A'an Suryana – The government has launched an ambitious plan to improve the experience for Indonesian haj pilgrims. The question is whether worldly rewards might compromise the holiness and rightfulness of the mission.

Sesilia Ayu Febriani, Martin Bagya Kertiyasa, Jakarta – Foreign investors posted a net outflow of Rp 7.71 trillion ($455.6 million) from Indonesia's financial markets in the second week of January, driven by sales of government bonds, even as equities saw inflows and the rupiah showed modest stability.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesia's government has confirmed that the Draft Law on Countering Disinformation and Foreign Propaganda is still in the discussion stage and has not yet been formally drafted.

State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi emphasized that the plan remains a discourse rather than concrete legislation.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – PT Aneka Tambang (Antam), Indonesia's state-owned mining companies, has responded to circulating reports and social media videos claiming an explosion at its Pongkor gold mine in West Java and that hundreds of workers were trapped inside.

The company confirmed that the information is false.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto gathered academics at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, January 15, 2026. Prabowo will deliver a briefing to them at the event, which will take place this morning.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Greenpeace Indonesia Climate and Energy Campaign Manager Iqbal Damanik on Wednesday submitted evidence of an alleged intimidation campaign to Indonesia's National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim), including a decapitated chicken carcass and a written threat sent to his home.

Antara, Jakarta – Bhima Yudhistira, Executive Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), identified factors that will increase pressure on consumer purchasing power this year in Indonesia. He believes the lack of formal employment or job opportunities is one factor putting pressure on people's purchasing power.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Research funding during Prabowo's administration has increased up to 218 percent, said Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Stella Christie.

"This is a significant raise," said Stella on Thursday, January 15, as it occurred in the first year of Prabowo's presidency.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) has warned that child grooming and sexual violence against children remain serious threats.

Minister Arifatul Choiri Fauzi said perpetrators often manipulate children in subtle and hidden ways.

Prasetyo said that the government is currently developing strategies to fulfill the need for doctors.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has criticized the government's proposed Bill on the Prevention of Disinformation and Foreign Propaganda, saying it contradicts the 1945 Constitution.

YLBHI warned that the bill could curtail the freedom of expression guaranteed under Articles 28E and 28F.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – Flooding and landslides have struck parts of Java amid persistent rainfall, with coastal areas bearing the brunt due to ongoing erosion, and conditions are forecast to deteriorate further.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has requested PT Nestle Indonesia to temporarily halt distributing and importing S-26 Promil Gold pHPro 1 baby formula with batch numbers 51530017C2 and 51540017A1.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – An analyst said Thursday that Indonesia should think twice about joining the Gaza security force that US President Donald Trump had pitched, citing concerns over Jakarta being the "face of new colonialism" in the war-torn enclave.

Fadli, Batam – An Indonesian migrant worker from South Sulawesi, identified only as MRI, has escaped the death penalty after a six-year legal battle over an alleged 2020 murder.

The release was a result of cooperation among the protection task force at the Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru, the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and law firm Gooi and Azura.

Shaan Amin – Prejudice against queer people in Indonesia is on the rise in many forms.

M Fathur Rohman, Jakarta – A Kamisan (Thursday) action was again held in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Thursday January 15.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has scrapped a plan to retire a major coal-fired power plant, after having promised for years to do so.

Wahroni, Tangerang, Banten – The Tangerang City administration, on the outskirts of Jakarta, is planning to revise two long-standing local bylaws that strictly ban prostitution and the sale of alcoholic beverages, reopening a sensitive debate over morality, zoning and local revenue in one of Indonesia's most populous urban areas.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Indonesia will need nearly Rp 60 trillion ($3.55 billion) to rehabilitate damaged infrastructure and rebuild almost 239,000 homes following flash floods in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra last November, the government said.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Executive Director of Parameter Politik Indonesia, Adi Prayitno, predicts that the issues of extending the president's term and the president being elected by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) will emerge during the era of President Prabowo Subianto's administration.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) reported a total of 2,301 cases of violence against children in 2025. Most of the victims were girls, making up 51.5 percent, with boys 47.6 percent, and gender-unspecified children making up 0.9 percent.

Putri Maharani Kristiana, Jakarta – Foreign Minister Sugiono highlighted ten of Indonesia's recent successes in international diplomacy, including its election as President of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for 2026.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Professor of Political Science at the Indonesia University of Education, Cecep Darmawan, said the meeting between professors and university leaders with President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta did not involve a dialogue session.

Danu Damarjati, Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) is asking that discussion on the Draft Law (RUU) on Countering Disinformation and Foreign Propaganda be stopped.

Han Revanda Putra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto compared the quality of land for the food estate in Merauke, Papua province, Indonesia, with land conditions in Australia for the development of a national food barn area based on large-scale production.

Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Jessi Carina, Jakarta – Environmental activist and Greenpeace Indonesia Forest Campaigner, Iqbal Damanik, has reported the recent terror and threats he experienced to the National Police Criminal Investigation Directorate (Bareskrim Polri).

