Sahrudin Nurdin, Halmahera, North Maluku – The Indonesian Police announced on Thursday that they have arrested four residents of North Halmahera Regency, North Maluku, for allegedly smuggling weapons purchased in the Philippines.

The suspects include a 59-year-old woman identified only as Yeni and three men aged between 18 and 32.

Jakarta – Health security agency BPJS Kesehatan continues to promote preventive promotional measures through health screening.

Yerica Lai, Jakarta – The Muslim-based National Awakening Party (PKB) is open to the possibility of pairing former Jakarta governor and losing presidential candidate Anies Baswedan with Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) chairman Kaesang Pangarep, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's youngest son, in contesting the Jakarta gubernatorial election in November.

Yanuar Nugroho – The recent loss of the top two officials leading the new capital's construction and development process has thrown a serious wrench in the works for Indonesia's President Widodo's ambitious move. Pretending that all systems are still go is not the solution.

Jakarta – Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan has nominated Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Ahmad Luthfi as inspector general at the Trade Ministry, pending a final review and a presidential decree.

Sheena Suparman, Jakarta – Throughout the world, the month of June is now a time to recognize and support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community. While society is becoming more accepting of this marginalized group, the fight against their continued oppression and persecution from various sectors goes on.

The recent slogan "All Eyes on Papua" emerged in response to the viral "All Eyes on Rafah" campaign on Instagram. Indigenous communities and the youth in Papua hope that this movement will foster real solidarity with Papuan issues.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The Golkar Party has not held any internal discussions regarding the latest proposal to amend the 1945 Constitution, a party executive has said, despite recent statements from senior party politician Bambang Soesatyo that have led to some traction for the proposal.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority head Bambang Susantono and his deputy Dhony Rahajoe took Indonesia by surprise with their sudden resignations. This unexpected development raises suspicions about ongoing construction challenges at IKN, potentially leading to their departure.

Jakarta – The industry minister did not need to feel threatened when other ministers in President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's cabinet recently suggested the abolition of a policy that requires a minimum threshold of locally sourced components in all domestically manufactured products.

Stefani Wijaya, Samarinda – The East Kalimantan Regional Police are probing a video posted by a foreign national, branding the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) as the capital of corruption and nepotism.

Herman, Yogyakarta – Celebrity Raffi Ahmad has decided to withdraw from a resort and beach club project in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, after facing opposition from residents and environmental activists.

Raffi announced his decision to withdraw from the project on his Instagram account @raffinagita1717.

Jakarta – Former lawmaker and member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Permadi Satrio Wiwoho passed away on Wednesday at the age of 84.

A statement from the family said he died at his private residence on Pangadegan Barat Street in Pancoran, South Jakarta.

Rizky Ramadhan, Jakarta – State-run oil company Pertamina recorded strong growth in 2023 with net profit rising by 14 percent to reach $4.4 billion from $3.8 billion a year earlier.

Pertamina Finance Director Emma Sri Martini attributed the surge to increased production and effective efficiency measures.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The US has been in talks with President-Elect Prabowo Subianto and his team as inauguration nears, according to an American diplomat.

Jakarta – In a bid to enhance economic cooperation with various countries and boost exports to maintain the national trade surplus, Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto embarked on a working visit and held several bilateral meetings in Moscow, Russia, from June 10 to 12.

Jakarta – The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) Composite fell 0.08 percent on Wednesday to finish the trading day at 6,850.09.

The development came after Morgan Stanley downgraded Indonesia's stock market rating to underweight, a change expected to negatively affect the Composite index in the short term.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Researchers looking into how Indonesia calculates its greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands and mangroves say they've identified ways for a more accurate accounting that will help the country meet its emissions reduction goals and refine its climate policies.

Teguh Suprayitno, Tebo, Indonesia – Electrified fences set up around farms are an emerging threat to the critically endangered Sumatran elephant, conservationists told Mongabay Indonesia following a series of deaths this year in Aceh and Jambi provinces.

Tempo.Co, Jakarta – The Public Housing Savings Management Agency, or BP Tapera, responded to ongoing public concerns that mandatory Tapera savings would be used to finance the development of the new capital city (IKN), Nusantara. Sugiyarto, Deputy Commissioner for Tapera Funds' Utilization, ensured that there was no allocation to finance the project.

Jakarta – The Public Housing Savings program will only burden workers and companies. It is a way for the government to evade its responsibility to provide people's housing.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – An American diplomat said Tuesday that the lack of the trade preference scheme Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) had little impact on Indonesia's economic ties with Washington.

Tempo.Co, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is proposing to increase its budget by Rp117 billion from the total indicative ceiling of Rp1.23 trillion. The proposal was made by KPK acting chairman Nawawi Pomolango during a meeting with the House of Representatives Commission II today, June 11.

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jakarta – The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) has initiated a trial of a 4-day work per week system. This was announced via the Instagram account @lifeatkbumn on Monday.

"The compressed work schedule (CWS) system is currently undergoing a trial phase," the account stated.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo admitted that he had met with some leaders of pro-government political parties last month. However, the president denied that they had discussed another cabinet shake-up.

