Jakarta – While promoting Indonesia's strong commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and to ASEAN as a leading force in region, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi refrained in her annual press conference on Thursday from addressing the House of Representatives' failure to ratify the ASEAN-initiated Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) before the December 2

Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Fair Healthcare Access is urging the government to reconsider the Covid-19 booster vaccine or third dosage plan for the general public. Coalition member Firdaus Ferdiansyah says that dosage one and two coverage is still not optimal among vulnerable groups, particularly elderly people.

Antara, Jakarta – At least 440 houses in Jember Regency, East Java were inundated following flash floods that hit the area on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 9. The floods affected 1,668 residents.

Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – A spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccination at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said the government is determined to give vaccine boosters on a paid scheme.

Authorities in East Java are searching for a man who was caught on film tossing and kicking offerings baskets that were placed on Mount Semeru in Lumajang.

Jayapura, Jubi – A thunderstorm hit Jayapura City and its surrounding areas from Wednesday to Friday, 5-7 January, 2022, causing a number of places in Jayapura to be inundated by floods and affected by landslides.

Heavy rain throughout Thursday night until Friday morning caused the water to overflow on the Soa Siu Street, or in front of the Papua Governor's Office.

Konradus Epa, Jakarta – The appointment of a new military commander for Jakarta has sparked a row in Indonesia after rights groups accused him of taking part in abuses committed during civil unrest more than 20 years ago.

Indonesia's military chief General Andika Perkasa appointed Major General Untung Budiharto as the Jakarta military commander on Jan. 6.

Mathias Hariyadi, Jakarta – At least eight people have died in the heavy floods that have hit Jayapura, capital of the province of Papua, in the far east of the Indonesian archipelago.

Novy Lumanauw, Jakarta – Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri recently defended her chairmanship of the steering committee of the National Research and Innovation Agency, or BRIN, after receiving backlash for taking the role.

Megawati is chairwoman of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of which President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is a member.

Aprianus Doni Tolok, Jakarta (Bisnis.com) – The Narrative Institute along with academics who are part of the Children of the Nation Concern Alliance for Research and National Progress have launched a petition addressed to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on the merger of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology (LBM) into the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – Cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant across Indonesia have tripled in a week, with about 90 per cent imported, prompting the government to appeal for the suspension of overseas leisure trips.

The number of cases reached 414 as at last Saturday (Jan 8), the health ministry said on Sunday. This compares with 136 at the end of December.

Adimas R F P, Resinta S, Solo – The Transportation Ministry has officially started the construction of the Solo-Semarang phase 1 double-track elevated railway for the Solo Balapan-Kalioso segment along 10 kilometers spoor (Km'sp), or 1.8 kilometers.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – Indonesia's Constitutional Court is again being asked to rule on legislation that sets a minimum standard for any political party or coalition wanting to field candidates for vice-president and president.

Jakarta – Corruption eradication during the administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has worsened. This was the finding of a survey by Indonesian Political Indicator (IPI) which was released on Sunday January 9.

Jakarta – A range of inter-religious leaders, activists and domestic workers (PRT) banged pots and pans as a way to push the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to immediately ratify the Draft Law on the Protection of Domestic Workers (RUU PPRT).

Yamin Kogoya, Canberra – The colonial notion of 'civilising primitive Papuans' has distorted Papuan perceptions of the world and themselves.

This distortion began with how New Guinea and its people were described in early colonial literature: unintelligent pygmies, cannibals and pagan savages – people devoid of value.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Lani Diana, Jakarta – Patients of Covid-19 Omicron variant in Jakarta per January 7, increased to 271 people from 252 on the previous day.

"Of the 271 infected people, 87.1 percent was international travelers," said Jakarta Health Department of disease prevention and control, Dwi Oktavia, in a written statement Friday, January 7.

Antara, Jakarta – Jakarta deputy governor, Ahmad Riza Patria, suspected that the rise in Covid-19 active cases was the effect of Christmas and New Year holidays. As per January 7, the total case reached 1,394.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The Medan administration is on high alert after it detected a probable case of the highly transmissible COVID-19 Omicron variant, linked to a man from the United Kingdom who was part of an international airline cargo crew that transited in the North Sumatran city.

Muhammad Zulfikar, Raka Adji, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has urged the government to ratify the sexual violence bill (RUU TPKS) into law without delay.

"If the RUU TPKS is passed into law, it will become a benchmark for state officials to take actions," deputy chairman of Komnas HAM Amiruddin said here on Friday.

Jakarta – The Jakarta-owned bus service Transjakarta has taken several tough measures after three of its buses crashed within a single day on Dec. 6, 2021.

Bali (Reuters) – Authorities on the Indonesian tropical island Bali released 33 endangered green sea turtles into the ocean on Saturday (Jan 8) in an effort to boost a population threatened by poachers and illegal traders.

Jakarta – The Advocacy Coalition for the Protection of Private Data (KA-PDP) is calling on the House of Representatives (DPR) to immediately enact the Draft Law on the Protection of Private Data (RUU PDP). The call was made following the leak of data on 6 million Covid-19 patients held by the Ministry of Health.

