While hailing more detected cases as an important milestone towards Indonesia's tuberculosis eradication vision, experts warn the government against complacency as health authorities still need more work to do in finding and treating more patients off the infectious respiratory disease.

The rainy season has arrived in Indonesia, bringing heavy to very heavy rainfall that has caused flooding and landslides in several provinces over the past week, with both national and local disaster authorities warning people to stay alert for hydrometeorological hazards in the coming weeks.

Students complain about the high-interest online lending option to pay for their overdue tuition fees, with some blaming the government's hands-off approach to state universities for higher education's commercialization.

Trans Indonesians can only change their legal gender in the official document if they have had gender reassignment surgery. But there are some signs of change, including recognition by the government in 2021 of difficulties trans women face in securing KTPs, allowing them to vote in the upcoming election.

The government should have done more to issue land certificates for residents of traditional villages on Rempang Island in Batam, Riau Islands, while preventing incitement of fear when handling protests against the eco-city project, the Indonesian Ombudsman has warned.

President Jokowi has not achieved agrarian reform as he had campaigned in 2014 on his Nawacita nine-point development agenda; instead, a civil group focusing on the issue has found that the number of land disputes and incidents of state violence have increased during his tenure.

Based on patterns from previous cases, the refugees might have left their shelters for several reasons, including to reunite with their families in neighboring countries, said UNHCR spokesperson Mitra Salima Suryono.

Streaming services, with their wide reach and the government's current lack of regulation, have been relatively free to broadcast LGBTQ portrayals in their content, even as inclusive representation has grown into a divisive issue in contemporary Indonesian society.

The report, published on Jan. 16, found that 38.5 percent of Indonesians over the age of 14 used tobacco products in 2022. This was up more than 2 percentage points from the country’s 2020 figure and up 5 percentage points from 2015.

The government is considering pulling its funding for the Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) scholarship program, even as the country seeks to ramp up the number of master’s and doctoral graduates.

The report of ecological damage in the nickel industry comes as Indonesia, home to the world's largest nickel ore reserves, seeks to extract more value from the mineral by attracting investment into its processing and in the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries.

Some 3.6 million children, or 42 percent of the vaccination target, in East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta have received the first dose of extra polio vaccine. They are slated to receive the second dose on Jan. 19.

Police in Central Java named five people suspects for transporting more than 200 dogs to a slaughterhouse in the province. The individuals named have been in the dog trading and slaughtering business for 10 years,

Health authorities say plummeting polio immunization rates caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to the recently discovered polio cases in Indonesia.

The country’s railway operator and the transportation safety agency have issued new safety procedures following Friday’s head-on crash between two trains in West Java, as investigators continue their probe into the fatal incident.

Starting Jan. 1, the free vaccination is only eligible for elderly people, adults with comorbidities, health workers, pregnant women and people with immuno-compromised conditions.

The new city will be the largest legacy of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who aims to bow out of his second and final term in October 2024 from a brand-spanking new presidential palace. Amid steel tracery that emulates the wings of the mythical bird Garuda, the nation’s symbol, the palace will stand firm on a hill deep in the rainforests of East Kalimantan.

Four railway employees were killed in the head-on collision between a KA Turangga intercity train and a Bandung Raya commuter train. 

A recent survey by the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) on 800 respondents in 10 major cities in the country reveals that 58 percent of customers support the policy of excise tax for sweetened beverages.

The nation’s presidential candidates and their running mates spent time over the Christmas holiday visiting churches to promote religious tolerance and in an effort to make themselves more appealing to Christian voters.

The Jakarta Cathedral promoted the theme Kemuliaan bagi Allah dan damai sejahtera di Bumi (Glory to God and peace on Earth), in line with the Christmas message jointly conveyed by the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia (KWI) and the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) last month.

On the heels of World Disability Day this month, communities and organizations advocating for people with disabilities are calling for better access to justice to end violence against women with disabilities.

Authorities expect the number of travelers and public transportation passengers to continue to increase by the peak of the year-end holiday, which will fall between Friday and Saturday.

More than 475 billion rupiah ($30.7 million) in fines have been issued so far, an official from the ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment Firman Hidayat told reporters, who did not provide further details or identify the companies fined.

The workers were seen wearing uniformed orange-black shirts while waving the Labor Party flags. Later, they went to the US embassy to demand for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The government has urged people to follow the health protocols, including wearing masks, as the country prepares to celebrate the year-end holidays, following the detection of the latest COVID variant of interest JN.1, with the majority of cases reported in Jakarta.

Densus 88 was involved in a shoot-out that killed two terrorist suspects in Lampung earlier this year. Throughout 2023, the counterterrorism squad has apprehended 142 terrorist suspects.

The BMKG also warned of high seas in parts of the country over the holidays, cautioning fishermen, shipping companies, ferry services and other people or entities engaged in maritime activities to remain vigilant.

Among the 22 topics included in the recently introduced health education lessons are nutrition, hygiene and mental and reproductive health.

Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago and Southeast Asia’s most populous country, is notorious for corruption at most levels of society.