Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President-elect Prabowo Subianto recently revealed he had no plans of raising the 3 percent budget deficit cap to accommodate his flagship policy of feeding schoolchildren free lunches.

Jakarta – President elect Prabowo Subianto gave a blunt answer when asked about concerns that democracy in Indonesia would weaken under his leadership when he was attending the Qatar Economic Forum on Wednesday May 15.

"Some people are worried that you will weaken democracy, what do you want to say to them?", asked the presenter at the forum.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President-elect Prabowo Subianto recently said that he was confident in achieving 8 percent economic growth within the first two or three years of his presidency.

Food production and Indonesian biodiesel production will also be among the main drivers of this targeted economic growth – which far exceeds the current figures.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Hugua, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) faction in the House of Representatives Commission II, calls for the legalization of money politics in the 2024 Regional Elections.

Suci Sekarwati, Jakarta – The United States Navy and Marine Corps, together with the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) and Marine Corps (Kormar RI) in Bandar Lampung, on May 13, 2024, began the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Indonesia 2024 exercise.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – Mohammad Nasih, the chancellor of Airlangga University, recently blamed the soaring tuition fees on the lack of investment in the higher education sector.

Antara, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said rice aid was a concrete step to ease the citizens' burden.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – Former West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil prefers to seek reelection in the province rather than contest the gubernatorial election in Jakarta, a Golkar Party executive said on Wednesday.

Ridwan considers West Java as offering a better chance of winning than the capital city, according to Ace Hasan Syadzily, head of Golkar's West Java chapter.

Thresa Sandra Desfika, Jakarta – The geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have significantly impacted the Indonesian stock market (IDX), causing the Jakarta Composite Index to decline from its pre-Eid level of 7,286 to 7,164 after Eid, and further down to 7,083 by the close of trading on Tuesday.

Grace Sihombing and Faris Mokhtar – Indonesia's President-elect Prabowo Subianto is setting his sights on becoming the world's fastest-growing economy early in his term, with more aggressive spending to achieve food and energy self-sufficiency.

Ahmad Shoim, Surabaya – The Surabaya City Police have arrested a 24-year-old woman identified as YY, from Ogan Komering Ulu, South Sumatra, along with six accomplices. They were apprehended for coercing four underage girls into prostitution in Surabaya, East Java.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has been witnessing a positive trade balance for four years in a row, with India being the biggest contributor to the surplus in April, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) on Wednesday.

Jakarta – Indonesia is set to pass revisions to constitutional court rules, ushering changes that legal experts said could threaten the independence of the judiciary in the world's third-largest democracy.

Riyad Dafhi Rizki, Kambiayin, Indonesia – Eka Karlina repeats a mantra to her Dayak Pitap ancestors as she runs her fingers through the soil, combing the field in Kambiayin village for weeds.

Teguh Adi Prasetyo, Jakarta – Jakarta will likely continue to drive Indonesia's economy despite the capital relocation to Nusantara, according to analyst Josua Pardede.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Preliminary data from Bank Indonesia (BI) point to just a slight rise in retail sales last month even as consumer confidence jumped by a respectable margin.

Jakarta – A public opinion survey conducted by Indikator Politik Indonesia has found that an overwhelming majority of respondents were satisfied with the National Police in managing mudik (exodus) traffic over Idul Fitri this year.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – While deindustrialization in Indonesia remains a matter of debate, the recent closure of shoe manufacturer PT Sepatu Bata's only factory in the country has sparked new concerns. The government has assured that Indonesia's manufacturing industry is still healthy.

Defara Dhanya Paramitha, Jakarta – Chairman of the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI) Herik Kurniawan asked the entire press community to reject the revision plan of the Broadcasting Law.

The provisions under the regulation are considered a threat to freedom of the press and are feared to become a tool to silence press freedom.

Jakarta – The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy believes that the Draft Broadcasting Law (RUU Penyiaran) contains several provisions that indicate there is a systematic effort to undermine democracy and press freedom.

Jakarta – Forum of Concerned Citizens for Indonesia's Parliament (Formappi) researcher Lucius Karus believes that the House of Representatives (DPR) is seeking to diminish the role of the Constitutional Court (MK) through revisions to the Constitutional Court Law, which are now only waiting to be enacted at a DPR plenary meeting.

On the afternoon of Friday May 10, artists from the Musicians Coalition for Gaza initiated a solidarity action for the Palestinian people by setting up a tent encampment in front of the United States Embassy in Central Jakarta.

Yerica Lai, Jakarta – An aide of Prabowo Subianto claimed on Tuesday that the president-elect had not started discussions with his coalition members about the composition of his incoming cabinet because he was still focusing on ensuring that his campaign promises could be fulfilled during his presidency.

Jakarta – The death toll from weekend flash floods and mud slides in West Sumatra province rose to 62 on Wednesday, authorities said, while rescuers were searching areas near rivers for 25 people who are still missing.

