Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Dani Prabowo, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military Headquarters (Mabes TNI) has deployed soldiers from 351 District Military Commands (Kodim), 14 main Navy bases (Lantamal) and 41 Airforce bases (Lanud) to support the government's free nutritious meals (MBG) program.

Jakarta – The official website belonging to the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) was hacked and the home page changed to a display of an online gambling site on Monday January 6.

Indonesia, West Papua – On 1 November 2024, the Supreme Court of Indonesia rejected the cassation appeal filed by Mr Hendrikus Franky Woro, an environmental advocate and member of the indigenous Awyu tribe, regarding the environmental feasibility permit granted to PT Indo Asiana Lestari (IAL).

Shela Octavia, Dani Prabowo, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid says that security forces and law enforcement officials who are negligent resulting in the death of civilians must face criminal punishments, not just ethical sanctions.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The Presidential Communications Office Head, Hasan Nasbi, admitted that some regions are still utilizing President Prabowo Subianto's personal funds to support the recently launched free nutritious meal program.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia is urging military justice reform and a serious evaluation of the use of firearms by members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police (Polri). The demand was conveyed following the shooting of a car rental boss involving members of the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) in early 2025.

Jihan Ristiyanti, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia considers the shooting that killed a car rental boss in the rest area of Tangerang toll road last week by members of the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) to be a violation of human rights.

Basudiwa Supraja, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto is planning to make surprise inspections to make sure that his flagship free nutritious meal program is going well, according to a senior government official.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Trade Minister Budi Santoso recently revealed that he was open to revising the controversial ministerial policy that had eased import curbs, but any regulatory changes would depend on the evaluations.

Fidelis Eka Satriastanti – During the G20 Summit in Rio De Janeiro in November, Indonesia's new president, Prabowo Subianto, issued a bold statement: Indonesia will retire all coal-fired power plants within the next 15 years and build over 75 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2040.

Agencies, Jakarta – Brazil's government said in a statement on Monday that Indonesia is formally joining BRICS as a full member, further expanding the group of major emerging economies that also includes Russia, India, China and South Africa.

It appears that a panel of judges played Santa Claus prior to Christmas by handing out gifts in the form of light sentences to defendants in a high-profile corruption case involving state-owned tin miner PT Timah.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia is currently in talks to strike a possible military technology transfer deal with Japan.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia is aiming to record nearly $294.5 billion in exports this year to catapult the country's economy towards 8 percent growth as targeted by President Prabowo Subianto.

Jakarta – Following the tradition of his predecessor Retno LP Marsudi, who issued an annual press statement every January, Foreign Minister Sugiono is also scheduled to meet with the press on Thursday. As the 100-day honeymoon period of President Prabowo Subianto ends in just two weeks, the new minister should use the opportunity to lay down his programs at least for 2025.

Ilham Oktafian, Widy Wicaksono, Jakarta/Semarang – The Indonesian National Police (Polri) revealed that a hotel in Semarang, Central Java, was built using funds linked to money laundering from online gambling activities. The hotel is reportedly managed by an individual connected to illegal online gambling syndicates.

Jakarta – Indonesia launched an ambitious $4.3 billion free-meal program on Monday to combat stunted growth due to malnutrition, a key election promise of President Prabowo Subianto.

Prabowo has pledged to provide nutritious meals free to tens of millions of schoolchildren and pregnant women, saying it would improve their quality of life and boost economic growth.

Banda Aceh – More than 260 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, arrived in Aceh after floating at sea for days, an official said Monday.

The mostly Muslim ethnic Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar and thousands risk their lives each year on long and dangerous sea journeys to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.

Jakarta – Police are still investigating alleged lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activities in the Permata Hijau area of North Grogol Village, Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, which were shut down by local residents on New Year's Eve.

Jakarta – Indonesia's unaudited budget deficit for 2024 was smaller than the government's earlier estimate, official data showed on Monday, providing a buffer for fiscal needs in 2025 after authorities cancelled a planned tax hike.

Paul Gregoire – United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) provisional government interim president Benny Wenda has warned that since Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto took office in October, he has been proven right in having remarked, after the politician's last February election, that his coming marks the return of "the ghost of Suharto" – the brutal dictator who ruled

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Chair of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Muhammad Isnur responded to the alleged digital attack or doxing targeting one of the researchers from Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW).

Han Revanda, Jakarta – Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said that Apple Inc.'s investment commitment of US$1 billion, equivalent to Rp16.14 trillion (at an exchange rate of Rp16,146.25 per US dollar), is still relatively small compared to the tech giant's total sales within Indonesia, which he estimated at around Rp32 trillion.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The government must make sure that the vendors in charge of making the meals for Indonesia's historic school feeding program get paid for their services, according to an expert.

Roy Adriansyah, Jakarta – The Bunker Bar, located in the Permata Hijau shopping district in South Jakarta's Kebayoran Lama area, has been permanently closed following a New Year's Eve raid led by local residents on Jan. 1.

