Djibril Muhammad, Jakarta – Governor Pramono Anung announced on Saturday that all entertainment venues in Jakarta will be required to provide designated smoking areas, as the city seeks to strike a balance between public health and business sustainability.

Eka Jaya Saputra, Bekasi, West Java – Hundreds of workers across various industries in Bekasi regency, West Java, have lost their jobs as a wave of layoffs continues into early July 2025, according to data from the Bekasi Manpower Agency.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said that the 2025 State Expenditure and Revenue Budget (APBN) faces significant challenges, not only from global economic dynamics but also from President Prabowo Subianto's new priority programs.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati warns that the low Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), or investments during the first quarter of 2025 is something to be wary about. Recording only 2.12 percent growth, the figure is "very weak" compared to the 5.03 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Jakarta – The mass rapes during the May 1998 riots in Jakarta accompanying the wave of demands for reformasi or political reform that that brought down the New Order regime (Orba) of former president Suharto, has again become the subject of discussion recently.

Jakarta – Timor-Leste will officially become ASEAN's 11th member later this year, according to the Foreign Ministry's Director General for ASEAN Cooperation, Sidharto R. Suryodipuro.

Indonesia, West Papua – Indigenous residents have reported ongoing intimidation and harassment by Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers stationed at PT Mancaraya Argo Mandiri (MAM) and PT Siliwangi Karya Sejahtera (SKS) in the Sayosa Timur District, Sorong Regency, Papua Barat Daya Province.

Poramet Tangsathaporn – Thailand will support Timor-Leste joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as its 11th member despite reported opposition from Myanmar, officials said yesterday.

Bolbongse Vangphaen, director-general of the Department of Asean Affairs, reiterated the country's official stance during the ministry's weekly press briefing.

Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – Academic and Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) politician Ade Armando has been officially appointed as a commissioner at PLN Nusantara Power, a subsidiary of the state-owned electricity company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN).

Jakarta – Under the moniker Gerakan Rakyat Menggugat (GERAM) PSN, eight civil society organizations and a number of individuals impacted by strategic national projects or Proyek Strategis Nasional (PSN) have submitted an official application for a judicial review of Law No. 6/2023 on Enactment of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law on Job Creation into Law.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Minister of Elementary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu'ti has officially designated July 7 as Indonesian Librarian's Day. This designation is outlined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Minister's Decree No. 81 of 2025, signed in Jakarta on June 25, 2025, and effective immediately.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The operator of the coffee chain Starbucks, PT Mitra Adiperkasa Tbk. (MAPI or MAP), stated that the company had closed 11 outlets due to decreased work and the influence of the boycott movement. Before the boycott movement due to the company's alleged involvement in the conflict in Israel, Starbucks used to open 70-80 outlets every year.

Jakarta – A court in South Sumatra has thrown out a lawsuit filed by residents against plantation companies, which accused the firms of causing lung-choking smoke by lighting peatland fires.

Eleven plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in Palembang, demanding damages from three plantation companies.

Indonesia, West Papua – The pristine waters and biodiversity-rich islands of Raja Ampat, Papua Barat Daya Province, are facing a devastating environmental and human rights crisis as multiple nickel mining companies destroy one of the world's most ecologically significant marine areas in the world.

Agencies, Denpasar – Hundreds of rescuers widened their search for dozens of missing people Friday after a ferry sank in rough seas on the way to Bali, leaving at least six dead.

Jakarta – The horrific memory of the 2019 and 2024 simultaneous presidential and legislative elections looks to be behind us. Back then, hundreds of poll workers died, mostly of exhaustion, and thousands of others fell ill to make sure one of the largest single-day elections in the world was a success.

In the last few months, a disturbing trend has become apparent in a string of incidents across Indonesia: the sending of innocuous packages that contain the corpses of dead animals.

Basten Gokkon – A new study has shown the first habitat suitability model for the endangered bear cuscus in Indonesia's South Sulawesi, showing its limited and fragmented range, much of which is threatened by mining and poaching, and calling for increased legal protection and landscape connectivity.

Riza, Sukabumi – A Christian student retreat held in Tangkil Village, Cidahu District, Sukabumi Regency in West Java, was forcibly disbanded by seven local residents. These individuals also vandalized the safe house where the Christian students were staying.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – Indonesia's Minister of Culture Fadli Zon acknowledged the occurrence of rape incidents during the May 1998 riot. However, he firmly asserted that the rape cannot be considered as having occurred on a massive scale.

Dessy Sagita, Jakarta – When an Indonesian mother dropped off her daughter at school in May, she did not expect her to become violently sick after eating lunch from the government's new billion-dollar free meal program.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has condemned the Israeli airstrike that killed the director of Gaza's Indonesian Hospital, Dr Marwan Al Sultan.

At least four people have died and dozens are missing after a ferry carrying 65 people sank on its way to the Indonesian resort island of Bali, according to local police.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – The government aims to boost national oil output by tapping into community-operated oil wells, targeting an additional 15,000 barrels per day (bpd) by the end of the year.

