Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – Indonesia plans to introduce an excise tax on sugary packaged beverages starting July 2025, aiming to curb excessive sugar consumption and address rising health concerns, the Finance Ministry announced.

Jakarta – The Religious Affairs Ministry is targeting to send one thousand da'i (Islamic preachers) to underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas during Ramadan 2025 to bolster religious literacy in regions with limited access to spiritual guidance.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Sweden is interested in investing in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) development in East Kalimantan, the head of the IKN Authority, Basuki Hadimuljono, confirmed after meeting the Swedish Parliament delegation on Thursday, January 9, 2025.

Antara, Jakarta – Farmers participating in the government's inter-island migration program can earn around Rp 20 million per family per month, Transmigration Minister Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanegara said on Thursday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto intends to bring an end to the long-drawn-out Russia-Ukraine war, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono.

D. Nicky Fahrizal and Winda Safitri, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court's decision last week to abolish the presidential threshold is both a landmark and phenomenal, with profound implications for the future trajectory of Indonesian democracy.

Jakarta – Jakarta is welcoming its new leaders after the local office of the General Elections Commission (KPU) confirmed on Thursday the victory of Pramono Anung and Rano Karno of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in the November 2024 gubernatorial race.

Macquarie Group has warned that potential cuts in nickel production from Indonesian mines could result in the loss of more than a third of global supply from the market.

The Indonesian Government is mulling over major cuts to nickel mine quotas, with output potentially dropping from 272mt in 2024 to just 150mt this year, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Southeast Asia's largest economy Indonesia has included a "fairer international trade" as part of its foreign policy agenda, its top diplomat revealed Friday.

Rendy Tisna, Banjarmasin, Indonesia – In October 2023 in the Indigenous Dayak village of Bangkal, Indonesian police fired on farmers demonstrating against PT Hamparan Masawit Bangun Persada (HMBP), a palm oil plantation company owned by Indonesia's BEST Group.

Alfi Dinilhaq, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has picked Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia to lead the task force dedicated to expediting Indonesia's downstream industry development and national energy security.

M. Raihan Muzzaki, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Defense welcomed a military visit from China on Friday, January 10, 2025, aimed to boost relations between both countries. The head of the Defense Information Bureau, Brigadier General TNI Frega Wenas Inkiriwang, said the meeting embodies Indonesia's free and active foreign policy.

The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) is reminding Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni and President Prabowo Subianto about the Forestry Ministry's plan to open 20 million hectares of land under the pretext of supporting food and energy security.

Yustinus Paat, Theressia Sunday Silalahi, Jakarta – Megawati Soekarnoputri, the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), dismissed rumors of a political feud with President Prabowo Subianto, despite their rivalry in the 2024 presidential election.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Megawati Soekarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia's founding father Sukarno, expressed her gratitude to President Prabowo Subianto on Friday after the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) annulled a decree that linked Sukarno to the 1965 rebellion led by the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Wijayanti Putri, Solo – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Friday congratulated the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) on its 52nd anniversary, nearly a month after he was ousted by the party over irrecoverable differences.

Antara, Jakarta – Starting January 1, 2025, Indonesian workers enrolled in the pension program managed by state insurer BPJS Ketenagakerjaan will have to wait until they reach the age of 59 before receiving their pension benefits. This change follows Government Regulation (PP) No. 45 of 2015, which gradually increases the retirement age for participants in the program.

Spoorthy Raman – Among New Guinea's rainforest inhabitants is a group of birds called pitohuis, chatty songbirds that stand out for their loud, attractive songs. But there's more to these birds than their songs: their poison.

Franky Samperante, Jakarta – The narrative of "empty land/unproductive forest" or "no forest/no trees" is often used by authorities to negate and delegitimize the existence of indigenous communities and the surrounding natural environment.

Teguh Adi Prasetyo, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is nearing completion of a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant in the Rorotan area of North Jakarta, designed to address the city's mounting waste problem.

Andi Maulana, Jakarta – The Public Works Ministry is set to inaugurate six new dams across five provinces in early 2025 as part of its efforts to enhance food and water self-sufficiency.

Jakarta – A boycott against Unilever and other multinationals operating in Israel has worsened the global consumer company's loss of market share in Indonesia, where it is battling smaller, often cheaper local rivals.

Ahmad Fikri (Kontributor), Bandung – The West Java General Elections Commission (KPU) held an open plenary session on Thursday, January 9, 2025, to officially declare the elected Governor and Deputy Governor of West Java for the 2024-2030 term.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – An Indonesian government plan to clear forests spanning an area twice the size of South Korea for food and biofuel crops has sparked fears of massive greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.

Jakarta – France has called for the "immediate return" of a French inmate on death row in Indonesia, citing his "deteriorating health", the Law and Human Rights Ministry said Wednesday.

Leonard A.L. Cahyoputra, Jakarta – Facing increasing competition from China and India, Indonesian industry leaders are urging the government to extend its natural gas subsidy policy, set to expire on Dec. 31, 2024.

Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra, Jakarta – Two civilians were killed in Elelim District, Yalimo, Papua Mountains, Wednesday, January 8, 2025. Both were immigrants from South Sulawesi who were working in Bumi Cendrawasih.

