Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – Several Indonesian civil society groups have launched a non-partisan movement to ensure that the February 2024 presidential and legislative elections are conducted fairly, amid growing concerns of electoral fraud as campaigning gathers steam.

Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Chairman Firli Bahuri will soon be suspended after police named him a suspect for allegedly blackmailing a graft suspect.

Syamsuddin Haris, a member of the KPK oversight body, said on Thursday his team has sent a letter to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo asking for Firli's removal.

Desty Luthfiani, Jakarta – A group of online taxi drivers in the Greater Jakarta area calling themselves the Revolusi Driver Online demanded an increase in basic fares. The current basic fare for the transportation service at the mobile applications starts from Rp3,000 per kilometer.

The drivers demanded the fare to be raised to Rp5,491 per kilometer.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – The police confiscated evidence in the form of foreign exchange in the case of alleged extortion of Syahrul Yasin Limpo by KPK chief Firli Bahuri. The Jakarta Police's director of special criminal investigation, Sr. Comr. Ade Safri Simanjuntak, said the evidence shows proof of exchanging Singapore dollars and United States dollars.

Antara, Suka Makmue – The Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) of Nagan Raya Regency, Aceh, recorded that 41 villages spread across nine sub-districts were flooded with water levels reaching more than one meter.

Septia Ryanthie, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan criticized Indonesia's new capital or IKN project initiated by President Joko Jokowi Widodo. He assessed that the mega project has the potential to create new inequalities.

Jakarta – Bobby Nasution, mayor of Medan, North Sumatra, has denied allegations of the city laying ceramic tiles at an intersection on Jl. Sudirman, which led to several motorcycle accidents.

"They aren't ceramic tiles. We have explained on official social media accounts of Medan administration and related institutions that they are not tiles," said Bobby.

Jakarta – The presidential campaign team of the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka ticket has acknowledged that artificial intelligence (AI) was deployed in creating images of children pictured in a campaign ad.

Prisma Ardianto, Jakarta – The revision of the electronic transaction and information law gives authorities the power to freeze the bank accounts of suspects during the crackdown on online gambling, a minister said on Wednesday.

Both the government and the House of Representatives have agreed to include such an authority in the revised law.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Russia is offering to work with Indonesia on nuclear power generators while saying that the cooperation can range from possible financing to workforce development.

Jakarta – The recent arrivals of Rohingya refugees fleeing from Myanmar have, surprisingly, been met by opposition from local people in Aceh. On previous occasions, the Acehnese warmly welcomed the Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds, and to a degree in the name of Islamic brotherhood.

It seems the Acehnese welcome has worn thin.

Jakarta – The West Java administration is investigating a case of mass food poisoning in Purwakarta regency in which at least 227 people fell ill.

Jakarta – Many survivors of last year's 5.6-magnitude earthquake in Cianjur, West Java, remain homeless as they prefer to live in emergency tents and shelters despite having received financial assistance to rent temporary homes.

Jakarta – The National Awakening Party (PKB) has appealed for peace and humanitarian action to end the conflict in the Middle East triggered by the Israel-Hamas war.

Chaideer Mahyuddin and Marchio Gorbiano (AFP), Sabang, Aceh/Jakarta – More than 200 Rohingya refugees were huddled on the beaches of Sabang island, Aceh, Wednesday after weeks adrift on a wooden boat, as authorities rejected locals' efforts to push the members of the persecuted Myanmar minority back to sea.

Mehrtens, who was a pilot for Susi Air, was taken hostage by TPNPB fighters in February this year, shortly after landing at a remote airstrip.

A new video circulating on social media shows Mehrtens surrounded by armed men. The video said Mehrtens had been given two months to live before he will be shot dead.

Jayapura, Jubi – Students from Cenderawasih University took a firm stance against the scheduled public lecture by Ganjar Pranowo, one of the presidential candidates.

Their demonstration on Tuesday aimed to challenge the university's decision to host only Ganjar for a lecture without including the other two presidential contenders.

Jayapura, Jubi – Following the incident of a 10-year-old student in Sugapa District's Titigi Village suffering injuries from an explosion on November 9, 2023, the Intan Jaya Students Association (IPMI-J) from Jayapura urged local authorities, the military, and the police to take the matter seriously.

Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – Acting Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono warned his staff members to maintain neutrality as civil servants during the 2024 presidential and legislative elections, saying on Wednesday that a range of sanctions are awaiting those who violate the principle.

Heru said the sanctions varied from written reprimands to removal from office.

Jakarta – Human rights activists and Lokataru Human Rights Foundation director Haris Azhar has emphasised that criminal penalties will not stop the public from criticising unethical practices by the state.

Although he admits that there is no freedom that is absolute, Azhar said that state officials cannot also be allowed to be absolutely free from criticism.

Shardul Sharma – The Timor-Leste government has granted the Sunrise joint venture, comprising state-owned Timor Gap, Australia's Woodside Energy, and Japan's Osaka Gas, the green light to commence work on a concept study for the development of the Greater Sunrise fields, Woodside said via a LinkedIn post on November 22.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Acting Governor of Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono officially announced that Jakarta's 2024 minimum wage is now Rp5,067,381, or a 3.38 percent increase from this year's minimum wage.

Yohanes Maharso Joharsoyo, Jakarta – The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA, locally known as GAPKI) recorded a 29.9 percent surge in processed palm oil export in September to 2,693 tons from 2,073 tons the previous month.

