Amnesty International annual human rights report raises a red flag on a decline in freedom of expression and the press as well as an increase in oppression by security forces against government critics, sounding an alarm against the rise of authoritarianism in Indonesia.

East Jakarta is leading an initiative to move 2 kilometers of overhead utility lines underground in a two-pronged measure that aims to improve safety for pedestrians and motorists as well as beautify the municipality.

Human rights activists have said the Electronic Information and Transaction Law is a threat to freedom of speech in the country and that the government has used it to criminalise its critics. 

Launched in January, the vaunted programme has reached just 3.27 million recipients as of April 29, with more than 1,000 kitchens operating across the archipelago, the ministry said. 

Recent findings by antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) showed President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiative, the free nutritious meal program, lacks key principles of good governance, showing poor accountability and transparency and leaving it vulnerable to fund mismanagement.

The free nutritious meals program has faced intense public scrutiny following several food poisoning incidents that have caused hundreds of students to be hospitalized since its launch in January.

Experts and activists believe that making data about emissions produced by coal-fired power plants across Java available to the public will help the country in its effort to shift away from fossil fuels.

A video of an altercation between Megawati Zebua and a Wings Air flight attendant recently went viral on social media. In the footage, the Medan councilor is seen pushing the flight attendant in the neck as they argue in the aisle of the plane.

Jayawijaya Regent Athenius Munib said that access to several inundated areas remains severely limited due to difficult terrain. He added that some districts can only be reached via speedboat, complicating efforts to gather data and distribute assistance.

Six months after stepping down from the nation’s top post, former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has been the target of a barrage of lawsuits, which analysts say underscores the accumulated disapproval over his presidency.

Indonesia’s education sector sees a drop on its integrity index score from a survey conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), due to academic dishonesty and corrupt behaviors among teachers and lecturers, among other factors.

In a statement published on Tuesday, Hasan said that he tendered his resignation on April 21 to both State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.

Governor Pramono Anung recently introduced a regulation to cut fuel tax by half, down to 5 percent for private vehicles and 2.5 percent for public ones, risking incentivizing greater private vehicle use and derailing emission targets.

A proposal to reinstate Surakarta’s special designation status has resurfaced, potentially paving the way for the hometown of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to be separated from Central Java, long considered a stronghold of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Khoiruddin, a local resident, explained that the mudflow has destroyed several rubber and rice crops and left some farmland infertile. The mud has also contaminated the clean water supply for four nearby villages, while the gas emitted from the mudflow has polluted the air in the region.

Both the regency and provincial administrations will fund the program, which will target students who "are difficult to discipline", engage in "risky behaviors" or are suspected of being involved in criminal activities.

Tensions flared in West Papua over the weekend after members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) rebel group opened fire on a National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) delegation accompanying police in the search for a missing officer in the Rawara River, Moskona district, Teluk Bintuni regency.

The Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry has downplayed public concerns that the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) involvement in university teaching could stifle academic freedom and student expression.

Calls have grown for President Prabowo Subianto’s administration to suspend and reevaluate its flagship free nutritious meals program amid cases of food poisoning and a report of embezzlement of funds earmarked for the initiative.

Jayawijaya regency, the capital of Papua Highlands province, has declared a state of emergency following days of torrential rain that have inundated close to two dozen districts in what has been described as the worst flood that has hit the regency in years.

During a hearing for a case involving Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto, a phone call recording revealed that a party politician said the order to bribe former General Elections Commission (KPU) came from “ibu” (madam).

The Law Ministry’s regional office in East Java argues that intellectual property rights can protect the horeg sound system, which was born out of the creative thought of the Indonesian people.

Many viewers have dismissed Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s discussion of youth’s crucial role in realizing the Indonesia Emas (Golden Indonesia) 2045 vision on his YouTube channel @GibranTV, his first monologue video since taking office, as overly flowery and lacking in substance.

The latest incident occurred on Wednesday, impacting at least 13 students from SDN 33 Kasipute elementary school in Bombana regency, Southeast Sulawesi. This marks the sixth such case since the program was launched in January.

The allowance came after lecturers throughout the country staged demonstrations against years of unpaid incentives, prompting President Prabowo Subianto to issue a regulation on March 27 mandating the provision of monthly performance-based bonuses, which is retroactive to January this year.

The monument’s surprisingly small budget also sparked widespread discussion online, with many netizens comparing it to statues in other cities that are often deemed far less appealing despite being built with significantly larger budgets and funded by taxpayers.

The BKN head has reassured the House that the mass withdrawal will not affect the delivery of public services, as 16,000 new recruits had accepted their civil service posts, including in far-flung regions.