Jakarta – The Home Ministry is gearing up to replace interim regional heads, including acting governors, aiming to contest the 2024 regional head elections in a bid to ensure it is fair and accountable.

Jakarta – A court in Lampung has handed a comedian a seven-month prison sentence for blasphemy after he made a joke about the name Muhammad, a local legal official said Tuesday.

Jakarta – In Indonesian history, there has never been a long transitional period for the national leadership. With the support of President "Jokowi" Widodo and his cabinet, president-elect Prabowo Subianto has six months to prepare his administration, including the 2025 state budget that he helps draft.

Leow Wen Xuan, Singapore – South-east Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines ingest the most microplastics among 109 countries, according to a study by Cornell University researchers.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – With talks ongoing at the House of Representatives on a controversial revision to the 2004 Indonesian Military (TNI) Law, a recent suggestion from TNI chief of staff Gen. Agus Subiyanto for the TNI to play a greater "multifunctional" role has been widely condemned by critics, who fear that it would be a setback for civil liberties.

Antara, Bandung – The West Java Police have interrogated 68 witnesses in the 2016 murder case of Vina Dewi Arsita and her boyfriend Muhammad Rizky Rudiana after eight convicts, including seven serving life sentences, retracted their previous confessions, citing torture and abuse by investigators.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President-elect Prabowo Subianto finally met with Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein in person on Monday local time as he flew to Amman for talks on humanitarian assistance to people affected by the ongoing war in Gaza.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – Communication and Information Technology Minister, Budi Arie Setiadi, says that he will not hesitate to shut down the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) if it persists in allowing the sharing of pornographic content. Budi emphasized that Indonesia's regulations on pornography are non-negotiable.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – The Deputy of Financing and Investment of the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority, Agung Wicaksono, claims nine foreign and domestic investors will enter the new capital project.

Three companies from Malaysia, China, and the United Arab Emirates have started conducting feasibility studies (FS), he said.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Minister of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) Budi Arie Setiadi spoke about the establishment of a Social Media Council before the Commission I of the House of Representatives on Monday, June 10, 2024.

Riza Salman, Kendari, Indonesia – In 2021, as the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, Irwan watched online as a flurry of new social media groups dedicated to parrots sprang up across Indonesia.

Meirto Tangkepayung, Paniai, Papua – A group of Papua rebels fatally shot and burned a pickup truck driver in Paniai Regency on Tuesday, police said.

The joint security team known as the Cartenz Peace Operation Task Force attributed the attack to a local rebel cell known for launching deadly assaults on civilian and military targets in recent years.

Elisa Sekenyap, Jayapura – Over the last two weeks, social media has been flooded with the humanitarian call embodied in the phrase "All Eyes On Rafah".

Antara, Penajam Paser Utara – The Penajam Paser Utara Regency Government in East Kalimantan Province has officially transferred land assets in Sepaku District to the Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN). Part of this land is designated for constructing residential housing or apartments for residents affected by the development of the new capital.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – The Ombudsman guarantees that the Public Housing Savings Fund (Tapera) is secure. Tapera funds will be invested in low-risk bond instruments, ensuring no risk of the funds decreasing or disappearing.

Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – An analyst recently said that former Chief Security Affairs Minister Mohammad Mahfud MD should reveal what his task force had discovered regarding money laundering suspicions at the Finance Ministry.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesian consumers remained optimistic about the country's economic conditions in May, but they have grown less confident compared to the previous month, according to a report by Bank Indonesia (BI).

Jakarta – Question: What do you call giving a lucrative mining concession to a Muslim organization in exchange for political support? Answer: Halal-certified pork barrel.

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Jakarta – The upcoming Indonesian Independence Day ceremony on August 17 will take place in two locations: Jakarta and the new capital, Nusantara (IKN) in Kalimantan.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The Religious Affairs Ministry has warned Indonesians to not attempt the haj without holding the correct visa, as Saudi authorities turn away thousands of unregistered pilgrims from across the globe ahead of the haj, which begins next week.

Johnny Johan Sompotan, Jakarta – Celebrity Robby Purba has issued a public apology for sharing a video that went viral, showing a security guard hitting a dog at Plaza Indonesia mall. The guard, who lost his job due to the incident, was actually trying to protect a kitten that was being attacked by the dog.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The Finance Ministry recently revealed that they had already paid around Rp32.13 trillion (almost $2 billion) in the so-called "13th-month salary" or bonuses for civil servants, soldiers, and police officers, as of June 7.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – After concluding the general election, Indonesia is now preparing another political battle in the simultaneous regional head elections scheduled for Nov. 27, with 37 gubernatorial, 451 regency and 93 mayoral posts on the line.

Pizaro Gozali Idrus, Jakarta – Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission expressed serious concern Monday about alleged violations associated with major infrastructure projects, including construction of a new capital, as the outgoing president accelerated development under his vision for economic growth.

Jakarta – Former head of Nusantara Capital City (IKN), Bambang Susantono, who resigned from his job earlier this week, on Wednesday issued a statement pledging that he would continue to contribute to realizing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's vision of a new, green and sustainable capital.