better known as Sritex. to resume its export-import activities despite a bankruptcy verdict, according to Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto.

Fitriansa Sima Sima Sohilauw, Ambon – At least seven people died and dozens more were injured after a seaside bridge in Central Maluku Regency collapsed on Wednesday afternoon, during a campaign event for a local regent candidate.

Widy Wicaksono, Semarang – Central Java gubernatorial candidate Ahmad Luthfi claimed on Wednesday that he has the backing of President Prabowo Subianto and former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

M. Raihan Muzzaki, Jakarta – The Ministry of Manpower responded to workers' demands for an 8-10 percent increase in the minimum wage. Manpower Minister Yassierli said that the demand will be considered as per existing regulations.

Jakarta – Village heads who fail to maintain neutrality in regional elections can be dismissed from their positions, the Home Ministry's village governance director general, La Ode Ahmad Pidana Bolombo, has warned.

This rule is outlined in Law No. 4/2014 on villages and Home Ministerial Regulation No. 82/2015 on the dismissal and appointment of village heads.

Greta Nabbs-Keller – As Jakarta geared up for the Indonesian armed forces' 79th anniversary on 5 October, there seemed to be an added frisson in the air. Amid the martial scene of massed military equipment in central Jakarta and with the 20 October inauguration of Prabowo Subianto approaching, it felt like Indonesia was on the cusp of something new – yet also familiar.