Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday called for increased private sector involvement in Indonesia's infrastructure development, signaling a shift from the state-owned enterprises' dominance under the previous administration of President Joko Widodo.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has officially adopted a global minimum tax rate of 15 percent to foster a healthier and more competitive investment climate, a senior official announced on Thursday.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday called for stronger collaboration between businesses and the government to achieve an ambitious economic growth target of 8 percent, as he welcomed the new leadership of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Chair of the National Economic Council (DEN) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan was offended by the World Bank's statement saying that Indonesia was one of the worst countries in collecting taxes. This was conveyed by the World Bank to Luhut when he visited the DEN Office three weeks ago.

Bangkok – Prabowo S. Djojohadikusumo took office as Indonesia's president in October 2024 after winning the February election, raising human rights concerns because of his abusive record in the military, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2025 (https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025).

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Anindya Novyan Bakrie, the president and CEO of the Bakrie Group, was officially inaugurated on Thursday as chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), the country's most influential business lobbying group. His appointment follows a brief internal dispute but ultimately emerged unopposed.

Sally Brooks and Natasya Salim – A university student was getting ready for church on Christmas Eve in Indonesia when a man snuck into her apartment to carry out an attack that would scar her for life.

As she stepped out of the shower with a towel around her torso, the man allegedly poured acid over her face and body.

Daniel Ahmad Fajri, Jakarta – Prabowo's spokesperson, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, said that President Prabowo Subianto and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri are good friends.

When asked about whether Prabowo is open for PDIP to join the government, Dahnil said it has been Prabowo's stance "from the start."

Septia Ryanthie, Hussein Abri Dongoran, Solo – Former President Joko Widodo or Jokowi responded to a report on docking to the Police Criminal Investigation Unit.

Anwar Siswadi (Kontributor), Bandung – The Bandung City government is urging the developers of the Jagat app to take responsibility for the damage caused to public parks by users engaged in "coin hunting" within the app.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded a trade surplus of $2.24 billion in December 2024, though the surplus decreased by 48.7 percent from the previous month and contracted by 31.9 percent compared to the same period in 2023, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

As reported on its website, the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam) held a coordination meeting with the Wira Pratama 033 Sub-Regional Military Command (Korem) on Monday January 13. It is known that the coordination meeting discussed synergy in order to accelerate the Rempang Eco-City project.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Environment said food waste generated from the free nutritious meal program will be influenced by several factors, including the scale of the program, the number of beneficiaries, distribution efficiency, consumer behavior, and the program's operators.

Fika Nurul Ulya, Robertus Belarminus, Jakarta – The Denny JA Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) has revealed that the discourse on the election of regional heads (Pilkada) by Regional Representative Councils (DPRD) has received a negative response from the public, with as many as 76.3 percent expressing a negative sentiment on the idea.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Zacharias Wuragil, Batam – The Riau chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) regrets the move by the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam) which is allegedly involving the TNI (Indonesian Military) in pushing through the Rempang Eco City National Strategic Project (PSN).

President Prabowo Subianto might not have thought his remarks would spark a controversy when he recently suggested that Indonesia expand oil palm plantations without worrying about deforestation.

Basudiwa Supraja, Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said Wednesday that Bank Indonesia's decision to cut the key interest rate to 5.75 percent could boost the people's purchasing power.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto on Wednesday criticized the tendency of many wealthy Indonesians to shop abroad rather than spend their money locally, arguing that this behavior undermines the national economy.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the immediate removal of bamboo barriers illegally installed along 30 kilometers off the coasts of Tangerang Regency, Banten province, a close aide said on Wednesday.

Jakarta – Following the failure of its pilot project, the government is actually extending the food estate program in North Sumatra. Natural forests and customary lands are under threat.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, has expressed concerns that abolishing the parliamentary threshold could disrupt legislative functions. He argues that an excessive number of political parties in parliament would hinder the effectiveness of both the legislature and the executive branches.

New vehicle sales in Indonesia declined by 6% to 79,806 units in December 2024 from 85,284 units a year earlier, according to wholesale data compiled by the local automotive industry association Gaikindo. Last month's sales came up against already weak year-earlier volumes, after the strong rebound from the pandemic lows had fizzled out last year.

Rania Teguh – On the eve of a long-anticipated increase in Indonesia's value added tax (VAT) rate from 11 to 12 per cent, President Prabowo Subianto abruptly decided to revise the hike, announcing that it would apply only to luxury goods.

Ali Mirin – In a concerted effort to stifle support for West Papua's aspiration for independence, Indonesia has embarked on diplomatic initiatives with Pacific nations and communities.

Jakarta – A volcano located in Halmahera erupted on Wednesday morning spewing a four-km (2.5-mile) high ash cloud, forcing authorities to raise the alert level in surrounding areas to the highest, officials said.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) lowered its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 5.75 percent during its January policy meeting, marking its first cut in four months.

