Gilang Kembara (The Conversation) – For much of April and into May, a team of Indonesian negotiators has been in Washington to discuss trading relations between the world's largest economy and another forecast to be in the top-five within a generation.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has extended his congratulations to Pope Leo XIV on his election as the new leader of the Catholic community. Minister of State Secretariat Prasetyo Hadi stated that President Prabowo plans to personally convey his congratulations to the Pope, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost.

Jakarta – The past week has seen a series of events that, taken together, indicate a power struggle between political elites just six months into the administration of President Prabowo Subianto.

Jakarta – The project to rewrite Indonesian history initiated by the Ministry of Culture has attracted the attention of a number of historians. It is hoped that the rewrite will not to ignore the dark chapters of Indonesian history, especially related to gross human rights violations that have been committed by the state.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesian teenage students who skip class or play too many video games could land themselves in military bootcamp if a disciplinary pilot project rolled out in one province this month proves successful, a government minister told Agence France-Presse on Friday.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Judge of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia Saldi Isra said the lawsuit against the Indonesian National Military Law (TNI Law), Law Number 3 of 2025, made history as it marked the first time numerous identical requests for formal and material review were tried at once.

Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia has criticized the arrest of a Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) student who created and uploaded a meme depicting President Prabowo Subianto and former President Jokowi kissing, asserting that the meme falls under the umbrella of freedom of expression.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Batam – President Prabowo Subianto has given special authority to the Head of the Batam Investment Coordinating Board or BP Batam to submit requests for the release of forest areas. This authority was granted through Presidential Regulation No. 21 of 2025 on the management of land provision in Free Trade and Free Port (KPBPB) areas.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia is preparing to reduce its reliance on fuel imports from Singapore, citing high prices and geopolitical concerns, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said Friday.

Anisa Fauziah, Chairul Fikri, Jakarta – Indonesia's media industry is facing a wave of layoffs and closures, driven by a combination of digital disruption, shrinking ad revenues, and shifting consumer behavior that favors fast, bite-sized content over in-depth journalism.

Wahyu Sahala Tua, Jakarta – VinFast and its charging unit, V-Green, plan to invest $300 million to deploy 63,000 electric vehicle charging stations across Indonesia by the end of 2025, marking a significant push into Southeast Asia's growing EV market.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Trade Ministry says it will carefully "monitor" Malaysia's antidumping duty imposed on Indonesian plastic goods and may bring the matter to the World Trade Organization (WTO) "if necessary", while experts urge swift action to protect domestic industries.

Melynda Dwi Puspita, Jakarta – Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, Head of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), disclosed that the number of unemployed individuals in Indonesia has risen to 7.28 million as of February 2025.

Meanwhile, the total labor force grew by 3.67 million, reaching 153.05 million people.

Indonesia, West Papua – On 14 and 15 April 2025, ethnic horizontal violence reportedly erupted in the Dogiyai Regency, Papua Tengah Province, leading to the death of one non-Papuan close to the Moanemani Terminal. The incidents sparked widespread unrest, prompting the security forces to deploy additional personnel to the region.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai, affirmed that the West Java Regional Government's program to send children to military barracks does not violate human rights. Pigai made this statement after meeting with West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi in Jakarta on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Indonesia, West Papua – On 11 April 2025, farmers in Biha Village, Makimi District, Nabire Regency, Papua Tengah Province, raised urgent complaints concerning severe environmental degradation caused by gold mining activities operated by PT Kristalin.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Experts have lambasted Indonesia's heavy push toward natural gas, saying it risks locking the country into fossil fuel dependency under the guise of clean energy, dealing immense damage to the economy, public health and the environment.

Andreas Harsono – In an important step towards protecting online speech, Indonesia's Constitutional Court on April 29 issued two rulings that provide important clarifications to the country's Electronic Information and Transaction Law, used to regulate the internet.

Anastasya Lavenia Y, Jakarta – The Director General of Indonesia's BPJS Employment, Anggoro Eko Cahyo, stated that although there are approximately 2 million registered online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers, only 250 thousand are currently enrolled in the BPJS program. This leaves 1.7 million drivers without protection.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian, Jakarta – The Chief of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Inspector General Karyoto, stated that they are currently intensively uncovering the drug circulation within their jurisdiction. He claimed that the Jakarta Metropolitan Police have been apprehending over a hundred drug addicts every week.

Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – The Financial Services Authority (OJK) announced that outstanding financing distributed by the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending or online lending industry in June 2025 reached Rp83.5 trillion. This amount rose by approximately 25.06 percent year-on-year from Rp66.79 trillion.

What is fueling the rise of online lending?

Cheta Nilawaty P., Jakarta – People with disabilities in Indonesia are among the lowest income groups, classified in the first decile, which represents those living at or below the poverty line. According to data from Bappenas, the poverty rate among people with disabilities is 11.42 percent, which is higher than the national poverty rate.

Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – The coconut processing industry is urging the government to impose at least a six-month moratorium on raw coconut exports or else local producers will have to lay off workers because of a supply crunch of the commodity as their main input.

Rizka Ardina Nugraheni, Wijayanti Putri, Solo – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Thursday underscored the media's vital role in promoting optimism during times of economic uncertainty and global tension.

