Nandito Putra, Riani Sanusi, Mutia Yuantisya, Jakarta – Amidst the decline of the textile industry, a number of entrepreneurs have expressed concerns about the easy entry of imported clothing into Indonesia, including from China. The Tanah Abang Wholesale Market is known to be a hub for buying and selling these imports.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi signed Decree No. 75 of 2024 last week to expedite the development of the new capital city, Nusantara, or IKN. This decree grants the IKN Authority greater autonomy in attracting domestic and foreign investment. One key measure is the ability to offer investors business use rights (HGU) for up to 190 years.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The management of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC) addressed recent statements made by PT Wijaya Karya Tbk (WIKA), the state-owned construction company, regarding financial losses attributed to the Whoosh or Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Train Project.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The Executive Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) stated that they will intensify their efforts to support the Palestinian people. The Islamic organization with the most members in Indonesia also prohibits its cadres from establishing relationships with parties related to Israel.

Alfi Dinilhaq, Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian rupiah weakened against the US dollar on Tuesday after China's second-quarter growth came in below expectations.

According to Bloomberg data, the rupiah was trading at Rp 16,205 per US dollar in the spot market at 9:39 a.m. Jakarta time, down 35 points or 0.22 percent from the previous trading session.

Victoria Milko, Ed Davey and Camille Fassett, Lelilef Sawai, Indonesia – On a steep trek up to his forest farm on the Indonesian island of Halmahera, Librek Loha let out a cry of dismay. "Aduuuuh," he said, his voice trailing off. "Landslides, again. They happen all the time now."

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – Cutting down the distribution process of medicines can be the shortcut to help cool down the soaring prices of pharmaceutical drugs, according to the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI).

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina is set to implement the government's plan to restrict the purchase of subsidized fuel, specifically Pertalite, beginning August 17.

Vinnilya Huanggrio, Jakarta – The Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) has warned that applying anti-dumping duties (BMAD) on seven imported commodities, including ceramics from China, may not strengthen the domestic industry but instead benefit countries like India and Vietnam through trade diversion.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Ahead of the Bank Indonesia (BI) Board of Governors meeting on Wednesday, the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has advised the central bank to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 6.25 percent. They also recognize the need for BI to anticipate the impact of global economic fluctuations on the domestic economy.

Wijayanti Putri, Solo – Solo Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka tendered his resignation letter to the municipal legislature on Tuesday as he prepares for a bigger role as the elected vice president.

Gibran, 36, the eldest son of President Joko Widodo, and President-Elect Prabowo Subianto will be sworn in as the country's leaders on October 20.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – The Foreign Ministry has said that the visit made by five young Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) activists to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem was not by any means representative of Indonesia's official stance.

Jakarta – Should Indonesia find itself needing to import natural gas to meet growing demand, we will have no one but ourselves to blame.

While liquefied natural gas (LNG) production improved somewhat when Train 3 became operational at the BP-operated Tangguh LNG facility in October last year, the long-term outlook for self-sufficiency in the commodity is not encouraging.

Agnes Anya and Marchio Gorbiano (AFP), Jakarta – Deforestation at one of Indonesia's largest nickel processing hubs is threatening an Indigenous group that is among the country's last uncontacted tribes, rights groups allege.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) is looking to learn from the recent assassination attempt of former United States president Donald Trump and improve its protocol to ensure the safety of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – The Surabaya municipal administration has rescheduled waste disposal operations at the Benowo landfill to prevent the bad smell of garbage from disturbing the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-19 Youth Championship, which the East Java capital is hosting from July 17 to 29.

ANN/The Straits Times – Indonesia's trade surplus narrowed in June to its smallest in four months as exports rose less than expected amid strong import growth, data from its statistics office showed yesterday, after two big copper miners halted shipments.

Wahyu Sahala Tua, Subang – Vietnamese automaker VinFast has officially commenced construction of its first factory in Indonesia, located in Subang, West Java. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, Acting Regent of Subang Imran, Vingroup Chairman and Senior Advisor Nguyen Dhuc Thanh, and CEO of VinFast Indonesia Temmy Wiradjaja.

Jakarta – In Indonesia, even the hajj pilgrimage can provide an opportunity for corruption. Every hajj season, politicians manipulate the regulations to make huge profits from the organization of the journey to the House of God in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi inaugurated the 2024 Indonesian Military-Police (TNI-Polri) officers in the Prasetya Perwira Ceremony at the Jakarta Merdeka Palace on Tuesday, July 16.

The new officers include 417 Army Academy graduates, 129 Navy Academy graduates, 113 Air Force Academy graduates, and 247 Police Academy graduates.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Publicly funded multilateral development banks (MDBs) like the World Bank might finance a wave of "captive" coal expansion in climate-vulnerable countries vulnerable to climate change, which will speed up global warming.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Wednesday defended the government policy of offering land concessions for nearly two centuries to major investors in the future national capital, Nusantara.

The president said the new capital is being built on a tight budget and will require substantial financial support from the private sector to complete.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Immigration has arrested six foreign nationals, five from Vietnam and one from China, suspected of violating their visa and residency permits through involvement in online prostitution.

