Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia has tightened its SIM card registration rules, requiring citizens to register mobile numbers using their national identity number (NIK) and biometric facial data, while foreign nationals must use passports and valid residence permits, as the government steps up efforts to curb fraud and digital crime.

Jakarta – Beyond the fuss over the inclusion of the word kapitil in the latest edition of the official Indonesian language dictionary Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) – a colloquial opposite of kapital, meaning uppercase – there is a more serious issue in our language politics.

Muhammad Fauzan Malufti – When journalists or policy experts fretfully discuss arms racing and military buildups in the Indo-Pacific, they tend to focus on Northeast Asian autocracies rather than Southeast Asian democracies.

Responding to the government's plan to formulate a Draft Law (RUU) on Combating Disinformation and Foreign Propaganda, Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid, said:

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Indonesia's national police have raided the Jakarta office of Islamic fintech lender Dana Syariah Indonesia (DSI) as part of a criminal investigation into alleged fraud, embezzlement, falsified financial reports and money laundering, authorities said.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia is recording a surplus of around 1.4 billion liters of subsidized low-grade diesel fuel, sold domestically under the Solar brand, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Friday.

Nicholas Kusnetz – The Indonesian government said it has revoked the licenses of 28 companies for violating forestry regulations in provinces hit by devastating flooding in November.

Indonesia's decision to appoint core staff of its Free Nutritious Meals programme kitchens as contract-based civil servants has sparked parliamentary warnings and criticism over recruitment standards, fiscal priorities, and widening inequality with honorary teachers.

Denny Armandhanu, Jakarta – Indonesia has said that it will accept an invitation from United States President Donald Trump to join the Board of Peace, a move seen as a diplomatic opportunity for the country but one that has also sparked concerns among experts over foreign policy risks and potential domestic fallout.

Jakarta/Singapore: President Prabowo Subianto's participation in the Gaza peace summit in Egypt affirms Indonesia's elevated international profile and highlights the opportunities and potential pitfalls in his brand of diplomacy, analysts said.

Heru Andriyanto, Davos – Indonesia's free meal program for children and pregnant and lactating mothers has expanded so rapidly that it is on track to surpass the daily meal output of global fast-food giant McDonald's, President Prabowo Subianto said on Thursday.

Heru Andriyanto, Davos – President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday underscored Indonesia's fiscal credibility, telling participants at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the country has never failed to honor its debt obligations, regardless of changes in government.

Jakarta – Forest and land fires have erupted in several regions across the country despite most areas still being in the peak of the rainy season

In Aceh, authorities are continuing efforts to extinguish fires that broke out last week in several villages in West Aceh regency.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi admits that high rainfall is not the sole contributing factor to the floods that inundate Jakarta this month.

Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – The Jakarta High Court has rejected an appeal filed by Indonesian Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman against Tempo in a Rp200 billion (around US$13 million) civil lawsuit, overturning a previous ruling by the South Jakarta District Court.

Jakarta – The Forest Area Enforcement (PKH) Task Force claims to have seized 4.09 million hectares of oil palm plantations within forest zones throughout 2025. At first glance, this looks like proof of state firmness. However, the massive scale of the land involved is a glaring indicator that forest destruction has been tolerated for far too long.

Hanaa Septiana, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Mochamad Irfan Yusuf, will bar regional leaders from becoming hajj officers this year. This ban responds to last year's presence of regional heads within hajj operations, including Gresik Regent Fandi Akhmad Yani.

The minister assures there won't be a repeat of this occurrence during the 2026 hajj season.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Indonesia is planning to establish waste-to-energy plants (PSEL) this year. Intan Salsabila Firman, a researcher from Tenggara Strategic, said the government must disseminate the safety of PSEL to the public, ensuring that if done right, the facilities will have no negative impacts on the surrounding environments.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Indonesia's state-owned telecommunications giant PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk reported a nationwide service disruption affecting its major subsidiaries Telkomsel, Indibiz, and IndiHome on Thursday afternoon, January 22, 2026.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said a gas pipeline leak operated by PT Transportasi Gas Indonesia (TGI) disrupted production at the Rokan Block, one of the country's largest oil-producing assets, causing a potential loss of around 2 million barrels at the start of the year.

Heru Andriyanto, London – Indonesia and the United Kingdom launched a new strategic partnership in London on Wednesday, marking a significant step forward in bilateral relations between the two countries.

Panji Satrio, Ihsan Syahreza, Tebing Tinggi, N – Sumatra. Nine people were killed after a passenger car was struck by a train at an unguarded railway crossing in Tebing Tinggi, North Sumatra, on Wednesday evening, police said.

