M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto met with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in private at the State Palace on Monday, June 26, 2023. The meeting is said to be a spontaneous meeting initiated by the President. Both men met briefly for roughly 30 minutes and talked mainly about politics.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Education Minister Nadiem Makarim unveiled on Monday the substantial loss of learning opportunities in Indonesia, a problem that predates the school closures brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Indonesia, known for having one of the world's lengthiest school closures during the pandemic, faced a challenging situation.

Jakarta – Indonesia's police are conducting preliminary inquiries into whether any actions by officials at the country's drug regulator could amount to criminal wrongdoing, as they expand a probe into tainted cough syrups linked to the deaths of more than 200 children across the nation, two top inspectors told Reuters.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua says Indonesia is once again ramping up military operations in its Papuan provinces.

The movement's interim-president Benny Wenda said 19 members of the National Committee for West Papua (KNPB) were taken into custody on June 9 and have been charged with treason.

Erwin Renaldi – The Indonesian government plans to import 1 million tonnes of rice from India in an "emergency" situation, despite Indonesia being one of the biggest rice producers in the world.

The government said it is a "necessary" decision to ensure a sufficient supply of rice.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – Signs are growing that Indonesian President Joko Widodo is leaning towards endorsing Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto for president in the 2024 polls instead of his own party candidate Ganjar Pranowo.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) grilled Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo on Monday in connection with various graft cases plaguing the ministry. The questioning came just after another NasDem Party politician-cum-minister, Johnny G. Plate, was named corruption suspect, dealing the party a major blow ahead of the 2024 elections.

Jakarta – As President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo will soon enter the final year of his second and final tenure he does not need to resort to populist, yet imprudent, fiscal measures in the 2024 election year.

Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his top ministers have repeatedly said China will be given the contract to build the Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed railway, citing their satisfaction with its construction of the Jakarta-Bandung line, even though the latter project will be completed four years behind schedule and has seen costs skyrocket as a result of a po

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – A significant proportion of the Australian public places more trust in countries with which Canberra shares China-focused defense pacts than in Indonesia, a Lowy Institute survey has found ahead of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's trip to Canberra.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The World Bank has maintained its projection for Indonesia's economic growth to reach 4.9 percent in 2023 while expecting an uptick in growth over the medium term, the multinational lender announced Monday.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo rebutted the allegation that the State Palace is backing Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School in Indramayu, West Java, which has been long rejected by local people as it is affiliated with the outlawed Indonesian Islamic State (NII) and spread heretical teachings.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – A spokesperson for the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister, Wahyu Muryadi, responded to criticism related to sea sand exports. The latest objection was voiced by the former governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan. He questioned the government's consistency in addressing the climate crisis.

Amelia Rahima Sari, Antara, Jakarta – Fahmy Radhi, an energy economy expert from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) criticized the government's relaxed export ban on the raw material of tin, silver, and gold specifically for Freeport Indonesia (PTFI). He considered it to be discriminative.

Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, on Monday showed a pile of bank notes worth at least Rp 82 billion ($5.4 million) in various currencies confiscated from disgraced Papua Governor Lukas Enembe, who is being tried for alleged corruption.

A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Jakarta – An Islamic school in West Java faces potential closure over allegations of heresy and links to religious separatists, raising concerns about a crackdown on religious freedom that could further muddy a highly political year.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Developed economies have double standards when it comes to coal-fired power generation, according to Chief Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on Saturday as he recalled Germany seeking the combustible black rock from Indonesia.

Yamin Kogoya – Last Monday, suspended Papua Governor Lukas Enembe was indicted on gratification, bribery and corruption charges in Indonesia's central Corruption Criminal Court in Jakarta.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia says it has made the necessary preparations for the $20 billion climate financing Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), but the country is now wondering when the money will start to pour in.

The International Partners Group (IPG) at Bali's G20 Summit last year launched the JETP to help Indonesia end its reliance on coal.

Jakarta – Desmond Mahesa, a lawmaker from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), died on Saturday after battling with illnesses at a Jakarta hospital. He was 57.

Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto described Desmond as a key figure at Gerindra and a close ally who took part in building Gerindra from scratch.

Jakarta – The Netherlands now accepts that Indonesia, its former colony, gained independence on Aug. 17, 1945, and not Dec. 30, 1949, as it had insisted for the past 74 years.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia is mulling diverting its Europe-bound palm oil exports to Africa after the European Union (EU) launched the anti-deforestation law that is detrimental to the Southeast Asian country's top commodity.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Ministry of Religion spokeswoman Anna Hasbie on Friday announced that the ministry is studying the controversy involving the Al Zaytun Islamic Boarding School, with the help of Islamic schools and organizations.

Church officials in Timor-Leste have dismissed a media report on the abusive treatment of students and substandard food in a seminary as false, terming it an attempt to tarnish the image of the church.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The family members of the death row inmate from the Philippines Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso went to the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in an attempt to obtain a legal recommendation to pardon Mary, who was handed the death row verdict for a drug trafficking charges.

