Sui-Lee Wee – Word spread fast that heavy machinery had arrived in the ancient rainforest near the Indonesian village of Sungai Mata-Mata, an expanse on the western edge of the island of Borneo that is home to orangutans, clouded leopards and sun bears.

Associated Press, Jakarta – Two men held rubber bands at chest height while a woman hopped over them from side to side, earning cheers and applause from onlookers impressed by her leaps.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta The worsening climate crisis is disrupting the lives and future of Indonesian youths, forcing some out of school and into work while threatening their health and access to food, according to the latest report by child rights NGO Save the Children, presented at The Jakarta Post's office earlier this week.

Jakarta – The government will allocate approximately 44 percent of its 2026 education budget to the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program. President Prabowo Subianto has announced a budget allocation of 335 trillion rupiah for the MBG program in 2026.

M. Rizki Yusrial, Jakarta – Researcher at the Center for Anticorruption Studies at Gadjah Mada University (Pukat UGM), Zaenur Rohman, said the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) must immediately resolve the corruption case involving former Chair of the the House of Representatives (DPR), Setya Novanto.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – Sharp hikes in land and building taxes in several regions in Java are fueling public anger and political turmoil, with residents in several regions staging protests and economists warning that the increases are linked to shrinking central government transfers to local administrations.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia's ambitious plan to raise Rp 2,357.7 trillion ($145.6 billion) in tax revenue by 2026 will likely force the government into a tougher stance on tax collection, analysts warn, as structural weaknesses and low compliance continue to weigh on the system.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – An analyst said Monday that Indonesia's low tax ratio could stem from the sizable shadow economy and tax evasion by large corporations.

The government recently announced that it would pursue a tax ratio of 10.47 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026. This marks a slight increase from the 10.03 percent outlook set for this year.

Amira Nada Fauziyyah, Jakarta – Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, Usman Hamid, has expressed concern over the declining state of democracy in Indonesia.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Riandy Laksono, said a zero percent deficit or balanced budget is unnecessary. He explained that the state budget will remain safe as long as the deficit and debt ratio are kept under control.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Indonesia's middle class is shrinking, raising concerns about the sustainability of Southeast Asia's largest economy, an analyst said Monday.

Jakarta – After receiving a strong backlash for his bold fiscal policies in the first months of his administration, President Prabowo Subianto is going conservative in the 2026 state budget.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Indonesia's Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has confirmed that the government's debt-to-GDP ratio target for 2026 will remain at 39.96 percent, the same level maintained over the past three years.

Antara, Semarang – At least three villagers were killed and two others injured, including a toddler, after a community-operated oil well exploded and sparked a massive fire in Gandu Village, Blora Regency, Central Java, on Sunday.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The Jakarta Environment Agency collected tens of tons of waste following the 80th Anniversary of Indonesia celebration in the capital on Sunday, August 17, 2025.

Juan Ardya Guardiola, Jakarta – The congregation of the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (HKBP) held a communal prayer for environmental care titled "Save Lake Toba and the Batak Land" at the Proclamation Monument – or Tugu Proklamasi – in Central Jakarta on Monday.

The prayer was attended by congregants from Jakarta, Bekasi, Depok, Bogor, Sukabumi, and Banten.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Indonesia's national anthem, Indonesia Raya, can be played freely at sporting events and other public occasions without incurring royalty fees, the country's football association confirmed on Monday.

Antara, Jakarta – Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI), Perry Warjiyo, announced that cross-border Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) transactions with Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand reached a total of Rp1.66 trillion by June 2025.

Rehan Oktra Halim, Jakarta – The Palace displayed several cars that were once used by the presidents. The exhibition of presidential cars was held to celebrate the 80th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia. According to Antara, these historic vehicles were displayed in the backyard of the Palace.

Myesha Fatina Rachman – Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati highlighted the issue of low teachers' and lecturers' salaries that has been widely discussed on social media. She mentioned that this problem poses a serious challenge to the state finances amidst the high allocation of the education budget.

Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – Former Chair of Indonesia's House of Representatives, Setya Novanto, publicly known as Setnov, has officially been granted parole and is required to report to the Bandung Penitentiary (Bapas Bandung) until April 1, 2029.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia's automotive industry group has called on the government to step up support for the sector as Malaysia's new car sales continue to close in on Indonesia's long-held lead in Southeast Asia's largest auto market.

Yovanda Noni, North Penajam Paser – The Nusantara Capital Authority held a ceremony to commemorate Indonesia's 80th Independence Day at the Plasa Ceremony Ground, Nusantara, on Sunday.

Agencies, Jakarta – Dozens of people were injured after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Central Sulawesi, early on Sunday, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said.