Hendro Dahlan Situmorang, Jakarta – Anindya Novyan Bakrie, elected as Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) during a congress on Sept. 14, is set to be officially inaugurated for the 2024-2029 term, ending a leadership dispute with rival Arsjad Rasjid.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – The percentage of Indonesia's population living in poverty decreased to 8.57 percent in September 2024, a decline of 0.46 percentage points compared to March 2024 and a 0.79 percentage point decrease from the same month in 2023.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Judge Rudi Suparmono has been accused of accepting bribes from the defense team of a defendant who fatally assaulted his girlfriend while serving as the chairman of the Surabaya District Court, a senior prosecutor revealed on Wednesday.

Wahroni, Jakarta – Housing Minister Maruarar Sirait announced plans to use land confiscated in corruption cases as a resource for the government's 3 Million Houses Program.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto is planning to send elected regional heads, including governor-elects, on a retreat – similar to what his ministers went on at the start of their term.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – The Nusantara Capital Authority (IKN) is still awaiting President Prabowo Subianto's availability to conduct the groundbreaking ceremony for the ninth phase of the IKN project. IKN Authority Spokesperson Troy Pantouw confirmed that his team and the Ministry of Public Works have submitted a request for the inauguration to the Presidential Palace.

Ali Mirin – Indonesia officially joined the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa – consortium last week marking a significant milestone in its foreign relations.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Prominent Indonesian environmental forensic expert Bambang Hero Saharjo faces yet another potential lawsuit for serving as a state witness against alleged violators, this time in a high-profile tin laundering case.

Indonesia, West Papua – On 10 December 2024, a group of students from the Walter Post School of Theology (STT) in Jayapura were arbitrarily stopped by police while they were driving to a public commemoration worship for the Human Rights Day, organised by the Papuan Council of Churches and Indigenous Pastors.

Jakarta – Indonesia plans to issue a regulation to set a minimum age for users of social media, a move aimed at protecting children, its communications minister has said.

John Duerden – In 1938 Indonesia, with their bespectacled captain, Achmad Nawir, went to the World Cup as the Dutch East Indies and "Dutch" should perhaps be put back in the title somewhere given all that has happened with their men's football team this century. Patrick Kluivert's appointment as the head coach on Wednesday has not come out of nowhere.

Titi Anggraini – After nearly 17 years of repeated legal challenges by civil society groups and political parties, the Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi, MK) finally annulled the electoral threshold for presidential and vice-presidential nominations on 2 January.

Jakarta – Scrolling on social media, moviegoer Jessica Sihotang stumbled across a film depicting a fellow woman in her 30s struggling to make the dream of buying a Jakarta home a reality.

Nearly two million like-minded moviegoers tuned in to watch the protagonist's house-hunting journey when "Home Sweet Loan" was released last year, the movie's producer said.

Jakarta – For a country that makes it quite hard for its citizens to bear arms, Indonesia has a notable gun violence problem.

Recent incidents, such as the fatal shooting of a civilian on the Tangerang-Merak toll road earlier this month, underscore the pressing need to reevaluate gun restrictions.

Wijayanti Putri, Jakarta – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Tuesday that he did not mind that his successor Prabowo Subianto would review his so-called "national strategic projects".

Muhammad Ghafur Fadillah, Jakarta – The Financial Services Authority (OJK) is evaluating the implementation of a Single Investor Identification (SID) system for cryptocurrency owners, which could conflict with the decentralized nature of crypto.

Antara, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) reported a revenue of Rp 300.2 trillion ($18.44 billion) from customs and excise in 2024, growing 4.9 percent year-on-year and achieving 93.5 percent of the state budget target.

Wahroni, Jakarta – Health workers at Soekarno-Hatta (Soetta) and Halim Perdanakusuma Airports in Jakarta have increased surveillance efforts to prevent the spread of human metapneumovirus (HMPV).

Jakarta – The Indonesian people need to learn from people in Kenya when responding to announcements by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Rather than objecting, they protested that the global organization did not place President William Ruto at the top of the list for organized crime and corruption in 2024.

Erwan Hartawan, Jakarta – The Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI) reported that 572,506 units of motorcycles were exported to various countries in 2024, marking a slight increase in the number of exports compared to the previous year with 570,004 units.

Angelina Tiara Puspitalova, Jakarta – Indonesia, an archipelago blessed with abundant natural resources, including oil and natural gas, remains an importer of oil. This paradox often raises the question, why does a country brimming with oil reserves need fuel imports? Here are seven reasons behind this phenomenon.

1. Limited capacity of oil refineries

Sapto Yunus, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto plans to gather elected regional heads to attend a briefing or retreat. Yusril said the briefing will resemble the retreat of the Red and White cabinet in Magelang, Central Java, October 24-27, 2024.

Indonesia, West Papua – Protests by Papuan students in the cities of Yogyakarta, Java Tengah Province, and Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan Province) were forcefully dispersed by police officers on 1 and 2 December 2024 in commemoration of the 1st December 1961.

Mathias Hariyadi, Jakarta – The discovery of a mysterious 30.16-kilometre-long bamboo fence in the Java Sea, north of Tangerang, has left Indonesians disconcerted. A group of fishermen raised the alarm last week, expressing their concerns on social media.