Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) noted an increase in imports of ready-to-wear clothing entering Indonesia. Acting Head of BPS, Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, said that the largest imports of textiles and textile products or TPT came from China.

Yusuf Wahil and Victoria Milko Kabaena, Indonesia – The crystal blue waters that once surrounded Kabaena are murky brown now, and the octopi and colorful fish that locals used to catch nearby to eat and sell have fled. The lush seaweed they used to harvest is gone.

Basudiwa Supraja, Jakarta – Education expert Darmaningtyas urged the government to exclude elite schools from the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, arguing that it should focus on students from low-income families who face food insecurity.

Dhaka – The maiden visit of the President of Timor-Leste Dr. Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta in Bangladesh ushered in a new era in the bilateral relations between the two countries, said a joint communique here today.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) has reiterated that the current system of direct regional head elections in the country must be maintained. The KPU's Commissioner for Technical and Implementation, Idham Holik, said the spirit of direct elections lies in strengthening people's sovereignty.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – At the U.N. climate conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Indonesian government announced an ambitious plan to reforest 12.7 million hectares (31.4 million acres) of degraded land, an area 80 times the size of London.

Jayapura – In view of the Christmas celebrations on December 25, the Bishop of Jayapura, Yanuarius Teofilus Matopai You, calls for an end to the measures that prevent displaced Papuans from returning home to celebrate Christmas in the Oksop district.

Dandy Koswaraputra and Pizaro Gozali Idrus, Jakarta – The Indonesian president's decision to pardon tens of thousands of prisoners is ill-conceived because it fails to address harsh laws that call for incarceration and lead to overcrowding, critics said, amid not inconsiderable cynicism about the plan's intention.

Jayapura – The Journalist Justice and Safety Advocacy Coalition (KAKKJ) in Papua, which consists of journalists, human rights defenders, students, the Cipayung Group and the Front, held a peaceful demonstration in front of the Papua Regional Police (Polda) Headquarters in Jayapura city, Papua, on Tuesday December 17.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded a trade surplus of $4.42 billion in November, marking the 55th consecutive month of a positive trade balance since May 2020, according to data released by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) on Monday.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – President Prabowo inaugurates the elected leaders and supervisory council of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for the 2024-2029 period today, Monday, December 16, at the Presidential Palace.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The value-added tax (VAT) hike to 12 percent will officially enter into force in January 1, according to Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto.

The government, however, will make staple goods VAT-free.

Antara, Jakarta – Chief Legal Affairs Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra has proposed changes to the Narcotics Law, advocating for rehabilitation rather than imprisonment for drug users.

Speaking at an event in Jakarta on Wednesday, Yusril called for a new approach that views drug users as victims of illegal narcotics distribution rather than as criminals.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's proposal to restore the indirect election of regional heads (Pilkada) through Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) is not really a solution to the high political costs of elections.

Jakarta – The newly appointed chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Setyo Budiyanto, vowed on Monday to continue the commission's hallmark practice of catching corruption suspects red-handed, a method that has garnered public praise in the past.

Candra Kurnia, Jakarta – The Supreme Court (MA) rejected the judicial review filed by the eight convicts involved in the 2016 Vina and Eky murder case in Cirebon, West Java. This ruling, delivered on Monday, was met with deep disappointment from the convicts' families, who were seen crying in the courtroom.

Grace Sihombing and Eko Listiyorini – Indonesia will proceed with its value-added tax hike in 2025, while offering a raft of incentives to mitigate the impact on consumption and economic growth.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has unveiled a series of economic stimulus packages totaling Rp 827 trillion ($51.65 billion) for 2025, designed to mitigate economic shocks and address the weakening purchasing power of low- and middle-income groups.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia announced Monday that it would roll out a tax incentive for hybrid cars in an attempt to reduce the country's carbon emissions.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto plans to grant pardons to tens of thousands of inmates on compassionate grounds and in the spirit of reconciliation, Human Rights Affairs Minister Natalius Pigai announced on Monday.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia's second-largest Islamic organization Muhammadiyah will most likely get to manage an old coal mine formerly operated by mining giant Adaro Energy, according to Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia.

Antara, Jakarta – The government has spent around Rp 504 trillion (around $31.4 billion) on the education sector so far this year as of the end of November, according to Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas says approximately 39,000 drug-related inmates are being considered for amnesty. This number is the largest compared to other categories eligible for amnesty, including violators of the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) regarding insults against the head of state and political cases in Papua.

Ni Made Tasyarani, Jakarta – The retirement business remains underdeveloped in Indonesia, but experts say the aging population at home and abroad means the time to invest is now.

According to the World Health Organization, the number of people aged 60 years and older was 1 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050.

Zach Hope, Karuni Rompies and Amilia Rosa, Bali – A key member of Indonesia's parliamentary justice committee has strongly criticised the decision to allow the remaining members of the Bali Nine to return to Australia, saying the deal goes against his own nation's laws.

Tim Lindsey – Following weeks of intrigue about a possible deal, the remaining members of the Bali Nine have been released from prison in Indonesia and returned to Australia. The five Australians had served nearly 20 years of their life sentence for their involvement in a drug-smuggling operation.

Kirsten Han – In April 2015, Mary Jane Veloso was moved to Nusa Kambangan, a maximum security prison island in Indonesia. The plan had been to execute her by firing squad with other death row prisoners, including Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. Veloso was spared at the eleventh hour.

