Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Abdullah Azwar Anas said that remote working could apply to government workers handling administrative work and who did not handle public service directly.

The Transportation Ministry is advising mudik travelers to hit the road before Sunday, when the return traffic to Greater Jakarta is expected to peak.

The government has denied reports in Israeli media that it plans to normalize ties with that country in its bid for OECD accession, stressing that it remains committed to realizing Palestinian independence under the two-state solution.

The number of traffic accidents and fatalities appears to have declined over the last two years, with a significant drop in both figures in the week leading up to Idul Fitri this year.

Despite millions of vehicles having left Jakarta to return to their hometowns during the Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) season, a large number are still yet to depart, says state-owned toll operator PT Jasa Marga.

In certain spots, the police will consider replacing counterflow lanes on the trans-Java toll road network with one-way traffic following a deadly crash, but their implementation depends on traffic conditions during the Idul Fitri holiday.

At least twelve people died in a head-on collision on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road on Monday in the first big road accident of this year’s busy Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) season, prompting the police to evaluate their traffic interventions to ensure no further incidents occur.

Coinciding with World Health Day, the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) has announced that close to 270 million people, nearly the country’s whole population, have been enrolled in the National Health Insurance (JKN) program.

On Thursday, the Jepara District Court in Central Java declared activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan guilty of spreading hate speech online, sentenced him to seven months in prison and ordered him to pay a Rp 5 million (US$315) fine.

Some 193.6 million Indonesians, nearly three quarters of the country’s population, are expected to participate in the annual Idul Fitri tradition of mudik this year, up 56 percent from the number of travelers last year.

Supporters of the Pramuka movement say the activities are beneficial as they teach important life skills, while opponents argue that poor implementation of the program in many schools means they are little more than time-wasting activities.

The Health Ministry has recorded at least 43,200 dengue cases and 404 deaths nationwide as of March 23, almost triple the same period last year. Experts are blaming El Niño as an important figure that leads to the dengue cases and deaths soaring this year.

The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that no Indonesian nationals in Taiwan were harmed during the earthquake.

Indonesian health authorities have recorded at least nearly 5,500 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) from the beginning of the year until March 16.

Praktikno said the Pope’s stopover in Indonesia would be a state visit and protocol would allow for the two leaders to meet in the capital.

Some members of the Roman Catholic Church in Indonesia are praying hard for the pope's health amid recent concerns surrounding his condition during the Good Friday and Easter Sunday celebrations.

Tattoos are considered forbidden in Islam because they count as physical mutilation of the skin.

The Idul Fitri holiday this year will be dominated by light to medium rain, with potential for a tropical cyclone after April 11. 

The endemic Javan and Balinese tigers were wiped out in the 1980s and 1940s respectively, leaving only Sumatran tigers remaining in Indonesia.

An alleged human-trafficking scheme targeting Indonesian university students seeking internships in Germany has sparked concerns about the government’s oversight of students’ overseas internship programs, including the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry’s Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM).

The impacts of the climate crisis may force the residents of Pari Island in Thousand Islands regency, along with other small islands across Indonesia, out of their homes and become climate refugees, experts have said.

Constitutional Court rejects the second petition seeking the legalization of the medicinal usage of cannabis, arguing that Indonesia has insufficient research and regulation on the matter.

Experts are hailing a proposed provision on paternity leave for civil servants as a breakthrough, especially for its social engineering potential in encouraging fathers to take a more active role in child-rearing.

For the past six years, Tita Salina and Irwan Ahmett have documented and witnessed the rapid transformation of North Jakarta, an area of dramatic contrasts and home to 1.8 million.

South Tangerang takes first place among the top 15 Indonesian cities with the worst air quality, alongside neighbors Jakarta, Tangerang in Banten and Bekasi and Bandung in West Java.

An alleged group suicide of a family of four in North Jakarta has garnered nationwide attention and prompted calls for bigger efforts to prevent more cases in the future following increasing cases of suicides in the country.

In the World Happiness Report, Finland remained the world's happiest country for a seventh straight year, while Indonesia improved its position from number 84 of 109 countries surveyed  in 2023. This year, 143 countries appear on the list.

Authorities are gearing up for this year's fire season as a BMKG forecast shows the dry season starting next month in NTT, NTB and Bali, followed by the rest of the country between May and June.

The Transportation Ministry expects as many as 33.7 million people to participate in the Idul Fitri tradition of mudik (exodus) a week before and after the holiday.

Last year's dry season was the most severe since 2019 due to an El Nino weather phenomenon that lasted longer than usual, bringing a drought that hurt crops and exacerbated forest fires.