Linda Yulisman, Sukabumi, West Java – A trial programme providing a free meal a day has yielded not just financial relief for households but also improved child nutrition and student outcomes such as attendance and focus.

Kumurkek, SW Papua – Some 29 former members of the separatist group Free Papua Movement (OPM) operating in Southwest Papua have sworn allegiance to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, a military officer stated.

Jakarta – Hundreds of people living near an erupting volcano in eastern Indonesia have been evacuated after authorities raised its alert status to the highest level, an official said on Friday (May 17).

Jakarta – Students from the Trisakti University held a demonstration in the vicinity of the parliamentary complex in Central Jakarta on Friday May 17.

Based on video received by CNN Indonesia, the demonstration was marred by a clash between demonstrators and parliamentary internal security personnel (Pamdal).

Hariz Baharudin, Jakarta – Journalist organisations and netizens in Indonesia have slammed proposed changes to the country's broadcasting law, saying this could stifle press freedom and affect the quality of news reporting.

Jakarta – Press freedom is facing a new challenge. The broadcasting bill currently being deliberated at the House of Representatives has sparked public uproar for articles that will limit the work of journalists.

Jakarta – West Sumatra authorities have declared a state of emergency in the province following flash floods and lahars over the weekend that killed dozens of people and destroyed hundreds of homes.

The emergency status declared on Monday would last until May 26, said Ilham Wahab, spokesperson of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).

Antara, Jakarta – Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto emphasized Indonesia's desire for fair treatment from the European Union in a recent interview with German media outlet Handelsblatt.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri reportedly has eight names in mind for the Jakarta gubernatorial race.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) stands resolute against the legalization of money politics, reaffirming its stance amidst a controversial proposal by a member of the House of Representatives.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – Delta Djakarta (DLTA), the producer of Anker beer, has seen a decline in performance throughout 2023. The beer industry in the world's largest Muslim-majority country continues to struggle with low consumption rates.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Tjitjik Sri Tjahjandarie, Secretary of the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research and Technology, said that higher education is tertiary education and is not included in the government's compulsory education program. Hence, it could be concluded that attending a university is optional.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – Greenpeace Indonesia believes the government's commitment to reducing global warming is far from the 2015 Paris Agreement, which contains a collaborative framework to prevent global temperatures from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – Indonesian President Joko Widodo or Jokowi receives a state visit from Australian Governor General David Hurley at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Friday morning, May 17, 2024.

Jakarta – Even though it has not been started, Prabowo Subianto's free lunch program is already providing an opportunity for a number of members of President Joko Widodo's cabinet to vie for posts in the forthcoming government.

Jakarta – Indonesia has relaxed import rules for electronic products, footwear and textiles, its chief economic minister said on May 17, in an attempt to quickly process imported items that have piled up in ports.

Jakarta – House of Representatives Commission X overseeing education and research will summon representatives of the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry and set up a working committee to investigate reports of high single tuition fees (UKT) in some universities across the country.

Jakarta – The Indonesian government is making headlines with its recent announcement of considering the introduction of dual citizenship, a move aimed at attracting skilled labor and supporting the nation's ambitious goal of becoming a developed country by 2045. This proposed policy change is seen as a strategic step to harness global talent and foster economic innovation.

Irfandi, Makassar – A woman was interrogated after a video emerged showing her slapping an officer, police said Friday.

In the video that went viral on social media, the woman, whose identity wasn't disclosed, verbally attacked the low-ranking officer with profanities and slapped him in the face.

Jakarta – Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto recently attended the inauguration ceremony for his deputy Mohamad Rudy Salahuddin who had just become the acting governor for Gorontalo.

Rudy was the minister's deputy for coordination on digital economy, labor, as well as micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – Former East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa claimed on Friday that she has received endorsement from four political parties to seek reelection in November,

Bangkok – Indonesia expects investments in its oil and gas sector to rise 29 per cent in 2024, the chairman of regulator SKK Migas told Reuters, as it races to ramp up drilling and exploration following the recent exits of global giants Shell and Chevron.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has raised concerns about the government's decision to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate to 12 percent in 2025, warning that it will exert significant pressure on the economy.

Anisa Fauziah, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's call to reduce imports in government procurement has effectively increased the use of domestic products.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Prabowo Subianto, who will begin leading Indonesia this October, recently revealed his leadership style, saying that he will be himself.

Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum, Prabowo said he would "be himself" as he responded to host Haslinda Amin's question on if he would base his policies through military eyes.

Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has seized a luxurious house allegedly linked to a money laundering case involving former Agriculture Minister, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL).

Jakarta – The Jakarta Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has criticised acting Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono's proposal to create a special island for waste disposal.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – On the first stopover of his nearly week-long Middle East tour, defence Minister Prabowo Subianto met United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, popularly known as MBZ, on Tuesday to discuss, among other issues, strengthening of the two countries' security cooperation amid an increasingly complicated geopolitical landscape.

