Pudja Lestari, Jakarta – Cambodian Trade Minister Pan Sorasak said his government is seeking to boost the bilateral trade with Indonesia to more than $1 billion this year as he praised the stable and resilient investment and business climate in the fellow ASEAN country.

Jakarta – In a bid to increase the mass adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country, the Indonesian government has introduced a subsidy for the purchase of electric motorcycles.

The 7 million rupiah (USS$458) subsidy for the purchase of electric motorcycles, however, is only available to selected groups of people.

Jakarta – Workers and students demonstrated in front of the South Sulawesi (Sulsel) Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) in Makassar today opposing the ratification of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 2/2022 on the Jobs Law (Ciptaker) by the House of Representatives (DPR).

Suherdjoko, Semarang – The Central Java Police dishonorably discharged five officers in alleged corruption related to non-commissioned officers' recruitment in 2022. Two civil servants are also implicated in the case.

Yohana Belinda, Jakarta – Some Indonesian political parties are including K-Pop-inspired social media and events in their campaigns, yet the reception is divided.

Recently, political parties have been on social media about giving away tickets to Blackpink's BORN PINK tour.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – Indonesia is gearing up to allow foreign medical specialists to practise and be based in the country. Observers say the move would boost healthcare quality and accessibility in the world's fourth-most populous country of 280 million people.

Vincent Fabian Thomas, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) says it will introduce a domestic credit card system allowing for greater independence and lower fees, as transactions are settled locally rather than by foreign providers.

Lee Si-jin, Seoul – Kakao Entertainment announced on Monday that it blocked over 15,000 illegally distributed webtoons and shut down major pirate webtoon platforms in Indonesia in 2022.

Webtoons are digital comics that are read by scrolling down one's screen, mainly on readers' smartphones.

Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – The meeting with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the city state last Thursday was the latest stride in President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's global campaign to raise enough funding for his Nusantara capital city megaproject.Honestly, I am doubtful about Jokowi's ambition, but knowing his proven track record in infrastructure development, he may ev

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The Nusantara new capital project in East Kalimantan has already secured 167 of letters of intent as of March 15, thus illustrating its popularity among investors both home and abroad, according to the chairman of the city's authority body Bambang Susantono.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Around 6,000 newborn babies with congenital heart defects die every year in Indonesia that could have been avoided if the country has enough medical specialists and advanced treatment, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said he had discussed efforts to rescue New Zealand pilot Philips Max Mehrtens who was being held hostage by the separatist group in Papua, Free Papua Movement (OPM), with the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo and Military Commander Admiral Yudo Margono.

Ima Dini Shafira, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) officially ratified the bill concerning the Government Regulation in lieu of Law No. 2 of 2022 or Perpu on job creation into law at the 19th plenary session held today, March 21. The meeting was chaired by House Speaker Puan Maharani.

Koran Tempo, Hendrik Yaputra, Penajam – Sepaku district, ring one area or the central government hub in the new capital city of Nusantara, was hit by flooding on Friday, March 17.

Ima Dini Shafira and M. Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Chairwoman of the Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Puan Maharani, said that the meeting between PDIP Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo last Saturday, March 18, 2023, was to discuss the upcoming 2024 General Election.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo announced that the government had enrolled infrastructure construction funds for Papua that amount to Rp1,036 trillion from 2014 up to 2022, during his two Presidential terms. Jokowi noted that

it was not a small amount of money and that people must reap the benefits.

Vitorio Mantalean, Jakarta – The People's Justice and Prosperity Party (Prima) has raised the possibility of filing for the execution of a March 2 ruling by the Central Jakarta District Court (PN Jakpus) on postponing the 2024 elections if they are again declared to have failed to pass the administrative verification process.

Stevani Wijaya, Jakarta – A joint team of the National Police and the Customs Directorate raided a number of shops and warehouses in Jakarta and neighboring Bekasi on Monday to seize imported used clothes in the first concrete action since President Joko Widodo ordered a crackdown on secondhand clothing imports last week.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The senior diplomats of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea on Tuesday had talks of attracting Indonesian investors, particularly the state-owned enterprises or SOEs, into Port Moresby.

BeritaSatu, Jakarta – Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo leads by more than 8 percentage points in a hypothetical race against two main contenders Prabowo Subianto and Anies Baswedan, according to the latest survey on the 2024 presidential election by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC).

Dita Liliansa – Indonesia, a nation that controls vital maritime chokepoints, finds itself at the epicentre of an unfolding geopolitical drama.

An Indonesian government official has withdrawn a defamation case against an activist Catholic priest but the priest refused to withdraw the human trafficking allegations against the official.

Valdya Baraputri and Lara Owen in Jakarta and London – Parents whose children died or were injured by tainted cough syrup have wept with relief after an Indonesian court allowed a class action lawsuit.

"My child's struggle was not in vain," said Nur Asiah, whose four-year-old daughter died last year.

Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – Lawyers representing some of the victims of a deadly stadium stampede in Indonesia are calling for new charges against police officers on duty when 135 people died in one of the world's worst football disasters.

Timor-Leste's airline, Aero Dili, made its inaugural international flight Monday with its sole jet aircraft, an Airbus 320.

