Arti Ekawati – Newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto unveiled Indonesia's new and enlarged Cabinet last month, naming ministers, deputy ministers and heads of various national agencies.

Jakarta – Jakarta gubernatorial candidates still lack a concrete strategy to reduce waste buildup in the capital city, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has said

Rama Sukarta, Jakarta – The Indonesian Shopping Center Management Association (APPBI) is urging the government to delay the planned increase in Value-Added Tax (VAT) to 12 percent on January 1, 2025, fearing it could lead to higher prices for goods and impact public purchasing power. The association warned that the move could hinder economic growth.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has announced plans to reforest 12 million hectares of land in Indonesia that was damaged by massive fires in the 1990s and 2016.

Jamaah, Rembang – Rembang Police are investigating a clash between foreign workers from Kapur Rembang Indonesia (KRI), a foreign-owned limestone company, and locals from Blora Regency, Central Java, that left three residents injured. The incident, which went viral on social media, occurred on Wednesday night.

Andrea Arshirena Hosana, Jakarta, Chief Human Development and Cultural Affairs Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, commonly known as Cak Imin, labeled online gambling a social disaster during his visit to patients undergoing rehabilitation for gambling addiction at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) on Friday.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – Indonesia could be losing up to Rp 1.2 trillion ($75.5 million) monthly due to misdirected electricity subsidies, according to the National Strategy for Corruption Prevention (Stranas PK).

On behalf of the colonised people of West Papua, I am asking the UK government to cancel their reception of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. Prabowo is a blood-stained war criminal who is complicit in genocide in East Timor and West Papua.

Aryo Putranto Saptohutomo, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform has strongly condemned the attack by scores of TNI (Indonesian) soldiers from the Medan 2 Artillery Battalion/Kilap Sumagan (Armed-2/KS) on residents of the Selamat Village in Sibiru-Biru district, Deli Serdang, North Sumatra.

Keith Anthony S. Fabro – Authorities in Indonesia have rescued more than 6,500 wild birds being trafficked from the island of Sumatra and destined for Java, in what's been hailed as the single largest seizure of its kind in the country's modern history.

Natalia Santi – Amnesty International Indonesia has emphasised that it is the state's responsibility to resolve the human rights violations that took place in the Semanggi I tragedy in 1998.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is conducting a study on the underground economy, which encompasses tax evasion and other illegal activities. According to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, there is significant untapped potential for state revenue from these underground activities.

Iman Rahman Cahyadi, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati confirmed on Thursday that the new value-added tax (VAT) rate of 12 percent will be implemented on January 1, in line with the 2021 taxation law.

Antara, Jakarta – National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo announced on Thursday that 181 terror suspects have been arrested during preemptive operations over the past two years.

The operations were conducted by the counter-terrorism squad Detachment 88, in collaboration with the Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob), a police paramilitary unit.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation stated that the discontinuation of the autonomous rail transit (ART) project or autonomous train without tracks in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) is not a problem.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The Headquarters of the Indonesian National Army (TNI) claimed that they will continue to escort the investigation process of the case of soldiers attacking civilians in Sibiru-biru District, Deli Serdang Regency.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) stated that Indonesia is currently facing a child pornography emergency, in addition to the ongoing online gambling crisis.

Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – Indonesia's digital economy is projected to reach a gross merchandise value (GMV) of $90 billion (Rp 1,422 trillion) this year, marking a 13 percent increase from the previous year, according to a joint report by Google Indonesia, Temasek, and Bain & Company.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) expresses deep concern over the continued stagnation of the legal process surrounding serious human rights violations, including the Semanggi I, Semanggi II, and Trisakti incidents. Despite decades of investigation, these cases remain unresolved.

David Wilson, Monique Handa Shafira, Jakarta – The eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), since Nov. 4 has claimed nine lives and displaced 13,116 people.

Maria Goreti Koten, one of the evacuees, described how she and her family fled to a temporary shelter, along with other residents, to escape the dangers of the eruption.

An exiled West Papuan leader has called on supporters globally to show their support by raising the Morning Star flag – banned by Indonesia – on December 1.

"Whether in your house, your workplace, the beach, the mountains or anywhere else, please raise our flag and send us a picture," said United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) interim president Benny Wenda.

Herman, Jakarta – The government reported that it had busted smuggling operations with transactions totaling Rp 49 billion ($3 million) within just one week alone.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court has issued a ruling in Case Number 126/PUU-XXII/2024 which challenged Article 54D paragraph 3 of Law Number 10 of 2016 concerning Regional Head Elections (Pilkada). Chief Justice MK Suhartoyo said this article contradicted the 1945 Constitution and lacked a clear provision for rerun elections.

Jakarta – A boycott of several global brands associated with Israel has impacted their sales in Indonesia, but that does not mean the boycott has "worked".

Rendy Pahrun Wadipalapa – Indonesia's regional elections, scheduled for 27 November, bear all the signs of a worsening democratic backsliding at the hands of "toxic alliances". These alliances – an unnatural coalition between opposing political forces – have become a defining feature of Indonesia's recent political landscape at the expense of genuine democratic representation.

