Yohana Belinda, Jakarta – Industry players are pressing for legal action against a recent hike to the entertainment tax, arguing that it will hinder their businesses and allow illegal activities to thrive.

Jakarta – The Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister reported that the personal Instagram account belonging to coordinating security affairs minister and vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD had been recovered following a hacking incident.

Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) convened a crucial meeting on Wednesday evening with all three presidential candidates and their running mates to pursue their unwavering commitment to combating corruption.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Wednesday that the future capital, Nusantara, will have other places of worship, as the city began construction on a mosque worth Rp 940 billion or around $60 million.

Resty Woro Yuniar – Indonesia's support for South Africa's case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians has been called into question due to its dark history during the mass killings in the mid-1960s and the East Timor genocide in the 1970s.

Zulkarnaini, Jakarta – A grouping of national figures have expressed concerns about the ongoing election process and say they have observed attempts to use excessive power to achieve further power.

Ardi Bayage, Jayapura – The public prosecutor (JPU) has demanded a two year prison sentence for West Papua National Committee (KNPB) General Chairperson Agus Kossey and an eight month sentence for Numbay regency KNPB Secretary Benny Murib less time already served in jail.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – The Foreign Ministry has assembled a team of experts to help formulate Indonesia's arguments in an International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory case that seeks to hold Israel accountable for its "policies and practices" in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Antara, Jakarta – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that at least 458 houses in Pangkalpinang City, Bangka Belitung Province were submerged in floodwaters ranging from 20 to 30 centimeters.

Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra, Jakarta – Presidential candidate number 1 Anies Baswedan promises to transform Sorong in Southwest Papua into an agro-maritime city. The statement was relayed during his time in Sorong on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – The government has prepared incentives for businesses opposing the increase of entertainment tax. The government has recently imposed taxes of up to 75 percent on nightclubs, spa facilities, karaoke houses, and bars.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) has decided to keep the BI 7-Day Reverse Repo Rate (BI7DRR) at 6 percent, as the inflation rate cools down to 2.61 percent, the lowest in the last 20 years.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – Drawing inspiration from the vibrant markets in Thailand, Tanah Abang Market in Jakarta has unveiled a new concept "Little Bangkok" to attract customers back to offline shopping.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – Indonesia is planning to slash the targeted share of renewables in the national energy mix, a move seen by experts as a step back in the country's ambition toward clean energy, while signaling its light-hearted attempt to part ways with fossil fuels.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – As the simultaneous presidential and legislative elections on Feb. 14 get nearer, more young people are volunteering as poll administrators (KPPS) to ease the burden of older volunteers in the light of the deaths of hundreds of poll workers in the previous elections in 2019.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Secretary General of the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA) Dewi Kartika reported rampant cases of violence, intimidation, and arrests of agrarian defenders in agrarian conflicts throughout 2023. According to the data, there were 508 people arrested, comprising 490 males and 18 females.

Nina A. Loasana, Jakarta – Jakarta's traffic was worse in 2023 than in the year before, even as its global traffic ranking improved slightly as measured by Dutch navigation firm TomTom.

The company's annual report ranked Jakarta as the world's 30th-most-congested city, down one place from 2022 when it placed 29th.

Fuad Iqbal Abdullah, Balikpapan – The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) is recruiting crocodile handlers for Indonesia's new capital project, Nusantara, in East Kalimantan. Nusantara is situated near Balikpapan Bay, which is a saltwater crocodile habitat.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – Indonesia is aiming to have 15 oil and gas projects come on stream this year, as the country eyes more investment in the sector.

Jakarta – Indonesian authorities should immediately stop all pushbacks of boats carrying ethnic Rohingya refugees, and investigate and end all assaults on refugees, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should allow them to disembark in the nearest safe port, provide protection and humanitarian assistance, and investigate online incitement of violence against them.

In the 2019 general elections, Indonesian voters elected 118 women to the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR). Although an increase from 2014, when just 97 women were elected, women still only account for 21 per cent of the 575-member parliament.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Indonesia saw last year's exports drop 11.33 percent year-on-year (yoy), according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, as the world economy weakened on top of lower demands and prices for the country's main export commodities, coal and crude palm oil (CPO).

Medan – Defense Minister and 2024 presidential election frontrunner Prabowo Subianto promoted Medan mayor Bobby Nasution, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son-in-law, for the North Sumatra gubernatorial position during a campaign event in the city on Saturday.

Indonesia's holiday island, Bali, is rolling out its new tourist tax as part of an effort to tackle its biggest problems –- traffic and rubbish.