Kasparman Piliang and Niniek Karmini, Tanah Datar, Indonesia – Indonesian authorities have seeded clouds, trying to prevent further rain and flash floods after deluges that hit Sumatra Island over the weekend left at least 67 people dead and another 20 missing.

Jakarta – Indonesian journalist organisations have voiced concerns over stifled press freedom and threats to investigative journalism following proposed changes to the country's broadcasting law.

Jakarta – The government and the House of Representatives endorsed this week a plan to revise the Constitutional Court Law for a fourth time, which, in no uncertain terms, exposes the court justices to more political interference.

Johannes Nugroho – A tragic bus crash in Indonesia that killed 11 people including several students has put the spotlight on the country's chronic road safety problems and intensified calls for stringent regulatory oversight and enforcement.

Jakarta – President-elect Prabowo Subianto has defended outgoing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's export restrictions on key raw materials to promote the development of downstream industry, saying that the country is simply protecting its own interests.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President-elect Prabowo Subianto recently revealed he had no plans of raising the 3 percent budget deficit cap to accommodate his flagship policy of feeding schoolchildren free lunches.

Larasati Dyah Utami – The Palestinian people commemorated the 76th anniversary of Al-Nakba on Wednesday May 15. Dozens of Palestinians gathered at the Palestinian Embassy in Jakarta to remember the expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homeland 76 years ago.

Jakarta – President elect Prabowo Subianto gave a blunt answer when asked about concerns that democracy in Indonesia would weaken under his leadership when he was attending the Qatar Economic Forum on Wednesday May 15.

"Some people are worried that you will weaken democracy, what do you want to say to them?", asked the presenter at the forum.

Yohanes Maharso Joharsoyo, Jakarta – President-elect Prabowo Subianto said accusations that he would "clamp down on democracy" in Indonesia were untrue. According to him, the accusation was made by some people in the press.

Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – PDIP politician Chico Hakim responded to a statement by his party colleague, Hugua, who asked the KPU to legalize money politics. "(Hugua's) statement was no more than sarcasm," said the PDIP spokesperson in his official statement on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

Adinda Jasmine Prasetyo, Jakarta – Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Muhaimin Iskandar or Cak Imin said the Broadcasting Law must be designed to face the challenges of journalism in the digital era without threatening freedom of expression.

Suci Sekarwati, Jakarta – Far from their homeland, dozens of Palestinians in Indonesia commemorated Nakba Day at the Palestinian Embassy office in Central Jakarta on May 15, 2024. Palestine is still under Israeli occupation.

Jakarta (Agencies) – Authorities on Thursday raised the alert status of a volcano in eastern part of the country to the highest level after it spewed ash and smoke five kilometres into the sky for the second day in a row.

Mount Ibu, located on remote Halmahera island, erupted on Thursday morning, belching a tower of volcanic ash 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) above its peak.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President-elect Prabowo Subianto recently said that he was confident in achieving 8 percent economic growth within the first two or three years of his presidency.

Food production and Indonesian biodiesel production will also be among the main drivers of this targeted economic growth – which far exceeds the current figures.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Preliminary data from Bank Indonesia (BI) point to just a slight rise in retail sales last month even as consumer confidence jumped by a respectable margin.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – Mohammad Nasih, the chancellor of Airlangga University, recently blamed the soaring tuition fees on the lack of investment in the higher education sector.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – Former West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil prefers to seek reelection in the province rather than contest the gubernatorial election in Jakarta, a Golkar Party executive said on Wednesday.

Ridwan considers West Java as offering a better chance of winning than the capital city, according to Ace Hasan Syadzily, head of Golkar's West Java chapter.

Thresa Sandra Desfika, Jakarta – The geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have significantly impacted the Indonesian stock market (IDX), causing the Jakarta Composite Index to decline from its pre-Eid level of 7,286 to 7,164 after Eid, and further down to 7,083 by the close of trading on Tuesday.

Ahmad Shoim, Surabaya – The Surabaya City Police have arrested a 24-year-old woman identified as YY, from Ogan Komering Ulu, South Sumatra, along with six accomplices. They were apprehended for coercing four underage girls into prostitution in Surabaya, East Java.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has been witnessing a positive trade balance for four years in a row, with India being the biggest contributor to the surplus in April, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) on Wednesday.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Hugua, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) faction in the House of Representatives Commission II, calls for the legalization of money politics in the 2024 Regional Elections.

Teguh Adi Prasetyo, Jakarta – Jakarta will likely continue to drive Indonesia's economy despite the capital relocation to Nusantara, according to analyst Josua Pardede.