Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – April was the hottest month year-on-year (yoy) as the country's weather agency recorded an increase of nearly 1 degree Celsius last month, the highest temperature anomaly observed in any Aprils the past four decades.

Stefani Wijaya, Jakarta – The National Police have arrested 142 suspects in a major crackdown on gambling websites over the past two weeks.

The extensive arrests were made as part of an ongoing investigation into 115 separate online gambling cases, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko said on Wednesday.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia's Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly discussed bolstering bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Australia during a meeting with Australia's Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security Clare O'Neil.

Jakarta – Indonesia's largest deforesting company has continued to clear peatland despite an order by the government for the firm to stop clearing rainforests. The company in question is pulpwood producer PT Mayawana Persada.

Jakarta – The surreptitious purchase of surveillance devices is a threat to democracy and people's rights to privacy. It is also prone to embezzlement and abuse.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – The Jakarta Traffic Police revealed on Thursday that most of the VIP license plates used by motorists in the capital city are fake.

Police recently issued the exclusive identifier "ZZ" for license plates reserved for high-ranking state officials, replacing the previous identifiers "RF" and "QH" which have been misused by private vehicle owners.

Tempo.Co, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) investigation team named former North Maluku governor Abdul Ghani Kasuba as a suspect in the alleged money laundering case worth up to Rp100 billion. KPK spokesman Ali Fikri said investigators had found enough evidence to support allegations that Abdul Ghani laundered money during his tenure as governor.

Tempo.Co, Jakarta – Shinta Kamdani, chair of the Indonesian Employers Association or Apindo, said the closure of footwear manufacturer PT Sepatu Bata Tbk (BATA) was due to declining demand from exporters. Commenting on the closure, Shinta said that labor-intensive industries in Indonesia were becoming increasingly difficult.

Teguh Suprayitno, Sepintun, Indonesia – Past generations of Dahwas's family lived off the food and fuel growing all around them, traversing Sumatra's forest unobstructed whenever cultural norms required the seminomadic Suku Anak Dalam people to seek out a fresh location.

Indonesia's top court has acquitted an indigenous Catholic farmer who was jailed for "encroaching" on a piece of land declared as a tourist park.

Fifty-seven-year-old Mikael Ane from the Ngkiong indigenous community in East Manggarai Regency in East Nusa Tenggara province was acquitted by the Supreme Court on May 8.

Jakarta – Elon Musk's Starlink satellite company has been granted business licences to operate in Indonesia, a senior communication and information ministry official said Thursday.

Starlink's network of low Earth orbit satellites can provide internet to remote locations or areas that have had normal communications infrastructure disabled.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – The political parties that formed the coalition supporting Prabowo Subianto's bid for the presidency are set to reunite for the upcoming Jakarta gubernatorial election, a senior politician said on Thursday.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has not yet reached a decision on its stance following the presidential election defeat, a senior party official said on Tuesday.

According to PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto, the crucial decision rests solely with Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Vinnilya, Jakarta – Despite Indonesia's robust economic growth, Chief Economist at Mirae Asset Sekuritas, Rully Arya Wisnubroto, cautioned the government about the declining trend in consumer purchasing power in the last two quarters.

Indah Handayani, Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves dropped from $140.4 billion in March to $136.2 billion the following month, according to Bank Indonesia.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The recent Israeli assault on Rafah has sparked strong international condemnation, including from Indonesia, which has been a staunch supporter of Palestine.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry issued Indonesia's stance regarding the assault on Tuesday night, demanding the UN's decision-making body to take action.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, commonly known as SBY, is prepared to meet his predecessor Megawati Soekarnoputri at a mutually convenient time and place, according to an aide on Tuesday.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Jakarta – A court revealed that the former Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) utilized the government's budget to cover the expenses of his qurban, a sacrificial act of worship and charity in Islam. Syahrul also used the ministry's budget to buy a Rp 200 million ($12,460) painting.

Nida Sahara, Harso Kurniawan, Jakarta – Teachers and students are among the most affected groups when it comes to defaulting on online loans, also known as peer-to-peer lending (P2P lending).

Jakarta – Last week, senior cabinet minister Luhut Pandjaitan dangled a very enticing carrot in front of a very specific audience at the Microsoft Build: AI Day event, just ahead of the politician's meeting with the software giant's CEO, Satya Nadella, who was visiting Jakarta with plans to invest in the country.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is in the process of passing a regulation to establish the Indonesia Tourism Fund (ITF). The fund will be used to support various major tourism events that can create multiplier effects, such as music concerts.

Jakarta – Former coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister Mahfud MD has criticized the proposal by politicians within the coalition of president-elect Prabowo Subianto to increase the number of ministries in the upcoming administration, saying that it could lead to more corruption.

Jakarta – President-elect and current Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto officially kicked off on Tuesday the construction work for a project in East Jakarta to build a replica of the palace of the historic Javanese kingdom of Majapahit.

Didik Fibrianto, Blitar – The Blitar Immigration Office in East Java has arrested two Pakistani nationals for forcibly soliciting donations for Palestine from Blitar residents.

