Heru Andriyanto, Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – President-elect Prabowo Subianto visited National Democratic Party (Nasdem) Chairman Surya Paloh on Friday to extend respect and offer collaboration with his future government.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno confirmed on Friday that he won't leave the Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP), which failed to secure a seat in the House of Representatives for the first time since its inception.

Henry Storey – Australia's undercooked economic relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was naturally a focal point of discussion during the ASEAN – Australia Special Summit in early March.

Here, there is perhaps no greater reminder of Australia's economic shortcomings than its underdone trade relationship with Indonesia.

Kiki Siregar, Jakarta – Indonesia's current ruling party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), scored a historic hat-trick in the country's latest legislative election, winning the most votes for the third time in a row.

Rachel Chan, Singapore – A set of agreements between Singapore and Indonesia – dealing with air space management, defence and extradition – entered into force on Thursday (Mar 21), signalling a "major milestone" in bilateral relations, said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Indonesia has revoked three controversial laws on defamation which are often been used against dissenters and rights activists in the Muslim-majority nation.

The Constitutional Court on March 21 stated that Articles 14 and 15 of the Law on Criminal Law Regulation as well as Article 310 of the Criminal Code were unconstitutional and no longer a legally binding force.

Zach Hope and Karuni Rompies – More than 60 refugees are feared starved at sea or drowned while possibly trying to reach Australia by boat.

The wooden vessel was carrying scores of Rohingya, a persecuted ethnic minority in Myanmar, when it capsized on Wednesday near the city of Meulaboh in West Aceh.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Commander General Agus Subiyanto said the upcoming 2024 regional head elections this year are prone to conflict. According to Agus, the potential for conflict in regional elections is greater than in presidential or legislative elections.

Stefani Wijaya and Mita Amalia Hapsari, Jakarta – Following the tragic death of a child due to an accident while chasing the popular "telolet" horn from a Sinar Dempo bus at the Merak Ferry Terminal in Banten, the Traffic Corps of the National Police and the Transportation Ministry are urging buses to refrain from using telolet horns.

Danur Lambang Pristiandaru – Environmental activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan is facing 10 months in prison after being indicted under the Information and Electronic Transaction (ITE) Law.

The chairperson of the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI), Sunarno, has conveyed the importance of trade unions and labor movements in leading the struggle in a period of crisis.

Jakarta – Rescuers called off the search for Rohingya refugees missing at sea after their boat capsized, despite reports from some of the survivors that dozens of people were swept away.

Gratianus Silas, Jayapura – Cenderawasih/XVII Regional Military Commander Major General Izak Pangemanan has spoken out about a video that has gone viral of a Papuan civilian being tortured by rogue TNI (Indonesian military) officers.

Suci Sekarwati, Jakarta – Hassan Mohtashami, UNFPA Indonesia Representative, hopes that teenage pregnancy and child marriage in Indonesia will become a priority concern of the government since it could impact the level of gender equality in Indonesia.

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Demak – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi stated that the Demak flooding was not only triggered by extreme rainfall but also by the degradation of upstream areas due to illicit deforestation and land-use conversion. He made the statement during his visit to the flood-stricken Demak Regency in Central Java today, March 22.

Jakarta – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in a written statement, expressed their deep concern and mobilized support in response to the tragedy when a vessel transporting 151 Rohingya refugees overturned in Aceh, leading to a significant loss of life.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Arifin Tasrif announced that the government officially extended the work agreement with PT Vale Indonesia Tbk. in the form of a special mining business permit (IUPK).

Advist Khoirunikmah (Antara), Jakarta – The Indonesian police headquarters uncovered a case of alleged human trafficking by sending students to Germany for internships through the Fereinjob program. A total of 1,047 students are suspected of being victims of human trafficking.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Cakra Nagara, director of building construction, and directorate general of creative works at the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), admitted that he was worried about the audit by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) over the construction work at the Nusantara Capital City or IKN, for which the ministry received a budget allocation of Rp68 trillion

The Australia West Papua Association condemns the brutal torture of a West Papuan man by Indonesian troops in Yahukimo.

A video of the torture is circulating on social media. The video shows soldiers brutally beating a man as he stands in a barrel of water and slashing him with a knife.

Jayapura, Jubi – The Papua Office of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM Papua) has urged the Papua Police and Yahukimo Police to uncover the perpetrators of murder and rape against two female refugees in Yahukimo, IS and AK, on October 11, 2023. Police must ensure the complete enforcement of the law and hold the perpetrators accountable.

Losing Indonesian presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has filed a legal case at the constitutional court to challenge the outcome of last month's election, won overwhelmingly by defence minister Prabowo Subianto.

Jayapura, Jubi- The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) shot down a helicopter in Baya Biru District, Paniai Regency on Wednesday (20/3/2024), claiming that the helicopter was carrying mining logistics operating in Baya Biru. The mine is suspected to be illegal.

Jakarta – Chairman of the NasDem Party Surya Paloh has responded positively to the election result announced by the General Election Commission (KPU) on Wednesday and congratulated president-elect Prabowo Subianto on winning the race.

