Leonard AL Cahyoputra, Jakarta – An economic think-tank recently revealed that Indonesia's plan to import 105,000 Indian pickup trucks can slash the economy by Rp 39 trillion ($2.3 billion) and trigger mass layoffs.

Autocrats create enemies in order to legitimize their authority. Adolf Hitler agitated the people of Germany to watch out for collusion between socialist youths and Wall Street brokers. He claimed that both of them would destroy the values of the Aryan race. Joseph Stalin in Russia fabricated the legend of Pavlik Morozov to mobilize support against hoarders.

Irsyan Hasyimd, Jakarta – The Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) in Indonesia confirmed the discovery of a Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) dead in a community plantation in Karang Ampar Village, Ketol District, Central Aceh Regency. The report of the protected animal's death was received on Saturday, February 21, 2026.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Law Number 17 of 2025 concerning Indonesia's State Budget (APBN) for Fiscal Year 2026 is currently being challenged in the Constitutional Court (MK).

Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara and Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat – Indonesia and the US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan have struck an agreement extending the operating rights of the vast copper and gold complex in Papua for the life of its reserves.

Church organizations, along with civil society groups, have urged the Indonesian government to halt its militaristic approach in the Papua region and its food and palm oil projects that are fueling conflict with indigenous people.

The call comes amid the ongoing violent conflict in the predominantly Christian region.

Teh Lip Li – On February 2, Timor-Leste became the first ASEAN member state to initiate legal proceedings against another member state. It appointed a prosecutor to examine the Myanmar military's responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity under the principle of universal jurisdiction. International advocacy groups have hailed the move as "unprecedented".

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) announced that users of its national QR payment system, Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS), have surpassed 60 million, meeting the central bank's 2026 target ahead of schedule.

Jakarta – WALHI asserts that the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade between Indonesia and the United States (US), signed by Prabowo Subianto and Donald J. Trump, is unconstitutional and undermines Indonesia's ecological sovereignty. This agreement sacrifices Indonesia's sovereignty over its natural resources and perpetuates the deprivation of people's living space.

Kahfi Adlan Hafiz & Muhammad Iqbal Kholidin – A proposal to abolish direct elections for local government heads (Pilkada) in Indonesia has resurfaced after President Prabowo Subianto reiterated the idea in a recent speech at the Golkar party's anniversary event.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Finance reported that as of January 31, 2026, the government had withdrawn new debt totaling Rp127.3 trillion. This figure represents 15.3 percent of the total government debt target set in this year's state budget (APBN), which is expected to reach Rp832.2 trillion.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Stella Christie emphasized that state scholarships are a "debt of gratitude" that must be understood as a trust. This statement was issued in response to a polemic on social media regarding the attitudes of scholarship alumni toward their citizenship status.

Riri Rahayuningsih, Jakarta – The North Java Coastal Authority Agency (BOPPJ) is currently formulating the master plan for the giant sea wall project. BOPPJ Head Didit Herdiawan stated that construction will occur along the northern coast of Java, covering approximately 535 kilometers and spanning Banten, Jakarta, Central Java, and East Java.

Responding to the murder of a student in Tual City, Maluku, by a member of the paramilitary police Mobile Brigade (Brimob), Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid said:

"We convey our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased AT (14). Likewise, we pray for recovery of the victim's older brother, NK (15).

Alfi Dinilhaq, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Calls are mounting for the Indonesian government to cancel plans to import 105,000 pickup trucks for rural cooperatives, amid concerns the move could undermine the domestic automotive industry, which executives say is capable of supplying the vehicles locally.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Former Indonesian deputy foreign minister Dino Patti Djalal expressed regret that President Prabowo Subianto did not explicitly mention the two-state solution and Palestinian independence in his remarks before U.S. President Donald Trump at the Board of Peace Conference in Washington, D.C.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia condemns the assault by a member of the Indonesian National Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob), Second Brigadier (Bripda) MS, against a student named Arianto Tawakal. Bripda MS allegedly killed a 14-year-old kid by beating him with a steel helmet.

Eka Yudha Saputrato, Jakarta – The rice fields in Meurah Dua District, Pidie Jaya Regency, Aceh, which are reportedly submerged in mud as a result of flooding, were personally inspected by Indonesian Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian.

Thresa Sandra Desfika, Jakarta – Indonesian transport experts are pushing back against the government's focus on overloaded trucks as the main cause of road damage, arguing that poor construction quality is the real reason roads across the country deteriorate so quickly.

Prisma Ardianto, Jakarta – Indonesia will import at least 1,000 tons of rice from the United States under a bilateral trade agreement, despite President Prabowo Subianto's strong opposition to rice imports and his administration's claim of national self-sufficiency.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Kontributor), Jakarta – Indonesia's government operates tens of thousands of digital applications that remain disconnected from one another, raising concerns about data fragmentation and policy inefficiency.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Center on Reform on Economics (CORE) Indonesia assesses the reciprocal tariff agreement between the United States and Indonesia as a new pattern of economic exploitation directed at developing countries. The White House, meanwhile, describes the pact as a "Great Deal" that will usher in a new era of bilateral relations.

Jayapura – An Action Plan Workshop titled "Retracing the Footsteps of the Papuan Civil Society Movement", which was attended by non-government organisation (NGO) members from various regions in the land of Papua, has agreed to form the Civil Society Transformation Coalition in the Land of Papua, abbreviated as "KO MASI" in the land of Papua.