The year 2025 can rightly be referred to as a highly repressive era. But the good news is that this repressive political climate has triggered an explosion of resistance art. Art has transformed into the language of resistance against silencing.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Authorities in Indonesia's Majene Regency, West Sulawesi, have confirmed that an alleged food poisoning incident linked to the government's Free Nutritious Meal program (MBG) has affected not only young children but also pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and teachers.

Adinda Jasmine, Jakarta – Foreign Minister Sugiono has called for Indonesia's diplomacy to adapt to an increasingly uncertain and volatile global environment, urging a strategy rooted in preparedness, vigilance, and realism.

Yanuar Nugroho – Indonesia's 2026 state budget is the first that is truly President Prabowo Subianto's, in the sense that his administration drafted and defended it and it is not inherited from his predecessor Joko Widodo.

Philip Jacobson – A reacceleration in the rate of Indonesia's deforestation risks is also drawing attention to the country's spotty climate record: At No. 6, Indonesia ranks among the top greenhouse gas emitters after China, the U.S., India, the EU and Russia.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – From being one of the most coveted tech collaborators, billionaire Elon Musk has fallen out of favor with the government as Indonesia became the first country to ban access to his artificial intelligence platform Grok over sexualized deepfakes.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – Jakarta faces an escalating threat from land subsidence, which experts warn could leave parts of the city underwater and cause massive economic losses if aggressive mitigation measures are not implemented.

Nur Janti, Jakarta – The iconic raptor, the Javan hawk-eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi), is facing mounting risks from habitat degradation that threatens its remaining populations, according to recent findings, as forest loss and land conversion continue across parts of Java.

Jakarta – Indonesian policymakers love targets, and always have, and the administration of President Prabowo Subianto is no exception. The problem is that targets can come back to haunt their creators.

Lisa Hiwasaki and Haekal A. Haridhi (The Conversation) – Weeks after Cyclone Senyar made landfall in northern Sumatra, the province of Aceh continues to struggle. The cyclone passed through the Strait of Malacca in late November, bringing heavy rains and causing widespread flooding in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Singgih Wiryono, Dani Prabowo, Jakarta – Three different survey institutions, LSI Denny JA, Litbang Kompas and Populi Centre, have released similar results on the issue of the election of regional heads (Pilkada) being through Regional Representative Councils (DPRD).

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Nine law students from several Indonesian universities have filed a judicial review at the Constitutional Court challenging a provision in the country's newly enacted Criminal Code (KUHP), arguing that it threatens freedom of expression and legal certainty.

Stefanno Sulaiman, Jakarta – Millions of Indonesian ride-hailing drivers would receive major increases to financial and social benefits under a draft decree being considered by President Prabowo Subianto, two sources said, threatening the profitability of ride-sharing platforms in their largest market in Southeast Asia.

Adhfar Aulia Syuhada, Jakarta – Online motorcycle taxi drivers (ojol) held a demonstration in front of the United States Embassy in Central Jakarta today where they demanded that the US release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia has reclaimed more than 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres, about the size of Switzerland) of land nationwide that had been used for plantations, mining or other activities inside areas officially designated as forest, according to the government.

Ria Fortuna Wijaya, Jakarta – International Economic Association Secretary General Lili Yan Ing has urged the government to take a more measured and consistent approach in setting its economic growth targets, cautioning that overly ambitious figures could weaken policy credibility in the eyes of the market.

Septia Ryanthie, Jakarta – Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi has urged regency and city governments to promptly apply for crop failure insurance to mitigate the risk of losses for farmers due to hydrometeorological disasters. The threat of extreme weather in several areas of Central Java has raised concerns about the region's food security.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Jakarta – The destruction of the Tanjung Kasam protected forest in Batam, Riau Islands, is significantly more extensive than previously estimated, with 20 hectares of land cover now reported as altered.

Riri Rahayuningsih, Jakarta – The latest survey results from Bank Indonesia reveal a trend where the public is allocating a larger portion of their income to savings while simultaneously decreasing consumption.Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Susiwijono Moegiarso, acknowledged this shift, noting that citizens are becoming increasingly cautious with their

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – Indonesia's economic growth is projected to be stuck within the 5 percent range while facing pressure on quality growth in 2026. The assessment was outlined by the Indonesian Business Council in its IBC Business Outlook 2026 report titled Inflection: Breaking the Growth Plateau.

Shinta Maharani, Jakarta – Several professors from the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) in Yogyakarta have declined President Prabowo Subianto's invitation to a dialogue at the State Palace, citing concerns that the event would be largely ceremonial.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – The Climate and Energy Campaign Manager of Greenpeace Indonesia, Iqbal Damanik, and a content creator, Yansen, visited the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim Polri). They were consulted to create a report on the threats they received after criticizing the disaster response in Sumatra.

Nawir Arsyad Akbar, Jakarta – Kompas Research and Development (Litbang Kompas) has released the results of a poll showing that the majority of Generation Y or Millennials reject the election of regional heads (Pilkada) via Regional Representative Councils (DPRD).

Generation Y or Millennials are a demographic group born between 1981 and 1996.