Blinken said: "We extend our sincere congratulations to Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto on his victory and once again applaud the Indonesian people for their robust turnout and

Jakarta – Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMI) vice president director Bob Azam has asked the government to formulate an impact mitigation scheme ahead of the planned value-added tax (VAT) hike to 12 percent in 2025.

Agencies, Beijing – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday congratulated Prabowo Subianto on his victory in the presidential election, Beijing's state news agency Xinhua said.

Agencies, Jakarta – Losing presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has asked the Constitutional Court to order an election re-run that exclude President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son from the ticket, his lawyer Ari Yusuf Amir said on Thursday.

Stanley Widianto and Stefanno Sulaiman, Jakarta – Prabowo Subianto pledged on Wednesday to be a president for all Indonesians after official results showed him sweeping last month's election, even as rivals said they would mount legal challenges over the electoral process.

Jakarta – Thanks to the quick count method conducted by independent pollsters, only hours after the Feb. 14 balloting, voters could get a sense of what the final outcome of this year's general election would look like.

Dio Suhenda and Nina A. Loasana, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has won the popular vote in the 2024 legislative election, according to the final General Elections Commission (KPU) vote tally, with the Golkar Party following in a close second.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says he is the first world leader to congratulate president-elect Prabowo Subianto after the official results by the election commission KPU are out.

Andriadi Perdana Putra, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo officially opened the Kapuas I Bridge in Pontianak City, West Kalimantan, on Thursday.

Fito Akhmad Erlangga, Jakarta – Chairman of the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), Surya Paloh, has yet to decide whether his party will align with the new government led by Prabowo Subianto or opt for the opposition.

Ayos Carlos and Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – Lion Air's founder, Rusdi Kirana, responded to the Business Competition Supervisory Commission's (KPPU) warning about the surge in airline ticket prices before the Eid al-Fitr homecoming.

Septia Ryanthie, Jakarta – The conspicuous absence of Gibran Rakabuming Raka during Prabowo Subianto's victory speech, following the announcement of the presidential election results by the KPU on the evening of March 20th, gave rise to speculation concerning the relationship between President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Gerindra Party's patron chief.

Jakarta – Nowadays no nation is free from the threat of climate change. Unpredictable weather, typhoons, floods and inundations happen sporadically around the world. Therefore, disaster preparation and mitigation should be the top policy priority for all nations, including Indonesia.

Zach Hope and Karuni Rompies – Indonesia's election commission has confirmed Prabowo Subianto as the nation's next president, formalising the resounding victory heralded last month in unofficial counts, and stirring in earnest the protests of his defeated rivals who claim widespread fraud.

Jakarta – Outgoing President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has dismissed speculation that he is planning to take over the Golkar Party in a bid to exert political influence once he is out of office after Oct. 20 this year.

Wijayanti Putri, Solo – Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the running mate of president-elect Prabowo Subianto, revealed on Thursday that multiple political parties outside of his coalition had expressed interest in joining the future government.

Wijayanti Putri, Solo – Elected vice president Gibran Rakabuming Raka claimed Thursday that he had received congratulatory messages from many executives of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) which he left when he became a running mate for a rival presidential candidate.

Hamish McDonald – For decades the outside world tried to understand Soeharto, the little-known Indonesian army general who emerged from Jakarta's shadowy putsch attempt of 30 September 1965, seized power from the ailing independence leader Sukarno and obliterated the army's communist opponents by orchestrating mass slaughter.

Jakarta – Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) play a bigger role in the overall economy in Indonesia than they do in any other ASEAN country, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as they account for around 60 percent of GDP and 97 percent of nationwide employment.

Yet they received only 19 percent of bank loans issued in the country last year.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) is worried that the proposed increase in the value-added tax (VAT) rate to 12 percent in 2025 from the current 11 percent could hamper economic growth, affecting both consumer consumption and investment.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – Transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) must be used to enhance global democracy rather than be weaponized for manipulation and disinformation, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi has said, amid criticism of the country's scant national regulations on the issue.

Stefani Wijaya, Jakarta – The National Police will deploy 76,192 personnel to monitor the movement of millions of people who will be traveling for Eid al-Fitr homecoming in 2024.

Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko, Head of the Public Relations Division of the National Police, said 68,969 personnel from other agencies will also join in this effort.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) has opted to keep its benchmark interest rate, known as the BI Rate, unchanged at 6 percent, in line with analysts' projections.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – A Japanese diplomat recently commented on the soaring inflow of Indonesian workers to his country, saying that employers usually find Indonesians hard-working.

Nikkei Asia recently reported that the number of Indonesian workers in Japan had jumped by 192.2 percent in five years to 121,507 people compared to 2018 figures.

Maria Gabrielle & Mohammad Said, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) is set to wrap up the vote tallying process and unveil the nationwide results of the 2024 elections on Wednesday.

Antara, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office has pressed charges against seven suspended members of the Overseas Election Committee (PPLN) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for allegedly falsifying data and voter lists for the 2024 elections.

The seven defendants are facing a six-month prison sentence and a fine of Rp 10 million ($635.5).