Antara, Jakarta – The Ministry of Health on Tuesday reported that cases of monkeypox (mpox) have been detected in five Indonesian provinces based on the latest count.

The provinces are Jakarta, West Java, Banten, Riau Islands, and East Java.

Jakarta – The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) has ensured that thousands of illegal oil palm companies operating in forest area have been exonerated or legalised thanks to the Omnibus Law on Job Creation.

Toe Pyae Naing – Indonesia is currently facing a critical juncture as tensions in the restive region of West Papua continue to mount, raising concerns about the escalation of violence and the need for a peaceful resolution.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi recently told her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Israel should not justify murdering civilians in Gaza as "self-defense".

Retno visited Russia on Tuesday alongside other ministers from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The diplomats held talks with Russia's Lavrov on ending the war in Gaza.

Jakarta – Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has "strongly condemned" Israeli tank attacks on the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza on Nov 20, in which 12 civilians were killed.

Singapore – President Tharman Shanmugaratnam conferred Singapore's top military award on Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto at the Istana on Nov 21.

The undersigned organisations, human rights groups, and defenders are calling for the Indonesian Government to end its judicial harassment against prominent human rights defenders, Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar as well as to further protect all human rights defenders in the country.

Fatia and Haris' indictment

Yanuar Nugroho – A clear-eyed look at the various candidates' proposals for improving Indonesia's human capital development suggests that the devil will be in the implementation, not the targets per se.

Jakarta – Surakarta mayor and vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka presented diplomas at his office on Monday in an effort to counter social media allegations that he had created a false diploma from an Australian university.

Palestinian Territories – Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said Monday 200 patients were evacuated from a hospital with the help of the Red Cross just hours after it was hit by a deadly Israeli strike.

Jakarta – The government and the major shareholders of PT Vale Indonesia nickel company, namely state-owned mine holding company MIND ID, Vale Canada Ltd (VCL) and Sumitomo Metal Mining, seem to have realized the vital importance of a smooth and credible process in the foreign shareholders' divestment to maintain foreign investors' confidence in the country, especially its mining in

Jakarta – Indonesia's current account deficit narrowed in the third quarter as demand for exports recovered, the central bank said on Tuesday, with most economists expecting the central bank to leave interest rates unchanged this week as external balances improved.

Nur Janti, Jakarta – As Jakarta enters the rainy season this month, the city administration has started preparing for floods by dredging rivers, forming a team of first responders and urging Jakarta residents to clean up trash.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The House of Representatives on Tuesday formally endorsed General Agus Subiyanto to assume the leadership of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), succeeding Admiral Yudo Margono, who is due to retire on November 26.

Associated Press, Lhokseumawe – Almost 1,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar have arrived by boat in Indonesia's northernmost province of Aceh in the last six days, officials said Monday.

Jakarta (Antara) – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that a prolonged drought in Java could trigger landslides when it rains. The agency's spokesperson Abdul Muhari said the island had experienced nearly four months without rain during the dry season, resulting in cracked ground.

Yohanes Maharso Joharsoyo, Jakarta – Indonesian-owned electricity giant PT PLN inaugurated 21 Green Hydrogen Plants (GHP) spread across the archipelago at the Tanjung Priok Steam Gas Power Plant (PLTGU), Jakarta on Monday, November 20, 2023.

Sunu Dyantoro, Jakarta – The Indonesian language, Bahasa Indonesia, was declared as an official language of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) General Conference on Monday, November 20, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.

Ihsan Reliubun, Jakarta – The Head of General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) Rahmat Bagja stated that allegations of billboards or campaign props installation by police members are unproven.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – Dozens of national figures have declared a new social movement named JAGA Pemilu (SAFEGUARD the Elections), which will monitor the 2024 legislative and presidential elections (Pemilu) so it can take place in a democratic, honest, fair, transparent and participatory manner.

Ikmal Fauzan Hanif, Jakarta – At least 27 former corruption inmates have secured candidacy for House of Representatives members in the 2024 general elections, according to data released by anti-graft activists.

Jakarta – The minimum wage in Jakarta has been established at Rp 5.07 million ($327) per month for 2024, marking a 3.38 percent rise from the current threshold, acting Governor Heru Budi Hartono said on Tuesday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesian palm oil exports to China and India are facing a decline, according to data from the industry association released on Tuesday.

Jakarta – Presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo was warmly received by thousands of supporters during his visit to Papua on Tuesday.

Upon his arrival in the provincial capital, Jayapura, Ganjar was greeted by leaders from various ethnic groups, students, and religious figures, amid the radiant sunlight in Indonesia's easternmost province.

Jakarta – The West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organisation (TPNPB-OPM) has spoken out about the circulation of a video containing a threat to shoot Susi Air pilot Philip Mehrtens who has been held hostage by the group since February.

Jakarta – Indonesia launched on Tuesday (Nov 21) its investment plan to mobilise US$20 billion in financing pledged by global lenders led by the United States and Japan to accelerate its power sector decarbonisation and called for immediate fund disbursement.

Hariz Baharudin, Jakarta – As Indonesia gears up for the upcoming presidential election, candidates have already embarked on unconventional strategies to capture the attention of voters using the Internet staples of dance and cats. One even got traction after netizens made memes of him.