The message was conveyed during a visit by the leadership of B-Universe Media Holdings to Jokowi's private residence in Solo, Central Java.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Trade Minister Budi Santoso on Thursday launched the "Local Thursday Movement" (Gerakan Kamis Pakai Lokal or Gaspol), a new initiative aimed at reviving public enthusiasm for Indonesian-made products. Under the new directive, civil servants at the Trade Ministry are now required to wear locally made goods every Thursday.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has begun to experience a sharp decline in dividend revenue from state-owned enterprises (SOEs), with the Finance Ministry confirming on Thursday that tens of trillions of rupiah in expected payouts are now being redirected to the newly established sovereign wealth fund, Danantara.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi is confident that sending troubled children to military barracks is a viable solution to address juvenile delinquency, citing a one-hundred percent success rate of the policy.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) insists it retains full authority to investigate and prosecute corruption cases involving board members and supervisors of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), despite new legislation that some believe narrows the agency's powers.

Sydney, Australia – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday he will travel to Indonesia next week as a "signal" of the importance Canberra places in the region in his first overseas visit since Saturday's election victory.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – Since its launch, Indonesia's newly established sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, has captured national imagination with promises so grand that they border on the unbelievable.

Jakarta – The National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) has uncovered a money-laundering scheme involving Rp 530 billion (US$32 million) allegedly obtained from online gambling.

Investigators named two suspects in the case, identified only as OHW and H, the commissioner and director of PT A2Z Solusindo Teknologi (AST), respectively.

Riandy Laksono – Trump's tariffs and the uncertainty around them have put the world economy in great turmoil. Raising a prohibitive tariff barrier around the world's largest consumer will surely make global economic projections bleak. But tariff escalation by trading partners, a pause, and then rounds of exemptions have made global investors even more anxious.

Ary Hermawan – It is not clear if Indonesia's president has thought through all the implications of his offer of humanitarian shelter for injured Palestinians. Any mishandling of the issue could potentially hurt his position, domestically and geopolitically.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Since the implementation of West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi's new policy on May 1, 2025, a total of 272 high school students have been sent to military barracks as part of a disciplinary initiative.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – Roles in artificial intelligence and environmental sustainability are among the fastest-growing career paths for university graduates in Indonesia, according to LinkedIn's Grad Guide 2025.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates has been offered a seat on the advisory board of Danantara, the country's recently established sovereign wealth fund, as he visited President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Andika Pratama, Jakarta – A riot broke out at the Muara Beliti Narcotics Correctional Facility in Musi Rawas, South Sumatra Province, on Thursday around 9:00 a.m.

Gayuh Satria Wicaksono, Ponorogo, East Java – A quiet market in Ngrupit Village, Ponorogo, East Java, hides a dark secret behind its unassuming food stalls. For decades, Njanti Market has served as a hub for street vendors, but beneath the surface, it has become a hotspot for transactional sex.

Michelle Gabriela, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto delivered a firm directive to the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) and all related parties to improve accuracy and precision in the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal program.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves fell to $152.5 billion at the end of April 2025, down $4.6 billion from $157.1 billion in March, Bank Indonesia (BI) announced on Thursday.

Wahroni, Tangerang – Authorities at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Wednesday thwarted the departure of 34 unauthorized Indonesian pilgrims and two coordinators who were attempting to travel to Mecca using work visas instead of official Hajj permits.

Jakarta – It will be a challenge for Indonesia's economy to grow 5 per cent this year due to the global trade war and softening consumer spending, but a moderation won't put the country's ratings at risk, Fitch's head of Asia-Pacific Sovereigns said on Wednesday.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto wants Indonesia to achieve energy self-sufficiency. He is optimistic that Indonesia will no longer need to import fuel in the future.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Four participants of the International Labor Day protest in Bandung have been named suspects and arrested by the West Java Regional Police. They were accused of causing unrest and acting anarchically during the demonstration.

Chairman of the National Economic Council (DEN) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that the Forum of Retired TNI (Indonesian Military) Officers must recognize Gibran Rakabuming Raka as vice president. Luhut asked them to obey the constitution. If not, there is no need to live in Indonesia.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Online gambling is becoming increasingly prevalent within the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), according to the Military Police Center. The commander of the TNI Military Police, Major General Yusri Yunarto, said the issue has reached a concerning scale, prompting the military to take preventive measures across its ranks.

Ni Made Tasyarani, Jakarta – Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said on Sunday that the government had increased the national rice reserve to a record multiyear-high of 3.5 million tonnes during the first four months of this year, Kontan.co.id reported.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – The Indonesian National Police (Polri) conducted simultaneous nationwide operations with all regional police and precincts in dealing with gangsterism practices. This was stated in telegram number: STR/1081/IV/OPS.1.3/2025.

Kukuh S. Wibowo, Jakarta – The Center for the Study and Protection of Children (Yayasan Pusat Kajian dan Perlindungan Anak, or PKPA) rejects the West Java Provincial Government's policy of sending troubled or deviant children to military barracks for rehabilitation.

Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – A total of 15 aircraft operated by the Garuda Group are temporarily out of service as they undergo heavy maintenance.