Subel Rai Bhandari, Atauro Island, Timor-Leste – Donning a weathered diving mask, Manuel Gamboa comes ashore after four hours in the sea, visibly weary from the early morning catch with a dozen young Timorese fishers.

Han Revanda Putra, Jakarta – A legal expert Herdiansyah Hamzah called upon the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) to investigate the report of the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) that suggests money laundering may have been involved in the campaign funds for the 2024 election.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – Constitutional law expert Zainal Arifin Mochtar questioned the ratio legis or reasons behind the bill on the special region of Jakarta (RUU DKJ), which allows the vice president to head the agglomeration area of Jakarta.

Antara, Jakarta – Gielbran Muhammad Noor, the chairman of the Gadjah Mada University's (UGM) Student Executive Board (BEM), has been in the public spotlight after criticizing President Joko Widodo or Jokowi.

Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – Representatives from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) visited Indonesia's new capital city Nusantara or IKN. The visit was aimed at reviewing the vision of sustainable development in the area.

Yuni Rohmawati, Jakarta – The National Police planned to dispatch a total of 129,923 personnel to secure for Christmas and New Year 2024 through the annual operation called Operasi Lilin or candle operation. Police spokesperson Inspector General Sandi Nugroho, announced this as he led the briefing of the operation at the police HQ in Jakarta today, Dec. 18, 2023.

Yohana Belinda, Manila – In a film industry marked by the rise of over-the-top (OTT) platforms, Indonesian cinema has leaped into the global spotlight.

Gadis Kretek, one of the most talked about Indonesian series in 2023, highlights the growth of Indonesia's film industry.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – The first round of the 2024 election debates organized by the General Elections Commission (KPU) took place on Tuesday, following the latest survey results that showed nearly 29 percent of the respondents remained undecided about their choice for the Feb. 14 election.

Jakarta – The central government must help the people and government of Aceh deal with the ongoing influx of Rohingya refugees and, if necessary, take over their humanitarian burden. The beleaguered Rohingya, our Southeast Asian neighbors, have fled their homes and shelters to escape systematic ethnic cleansing and seek a better future.

Jakarta – Hundreds of new COVID-19 cases emerged last week in Greater Jakarta as health agencies urged residents to get vaccinated.

Authorities reported on Sunday that there had been an average of 200 cases per day in the city last week while in South Tangerang, Banten, 135 cases were recorded on Saturday.

Jakarta – Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto is once again in hot water for his remarks in defense of his decision to pick President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his vice presidential candidate.

Zahra Matarani, Jakarta – Deep in the slums of Jakarta, a transgender community is using fashion to raise awareness about their lives and the environment in this densely populated, polluted city.

Jakarta – The recent presidential poll conducted by Australia's research company, Roy Morgan, presents Ganjar Pranowo as the clear frontrunner for the February 2024 Indonesian presidential election. This contrasts with the majority of Indonesian pollsters who have identified Prabowo Subianto as the leading candidate.

Basten Gokkon, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has postponed the enforcement of a new fisheries policy that drew little support from fishers and widespread criticism from experts and watchdogs.

Sadrah Tawang Mahari – The Social Movement Institute (SMI) held a Festival of Justice on Sunday December 10 at the Godean Bento Coffee in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta that was initially to be held at the Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University (UIN) Tennis Sports Centre.

Investor Daily, Jakarta – Municipally-owned land transportation company Transportasi Jakarta, or TransJakarta, has acquired 100 electric buses throughout this year and plans to buy more in the coming years.

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – On the second floor of a house in South Jakarta, a worker is busy applying yellow screen-printing ink on a 6 sq m blue flag as big as two queen-size mattresses.

His two colleagues then help him to lift and fold the cloth bearing the name and logo of the NasDem Party, before hanging it for drying.

Mong Palatino – Indonesia's parliament amended the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (ITE law) on December 5 amid the concerns raised by media and civil society groups that it was done without proper public consultation and that the revisions did not reflect the demand to remove the law's repressive provisions.

Nivell Rayda, Lhokseumawe, Indonesia – For two weeks, Mr Mohammad Ershad, his wife and two sons were crammed inside the hull of a wooden fishing boat with 218 others.

To avoid detection by the authorities, the Rohingyas were told by people smugglers to stay below deck for the majority of their 1,800km journey across the treacherous Andaman Sea from Bangladesh to Indonesia.

Antara, Jakarta – The Jakarta Health Service recorded 200 positive cases per day of COVID-19 in the capital city this week.

Antara, Jakarta – China was Indonesia's largest non-oil and gas export destination in November 2023, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).

Antara, Jakarta – The Nusantara Capital City Authority (OIKN) informed on Friday that the third phase of project groundbreakings at the new national capital city Nusantara (IKN) in East Kalimantan will be carried out on December 20 and 21, 2023.

Antara, Jakarta – A total of 328 letters of intent (LoIs) have been submitted by business actors looking to invest in the new capital city Nusantara (IKN), the Nusantara Capital City Authority (OIKN) has informed.

Antara, Jakarta – The Government of the United Kingdom has decided to participate in developing the Surabaya Regional Railway Line (SRRL), East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa stated.

