Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto has addressed the recent comments from the World Bank regarding the potential impact of the free lunch program on the 2025 State Budget (APBN).

Delfi Neski, Padang – Since Thursday afternoon, Minangkabau International Airport (BIM) in Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra, has been shuttered as a precaution against the dispersion of volcanic ash from Mount Marapi, posing potential flight disruptions.

Antara, Gresik – Mining giant Freeport Indonesia is set to commence the operation of its copper smelting plant in Gresik, East Java, in June, according to Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif on Thursday.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The Headquarters of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) planned to add 22 more regional military commands, known as Kodam, across Indonesia. Thus far, Indonesia has 15 regional military commands in the country's territory.

Antara, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi stated that the construction of the presidential palace in the new capital of Nusantara (IKN) was initiated to ensure that the country would have a presidential building that was not a remnant of colonialism.

Antara, Jakarta – The Central Jakarta Police have decided to mobilize a total of 2,590 joint personnel to ensure the safety and security of a demonstration called 'Aksi Rakyat Geruduk DPR RI', which will be held by various communities in front of the Parliament building today, March 1, 2024.

Riri Rahayu and Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) highlighted a rapid change in Kalimantan's forest areas following the construction project of Indonesia's new capital of Nusantara or IKN on its Earth Observatory page titled "Nusantara: A New Capital City in the Forest".

Icha Rastika, Jakarta – Army Chief of Staff (KSAD) General Maruli Simanjuntak claims that many local people have asked him for new TNI (Indonesian military) post to be established in regions that he has visited.

Jakarta – Protest actions against election fraud took place in several parts of the country on Friday March 1. In the provincial capital of Surabaya, hundreds of people calling themselves the Honest and Fair Election Saviours Forum (FPPJ) held an action in front of the East Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building.

Solo – Hundreds of people took part in a demonstration on Friday March 1 in front of the Solo City Hall in Central Java, which is the office of vice presidential candidate number 02 and Solo Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Alfi Dinilhaq, Jakarta – The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported a 0.37 percent monthly inflation in February. Year-on-year inflation stands at 2.75 percent, and calendar-year inflation is at 0.41 percent, primarily driven by a notable increase in food prices, particularly rice and red chili.

Manggi Habir – The next president of Indonesia will have his work cut out for him on the economic and competitiveness front, even if he continues with many of the existing policies his predecessor will leave behind.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – A senior government official said Friday that Indonesian nickel would always be in demand, dispelling worries that it would lose to lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) batteries.

On 28 February 2024, around 10:30 pm, members of the Indonesian National Army (TNI) command Yonif 330 reportedly shot down the two indigenous Papuans, Selli Maiseni, 17, and Mr Mikalon Yoani, 26, in Titigi Village

Jaja Suteja, Jakarta – The former Governor of West Java, Ridwan Kamil, has clarified that his placement of billboards reading "OTW [on the way] Jakarta" is not an indication of his intention to run for the governorship of the capital city but rather to promote a skincare product.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – The Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) is currently investigating the recent surge in rice prices and the scarcity of rice stocks in traditional markets and retailers. If fraudulent activities are proven, the commission has vowed to pursue legal action.

Antara, Jakarta – Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, the Director-General of Information Applications at the Communication and Informatics Ministry, has revealed that representatives from social media platform X (formerly Twitter) were summoned to address concerns regarding online gambling advertisements on their platform.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is intensifying its efforts to free Susi Air Pilot Captain Philip Mark Mehrtens, a New Zealand national currently held captive by the TPNPB (West Papua National Liberation Army) separatist group.

Jakarta – Police found the remnants of 50 tanks suspected to be used for hoarding fuel in a used oil warehouse that exploded in Bandar Lampung, Lampung province, on Tuesday.

Alfi Dinilhaq, Tangerang – Students at a state junior high school in Tangerang enjoyed a free lunch on Thursday during the trial of the nationwide free meal program initiated by Prabowo Subianto, the projected winner of the Feb. 14 presidential election.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – Kickstarting its month-long presidency at the Conference on Disarmament (CD), the Indonesian delegation has urged the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to ensure that Southeast Asia remains free of nuclear weapons, and called for a more efficient global discourse mechanism on the issue.

Alfina Sekar, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is probing alleged corruption in a 2020 interior design procurement for the official residences of House of Representatives lawmakers.

The antigraft body has identified possible suspects in connection with the case but declined to reveal their identities, citing the ongoing investigation.

Jakarta – Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Hadi Tjahjanto has met with three prominent figures from Nduga regency, Papua Highlands, to discuss the release of the New Zealand hostage and Susi Air pilot Philip Mark Mehrtens.

Tria Dianti, Jakarta – Indonesia's aspirations to join a club of mostly rich democracies will be an uphill task because it has a long way to go to align its governance, anti-corruption, environmental, and other policies with the group's stringent norms, analysts said.