Adhi Priamarizki & Muhamad Haripin – In the days following his inauguration on 20 October, President Prabowo Subianto moved quickly to appoint a total of 136 coordinating ministers, ministers and their deputies, agency chiefs and their deputies, and special envoy/advisor posts.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The government has collected Rp 1,517.5 trillion ($96 billion) in tax revenue as of Oct. 31, 2024, reflecting a 0.4 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2023, when tax revenue totaled Rp 1,523.9 trillion.

Dwi Bowo Raharjo and Alfian Winanto – Maria Katarina Sumarsih took part in a ceremony placing flowers on a symbolic grave during an action commemorating the 26th anniversary of the Semanggi Tragedy I at the Atma Jaya University in Jakarta on Wednesday November 13.

Irsyan Hasyim (Kontributor), Jakarta – The Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and The Tree Map provided satellite image evidence of the widespread deforestation driven by palm oil plantations in the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve, Aceh.

Hendrik Khoirul Muhid, Jakarta – The Indonesian Army came under scrutiny after an attack incident by its members on civilian residents in Desa Selamat, Sibiru-biru, Deli Serdang, North Sumatra on Friday night, November 8, 2024. This incident resulted in the death of Raden Barus, a 61-year-old elderly, and injuries to several other residents.

Antara, Jakarta – The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) proposed processed or canned fish as one of the menu items to support the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) initiated by President Prabowo Subianto.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), Nusron Wahid, announced that the ministry is preparing 564,957 hectares of abandoned land for the transmigration program.

Tempo.co, Jakarta – High-intensity rains caused the Batang Sumpur River to overflow, resulting in flash flooding in five "nagari" in Sijunjung Regency, West Sumatra, on Monday night, November 11, at around 11:30 p.m. A nagari is a customary community unit in West Sumatra Province that has its own territorial boundaries, assets, and authority to regulate its own budget.

Ichsan Ali, Heru Andriyanto, Tangerang – Education expert Darmaningtyas on Tuesday urged the government to discontinue the Merdeka Curriculum introduced by former Education Minister Nadiem Makarim.

Monique Handa Shafira, Jakarta – Textile giant Sri Rejeki Isman (Sritex) has temporarily furloughed 2,500 employees due to a raw material shortage, but they remain on the payroll despite the company's bankruptcy status declared by the Semarang District Court.

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Jakarta – Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, commonly known as Gus Ipul, has set a target to eliminate extreme poverty in Indonesia within the next two years. Currently, he said, the number of people classified as living in extreme poverty is 2.3 million.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – US President Joe Biden recently told his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto that he wanted to work with Jakarta on energy transition.

Biden hosted Prabowo at the White House on Tuesday local time. The latter is currently in Washington as part of a two-week-long overseas trip that includes stops in China, the UK, Brazil, and Peru.

Mathias Hariyadi, Jakarta – In the Boyolali region of Central Java, a protest by Indonesian milk producers against the massive importation of the raw material has exploded, and the contours it has taken over the past few days have caused deep dismay among citizens and civil society.

Vedro Imanuel G, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the poor population in Indonesia has grown in 2024, reaching 25.22 million across the country. This is higher than the pre-pandemic number of poor population in Indonesia, which amounted to 25.14 million people.

Stephen Wright – Indonesia's plan to convert more than two million hectares of conservation and indigenous lands into agriculture will cause long-term damage to the environment, create conflict and add to greenhouse gas emissions, according to a feasibility study document for the Papua region mega-project.

Max Walden and Erwin Renaldi – The Indonesian president was in Washington to meet US President Joe Biden, but it was a phone call with president-elect Donald Trump that has made headlines.

An effusive exchange shared across Prabowo Subianto's social media channels has raised eyebrows.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has secured his American counterpart Joe Biden's support to speed up the feasibility study on the development of a small nuclear reactor in Indonesia.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Wednesday reminded new cabinet members of the mandatory public disclosure of their wealth.

KPK Deputy Chairman Pahala Nainggolan said only around 10 new cabinet members have contacted the commission asking about the procedures to report their wealth.

Bella Evanglista, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has formed a task force to monitor and address the involvement of its personnel in online gambling, with approximately 4,000 members implicated.

Situbondo, East Java – More than 2,000 Indonesian and Australian troops held joint military drills Wednesday, after the allies signed a new defense agreement pledging closer cooperation to counter security threats in the Asia-Pacific region.

Jakarta – Two people died after a truck loaded with stones lost control as a result of brake failure while negotiating a downhill curve in Banjarsari village, Selorejo district, Blitar regency, East Java, on Monday.

The truck was carrying stones as well as five people in its cabin and fell into a 20-meter deep ravine. The two fatalities were identified only as MRF and HG.

Jakarta – National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo made a pledge on Thursday before a hearing at the House of Representatives that he would resign from his position if he was found guilty of accepting money sourced from online gambling.

Jakarta – We join the chorus of praise for the government's plan to provide free annual health screenings for all citizens with an eye to reducing the country's disease burden.

Agencies, Denpasar – Several international airlines cancelled flights to and from Bali on Wednesday, after further eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki that has spewed ash clouds as high as 10 km (32,808 ft) and forced thousands to evacuate.

Basudiwa Supraja, Jakarta – The constantly changing curriculum in Indonesia is causing stress and confusion among students, particularly when changes occur too frequently, a child psychologist said on Tuesday.