Jakarta – A flood in Trenggalek regency, East Java, has cut off access to Jl. Soekarno-Hatta, a key national road leading into the city center. The floods, triggered by heavy rainfall on Sunday, affected several subdistricts, including Kelutan and Tamanan, in Trenggalek district, the seat of the regency with the same name.

Gandhi Armansyah, Jakarta – For the past four days, 11 neighborhood units (RT) in the Muara Angke area of North Jakarta have been submerged in tidal floodwaters, with water levels ranging from 30 to 90 cm. Residents have been forced to continue their daily activities amid the floodwaters, which are mixed with seawater.

Jakarta – The Ministry of Transmigration expressed its readiness to assist the Agriculture Ministry in accelerating food self-sufficiency, as targeted by President Prabowo Subianto, by preparing 100 thousand transmigrants in the food sector within five years.

Jakarta – Two Indonesian Military (TNI) Army cadets have completed their education at the Royal Military College (RMC), Duntroon in Canberra and graduated on Dec. 10 in a ceremony led by Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn.

Jakarta – Indonesia's exports rose 9.14 per cent in November from a year earlier to $24.01 billion, official data showed on Monday, above a projected increase of 4.92 per cent in a Reuters poll of analysts.

Jakarta – The Immigration Directorate General has detained 12 Vietnamese women for their alleged involvement in a prostitution ring in Muara Karang, North Jakarta.

Jakarta – This month the National Police are planning to play a greater role in investigating corruption cases, which have been dominated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

The National Police joined the antigraft bandwagon through the establishment of the new Corruption Eradication Corps (Kortas Tipidkor).

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Jakarta – Relatives of victims of the fatal 2022 Kanjuruhan stadium crush in Malang, East Java, are seeking Rp 17.5 billion (US$1.1 million) in compensation from five people who were found guilty of negligence in the incident.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, his son Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and his son-in-law Bobby Nasution have been officially dismissed from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) following a year-long rift that began before the presidential election.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will revise Indonesia's historical records, Minister of Culture Fadli Zon said this after meeting with the Indonesian Historians Society or MSI in Bandung on Saturday, December 14, 2024.

Dhaka – President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta today urged Bangladesh business firms to come up with their investment in Timor Timor-Leste.

He came up with the call while speaking at a joint press appearance at Chief Adviser's Office (CAO) here after holding talks with Chief Adviser Dr Professor Muhammad Yunus, followed by a delegation-level meeting.

Jakarta – The police raided an international drug trafficking factory with drugs worth some Rp 670 billion (US$42 million) on Thursday inside of a house at the Podomoro Park upscale housing complex in Bojongsoang district, Bandung regency, West Java.

Prima Wirayani – At least one in four firms in Indonesia evaded tax last year, according to a World Bank survey.

The survey, highlighted in the bank's December edition of Indonesia Economic Prospects report, showed that tax evasions in Southeast Asia's largest economy were likely influenced by the companies' perception of a common practice in the system and administration.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program, which provides free nutritious meals to children, expectant mothers, and breastfeeding mothers, is projected to generate at least 2.5 million new jobs, according to a presidential advisor.

Adhyasta Dirgantara, Ambaranie Nadia Kemala Movanita, Jakarta – Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) Deputy Director Maidina Rahmawati is urging the administration of President Prabowo Subianto to remain transparent and accountable about giving amnesty to 44,000 convicted prisoners.

Adi Renaldi Thomson, Jakarta – Environmentalists are warning that Indonesia's ambitious plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 rely too heavily on biofuels and risk a new wave of deforestation in the world's third-largest rainforest.

Jakarta – Indonesia has once again followed a global trend, but not in a good way, as this is related to the use of ketamine.

Zach Hope, Bali – Scott Rush, Matthew Norman, Michael Czugaj, Martin Stephens and Si-Yi Chen are free men after almost 20 years in jails on the islands of Bali and Java. Fair-minded Australians will take this as fair enough. Two decades in foreign jails is a severe punishment for a stupid mistake of youth.

But there are questions that still deserve answers.

Karen Middleton – The five remaining members of the Bali Nine jailed for life over a drug smuggling plot have returned to Australia under a deal negotiated with the Indonesian government.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, confirmed that Scott Rush, Matthew Norman, Si-Yi Chen, Martin Stephens and Michael Czugaj returned to Australia from Indonesia on Sunday afternoon.

Savero Aristia Wienanto, Jakarta – The United States (US) Ambassador to Indonesia, Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir, responded positively to the celebration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the United States.

Dian Yuliastuti, Jakarta – Several artifacts or Objects of Suspected Cultural Heritage (ODCB) from the United States have returned to Indonesia. Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono handed over six ODCBs to Minister of Culture Fadli Zon at the Pancasila Building, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Friday, December 13, 2024.

Andrew Mathieson – An Indonesian minister within Prabowo Subianto's new government took little time to announce plans to resume a former transmigration program throughout the eastern regions of a sovereign Indonesia, including the largest Papua province in western New Guinea, saying it was needed to enhance unity and provide locals with welfare.

Thomas E Harefa, Jakarta – The number of Indonesian Muslims waiting to perform the Hajj pilgrimage has reached 5.4 million and continues to grow each year, government officials revealed on Saturday.

Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, has an annual Hajj quota of around 200,000 pilgrims. This means the current waiting list spans at least 25 years.