The latest answer to the increasingly pesky question "when will foreign tourists return to Bali in droves?" seems to be "still not anytime soon," as not a single commercial international flight has touched down on the island since October's tourism reopening.

Chandra Iswinarno and Ria Rizki Nirmala Sari – The promotion of Major General Untung Budiharto as Jakarta military commander reminds the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) of the other five former Rose Team (Tim Mawar) members who have also been given posts in the Defense Ministry.

Chairul Fikri, Jakarta – Visitors from 14 countries are barred from entering Indonesia under the current travel restrictions aimed at reducing the risk of the spread of the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant.

Benny Mawel, Jayapura, Jubi – The Papuan People's Petition (PRP), consisting of 113 organizations, has launched on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 its third stage of raising support to reject the Papua Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law and demand the right to self-determination. This time, the petition is targeted to gain 2 million support from Indigenous Papuans.

The Papuan People's Petition – "Petisi Rakyat Papua" – has called on the Indonesian government to release detained human rights advocate Victor Yeimo and to revoke the special autonomy law (version 2).

Jakarta – Indonesia, the world's biggest thermal coal exporter, sent shockwaves through global energy markets this week by suspending exports of the fuel in January due to critically low coal supplies at domestic power plants.

Why did Indonesian authorities decide to act?

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Indonesian rights activists have condemned what they say were lenient sentences handed down by a district court in West Kalimantan province against 21 people who attacked an Ahmadi mosque.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Floods and landslides in Jayapura, capital of Papua province, have killed seven people and displaced hundreds.

The National Disaster Management Agency said the floods and landslides were triggered by heavy rain accompanied by strong winds since Jan. 6 afternoon.

Jakarta (VNA) – Bali, the famous "resort paradise" of Indonesia, will have one more international airport in 2024 which will be located at Kubutambahan coast, Buleleng district, along with the current Ngurah Rai Airport which is operating in the southern part of the island.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) supports the move by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to revoke some 2,078 mining business permits which are inactive or "lying idle". This move however, is not enough.

Putu Indah, Raka Adji, Jakarta – There has been an increase in reports of sexual violence on campus, the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has revealed.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives should speed up the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that came into force last week otherwise Indonesia will be left out of the economic integration process of the Indo-Pacific region, which is badly needed to strengthen the economic recovery.

Tempo.Co, Jakarta – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) announced flooding struck the city of Jayapura in Papua on Thursday, January 6, 2022 at 10:00 p.m. local time.

Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – Fayan Siahaan, the father of a victim in the 1997/1998 kidnappings and disappearances of activists, said the appointment of Major General Untung Budiharto as Jakarta Military Commander was a painful present in the new year of 2022. He claimed to have no idea about the decision made by Indonesian Military Commander General Andika Perkasa.

Antara, Jakarta – Reports have emerged about an alleged massive data leak of Indonesian hospital patients' medical information being sold in an illegal internet forum. Hackers claimed to have breached the Indonesian Health Ministry centralized server to obtain the data.

Luh De Suriyani, M Ambari, Denpasar/Jakarta – The Indonesian government plans to have a network of dozens of villages with aquaculture farms by the end of the year, in a bid to spur the post-pandemic economic recovery by catering to global demand for farmed seafood.

Jakarta – Payan Siahaan, the father of Ucok Munandar Siahaan, a victim of the 1997-98 abduction of activists by the Rose Team (Tim Mawar), says he felt like his self-respect had been trampled on upon hearing the news that Major General Untung Budiharto had been promoted to Jakarta military commander.

Jakarta – Indonesian officials aim to wrap up discussions at the weekend about whether to lift a ban on coal exports, after a minister declared an end to a domestic supply crisis that sent international prices higher this week.

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jakarta – Sculptor Nyoman Nuarta's majestic design for the state palace in Indonesia's future capital city in East Kalimantan has gotten President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's approval.

Jakarta – The Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA) has revealed that throughout 2021 almost 50 percent of land procured by the government for national strategic projects (PSN) originated from agrarian conflicts.

A suspected syndicate selling booster shots to the general public before the government's official rollout is making headlines in Indonesia, even though officials are aware that vaccine corruption is not exactly new.

Jakarta – Major Indonesian coal miners have sought exemptions from a coal export ban put in place at the start of the year as the costs of having scores of ships stranded offshore continue to mount.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – The main hospital in Catholic-majority Timor-Leste is forcing people to share beds as it battles a significant spike in dengue fever cases that has killed six children over the last month.

Jakarta – Japan's ambassador to Indonesia has called on Jakarta to end its recent ban on coal exports, which he said has had a "serious impact" on the world's third-biggest economy.

Indonesia exports around three-quarters of its coal output, with the biggest markets including Asian economic powerhouses China, Japan, South Korea and India.

Jakarta – The question of whether we should send our kids back to school is not easy to answer, with parents caught in a dilemma between having their children exposed to a dangerous virus or having to help them study online while working at home.

Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo announced the government has revoked the mining business permits (IUP) of 2,078 mineral and coal mining companies today, January 6.

"Today, as many as 2,078 permits of mining firms have been revoked," said the President as broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel, Thursday.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Covid-19 Task Force has raised the number of quarantine days for people arriving from Omicron-hit countries.