Officials said some of those earlier unaccounted for were found dead during the day, which lifted the toll from 58 reported in the morning.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Funding from the New Zealand government is helping Indigenous farmers in Indonesian Borneo improve their livelihoods while protecting their ancestral forests.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – Flooding due to the Krueng Kulu and Krueng Tadu Rivers overflow in Nagan Raya Regency, Aceh, has gradually receded.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi revealed that several National Strategic Projects or PSNs in the transportation sector could not be completed in 2024, or at the end of President Joko Widodo or Jokowi's term of office. Meaning, the projects will be completed during the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka (Prabowo-Gibran) government.

Jakarta – Indonesia's plastic waste management policy needs an honest and comprehensive evaluation. When handling plastic and all the associated hazards, it is not enough to simply rely on the empty slogan of "3R" – reduce, reuse, recycle, as proclaimed by the government.

Jakarta – Once again, our economic momentum has been saved by private consumption, as the country's latest GDP report shows.

Jakarta – The number of people killed by flash floods and mud slides in West Sumatra province has risen to 52 and more than 3,000 people were evacuated, authorities said on Tuesday.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is opposing any moves by President-elect Prabowo Subianto's incoming administration to form a larger Cabinet with new state ministries.

Enggi Holt, Jakarta – Once again, the Indonesian government has trotted out the prospect of changes to the country's citizenship laws as an enticement to the diaspora community to return to Indonesia.

Jakarta – The oil and gas sectors will continue to play a vital role while the world strives to transition to clean energy to achieve the Net-Zero Emissions target, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif stated.

Hariz Baharudin, Jakarta – More Singapore companies are seeking help to enter and grow their business in Indonesia, attracted by the large market size and up-and-coming sectors in South-east Asia's largest economy.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – A deadly bus accident that killed nearly a dozen children on a study tour to Subang in West Java has led experts to call on the government to impose stricter safety measures for buses and transportation providers to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Syafiq Hasyim – Iran's missile and drone attack against Israel in retaliation against the 1 April air strike on an Iranian consulate building in Damascus has drawn mixed reactions among Indonesia's Muslim leaders. The theological divide, however, will limit Indonesian solidarity with Iran.

Irfan Maulana, Jakarta – Civil society organizations in Indonesia staged protests in late April to raise awareness of a planned nuclear plant near Pontianak, capital of West Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo.

Radhiyya Indra and Alifia Sekar, Jakarta – For many of the victims and families affected by the bloody riots in May 1998, the hope for "closure" has slowly eroded with every passing year and every subsequent administration that has promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Antara, Karawang – Chinese electric two-wheeler manufacturer Yadea on Monday has officially started constructing its electric motorcycle factory in the Suryacipta Industrial Area, Karawang Regency, West Java. The Yadea Technology Indonesia factory will have a production capacity of 3 million electric motorcycles per year.

Wijayanti Putri, Hendro Dahlan Situmorang, Dian Aprilianingrum, Jakarta – The issue of single tuition fees (UKT) has become a growing concern among students enrolled in state universities (PTNBH) nationwide.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – The incoming government needs to think of ways to make sure to provide subsidies for university students who cannot afford their tuition, according to former East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa.

Teguh Adi Prasetyo, Jakarta – The government has classified 15 mineral smelting facilities with a total investment of Rp 248.75 trillion ($15.5 billion) as national strategic projects, Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto announced on Tuesday.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – The limited amount of government financial subsidies to state universities is the main reason for the recent hike in tuition fees, according to the chancellor of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in an interview on Tuesday.

Aryo Putranto Saptohutomo, Jakarta – The Draft Broadcasting Bill (RUU Penyiaran) will prohibit Subscription-Based Broadcasting Institutions (LPB) from distributing content that endangers the interests of the state as well as content that presents lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) behaviour.

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – The Press Council has declared its rejection of revisions to Law Number 32/2003 on Broadcasting that is currently being deliberated by the House of Representatives (DPR).

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – President-Elect Prabowo Subianto looked somewhat agitated when questioned about alleged human rights abuses by the Indonesian Military in Papua during an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera aired on Monday.

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jakarta – GP Ansor, the youth arm of the Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama, is planning to gather all of its diasporas spread across 20 countries.

Addin Jauharudin, the chair of GP Ansor's executive board, is hoping that this gathering will motivate the diasporas to innovate for Indonesia.

Aryo Putranto Saptohutomo, Jakarta – President elect Prabowo Subianto has dismissed concerns by many parties about his leadership of the next administration related to his track record while still serving in the TNI (Indonesian military).

Ilona, Vindry Florentin, Jakarta – Several economists have criticized the government's plan to allow religious civil organizations to manage mining.

Riani Sanusi Putri and Agung Sedayu – Hundreds of companies, some of which are certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO), have planted more than 3 million hectares of illegal oil palm in forest areas.