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Beritasatu, Jakarta – Buni Yani, the man who played a key role in the blasphemy allegation that led to the criminal conviction of former Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, was put on parole on Thursday after serving 11 months in prison for inciting hatred.

Buni left the Gunung Sindur Penitentiary in Bogor, West Java, at noon after his parole was approved.

M Rosseno Aji, Jakarta – The advocacy team of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan criticized the criminal charges used by police against the two men responsible for the acid attack against the KPK investigator.

They argue there is a tendency to localizing the terror act into a single suspect scenario driven by a personal vendetta.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – Inflation in Indonesia cooled to an eight-month low in December as the cost of transportation, telecommunication and financial services stagnated, the Central Statistics Agency, or BPS, said on Thursday.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded inflation of 2.72 percent in 2019, the lowest level in around two decades, thanks to lower inflationary pressure from government-regulated prices, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Monday.

Ardila Syakriah, Jakarta – People are taking to social media to alert their neighbors and ask authorities for help, as the widespread flooding that hit Greater Jakarta on Jan. 1 has left people stranded on the upper floor and even the rooftop of their homes.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – By 7:00 a.m. on Jan. 2, a day after heavy flooding blacked out parts of Greater Jakarta and Banten province, state-owned electricity company PLN was operating 21,214 out of 23,700 substations in Greater Jakarta and 13,686 out of 14,000 substations in Banten.

Karina M. Tehusijarana, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo welcomed defense minister and Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto as his first guest of 2020 on Wednesday at Gedung Agung state palace in Yogyakarta.

"In the 2020 new year, Pak Prabowo is the first prominent guest that I have received," Jokowi said after the meeting.

Novy Lumanauw, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo called the Indonesian capital market authorities to toughen measures against market manipulations on Thursday, in his first comment of the year on the financial market after it emerged that the country's largest state-owned insurer has run into a brink of collapse due to reckless investment in the stock market.

Arya Dipa, Bandung – Heavy rainfall caused flooding as deep as 2 meters at the Padalarang underpass in West Bandung regency, West Java, which Regent Aa Umbara Sutisna blamed on the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway construction project.

Ardila Syakriah, Jakarta – Severe flooding in Jakarta has claimed at least three lives and forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes after heavy rains from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning inundated both residential and commercial areas across the capital.

Jakarta – When the clock struck midnight yesterday night, we waved goodbye not only to 2019, but also to the 2010s, a tumultuous decade so emotionally taxing that many would certainly prefer to opt out if they could.

Gay Alcorn – Australia leading an international peacekeeping force in East Timor after the territory voted for independence in 1999 was a turning point in Australia's role in the region, according to former treasurer Peter Costello.

Dedek Hendry, Seluma, Bengkulu – Heavy downpours starting on Tuesday afternoon have caused the Air Ngalam River to breach its banks, flooding eight villages in Seluma regency, Bengkulu.

Jakarta – Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has appointed five retired generals to be the ministry's special assistants, including the former commander of the infamous Tim Mawar (Rose Team) of the Army's elite Special Forces (Kopassus).

Jakarta – The government is working to mitigate and prevent flooding in regions across the country, especially in Jakarta, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has said in response to the severe floods in the capital city that followed heavy rains from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning.

Jakarta – Massive floods marked the first day of 2020 in Greater Jakarta on Wednesday after heavy rains pounded the the capital and its peripheral areas since New Year's Eve.

The rain that has soaked the capital city since Tuesday has caused floods in housing areas, at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta and disrupted train networks.

Jakarta – The government should prioritize dialog instead of using a security approach in seeking solution to the Papuan problem. Deployment of soldiers and police in the past year has proven ineffective. Security apparatus have not been able to quell armed groups from disrupting the peace. Meanwhile, the number of civilian victims continues to climb.

By mid-1999, Australian military involvement in East Timor was looking increasingly possible.

It appeared so likely that the government used it as a justification for rejecting a UN request for a military contribution for its operations in war-ravaged Kosovo.

Nick Bonyhady – The Howard government refused to offer safe haven to a group of about 1500 pro-independence East Timorese the United Nations believed were at risk in Indonesia.

Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – Jakarta experienced on Tuesday night its worst rainfall in over a decade, with heavy rain pouring over the city nonstop until Wednesday morning, causing severe flooding in the capital and its satellite cities on the first day of 2020.

Hengky Ola Sura, Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara – Dozens of buildings in Egon village in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara, were left submerged in floodwater following heavy rainfall from Sunday to Monday.

Arya Dipa and Kharishar Kahfi, Bandung and Jakarta – Greater Jakarta is not the only region in the country flooded during the new year's celebrations, as some regions in West Java and Bengkulu were inundated by heavy rains that fell throughout Tuesday.

Jakarta – Without more fundamental changes to his development strategy, President Jokowi's replacement of a number of ministers will be for nothing.

Jakarta – Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) has handled fewer initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2019 as it welcomed 55 newcomers to the bourse, down from 57 firms listing last year.

However, that was still a good achievement compared to other stock exchanges in the Southeast Asian region, IDX president director Inarno Djajadi said.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Supreme Court has struck down a regulation that allowed activities by plantation companies in protected forest areas, a green group said on Tuesday, flagging a decision that could affect the thriving palm oil industry.