Jakarta – Indonesia's President-elect Prabowo Subianto is said to be contemplating a significantly bigger Cabinet with the expansion of ministries in his upcoming administration, according to reports by the local media.

A'an Suryana – The absence of identity politics in Indonesia's February presidential polls points to the recognition that this factor can be a double-edged sword, especially when wooing a younger electorate that is savvy on social media and seemingly less susceptible to manipulation.

Falahi Mubarok, Yogi Eka Sahputra, Pulau Seribu, Indonesia – Mustaghfirin unmoors his boat every day in the Thousand Islands archipelago, two hours' sailing from the Jakarta coast, and sets off into a sea filled with garbage.

Jakarta – The OJK releases a new regulation obliging banks to increase their capital. This anticipates a threat to the banking sector as a result of volatile geopolitics.

Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia is urging the police to release a number of high-school students who were arrested for wearing Morning Star independence flag attributes during a parade in Nabire, Central Papua.

Resty Woro Yuniar – Indonesia's rights groups are calling for transparency from the government after a new investigation accused the nation's law enforcement agencies of purchasing "highly invasive spyware" from multiple nations, including Israel, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Austrian companies have shown huge interest in investing in Indonesia's new capital Nusantara, according to its envoy on Wednesday.

Pribadi Wicaksono, Jakarta – Former vice presidential candidate for the 2024 general elections, Mahfud Md, said that for him, the 2024 election is legally finished.

Arie Firdaus, Jakarta – Indonesia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday it had requested a bigger budget to buy high-tech weapons that can "detect or retaliate" against separatist rebels in Papua who know the region's terrain better.

Faris Mokhtar – In mid-April, executives from foreign business chambers descended upon the home of an Indonesian minister to call for the removal of a new imports rule, a sign of the private sector's increasing consternation over the government's trade policy.

Savero Aristia Wienanto, Jakarta – The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) announced that the free lunch program will start running in 2025. The agency's deputy for Human, Community, and Cultural Development (PMMK), Amich Alhumami, said the government has allocated the budget for President-elect Prabowo Subianto's flagship program.

Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – The Indonesian all-female heavy metal band, Voice of Baceprot or VoB, is set to make history as the first Indonesian musicians ever to perform at the prestigious Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, UK, next month.

Fito Akhmad Erlangga, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo officially inaugurated the Indonesia Digital Test House (IDTH) worth Rp 980 billion ($61 million) on Tuesday. IDTH is a telecommunications device testing laboratory located in Tapos, Depok, West Java.

Elan Suherlan, Alfi Dinilhaq, Antara, Jakarta – Footwear company Sepatu Bata announced last week the closure of its factory in Purwakarta after 30 years of operation due to declining demand and continuous losses over the past four years. As a result, 233 employees lost their jobs.

Wijayanti Putri, Yustinus Paat, Solo – Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka stated that he had no issue with rival presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo's decision not to join the upcoming administration of President-elect Prabowo Subianto.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Four individuals have been named as suspects in a case involving the alleged assault on Catholic students from Pamulang University (Unpam) who were reciting the Rosary prayer in the Babakan area, Cisauk, Tangerang.

Grace el Dora, Jakarta – Indonesia is stepping up its efforts to be removed from the blacklist of countries with poor intellectual property enforcement, known as the Priority Watch List.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detained Sidoarjo Regent Ahmad Muhdlor Ali on Tuesday over allegations that he had illegally cut financial incentives allocated for staff members in the local tax office for personal gain.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Buoyed by elevated domestic consumption during the Islamic festive season and the presidential election, Indonesia's economy again exceeded market expectations as it posted gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 5.11 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the first quarter.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – In a speech on Monday at the National Development Planning Conference (Musrenbangnas), outgoing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo once again called on regional administrations to fall in line with the central government's policies and priorities.

Hendro D Situmorang, Jakarta – The recent high temperatures in Indonesia, according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), are not due to a heatwave like those experienced in Thailand and the Philippines. Instead, they are a result of the seasonal transition.

Jakarta – Indonesia sought to remind leaders of the Islamic world to "remain united in helping Palestine", as the organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened over the weekend to hash out a resolution on the war in Gaza amid revived efforts to advance ties between Israel and Arab nations.

Jakarta – The recent visits of the CEOs of Apple and Microsoft to Indonesia are highly encouraging for the country's business climate and have strengthened its reputation as a thriving and dependable Asian economy as it readies for a change of leadership in October.

Jakarta – The leadership of the National Mandate Party (PAN) has confirmed that the party has nominated a former comedian who currently serves as a lawmaker Eko "Patrio" Hendro Purnomo as a possible candidate for a ministerial position in the incoming Prabowo Subianto administration.

Jakarta – Vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka has hinted that professionals will make up the majority of cabinet ministers under the administration of president-elect Prabowo Subianto, who will be inaugurated on Oct. 20.

Jakarta – Gerindra Party executive Habiburokhman said that adding new ministries to the upcoming administration of party patron and president-elect Prabowo Subianto would be a "good thing" for Indonesia to help address its vast arrays of issues.