Asad Asnawi, Christ Belseran, Irfan Maulana – A widely criticized move by Indonesian President Joko Widodo to reform mining rules to bestow coal mining licenses on an allied religious organization is carving a rift between its executive leadership and Islamic activists in the community, sources told Mongabay Indonesia.

Jakarta – The Northeast Sulawesi Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) plans to evacuate critically endangered anoas from a mining concession owned by PT Sulawesi Cahaya Mineral (SCM) in Konawe, Northeast Sulawesi, to prevent a population decline.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – In a bid to lure investment to the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) megaproject in East Kalimantan, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo signed on Thursday a presidential regulation that grants investors certain rights, including land rights of up to 190 years in the future capital.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – President Joko Jokowi Widodo is contemplating fielding his youngest son Kaesang Pangarep to run in the November gubernatorial election in Central Java, taking the war against his political mentor Megawati Sukarnoputri, the matron of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), to the next level.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – The level of support the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) gives to Anies Baswedan for his reelection bid as Jakarta governor won't be the same as when they collaborated for the recent presidential election, an analyst said on Monday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesian car exports reached approximately $2.78 billion in the first half of 2024 with fellow ASEAN member Philippines buying most of the vehicles, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

The Philippines became the destination for 27.64 percent of the cars that Indonesia sent overseas from January to June 2024.

Jakarta – Indonesia's international trade balance recorded a surplus of $2.39 billion in June 2024, marking the 50th consecutive month of positive trade balance, according to government data released on Monday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) signed a series of deals aimed at facilitating the cross-border movement of people and goods on Monday.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) recently blamed the high drug prices on the country's high reliance on imported pharmaceutical raw materials.

Advist Khoirunikmah, Jakarta – A landslide killed seven people in Wini Kali Kabur, Timika, Mimika Regency, Central Papua, on Sunday, July 14, 2024, at around 09:00 local time.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The Executive Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), Indonesia's second-largest Islamic organization, has expressed deep disappointment and concern over a recent meeting between five of its members and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Matthew Burgess and Grace Sihombing – The fate of Indonesia's jittery bond market may well hinge on who President-elect Prabowo Subianto chooses as his finance minister.

Alifia Sekar, Jakarta – With registration for the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) next leaders closing soon on Monday, the number of candidates applying for the job is so far lower than in 2019.

Hendro D Situmorang, Jakarta – A pharmacists' advocacy group has pinpointed corruption and gratuity payments by certain doctors as key factors driving up medication costs in Indonesia. While this issue is widely recognized in the industry, discussing it has remained somewhat taboo, possibly due to fear of repercussions.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia's imports from China have declined as Jakarta mulls imposing a 200 percent tariff on Chinese goods.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesia's non-oil and gas imports from China totaled $5.34 billion in June 2024, versus the $6.05 billion worth of Chinese goods that made their way to Indonesia in May.

Novie Fauziah, Jakarta – Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), denounced five Muslim scholars on Monday who recently visited Israel and met with President Isaac Herzog.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – The Financial Services Authority (OJK) is set to implement new regulations allowing financial technology platforms to offer online loans of up to Rp 10 billion ($617,526), an increase from the previous limit of Rp 2 billion.

Jakarta – The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy opposes the revisions to Law Number 4/2004 on the Indonesian Military (UU TNI) saying that they could reverse reformasi – the political reform process that began in 1998.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has joined a lengthy roster of world leaders to condemn an attack on former United States president Donald Trump that left the Republican presidential candidate with an injured ear.

Felix K. Chang (FPRI) – In February 2024, Indonesia elected Prabowo Subianto as its next president. While he does not take office until October, speculation over whether and how Indonesia's foreign policy might change is already swirling.

Ambaranie Nadia Kemala Movanita, Jakarta – Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) military observer Made Supriatma has highlighted the proposal for revisions to the TNI (Indonesian military) Law to allow TNI soldiers to conduct business activities.

Reuters, Jakarta – Indonesia's President-elect Prabowo Subianto wants to give school children free meals, but the plan and his pledge to be 'daring' on spending have the country's debt and currency markets on edge.

Jakarta – The head of the TNI Information Center or Kapuspen, Maj. Gen. Nugraha Gumilar, said the recruitment for military cyber soldiers was still in the planning stage. This plan was conveyed by TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto following the hacking of TNI Strategic Intelligence Agency or BAIS data at the end of June 2024.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia recently denied claims of China having a monopoly on foreign investments in Indonesia.

Jakarta – The presiding judge of a high court in West Java painted a damning portrait of the state of law enforcement in the country when he recently proclaimed that police officers had wrongfully arrested Pegi Setiawan, 27, for allegedly masterminding a 2016 double murder in Cirebon regency.

Muhammad Syarahil Mutianwar Efendi – Indonesia's gig workers – who navigate the digital marketplace as delivery personnel, ride-hailing drivers or online freelancers – are in an increasingly precarious position. They are essential cogs in the gig economy but often lack the safety nets traditionally associated with formal employment.

Haryudi, Aceh – The National Statistics Agency (BPS) recently released surprising data about rape cases in Indonesia. Based on the report "Criminal Statistics 2023" issued by the BPS, Aceh emerged as the province with the highest number of rape cases in 2023.