Jakarta – With the official acceptance of Indonesia as a full member of BRICS on Monday, President Prabowo Subianto is one step closer to realizing his ambition to make Indonesia an influential player at the global level.

Prisma Ardianto, Teguh Adi Prasetyo, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has officially raised the retirement age for workers to 59 years starting in 2025, as outlined in Article 15 of Government Regulation (PP) No. 45/2015 on the Implementation of Pension Programs.

Hin Pisei, Phnom Penh – Senior diplomats from Cambodia and Indonesia have expressed optimism about the bilateral trade cooperation between the two countries, which has surpassed 1 billion dollars, as well as Cambodia's efforts to boost rice exports to Indonesia.

Joniansyah, Jakarta – Authorities are on the lookout for W (40), a Quran reciting teacher suspected of sexually assaulting four children in the South Sudimara area of Ciledug, Tangerang City. The suspect has been missing since November 29, 2024, nearly a month before the case was officially reported to the police.

Indonesia, West Papua – Human Rights Monitor's latest investigation reveals evidence of widespread and systematic attacks against indigenous civilians in Indonesia's Papua Tengah Province during security force operations in April 2023.

Anis Firmansah, Kediri – Hanindhito Himawan Pramana was reelected as the regent of Kediri, East Java, on Thursday, just hours after his father, Pramono Anung, was confirmed as the winner of the Jakarta gubernatorial election.

Hanindhito secured 56.53 percent of the vote in the local election, defeating his sole rival, Deny Widyanarko, to win a second term.

Theo Kelen, Jayapura – The Papua representative office of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) is urging the Manokwari Municipal Police (Polresta) to immediately arrest OU, the alleged perpetrators of the shooting of senior advocate and human rights defender Yan Christian Warinussy in Manokwari regency, West Papua, on July 17 last year.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday morning to meet and discuss with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim about ASEAN and other regional issues.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has scheduled an interrogation for Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, former Chief Commissioner of state-owned Pertamina, on Thursday as part of its investigation into corruption related to the procurement of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by the company between 2011 and 2021.

Han Revanda, Jakarta – The deputy minister of agriculture, Sudaryono, confirms that Indonesia will import 2 million dairy and beef cattle for the next five years to support the free nutritious meal program.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – The government has welcomed Apple Inc.'s US$1 billion commitment to build a manufacturing facility in Batam Island, but the ban on local sales of the iPhone 16 remains in place as it still fails to meet the country's local content rules.

Yustinus Paat, Stefani Wijaya, Jakarta – The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) officially named Pramono Anung and Rano Karno as the elected governor and deputy governor for the 2025-2030 term during an open plenary session held at the Pullman Hotel, Central Park, on Thursday.

An aide to President Prabowo Subianto said on Tuesday that Indonesia's full membership in BRICS would not affect the country's relationship with the United States under the presidency of Donald Trump.

Jakarta – Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Rini Widyantini says the government has no plan to start relocating a large number of civil servants and government workers to the planned new capital Nusantara under construction in East Kalimantan.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Ninis Chairunnisa, Jakarta – Chairman of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives Marwan Dasopang said the queue list for the departure of Indonesian hajj pilgrims could reach 49 years. Currently, according to him, the average waiting list for Indonesian pilgrims is currently around 25-30 years. However, in some areas, the waiting list can be longer.

Rendy Pahrun Wadipalapa – The background manoeuvring by various parties in Jakarta's 2024 gubernatorial elections foreshadows similarly complex play with 2029's presidential race in mind. For some players, today's loss might be tomorrow's gain.

Experts and activists criticized President Prabowo Subianto's recent remarks, which defended Indonesia's palm oil industry and support for its expansion.

President Prabowo's statements came across as an attempt to defend the Indonesian palm oil industry from criticisms over its environmental impacts, particularly from foreign countries such as in the European Union (EU).

Jakarta – The government's ambitious free nutritious meals program for students was rolled out with much fanfare on Monday, with several ministers inspecting related facilities even as President Prabowo Subianto was nowhere to be seen.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The alleged involvement of a Navy officer in a recent shooting in Tangerang, Banten, that resulted in the death of a civilian has sparked fresh concerns about the misuse of firearms and a culture of impunity in the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Toronata Tambun – President Prabowo Subianto marked the end of 2024 with a controversial statement. On Dec. 31, 2024 this newspaper quoted him as saying: "I think, in the future, we also have to increase oil palm plantations. We don't have to be afraid of endangering, what is it called, deforestation, right?"

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia announced Wednesday that it would import around 400,000 cattle this year, according to Deputy Agricultural Minister Sudaryono.

The government is nudging businesses into bringing in those much-awaited cattle that could help supply the milk needs for President Prabowo Subianto's flagship school-feeding program.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesman Tessa Mahardhika Sugiarto confirmed on Tuesday that the antigraft agency had searched Hasto Kristiyanto's residence in Bekasi.

"Yes, the investigation team searched Hasto Kristiyanto's residence. Further updates will be provided once the operation is complete," Tessa said, as quoted by tempo.co.

Sapto Yunus, Jakarta – Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas ensures that the revision of Law Number 7/2017 on Elections will be guided by the five constitutional engineering guidelines provided by the Constitutional Court.