Jakarta residents are rallying behind a viral call to end officials’ traffic privileges, arguing that police escorts and blaring sirens add chaos to already congested streets and symbolize inequality on the road.

Six decades after the 1965 purge, the phantom of communism still haunts the nation, with the government and the police continuing to invoke its memory to instill fear.

Parents are growing increasingly concerned about the government’s free nutritious meals program for schoolchildren amid a spike in food poisoning cases nationwide, with many fearing their children could suffer food poisoning next.

Prosecutors found the tugboats, worth Rp 135.81 billion (US$8.15 million), were not up to specifications, the physical progress deviated from contract requirements and the payments were not in line with the work progress.

Nanang Sigit, head of the Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency, said that 38 students are still believed to be trapped under the rubble.

A new Jakarta Police program offering cash rewards to ojol (online motorcycle transportation drivers) who “help maintain road safety and monitor crimes” has been met with skepticism, with transport unions cautioning it could spark tensions and potential abuses of authority.

The Batam Customs Office, along with BP Batam and the Environment Ministry, has opened an investigation into 19 containers of e-waste that are believed to have been imported from the US without complying with the appropriate regulations.

The United Development Party (PPP) is embroiled in an internal leadership struggle after two rival factions each declared their own party chair during a weekend congress that had briefly erupted into brawls between party members.

The Presidential Palace has faced mounting criticism from journalist groups and rights organizations after briefly revoking a reporter’s credentials over questions about the government’s free nutritious meal program, linked to thousands of food poisoning cases nationwide, raising concerns about press freedom in Indonesia.

Jakarta only produces 34 Megawatt-peak (MWp) of electricity from solar, far from its 2030 target of 500 Mwp.

Calls to safeguard a planned revision to election rules intensify, as pro-democracy advocates urge lawmakers to push for meaningful reform for the electoral system and put public interests and democratic consolidation at the center of the plan.

Rafael Christian, head of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) that prepared the meals, said the incident occurred when the glass lid of a pan used to fry eggs suddenly shattered during meal preparation.

A new report has once again highlighted the heavy toll of Indonesia’s nickel industry, where decades of poorly regulated extraction have scarred landscapes, choked coral reefs and eroded local livelihoods, while companies face little accountability.

Bali is among the regions in Indonesia with a high incidence of rabies, reporting an average of 183 animal bites from potential rabies carriers each day.

BNN's Suyudi said that North Sumatra and Aceh have long served as primary entry points for transnational drug trafficking into Indonesia. The main suppliers, he noted, are syndicates operating out of the so-called “Golden Triangle,” which includes criminal networks based in Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

The food poisonings have sparked a public outcry with TV channels broadcasting images of children being treated on hospital beds. Local non-profit organizations have called for the suspension of the program.

The Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) has welcomed some defectors from other political parties to its central board leadership, prompting questions about whether the party was trying to bolster its chance of becoming an electorally viable political vehicle for former president Jokowi “Jokowi” Widodo.

‘Java Man’, or remains of a Homo erectus unearthed by Dutch geologist Eugene Dubois in Java, were used to suggest the existence of early human in Asia, challenging prevailing theories that ancient human only emerged in Africa and Europe.

The government insists on keeping the free nutritious meal program running and will only close problematic kitchens temporarily for investigation, despite numbers of food poisoning cases continuing to increase among school students.

Batam Haj Dormitory serves pilgrims from Riau Islands as well as those from neighboring provinces of Riau, Jambi and West Kalimantan since 2001.

With the Education Law revision set to bring sweeping changes, teachers and observers urge lawmakers to bring the revised law to reform how the constitutionally mandated 20 percent of state spending on education is allocated.

Concerns have mounted over the standards and supervision of the multi-billion-dollar initiative. Nearly 6,000 people have fallen ill after eating the free lunches since the programme's January roll-out, government data showed, including more than 1,000 children in the country's West Java province this week.

New Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir will retain his position as Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) chair after world soccer governing body FIFA raised no objection to him holding a dual role.

City leadership in Batam has been told to strengthen supervision on imported goods traffic, especially dangerous and toxic waste into the free trade zone area in Riau Islands province. 

Some businesses are found to operate in the protected mangrove forests and even have land ownership certificates (SHM).

All palm oil companies were ordered to each pay a Rp 1 billion (US$59,580) fine, along with various restitution ranging from Rp 900 billion to nearly Rp 12 trillion, after they were declared guilty in a corruption case pertaining to crude palm oil export permits.

Lifeguards at Legian beach had warned the missing Edward Nada Kantounas and two of his friends to leave the red-flagged area of the beach.