Antara, Jakarta – Japan has committed to continue funding for the expansion of the Jakarta mass rapid transit (MRT) east-west line project, whose groundbreaking is slated for August 2024, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi informed on Saturday, December 16, 2023.

Yuni Rohmawati, Jakarta – The Health Ministry's Director of Health Quarantine Surveillance at Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) Achmad Farchanny Tri Adryanto said that COVID-19 cases in Indonesia continue to increase. Until December 13, the ministry recorded 6,815,894 cases with 161,927 deaths.

Henry Kissinger died as the war on Gaza was building to apocalyptic heights. Did he ever regret his own role in Middle East power politics and his diplomatic efforts which cemented in Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank?

Jakarta – Thousands of people held a Defend Palestine action in front of the United States Embassy on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta on Sunday morning, December 17.

The majority of the protesters who attended brought Palestine and Indonesian flags. They also wore headbands with the writing "Save Palestine".

Bagus Pribadi, Jakarta – The Labor Party and the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) expressed their support towards workers who recently staged massive demonstrations to reject the increase in the provincial minimum wage or UMP 2024, which they deemed insufficient to meet their daily needs.

Moh. Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati assessed that ASEAN and G20 countries continue to experience weak economic growth. In Argentina, for example, uncertainty remains over the new government's steps to stabilize and address the economic crisis.

Jakarta – It is that time of the year again. The time of watery weather and all that it induces: seasonal illnesses and natural disasters like flooding and landslides, the usual suspects.

But it is also the holiday season. Christmas is around the corner, and New Year will come after.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi, responded to presidential candidate number 1 Anies Baswedan's criticism regarding Indonesia's declining democracy voiced during the first presidential debate on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.

Robin McKie – It was one of the most sensational science stories of 2023. Researchers claimed last month that the Gunung Padang site in West Java, Indonesia, is the world's most ancient pyramid and could be more than 25,000 years old.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – The Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) anticipates that palm oil production in Indonesia and Malaysia, major contributors to the global market, will plateau at approximately 70 million tons from 2024 onwards. The primary factors attributed to this forecast are environmental considerations and the escalating production cost.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – An ex-ally of presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has leveled accusations of cronyism against him during his tenure as the governor of Jakarta.

Jakarta – Syarifah Fadlun, wife of firebrand cleric Rizieq Syihab, passed away on Saturday after a prolonged battle with illness.

According to family representatives, she had been grappling with multiple health complications over recent months, necessitating several hospital admissions.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto shared an evocative moment with Ginandjar Kartasasmita, a former minister in President Soeharto's era, during a rally in Bogor, West Java on Saturday.

Made Supriatma – The first debate among the three presidential candidates for 2024 underscores a shift in tenor in Indonesia's politics. Whether this more amicable front lasts as campaign season wears on will depend on the ratings game.

Moh Khory Alfarizi, Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – The Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) responded to the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 79/2023. The new regulation revises Presidential Decree No. 55/2019 on the Acceleration of the Battery-Based Electric Motor Vehicle Program for Road Transportation.

Al Jazeera, X, Arab News, Jakarta – The Istiqlal Mosque in Gaza, built by the Indonesian government, has been completely by the Israeli attack. A Palestinian news agency Quds Network posted a photo of the destroyed mosque building on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Asian Development Bank, or ADB, is currently in talks to help finance up to $600 million for the expansion of Jakarta's mass rapid transit (MRT) project.

Jakarta – Indonesia sustained its trade surplus in November, marking the 43rd consecutive month of positive trade, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported on Friday.

In November, the country's trade balance reflected a surplus of $2.41 billion. However, exports witnessed a decline, totaling $22 billion, down by 8.56 percent year-on-year.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – Human rights defenders have slammed the presidential candidates for lacking to provide concrete policies to address Indonesia's human rights problems, including the conflicts in Papua and the long-standing culture of police impunity in the country, during the first election debate earlier this week.

Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has encouraged the government to attract more skilled expatriates to work in the country, hoping this can spur advanced and high-tech jobs that could end up boosting the economy. However, some experts pointed out that an increment in foreign workers should not neglect local workforce absorption.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – The Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ministry has issued a stern warning to video-streaming platform TikTok, demanding compliance with rules that prohibit social media platforms from offering e-commerce transactions.

Shinta Maharani, Tempo.co, Jakarta – A researcher from Human Rights Watch Andreas Harsono claimed that the circular letter of the Dean of Engineering Faculty of Universitas Gadjah Mada or UGM in Yogyakarta banning Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) from campus is discriminatory and a trigger for persecution.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – Indonesia is expected to see the lowest investment realization in renewable energy projects in six years, despite the country's aim to decarbonize its electricity sector, which experts suggest it is partly because of a lack of discussion to resolve structural and financial barriers in the sector.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi said that he plans to deliver social assistance to Indonesian citizens until June 2024 if the State Budget allows for it.

Antara, Jakarta – Presidential candidate number 3 Ganjar Pranowo promised to evaluate the Job Creation Law if elected as the next president of Indonesia in the upcoming general elections.

Moh Khory Alfarizi, Andika Dwi, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud Md explained that Indonesia is only temporarily sheltering Rohingya refugees since the country is following humanitarian principles under its constitution.