Mecca, Saudi Arabia – President Prabowo Subianto performed umrah (minor haj) early on Thursday, at the Al-Haram Grand Mosque in Mecca, shortly after concluding his bilateral talk with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS).

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – The Indonesian House Speaker, Puan Maharani, said she would follow up on the proposal from Retired Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) soldiers to impeach Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Previously, Puan mentioned that the letter is still in the General Secretariat of the House of Representatives (DPR).

The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) is opening up opportunities to work together with the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) to resolve the problems in the Kanjuruhan Tragedy.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry has sealed a 50-hectare illegal limestone mining site in Gunung Karang, located in the Klapanunggal District of Bogor Regency, West Java.

According to Rudianto Saragih, Director of Forestry Criminal Enforcement, mining activities at four points within the area have caused damage to the limestone mountain.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – The government is urging national and multinational companies to take responsibility and do more to tackle the increasing volume of plastic waste, as the country is failing to achieve its waste reduction target with post-consumer trash continuing to drown parts of the country.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) urges the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to revoke the co-payment rule for health insurance risk sharing. This rule obligates policyholders to bear 10 percent of the claim costs.

Timor-Leste has dismissed Myanmar's reported objection to it becoming the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as "inconsequential and irrelevant."

M. Raihan Muzzaki, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto once sent a message of hope concerning the management of state finances. Before he was sworn in as president, he announced the plan to form a State Revenue Agency, which can also be referred to as the Ministry of State Revenue.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto recently wrapped up his first-ever state visit to Saudi Arabia with business deals totaling $27 billion.

Melynda Dwi Puspita, Jakarta – The persisting waves of layoffs remain a source of anxiety among Indonesian workers. According to the Ministry of Manpower data, as many as 77,965 workers were laid off throughout 2024, up 20.21 percent compared to the same period in 2023 with 64,855 people.

Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition against Impunity interrupted a working meeting between Minister of Culture Fadli Zon and House of Representatives (DPR) Commission X at the parliament complex in Jakarta on Wednesday July 2.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity disrupted a working meeting between the House of Representatives Commission X and Minister of Culture Fadli Zon on July 2, 2025. The protest was aimed at opposing the Ministry of Culture's project to rewrite history.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Supreme Court has upheld the graft conviction of former House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto but reduced his prison sentence from 15 years to 12.5 years.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta Indonesia's inflation edged up in June as food prices rose amid Idul Adha festivities and the start of school holidays, both of which boosted household consumption.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Kontributor), Yogyakarta – Tourists and tourism business owners who dare to smoke in public areas on Malioboro Street, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, will face new sanctions prepared by the Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) for the Management of Yogyakarta's Cultural Heritage Area.

Rama Sukarta, Jakarta – Indonesia's manufacturing sector showed further signs of weakness in June as the country's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell deeper into contraction territory.

Septia Ryanthie, Solo – The founder of the Ecoton Foundation for Ecological Studies and Land Conservation, Prigi Arisandi, revealed the results of microplastic research in Indonesian rivers in East Java. There are facts about the serious dangers of microplastics to human health and aquatic ecosystems.

Indonesia, West Papua – Nearly 11 months after the fatal shooting of Mr Tobias Silak in the Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province, criminal proceedings have commenced at the Wamena District Court against the four police officers, Muh.

Sharon Muller – Terror against Papuan students has again been launched in several cities around Indonesia. This time round it has been through the delivery of packages containing rotten animal carcasses, threatening letters, the distribution of posters and videos as well as other threats.

Indonesia, UN on West Papua, West Papua – In the past months, the situation surrounding the National Strategic Project (PSN) in Merauke, Papua Selatan Province, has further escalated.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The debut of the government's new school admissions system has been marred with problems similar to those that plagued its predecessors, as reports of fraud and technical glitches have prompted calls for immediate corrective action and more stringent oversight.

Coinciding with the 79th Bhayangkara Day – An official anniversary celebration of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) – which is commemorated on 1st July 2025, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) launched a Policy Paper titled "Kekerasan yang Menjulang di Tengah Penegakan Hukum yang Timpang" (English: Soaring Violence Amid Unequal Law Enforcement)

Indonesia, West Papua – On 12 June 2025, police officers arbitrarily detained Mr Imanus Komba, a lawyer working for the Papuan Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua), and a protester named Mr Kolki Gwijangge during a peaceful demonstration at the Abepura roundabout in Jayapura City, Papua Province (see photo on top, source: Jubi).

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta Indonesia recorded a hefty trade surplus of US$4.3 billion in May, fueled by a surge in exports of vegetable oils and steel, according to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) released on Tuesday.

The figure marks a sharp rebound from the modest monthly surplus in April of around $160 million, the smallest in five years.

Olena Wibisana, Yogyakarta – The Yogyakarta city government has launched designated smoking areas along Malioboro shopping street, the city's most visited destination.

Jakarta – As citizens of an archipelagic nation, we often find ourselves lacking awareness, or even feeling helpless, about our water-bound existence.

Entering its eighth decade since independence, Indonesia still faces the same challenges that stem from the vast geography of seas, waterways and coastal areas that make up around 71 percent of its territory.