Kadek Wara Urwasi – 17 August 2024 did not end up being a significant milestone for Nusantara, Indonesia's planned new capital city currently under development in East Kalimantan. That year, on the 79th anniversary of Indonesia's independence, outgoing president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had intended to celebrate the inauguration of a brand new capital.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – The Forum of Retired Indonesian National Armed Forces Members (FPP TNI) has stated that they are taking various measures to push for the impeachment of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. They are monitoring one of the efforts, which is the Rp125 trillion civil lawsuit against Gibran in the Central Jakarta District Court.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – "Going to Dubai was an act of desperation," says Muninggar, a 48-year-old former fish farmer from northern Java. "There were no jobs left in the village. If I wasn't forced to, I wouldn't have gone – my kids were still small."

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Jakarta – Jakarta Deputy Governor Rano Karno opened the Jakarta Film Week (JFW) 2025 on Wednesday night, launching the fifth edition of the international festival that features 134 films from 25 countries and a series of industry programs for young filmmakers across Asia.

Nina A. Loasana, Jakarta – More than 1,000 prison guards are undergoing retraining at the maximum-security prisons on Nusakambangan Island, following a string of scandals involving criminal activities orchestrated from behind bars, a senior minister has said.

On 3 October 2025, Indonesian military personnel reportedly detained Mr Agustinus Tipagau, 22, in Timika City, at around 11:00 am (see photo on top, source: independent HRD).

On 20 October 2025, security forces opened fire at Moanemani Market, Kamu District, Dogiyai Regency, around 11:00 am. Three people were reportedly injured during the shooting. Later that day, security forces raided the Mauwa Village around 11:36 pm, resulting in the death of Mr Keni Dumupa, with one additional person arrested.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – The city administration has pledged to improve plastic waste management and processing in response to a study indicating microplastic contamination in Jakarta's rainwater.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto announced that Portuguese will soon be added to Indonesia's school curriculum, underscoring the country's deepening ties with Brazil.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday praised Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's leadership and claimed that he had copied some of the South American leader's policies.

Prabowo made the statement during a bilateral meeting with Lula at the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Thursday morning.

Caleb Fotheringham – The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) claims more than a dozen civilians have been killed in the Papuan highlands, including three men who were allegedly tortured and a woman who was allegedly raped.

However, the Indonesian government has dismissed the accusations "baseless".

Jakarta – Several regional administrations have unveiled austerity measures, including reduced workdays and remote work policies for civil servants, following the central government's decision to cut regional transfers (TKD) for fiscal year 2026.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Body (BGN), Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, said the agency is open to various suggestions on the free nutritious meal program implementation. One of the suggestions floated is for the schools to directly manage the free meal program.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – LSI (Indonesian Survey Circle) Denny JA has released a report on the first year of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's administration. The report shows that the level of public satisfaction has decreased.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – Indonesia's Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Maman Abdurrahman addresses the surge of imports entering Indonesia and disrupting the local market. He says that the government has not been able to resolve this issue, which has impacted small entrepreneurs.

On 15 October 2025, police personnel disrupted a student-led, anti-militarisation protest at the Abepura Roundabout in Jayapura City, Papua Province. At least five protesters were arbitrarily detained for over 24 hours before being released without charges, after authorities reportedly found no legal violations.

Alfitria Nefi P, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture has stated that the productivity of local cocoa plantations has declined in the past year. "Our productivity has indeed decreased in the past year," said the Head of the Cocoa and Other Seasonal Crop Working Group at the Ministry of Agriculture, Yakub Ginting, in Pullman, Jakarta, on Thursday, October 23, 2025.

Alfitria Nefi P, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita stated that 90 percent of the chlor-alkali plant (CAP) industry's salt needs in the country still rely on imports. "This has become a challenge as well as an opportunity for the development of the national salt industry," said Agus in a written statement on Wednesday, October 22, 2025.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency is finalizing a presidential regulation on the governance of Free Nutritious Meal (MBG).

One of the key provisions in the regulation requires nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPGs) to use gallon water bottles for cooking.

Agencies, Jakarta – Indonesia vowed Thursday to play an "active role" in global sports after the IOC urged federations not to stage events there following the country's ban on Israeli gymnasts.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – The Indonesian National Police's Criminal Investigation Department revealed that North Sumatra has the highest number of drug cases in Indonesia.

Alfitria Nefi P, Jakarta – Indonesia imported 157,000 tons of cocoa beans in 2024 to meet the needs of the domestic processing industry, according to the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The research agency, Laboratorium Indonesia 2045 (LAB45), noted that during the first year of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's administration, they frequently made public statements that were considered blunders.

Defara Dhanya, Jakarta – The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Indonesia continues to rise. Kantar's research shows that 59 percent of Indonesians have tried AI technology at least once in the past few years, much higher compared to the Southeast Asian average.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – Indigenous communities in Indonesia continue to bear heavy burdens from the climate crisis impact by losing their homes and livelihoods and face environmental disasters, while engaging in little to no meaningful participation in mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Antara, Jakarta – Chair of the Indonesian National Association of River and Lake Transportation and Crossings (Gapasdap), Khoiri Soetomo, said that entrepreneurs in this sector complained about the application of tariffs for ferry transportation still referring to 2019 regulations.

Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta – Hundreds of students in Maluku and North Sumatra have reportedly suffered from food poisoning after consuming meals provided through the government's free nutritious meal program, as President Prabowo Subianto continues to downplay mounting concerns over the initiative's food safety standards.

Gordon Peake – "If something happens that's wrong, you say sorry" said Evan Shackleton, son of one of the Balibo Five, last week. Shackleton was speaking to media at Balibo at commemorations for the five journalists murdered by Indonesian forces on the Timorese side of the border in 1975.

Maretha Uli, Jakarta – One year into President Prabowo Subianto's administration, environmental watchdogs warn of a deepening ecological crisis fueled by elite business interests and an expanding military role in natural resource management.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The Executive Director of Indonesia Political Opinion (IPO), Dedi Kurnia Syah, announced the results of a survey evaluating ministers with the best performance during the first year of President Prabowo Subianto's administration.

The findings were published in a report titled "Evaluation and Public Notes" on October 21, 2025.

Servio Maranda, Jakarta – Indonesia's state-owned tin producer PT Timah Tbk reported financial losses amounting to Rp2.25 billion after a violent demonstration by tin miners damaged several facilities at the company's head office on Jenderal Sudirman Street, Pangkalpinang, Indonesia, on Monday, October 6, 2025.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) decided to keep its benchmark rate steady at 4.75 percent during its Board of Governors Meeting on Oct. 21-22, 2025, maintaining a cautious stance amid global uncertainty.

The central bank also left the Deposit Facility Rate and Lending Facility Rate unchanged at 3.75 percent and 5.50 percent, respectively.

Sukarjito, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto officially slashed fertilizer prices by 20 percent starting on Wednesday as Indonesia pursued food self-sufficiency.

According to Agricultural Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, the move came as a way to lift farmers' burden and boost the national food production.

Jihan Ristiyanti, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch, or ICW, has urged the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Attorney General's Office to be impartial in enforcing the law against foreign executives of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). This comes in response to President Prabowo Subianto's new policy that allows foreign nationals to lead SOEs.

Alfitria Nefi P, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Agriculture, Amran Sulaiman, stated that around 30,000 government rice reserves stored in Bulog warehouses were damaged.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) says it is actively investigating allegations of corruption in the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project, known as Whoosh.

Acting Deputy for Enforcement and Execution Asep Guntur Rahayu told reporters at KPK headquarters that the agency does not wait for formal complaints to begin inquiries.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – A recent survey by the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) suggests that Indonesia's freedom of expression and civil liberties have not improved in the first year of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's administration.

Majority see little or no progress

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The Indonesian Transportation Workers Union (SPAI) has called on President Prabowo Subianto to immediately issue a Presidential Regulation on the Protection of Online Transportation Workers.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) stated that the government is still exploring funding sources for the Giant Sea Wall project. He said the project is urgent to save the lives of millions of residents living in the northern coastal areas of Java or Pantura.

Antara, Jakarta – Anti-graft commission KPK recently revealed that the agency had detected data discrepancy in mining permits after consulting with several ministries and government agencies.

Saifulbahri Ismail, Dili, Timor-Leste – Timor-Leste is poised to make history as it prepares to formally join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) when regional leaders gather for their summit in Kuala Lumpur later this week.

Dewi Rina Cahyani, Jakarta – United States President Donald Trump suggested that several countries in the Middle East have offered to send troops to Gaza to combat Hamas. Trump renewed his threat against Hamas in Palestine on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, amidst a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.

Jakarta – A number of organisations affiliated with the Civil Coalition for Security Reform have criticised the light sentences given to soldiers involved in cases of abuse that resulted in the death of the victims.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Iqbal Ramadhan was taken aback when he received a summons from the Jakarta Metro Police in mid-September. At that time, Iqbal was a public lawyer involved in the Advocacy Team for Democracy, or TAUD.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia assesses that the human rights situation under the first year of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's administration has experienced its worst decline since the reform era.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita stated that his ministry has proposed the national car program requested by President Prabowo Subianto to become a national strategic project or PSN (National Strategic Project).

Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – Amnesty says that the first year of the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has been marked by paradoxical public policies and a decline in respect for human rights.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said that the rate of food poisoning from free nutritious meals (MBG) is still within the humanitarian corridor when compared to tens of millions of its beneficiaries.

Jakarta – Civil Society Movement to Bring Suharto to Justice (GEMAS) says that the proposal by the Minister of Social Affairs (Mensos), Saifullah Yusuf alias Gus Ipul, for the 2nd President of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto to be named a national hero is a disappointing move.

Jakarta – With all the controversies, Prabowo Subianto has been fairly successful in consolidating his power through populism in his first year in office.