Jakarta – The Southeast Asia's largest economy hopes to attract more investment and trade deals by becoming OECD member.

The statement came after OECD, which has 38 member countries, decided last week to open discussion for Indonesia's accession, following its application last July.

Sentani, Jubi – The traditional Papuan woven bag noken was officially recognized as a world heritage item on December 4, 2012, by UNESCO.

Antara, Jakarta – The Ministry of Public Works and Housing or PUPR Ministry completed 42 dams from 2015 to 2023 out of 61 dam projects targeted by President Joko Widodo or Jokowi as part of national food and water security development.

Antara, Jakarta – The Balikpapan Station of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) detected 39 hotspots spread across East Kalimantan.

The government of Timor-Leste signed the accession protocol to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the culmination of nearly eight years of work, at the 13th WTO ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi this week.

Rizki Dewi Ayu, Antara, Jakarta – The World Bank warned Indonesia to be careful about the budget deficit threshold if the free lunch program initiated by Prabowo-Gibran is implemented.

Yuni Rohmawati, Jakarta – The Indonesian survey agency Indikator Politik Indonesia reported a 2 percent decline in the level of public satisfaction rate with President Joko Widodo or Jokowi's performance. What caused it?

Amelia Rahima Sari, Antara, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi inaugurated the PT Kaltim Ammonium Nitrat (KAN) factory in Bontang City, East Kalimantan today, February 29. The factory produces ammonium nitrate, the raw material for explosives and NPK fertilizer, with a capacity of about 75,000 tons per year.

However, the Commander did not explain in detail the date of deployment, including whether it's parallel to t

Stefani Wijaya, Jakarta – The National Police said Thursday they have brought criminal charges against seven election officials who are alleged to have tampered with voters' data when organizing the poll for Indonesian nationals in Kuala Lumpur.

Jakarta – Golkar Party Deputy Chairperson Melchias Markus Mekeng says he supports Indonesia's second president Suharto being made a national hero.

Mekeng made the statement after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo awarded Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto with the honorary rank of four-star general on Wednesday February 28.

Jakarta – The 807th Kamisan (Thursday) action, which was held in front of the Merdeka Palace on Thursday February 29, also touched on the issue of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo giving an honorary rank of four-star general to Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto yesterday, Wednesday February 28.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – In a landmark decision on Thursday, the Constitutional Court ruled against the appointment of executives from any political party to the position of the attorney general.

The court argued that this prohibition is essential to safeguard the independence of the attorney general's office from political influence.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – The government had increased this year's rice import quota by 1.6 million tonnes to bolster the nation's reserves, the National Food Agency (Bapanas) announced on Monday.

Jakarta – Landslides hit a section of road connecting Luwu regency and Palopo city in South Sulawesi on Monday, trapping at least 23 people with five victims found dead.

Amson Pandolo, the head of the South Sulawesi Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), said the cause of the landslide was heavy rain and unstable soil conditions.

Dewi Kurniawati and Heru Asprihanto, Jakarta – In the afternoon sun, dozens of Indonesians, mostly women, gather in a snaking queue to buy bags of subsidized rice, their arms poking through a metal gate to grab tickets assuring them a spot to make a purchase.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – As the electoral dust settles and Prabowo Subianto looks certain to win the presidency, the focus has now shifted to the intricate process of coalition-building. The public is anticipating Prabowo's next move to consolidate power before he takes over from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in October.

Jakarta – Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka ran an electoral campaign that focused heavily on a single issue, and so it is only fair that now, as preliminary results point to their victory, the public scrutinizes their proposals.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Government projections point to a sharp increase in the budget deficit this year amid massive spending on social aid and subsidies.

Daisuke Kawakami, Tokyo – Chinese ships continue to appear in Indonesia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around the Natuna Islands in the northern part of the country in the South China Sea, where China is continuing its maritime expansion.

Jayapura, Jubi – The Ndugama Derakma Command of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has confirmed the death of one of its members in a shooting between TPNPB and security forces at Kali Brasa, Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Mountainous Papua Province, last Thursday (22/2/2024).

Jakarta – The Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) has issued a fatwa urging the House of Representatives to fast-track legislation to mitigate the ongoing climate crisis.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas announced on Friday a plan to expand marriage registration services at local religious affairs offices (KUAs) to accommodate people of all faiths, not just Islam.

Jakarta – Social security agency BPJS Ketenagakerjaan recently handed compensation money to the families of 44 poll workers who died during their course of duty.

The state insurer also compensated poll workers who got into accidents while on duty.

Harry Hadley – Since 2016 Selamat Datang has fostered safe environments for LGBTQIA+ Indonesians to meet in Sydney as well as providing them visibility through its entries in the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade.

One of the most enticing aspects of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is the bridges that it builds within the LGBTQIA+ community.

Jakarta – TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto formed the Habema Operations Command (Koops) to synergize operational patterns of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) and National Police (Polri) in handling conflicts in several areas in Papua.