Mutia Yuantisya, Jakarta – Bhima Yudistira Adhinegara, Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), raised concerns over the Agreement of Reciprocal Trade (ART) between Indonesia and the United States. He argues the pact risks stalling national industrialization.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu'ti affirmed that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program does not diminish the education budget within his ministry. He ensured that strategic education programs will continue to operate and will even expand in 2026.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The Chair of Fatwa Division at Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh, stated that American goods entering Indonesia do not require halal certification under a trade agreement between the Indonesian government and the United States.

Nina A. Loasana, Jakarta – The National Police have launched a major investigation into an alleged Rp 25 trillion (US$1.48 billion) money laundering scheme linked to illegal gold mining operations in West Kalimantan.

On Thursday, investigators from the force's Directorate of Special Crime conducted coordinated raids in three locations in East Java as part of the probe.

Washington – Indonesia will continue to require domestic processing of critical minerals despite reaching a reciprocal trade agreement with the United States, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Friday, underscoring Jakarta's long-standing downstream industrialization policy amid rising global demand for strategic resources.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Foreign Minister Sugiono claims that the authorities in the Gaza Strip understand Indonesia's reasons for participating in the International Stabilization Force (ISF). The ISF, a multi-national force led by the United States, will deploy at least 20,000 troops to the Gaza Strip.

Jakarta – Indonesia and the United States finalized a trade deal to cut US levies to 19 percent from 32 percent on goods shipped from Southeast Asia's biggest economy, with Jakarta securing tariff exemptions for its top export, palm oil, and several other commodities.

The revocations, announced after C

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – Among the pork and alcohol typically served during Lunar New Year celebrations, 24-year-old Aprillia Hamdani and her family had a separate table of chicken and beef to observe their Islamic dietary restrictions at a family gathering in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Padang, Indonesia – The government of West Sumatra plans to move forward with a legal pathway for up to 300 small mines operating illegally in the heavily forested province, joining several other devolved governments grappling with how to treat the vast number of unlicensed mines operating across Indonesia.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded a $7.8 billion balance of payments deficit in 2025, reversing a $7.2 billion surplus in 2024, according to data released Friday by Bank Indonesia.

Ria Fortuna Wijaya, Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The government is accelerating seasonal fiscal support ahead of Ramadan, including the early disbursement of Rp 55 trillion ($3.2 billion) in holiday allowances for civil servants, military personnel and police, scheduled to begin in the first week of the fasting month.

Agencies, Washington, DC – Indonesia will take a deputy commander role in a nascent International Stabilization Force in Gaza and Morocco will contribute troops, the unit's American chief said Thursday.

United States President Donald Trump is trying to create famine in Cuba. Mass starvation and suffering of the Cuban people are the aims of Trump's latest emergency executive order banning Cuba, an island nation, from importing oil or any energy resources it needs to survive.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto revealed his aspirations for the newly established Board of Peace during its inaugural high-level meeting, initiated by US President Donald Trump.

Prabowo emphasized that the Board could provide a solution to the longstanding Palestinian issue.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto praised the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. He said the ceasefire has shown concrete achievements.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto attended the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, February 19, 2026.

The agenda was attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and White House senior advisor Jared Kushner.

President Prabowo Subianto and his ministers are playing with fire. The array of acrobatic fiscal maneuvers they are performing in an attempt to curb budget deficits stemming from the President's favorite projects will eventually culminate in major problems.

A West Papuan leader has accused the Indonesian government of lying over its operations and "masking" the military role of some civilian aircraft.

Grant Wyeth – With the Parseria Foun ba Era Foun declaration, Australia and Timor-Leste hope to build a partnership grounded in equality, shared regional interests, and respectful cooperation between neighbors.

Roy Adriansyah, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has acknowledged that not all priority programs he pledged during his election campaign have been implemented, citing sharp budget cuts and fiscal adjustments as the main obstacles during his first year in office.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has signed a poison pill clause in the US trade agreement, which includes provisions that analysts warn are Washington's attempt to counter China.

Wahyu Sahala Tua, Jakarta – Indonesia's plan to import commercial vehicles worth nearly Rp 25 trillion ($1.6 billion) from India is drawing mounting criticism from industry groups and lawmakers, who warn the move could weaken domestic manufacturing capacity and threaten jobs amid sluggish local demand.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – Hundreds of neighborhood units (RTs) and road sections are submerged in floodwater in Jakarta as dusk falls on Friday, February 20, 2026. Widespread flooding has occurred after heavy rain inundated Jakarta and its surrounding areas since morning, triggering overflow at various points.

Eka Permadhi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) has condemned the attendance of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the inaugural Board of Peace (BoP) meeting in Washington D.C. on February 19.

The organisation believes that this has the potential to weaken Indonesia's commitment to upholding international law and protecting human rights (HAM).

Antara, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto recently told American investors to not worry about Indonesia's investment climate.

Eryanto Nugroho – It was watched live by 10,000 paying viewers in late August 2025, and later rose to the top of Netflix Indonesia's rankings. But Pandji Pragiwaksono's stand-up comedy special 'Mens Rea' cannot be judged solely on whether it is 'funny' or 'not funny'.