The service connected the Timorese capital of Dili with the Indonesian island of Bali, according to a report by the Portuguese news agency Lusa.

Jefferson Ng – Why is it that in the past few years Indonesia's democratic scores have fallen while public satisfaction with government performance remains high?

Wamena, Jubi – Kiosk traders in Sinakma, Wamena, Jayawijaya Regency, Mountainous Papua Province, admitted that their income has dropped since the riot on February 23, 2023, following a rumor of child abduction. At that time, they chose to temporarily close their kiosks.

Jayapura, Jubi – Chairman of Yahukimo Students All Around Indonesia Yanis Soll said his party asked President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to guarantee the peace and safety of the people in Yahukimo, who since December 4, 2021 have experienced trauma due to military operations that limited their mobility to hunt, garden and do other activities.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Funds from illegal logging, mining and fishing are flowing into election campaigns in Indonesia, authorities have revealed.

The announcement by the national anti-money-laundering watchdog, known as the PPATK, during a parliamentary hearing comes less than a year before the country is scheduled to hold legislative and presidential elections.

Ade Miranti Karunia, Jakarta – All Indonesia Workers Organisation (OPSI) Secretary General Timboel Siregar says that the recently issued Labour Minister Regulation (Permenaker) Number 5/2023 will not have an impact on the sacking (PHK) of workers.

Hanifah Dwijayanti, Jakarta – Trade Unions argued that the Ministry of Manpower Regulation No. 5 of 2023 concerning Adjustment on Work Hours and Salary in Labor Intensive Company has legalized labor welfare degradation.

Jayapura, Jubi – The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has called on the international community to pay serious attention to the escalated violence that continued to occur in Papua, or internationally known as West Papua.

Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) asked the Yahukimo Regency Government to pay attention to Papuan civilians in the Yahukimo war zone and protect them from Indonesian security forces who were hunting down the TPNPB.

Andi Jatmiko, Jakarta – Dozens of conservative Muslims marched in Indonesia's capital on Monday to protests Israel's first-ever participation in the FIFA World Cup Under-20 in Indonesia.

Maya Defianty and Kate Wilson – In an increasingly digitalised and automated world, education organisations worldwide have recognised critical thinking as a vital and valued skill in the 21st century. It equips students with the ability to criticise and sift through the large amounts of information now at their fingertips, and analyse unique problems to create novel solutions.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has been coming under attack with allegations of massive corruption or fraud, not by her but by staffers in her ministry.

Jakarta – The 2024 general election will not be the first in which candidates conduct online campaigns to reach out to voters, who will, in turn, use social media to scrutinize their aspiring representatives and debate their political platforms.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi will witness Anwar Usman take his oath as Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) today, March 20.

Usman, who is the president's brother in law, was reelected as Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court for the 2023-2028 period in the election last week.

Mirza Bagaskara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Air Force or TNI AU plans to strengthen air defenses. One way is through a plan to replace old radars that are still in operation.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – In his latest allegation about suspicious transactions in the Finance Ministry, Chief Legal Affairs Minister Mohammad Mahfud MD said on Monday the amount of money involved is bigger than his previous statement after further analysis.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The government announced on Monday that it would allocate Rp 7 trillion or about $455.8 million to subsidize the purchase and conversion of electric motorbikes over the next two years.

The incentives for electric motorbikes have now entered into force.

Fajar Pebrianto and Ima Dini Shafira, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court Honorary Council (MKMK) has officially handed a written warning to judge Guntur Hamzah in a case that involves the judge altering a Constitutional Court official verdict.

Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – The Great Indonesia Movement Party, or Gerindra, will enjoy an upward swing in the number of voters if the election is held today, according to the latest survey by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) released on Sunday.

Madeleine Achenza – Bali has long been a top holiday spot for Aussies, but the tide may be turning as stricter rules are introduced on the party island.

Aussies flock to the island every year for cheap food, affordable accommodation and stunning scenery.

A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Jakarta – Civil society organizations expressed dismay over the verdicts of cases related to Kanjuruhan soccer crush including the acquittal of two police officers, saying they had failed to provide justice for victims of the tragedy.

Jakarta – The results of a survey by the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) predict that the Islamic based political parties will record a historically low vote in the 2024 legislative and presidential elections.

The LSI said that the Islamic parties referred to are those based on two things, namely public perception and the views of experts.

Len Garae – The highest ranking lobby team from all regions of West Papua made up of high chiefs say they and their people support United Liberation Movement of West Papua's (ULMWP) sole application for full membership in the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).

Len Garae – Mr. Morris Kaloran, the Interim Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP), has been praised by Fijians for his successful intervention techniques during the latest Lobby Team efforts.

Fajar Pebrianto, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi held another special meeting with the chief of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Megawati Soekarnoputri, after the last meeting was held at Batu Tulis Palace in Bogor, West Java last year. The recent meeting was held for 3 hours at Merdeka Palace, North Jakarta.

Jakarta – Workers plan to hold a massive demonstration at the Ministry of Labour (Kemnaker) offices in Jakarta on March 21. The action is being held to oppose recently issued Labour Minister Regulation (Permenaker) Number 5/2023.