Dayat, Jakarta – Meat sellers in Jakarta and its surrounding areas began a coordinated strike on Thursday after the government reduced beef import quotas for private companies, a move traders say has pushed up wholesale prices and disrupted supply at traditional markets.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Financial Service Authority (OJK) said West Java residents were the most affected by digital fraud nationwide, based on complaints recorded by the national anti-scam task force.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has signaled a sweeping rotation of senior officials at the Directorate General of Taxes (DGT), saying a recent reshuffle in North Jakarta is just the beginning of a broader reorganization aimed at restoring public trust amid mounting fiscal pressure.

Andrew Tito, Jakarta – Flooding across Jakarta continued to spread on Thursday afternoon as persistent heavy rainfall inundated residential areas and major roads, according to the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).

Yoes C Kenawas and Amalinda Savirani – The proposal to replace direct popular regional head elections (pilkada langsung) with indirect selection (pilkada tidak langsung) by the regional legislative councils (DPRDs) is gaining traction.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has revoked the permits of 28 companies over environmental violations that authorities say exacerbated the deadly floods and landslides that struck the island of Sumatra in late 2025.

Maxime Aubert, Adam Brumm, Adhi Oktaviana and Renaud Joannes-Boyau – When we think of the world's oldest art, Europe usually comes to mind, with famous cave paintings in France and Spain often seen as evidence this was the birthplace of symbolic human culture. But new evidence from Indonesia dramatically reshapes this picture.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia and eight Muslim-majority countries including Gaza mediators Qatar and Turkey have agreed to join US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace", the Saudi foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto is seeking to attract leading British universities to establish campuses in Indonesia as part of broader efforts to bolster education partnerships with the United Kingdom during his working visit to the country.

Phnom Penh – More than 1,400 Indonesians have left cyberscam networks in Cambodia in the last five days, Jakarta said on Wednesday, after Phnom Penh pledged a fresh crackdown on the illicit trade.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – The Jakarta administration is set to begin the development of the so-called giant sea wall along the city's northern coast in September, as part of President Prabowo Subianto 's 500-kilometer megaproject aimed at protecting flood-prone communities from Banten to East Java against rising sea levels.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has decided to become part of the Board of Peace, an organization led by US President Donald Trump that will oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.

On 15 January 2026, the Thursday Rally (Aksi Kamisan) marked its 893rd Kamisan gathering as well as commemorating its 19th year in front of the Presidential Palace.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia, through the Ministry of Forestry, has joined The Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets. The move aims to bolster global climate financing while representing Indonesia's forestry sector and nature-based solutions.

On Thursday, 15 January 2026, the Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity which consists of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Kalyanamitra, the Indonesian Chinese Youth Association (IPTI), as well as family members of victims of the 1998 May Gross Human Rights Violations attended a hearing at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN).

Wahroni, Tangerang – A group of Muslim clerics and community leaders visited the Tangerang City Legislative Council on Tuesday to voice their opposition to any move to legalize alcohol sales and prostitution in the city in Banten province.

Ria Fortuna Wijaya, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4.75% after a two-day policy meeting, signaling a continued focus on rupiah stability amid increasing global uncertainty.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently agreed to deepen bilateral ties, not long after a landmark maritime deal worth up to 4 billion pounds or approximately $5.4 billion.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – Indonesian law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into reports that a sugar factory was permitted to operate on land owned by the Indonesian Air Force in Lampung province.

Prisma Ardianto, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia reported that banking credit growth slowed to single digits at the end of 2025, reflecting moderating demand even as monetary conditions eased and liquidity remained ample.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The nomination of Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Djiwandono as Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) has the potential to undermine the central bank's independence, assessed economist Teuku Riefky from the Institute for Economic and Social Research at the University of Indonesia (LPEM UI).

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – Indonesia's central bank, Bank Indonesia, has kept its benchmark rate at 4.75 percent. "Bank Indonesia's Board of Governors' Meeting on January 20 and 21, 2026, decided to maintain the [interest rate] at 4.75 percent," said BI Governor Perry Warjiyo on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Economists Alliance has once again issued seven economic demands in a meeting on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – Permata Bank Chief Economist Josua Pardede urged that the Indonesian government immediately restore market confidence through certainty of policy direction and strengthening foreign exchange sources. According to him, such mitigation would effectively encourage the strengthening of the rupiah exchange rate.

Jakarta – Terrorism is a criminal act. Therefore, the response to it falls under the authority of the police, the law enforcement agency tasked with matters of public safety.

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Jakarta – Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has instructed government agencies to accelerate the relocation of civil servants to Nusantara, Indonesia's future capital in East Kalimantan.

Jakarta – The revocation of 28 company permits in Sumatra is the first step towards restoring the rights of the people and the environment in Sumatra.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Chairperson of the Press Council, Komaruddin Hidayat, has expressed his appreciation for the Constitutional Court's decision regarding legal protection for journalists, as stipulated in Article 8 of Law No. 40/1999 on the Press. Komaruddin emphasized that the ruling serves as a vital safeguard for national press freedom.