The quake, at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), shook the Poso Regency and was felt in the nearby areas. Twenty-nine people were injured, two critically, the agency said in a statement.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's state address at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Annual Session on August 15 has drawn harsh criticism from civil society activists. His narrative of stability and growth was deemed as merely rhetoric, while the facts on the ground show that the people are increasingly marginalised and the oligarchy is growing stronger.

Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri wants members of the flag-raising squad to promote the state ideology Pancasila.

Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Law and Human Rights granted remission to hundreds of thousands of inmates during country's 80th Independence Day celebrations.

The Director General of Corrections at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Mashudi, said that both prisoners and juvenile detainees received sentence reductions.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto said that Indonesia's unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since the 1998 monetary crisis.

Sita Planasari, Jakarta – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States looks forward to working closely with President Prabowo Subianto's administration to promote prosperity for the people of both Indonesia and the US.

Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker – Spare a thought for the Indigenous Papuans, who have endured decades of persecution in their own homeland under Indonesian rule. This ongoing form of colonialism is enabled by nations that continue to supply arms to Indonesia – just as troubling is the silence of regional powers that accept Jakarta's authority without challenge.

Aqraa Sagir – Once staged to entertain colonial elites, panjat pinang has evolved into a contest of determination and teamwork, with prizes dangling overhead.

Myesha Fatina Rachman, Jakarta – Indonesia continues to have the highest unemployment rate in ASEAN in 2025. According to a Trading Economics report released on Thursday, August 14, 2025, Indonesia's unemployment rate was 4.76% in March 2025. This figure represents over 7 million people who are unemployed.

Seremban (Bernama) – Timor-Leste's permanent membership in ASEAN is now in the documentation phase before its formal admission at the October summit.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan confirmed the progress during a press briefing today.

Petrus Riski – A 54-day monitoring by Indonesia's largest environmental group around a waste-to-energy plant in East Java revealed frequent air quality levels breaching World Health Organization safety limits, raising concerns for public health.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian, Jakarta – The mastermind behind the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib remains unknown, even though the crime occurred 21 years ago. Suciwati, a human rights activist and Munir's widow, stated that the case should be officially designated as a severe human rights violation by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

M. Rizki Yusrial, Jakarta The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is currently investigating a corruption case linked to mining activities in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, as confirmed by the Acting Deputy of Enforcement and Execution Asep Guntur Rahayu.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The spokesperson for the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority, or OIKN, Troy Pantouw, said that the Head of OIKN, Basuki Hadimuljono, will be the inspector at the flag-hoisting ceremony to commemorate the Indonesian Independence Day at Plaza Ceremony, Nusantara Central Government District (KIPP), East Kalimantan, on Sunday, August 17, 2025.

Melynda Dwi Puspita, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto claimed that Indonesia's unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest level since the 1998 monetary crisis during his speech at the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the Joint Session of the Regional Representative Council (DPR) and the Regional Representative Council (DPD) on Friday, August 15, 20

West Papuan pro-independence advocate Benny Wenda has called for a boycott on Indonesia's Independence Day celebrations.

Declaring the raising of the Indonesian flag in West Papua as illegal, Wenda said Papuan Independence Day was December 1, the day in 1963 when the outgoing Dutch authorities handed over autonomy of the region.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The Advocacy Democracy on Tax Justice (TAUD-SKP) considers the Constitutional Court's decision to reject the lawsuit against the regulation governing value-added tax (VAT) perpetuates injustice in the tax system.

Jakarta – In his first State of the Union address on Friday, President Prabowo Subianto's nationalistic approach to the country's economic development became clear, advocating state-owned enterprise while lashing out against the global trend of "my country first" rhetoric amid rising protectionism.

Beritasatu Team, Jakarta – Indonesia will celebrate the 80th anniversary of its independence on Aug. 17 with a grand public festival in the heart of Jakarta, where parades, music, food, and fireworks will anchor the national holiday.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has indicated that construction on the Nusantara capital city (IKN) will continue under President Prabowo Subianto, who has reportedly set a budget for the project.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Executive Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), Bhima Yudhistira, said the organization will file another request for audit to the United Nations, now for Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data on poverty line in Indonesia.

In line with Indonesia's constitutional tradition, ahead of the commemoration of the Republic of Indonesia's Independence Day, the President delivers a state address before the People's Consultative Assembly.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The Indonesia Composite Index (IHSG) recorded a position at 8,010.0 on Friday, August 15, 2025, after opening at 7,965.1. The IHSG position occurred from 10:30 to 10:31 a.m., while President Prabowo Subianto was delivering a state address at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced the distribution of 288,000 smart TVs to schools in remote areas across the country this year. This move is expected to allow children to attend virtual classes with their teachers.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto claimed the flagship free nutritious meal (MBG) program has created hundreds of thousands of new jobs since it kicked off in January this year.

Today marks 20 years since the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), establishing a peace agreement between the two parties.