Amilia Rosa, Bali – Indonesian authorities have ordered pigs in Bali no longer be fed airline leftover food to protect them from a rapidly spreading bout of African swine fever.

Local media reports say more than 34,000 pigs have died in the isolated North Sumatra area and authorities are not taking any chances with some 760,000 pigs in Bali.

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Top officials at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) have protested against the huge revisions made by the rectorate to a draft sexual violence prevention regulation in the university, calling the revisions "pro-perpetrators".

Ghina Ghaliya, A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil and Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The 2010s will end with the closing of 2019, and as we prepare to welcome the 2020s, many of us are reflecting on what has happened in Indonesia over the past 10 years.

The Jakarta Post has rounded up some of the most important events of the past decade as they appeared in our newspaper's headlines.

Jakarta – Personnel of Makassar Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) conducted raids at several convenience stores in Makassar, South Sulawesi on Monday evening to confiscate condoms in a bid to prevent "negative acts" from taking place during New Year's Eve celebrations.

Arientha Primanita, Jakarta – The Majalengka District Court has sentenced Irfan Nur Alam, the son of Majalengka regent Karna Sobahi who also served as an official at the administration, to 1.5 months in prison for shooting a contractor in a project fee dispute.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – The Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas) has fixed next year's allocation of subsidized fuels at 26.87 million kiloliters (kL), up 3 percent from last year, following a meeting with House of Representatives members last week

Eva Fitriani, Jakarta – Indonesia's furniture manufacturers are confident to reach the elusive $2 billion export target next year, taking advantage from increasing demand from American customers who seek supply replacements for tariff-hit Chinese furniture.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Islamist vigilante group the Islamic Defenders Front, or FPI, has refused to renew permit which already expired in June, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

Dili – The body of Timor-Leste's first prime minister, Nicolau dos Reis Lobato has never been found. He was killed by the Indonesian military on 31 December 1978. But after 41 years it is still unclear where his remains are.

Asip A. Hasani, Blitar, East Java – A group of farmers in Blitar, East Java, have established a member-owned financial institution. Its main goal is to keep ownership of the land they obtained from a plantation company through redistribution.

Prashanth Parameswaran – On December 30, in a notable first, Indonesia unveiled a prototype of an indigenous medium-range strike capable drone. While the development was just one among many in the development of the Southeast Asian state's military capabilities, it nonetheless spotlighted its strategic and operational significance.

Dr Mark Busse and Sophie Faber – West Papua has been in the media more than usual over the last six months, with stories about indigenous protests against racism and repression, demands for independence, brutal Indonesian police and military crackdowns, and the banning of foreign journalists.

Jakarta – Musician and politician Ahmad Dhani Prasetyo walked free from Cipinang Prison in East Jakarta on Monday after serving 11 months behind bars for hate speech.

Dhani, who refused to answer questions from reporters, left the prison on Monday morning in a white Mercedes-Benz Unimog truck, accompanied by his children, wife, and his supporters.

Diana Mariska, Jakarta – Indonesia has not seen the worst of its wet season, despite intense downpours in several cities over the past few days. In fact, the tropical rains will get even heavier within the next three months, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned on Monday.

Riska Rahman, Tangerang, Banten – National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is optimistic that it will book profit this year despite a change in asset value following the termination of its cooperation with private airline Sriwijaya Air Group.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan, North Sumatra – At least five people went missing when a flash flood struck the villages of Pematang and Hatapang in Na IX-X district, North Labuhan Batu regency, North Sumatra, over the weekend.

Evarukdijati and Genta Tenri Mawan, Jayapura, Papua – A joint task force of Papua Police and military launched a manhunt for an armed Papuan group at the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border, Keerom District, Papua Province, Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Pol. Paulus Waterpauw stated.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son-in-law Bobby Afif Nasution met with Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto to talk about the former's plan to run in the 2020 Medan mayoral race in North Sumatra.

The meeting took place at Prabowo's residence on Jl. Kartanegara in South Jakarta on Saturday at noon.

Devina Heriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia is closing in on its overall gender gap, according to the 2020 Global Gender Gap Index. The country ranks 85th out of 153 countries, scoring 0.700 – which it shares with the Dominican Republic and Vietnam.

Antara, Bandung – Indonesia's state-owned aerospace company Dirgantara Indonesia introduced on Monday two prototypes of new medium-altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (MALE UAV) designed for both civilian and military uses.

Beritasatu, Jakarta – Feisty rocker-cum-musician Ahmad Dhani was freed from Cipinang Prison in East Jakarta on Monday after completing a one-year jail term for hate speech.

Dhani was accompanied by his three sons and second wife Mulan Jameela as they left the prison in a pickup truck.

Antara, Jakarta – Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) Minister Johnny G. Plate announced that the Draft Bill (RUU) on personal data protection has been completed and is set to be handed to the House of Representatives (DPR).

Nur Yasmin, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office began on Monday the questionings on witnesses and potential suspects of foul play in troubled life insurer Asuransi Jiwasraya, while the House of Representatives sought to open inquiry on the insurer's auditors, which include global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCooper.

Yulia Savitri, Palembang, South Sumatra – A flash flood triggered by the overflowing Mulak River in Lahat regency, South Sumatra destroyed a bridge connecting two regencies in the province on Monday morning.