Havana, Cuba – Jose Ramos Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste, sent his Cuban counterpart, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, a congratulatory message on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution.

Indonesia's top court has upheld a law requiring citizens to follow a religion before the state system can recognize their marriages and other family records and issue them personal identity cards.

The Constitutional Court asserted this legal provision while rejecting a petition seeking judicial review of a law that required citizens to follow a religion.

President Prabowo Subianto's ambitious multi-billion dollar programme to provide free meals to more than a quarter of his people was officially underway on Monday, officials said, with 570,000 mouths to feed on its opening day.

Alfida Rizki Febrianna, Jakarta – The government spent Rp 43.4 trillion ($2.69 billion) from the State Budget in 2024 for the development of Indonesia's future capital, Nusantara, accounting for 97.3 percent of the Rp 44.5 trillion ceiling.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has reduced the proposed Hajj pilgrimage cost to Rp 89.7 million ($5,537) per person, down from the initial proposal of Rp 93.4 million.

The reduction comes in response to a directive from President Prabowo Subianto to ease the financial burden on Indonesian Muslims seeking to fulfill this religious obligation.

Antara, Jakarta – Armed Forces Commander General Agus Subiyanto has named Air Vice-Marshal Mohammad Syafii as the new head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) in a recent wave of top-level military rotations.

Thomas Rizal, Andi Maulana, Jakarta – Indonesia will officially launch its first nationwide free meal program on Monday, aimed at providing nutritious meals to school-aged children, expectant mothers, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers. The initiative, introduced by President Prabowo Subianto, is a historic step toward combating malnutrition and fostering healthier generations.

Han Revanda, Jakarta - Professor of Bogor Agricultural University or IPB University in Indonesia, Dwi Andreas Santosa, criticized the Prabowo Subianto government's food self-sufficiency target as still unclear. According to him, there are various definitions of food self-sufficiency.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta - Imparsial Director Ardi Manto Putra demanded that the legal process against the Indonesian TNI Navy members suspected of being involved in the shooting at KM 45 of the Tangerang-Merak Toll Road be transparent.

Bandung – The West Java branch of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has expressed strong criticism of the governor's recent decision to implement sectoral minimum wage increases, arguing that it was based on flawed considerations and could deter investors from Indonesia's most populous province.

Jakarta – A New Year gift came from the Constitutional Court on Thursday as it, on the 33rd time of asking, finally accepted the argument that every political party should stand an equal chance of nominating a presidential candidate.

Jakarta – The West Sumatra (Sumbar) Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) is currently studying a plan to draft a regional regulation (Perda) to eradicate social diseases in the Minang area, especially lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).

M. Raihan Muzzaki, Amirullah, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid says the ruling by the Constitutional Court (MK) requiring Indonesian people to have a religion is a digression.

Jakarta – A recent series of acid attacks in the country has highlighted the lack of regulation on the sale of corrosive chemicals in the country, making it easy for offenders to obtain the hazardous compounds.

Tria Dianti, Jakarta – Indonesia's Constitutional Court was able to issue a judgment that opened the door for more inclusive presidential elections because it wasn't under as much political pressure as before, analysts said.

Tempo.co, Jakarta – The Indonesian government said it's reviewing the Constitutional Court's decision to abolish the presidential threshold, said Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas, claiming it necessary as the court did not have a timeline set to enforce the ruling.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – An Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher was doxxed by the Instagram account @volt_anonym, allegedly after responding to a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The report nominated Indonesian President Joko Widodo or Jokowi for the "Organized Crime and Corruption 2024" category.

Antara, Jakarta – Chinese carmaker Wuling Motors has officially begun operating its electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Cikarang, West Java, marking a significant milestone in Indonesia's push toward sustainable transportation.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – The police reported Friday that they recorded fewer traffic accidents in the 2024 Christmas and year-end holiday season, marking a double-digit decline compared to 2023.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – The Jakarta Police dishonorably discharged 31 officers in December 2024 for committing serious disciplinary violations, including desertion and drug-related offenses, a spokesman said on Friday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Chinese polyethylene terephthalate or PET plastic manufacturer Wankai New Materials has pledged to establish a factory in Banten's industrial city of Cilegon.

Jakarta – For the first time in history, Indonesia's subsidized fertilizer distribution started on time, precisely on Jan. 1.

This long-awaited timeliness has enabled farmers to get better access to subsidized fertilizers to better prepare for the planting season, according to the state-owned company Pupuk Indonesia.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Constitutional Court on Thursday (Jan 2) said a law requiring a minimum number of votes for political parties to nominate a presidential candidate was not legally binding, which could allow a wider range of candidates in 2029.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo opened the first trading day of 2016 at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) on Monday as the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) dropped 0.25 percent to 4,581 as investors remain in wait-and-see mode with regard to economic policies.

Jakarta - The Constitutional Court (MK) rejected a judicial review request requesting that non-religious citizens be recognized in Law Number 23 of 2006 concerning Population Administration (Adminduk).