From February 14, visitors to Bali will have to pay the 150,000 Indonesian rupiah tax – about US$9.60. That's in addition to the 500,000 rupiah charge for a 30-day visa.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – The State Palace denied reports that President Joko Widodo or Jokowi would appoint millions of civil apparatus if his eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Prabowo Subianto's running mate, won in the upcoming presidential election. The vow was first revealed by the Regional Secretary of the Takalar Government, South Sulawesi Province, Muhammad Hasbi.

New vehicle sales in Indonesia declined by 19% to 85,284 units in December 2023 from 105,354 units a year earlier, according to member wholesale data compiled by local automotive industry association Gaikindo.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani responded to the request by civil society's request through Petisi 100 or Petition 100 to impeach President Joko Widodo or Jokowi for allegedly practicing nepotism in the Constitutional Court and intervening in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The giant sea wall is a false solution to the climate crisis and accelerates the ecological degradation of the land and waters of Java Island.

Moh. Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – A hacker group reportedly accessed sensitive data belonging to state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI). This was first reported by an account of social media X (formerly Twitter) under the username @TodayCyberNews on Sunday, January 14.

Savero Aristia Wienanto, Jakarta – Notable artist Butet Kartaredjasa criticized the Jakarta government's decision to raise the rent of art and performance halls in the capital as stipulated in the Jakarta Regional Regulation No. 1 of 2024 concerning Regional Taxes and Levies.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Migrant Workers' Protection Agency (BP2MI) gave a strong warning to the Indonesian Migrant Workers Placement Agencies (P3MI) that are still overcharging Indonesian migrant workers to work abroad.

Adinda Jasmine, Yohanes Maharso Joharsoyo, Jakarta – Two train accidents occurred in Indonesia within the first two weeks of 2024. The latest one was the derailment of the Pandalungan (75A) Train serving the Gambir – Surabaya – Jember route at the Tanggulangin Station area, Sidoarjo, East Java, on Sunday, Jan. 14.

Istiqomatul Hayati, Jakarta – Viral videotrons in support of Anies Baswedan by Anies Bubble and Olppaemi Project were taken down by the regional governments on Monday, January 15.

Tempo.Co, Jakarta – The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) is allocating Rp186.9 trillion for this year's energy subsidy budget. Minister Arifin Tasrif said the budget Rp113.3 trillion is allocated for subsidizing fuel oil and LPG, and Rp73.6 trillion goes for electricity subsidies.

Daniel A. Fajri, Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The Coordinator of Presidential Special Staff Ari Dwipayana said President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is unbothered by the rising issue of impeachment.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – Investments in Indonesia's energy and mineral resources sector increased by 11%, reaching $30.3 billion (Rp 471 trillion), compared to the $27 billion investment reported in 2022. Meanwhile, the renewable energy mix continues to grow but is still far from its intended target for 2025.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is set to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for a series of projects, including a mosque and a memorial park, in Indonesia's new capital Nusantara on Wednesday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi is scheduled to speak against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory at the International Court of Justice – also known as ICJ – next month.

Jakarta – Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan says he is optimistic about winning the upcoming election, saying that people are becoming more aware of the need for change.

Totok Wijayanto – Today, on Monday January 15, the group Indonesian Philanthropy Youth (FMI) held a solidarity action in front of the US Embassy in Central Jakarta to condemn Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in Palestine.

Yustinus Paat & Maria Fatima Bona, Jakarta – Senior politician Maruarar Sirait officially parted ways with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) on Monday, declaring his allegiance to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Tegal – At least six people died and eight others were hospitalized after a karaoke house caught fire in the Central Java town of Tegal on Monday.

All the victims are employees of the New Orange Karaoke House located on Veteran Street.

The deceased were allegedly exposed to carbon monoxide as the fire engulfed the three-story building, a local official said.

Jakarta – Indonesia reached an electrification rate of 99.78 percent in 2023, coming close to the government's target of achieving 100 percent access to electricity for all households.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia witnessed a dramatic surge in rice imports, reaching 3.06 million tons in 2023. The figure represents a remarkable 613 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released on Monday.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) held a theatrical action in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) red-and-white building in South Jakarta on Monday January 15 to mark the four years that bribery suspect Harun Masiku has been on the run.

Jakarta – Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has pointed to the significance of the food estate program in improving food security, saying it serves as a strategic solution to address persistent challenges in the food and agriculture sectors.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – Anyone looking for a clue about the direction of Indonesia's defense and foreign policy in the next administration would have been utterly disappointed when these issues were brought into the spotlight in Sunday's presidential debate.

Jakarta – The sentencing of disgraced former taxman Rafael Alun Trisambodo to 14 years in prison by the Jakarta Corruption Court hopes to bring an end to one of the most eye-opening legal sagas to occur in recent years.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Monday that Vietnam could be more prosperous than Indonesia if Jakarta failed to invest in its human capital.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia is taking note of China's strategy of ramping up its human capital and research development for greater economic growth.