Zsazya Senorita, Jakarta – Tech company GoTo Gojek Tokopedia (GOTO) in collaboration with energy company TBS Energi Utama (TOBA) broke ground on an electric motorcycle assembly plant in Cikarang, West Java, on Friday.

The two companies have established a joint venture called Electrum to initiate the project.

Yohana Belinda, Jakarta – More workers are expected to head to the chopping block in the Indonesian textile industry later this year, as companies face a prolonged slowdown in the export market.

Jakarta – Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has confirmed the government's purchase of used Dassault Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters from Qatar, worth some US$734 million, to temporarily plug the gap in Indonesia's air defense capabilities as portions of the current fleet age out of service.

Jayapura, Jubi – The Papua Legislative Council believes that stakeholders should work together to address the issue of freedom of expression in Papua. Deputy Chairman III of the Council, Yulianus Rumbairusy, said that various parties have observed a suppression of democratic rights in the easternmost province of Indonesia.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The government has urged palm oil producers to report how much land they own following cases of mismatched data and plantations illegally operating in forest areas.

BeritaSatu, Jayapura. A small plane with six people onboard crashed in Yalimo Regency in the eastern province of Papua on Friday and it's feared there is no survivor.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Kuala Lumpur – The National Development Planning Agency, or Bappenas, has said that Indonesia requires Rp 67,000 trillion to fund programs aimed at achieving its Sustainable Development Goals.

Jakarta – The remains of the Geudong House (Rumoh Geudong) in Pidie regency, Aceh, where gross human rights abuses were committed when Aceh was declared a military operational area (DOM), have been flattened to the ground ahead of a visit by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo next week.

Aceh – The Central Aceh Transitional Committee (KPA), which is a forum for former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) combatants, firmly opposes the demolition of the Geudong House (Rumoh Geudong) building which is a silent witness to the gross human rights abuses that occurred in Pidie regency, Aceh.

Irfan Kamil, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) says that the decision by the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) Supervisory Board (Dewas) not to hold an ethics hearing into reports of alleged ethical violations by KPK chairperson Firli Bahuri was very easy to predict.

The pro-independence United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has welcomed Vanuatu Deputy Prime Minister Jotham Napat's comments on West Papua during this week's diplomatic visit to Indonesia.

In a joint press conference with Indonesian Vice-President Ma'ruf Amin, Napat restated his commitment to the "Melanesian way".

Jakarta – It will be much more difficult for Jakarta to blow its anniversary candles today than in the past, not because the number will be a whopping 496, but because it is getting harder to breathe in the capital city.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) and allied groups have threatened to strike if lawmakers pass the omnibus health bill into law, a sweeping piece of legislation that would bring divisive changes to the country's health sector.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – The end of a facility that allowed visitors from dozens of countries to enter Indonesia without a visa will not hurt the tourist industry and will instead improve the quality of tourism, the tourism minister has said.

Yohana Belinda, Jakarta – Increased fertilizer costs and weather-hit crops are projected to cause a global shortage in coffee production this year, which will drive up prices, but Indonesian growers are unlikely to benefit.

Indah Handayani, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia decided on Thursday to retain the benchmark interest rate at 5.75 percent in "continued efforts to stabilize the rupiah exchange rate" and curb "imported inflation".

Antara, Jakarta – The government is evaluating subsidies for electric vehicle (EV) purchases as they don't seem to significantly boost demand, an aide of the president has said.

Under the incentive program, the government slashes the value-added tax on electric car purchases to just 1 percent provided the EV has 40 percent of locally-made components.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The government Thursday announced that Covid-19 vaccines are still free, thus encouraging people to use this chance to get their jabs.

The statement came a day after Indonesia declared an end to the pandemic status for Covid-19 after most Indonesians had developed antibodies against the virus.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) commission on fatwa [a ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a recognized authority] has issued a haram fatwa against women assuming the position of a preacher during a Friday prayer sermon.

Tika Ayu, Jakarta – The Covid-19 handling task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito on Thursday explained that the treatment costs for coronavirus patients and the cost of vaccinations will still be covered by the government.

Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra, Jakarta – Two watchdogs, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) with the Gadjah Mada University center of anticorruption studies (Pukat UGM), have both responded to the alleged case of an Rp4 billion extortion practice within the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detention center.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia must take real actions to end the violence in Myanmar, a United Nations expert said, noting that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is deadlocked on how to resolve the ongoing crisis.

Christ Belseran, Aru Islands, Indonesia – More than 10 years have passed since a young official in Indonesia's eastern Aru Islands saved his archipelago from becoming a monoculture plantation. Today, Mika Ganobal is drawing on his campaigning background as he governs part of the remote island chain he helped preserve a decade ago.

Jakarta – Indonesia's top Islamic body the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) has issued fatwa (edict) Number 38/2023 on laws concerning women being mosque preachers (khatib) in the context of Friday prayers (salat Jumat).

The fatwa explains that the laws on sermons (khotbah) and Friday prayers is that women acting as preachers in front of men is invalid.

Joint talks between Vanuatu and Indonesia have taken place in Jakarta with West Papua high on the agenda.

It comes amidst tensions in the region, and ahead of a state visit next month to Papua New Guinea by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.