Jakarta – Reports of rampant extortion of companies in the country will shock nobody on the ground, and yet it is very timely to talk about the issue as the government vows to push gross domestic product (GDP) growth through increased investment.

Agencies, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto and his defense minister held talks on Tuesday with top Russian security official Sergei Shoigu in Jakarta, as Moscow and Jakarta seek to boost defence ties.

Indonesia maintains a neutral foreign policy, refusing to take sides in the Ukraine conflict or in the great power competition between the United States and China.

Dika Moehammad – "In our lives, there is only one thing we have, that is courage. If we don't have that, then what is the value of our lives?" This was a statement by Indonesia's foremost author Pramoedya Ananta Toer. The problem of courage or guts is what we don't have today. How can we fight if we don't have the guts.

Two male university students in a conservative province in Indonesia have been sentenced to flogging after neighbours caught them having consensual gay sex.

Homosexuality is not illegal in most of Indonesia, but same-sexual activity is criminalised in two provinces of Indonesia: Aceh and South Sumatra.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The Indonesian government and civil society have signed a joint statement, marking a shared commitment to fast-track agrarian reform in the country.

Ary Hermawan – President Prabowo Subianto seems to be rebuilding Soeharto's New Order one piece at a time, reviving a political order that enabled his former father-in-law, Soeharto, to rule the country with an iron fist for more than 30 years.

Christopher Knaus – The Australian government has revealed that a further 220 Indonesian children may have been wrongly detained as adult people smugglers, doubling the number initially thought.

Late in 2023 the federal court ordered $27.5m in compensation for an estimated 220 Indonesian children who were wrongly detained as adult people smugglers between 2010 and 2012.

Sukma Kanthi Nurani, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto officially inaugurated Daya Anagata Nusantara Investment Management Agency (BPI Danantara) at the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta today, Tuesday, 25 February 2025.

The event was attended by the 6th President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and the 7th President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) has simplified import duties on eight goods, including books, steel, textiles, and bicycles, reducing the Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariff structure to three categories: 0 percent, 15 percent, and 25 percent.

Juan Ardya Guardiola, Jakarta – Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) has been re-elected as chairman of Indonesia's Democratic Party for the 2025-2030 period, solidifying the party's alignment with President-elect Prabowo Subianto's administration.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – A researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Department of Economics, Deni Friawan, scrutinizes the organizational structure of the Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara) Investment Management Agency. He argued that the structures make Danantara vulnerable to political intervention and merely add layers of bureaucracy.

Suci Sekarwati, Jakarta – Indonesian Foreign Minister, Sugiono, delivered a national statement at the High-Level Segment Meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) 58th Session in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 24, 2025. Sugiono affirmed Indonesia's commitment under Prabowo's reign to help advance and protect global human rights.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto denied that former presidents of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, intervened in his government. Prabowo said he's the one asking for inputs, as both reigned for a decade each.

Han Revanda, Jakarta – Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman has spoken up about the rising rice prices ahead of Ramadan. He stated that there is no reason for the rise in staple food prices as current rice stocks are abundant.

Indonesia, West Papua – The Indonesian government's 'Free Nutritious Food' Project (Makanan Bergizi Gratis, MBG), spearheaded by President Prabowo Subianto, has reached West Papua. The program aims to reach 2 million pupils nationwide, with a large-scale rollout scheduled for 17 February 2025.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Environmental organization Greenpeace has called on newly elected leaders in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) areas to immediately tackle five critical climate and environmental issues affecting the region.

Intan Setiawanty, Jakarta – After gaining public attention following the withdrawal of the song 'Pay Pay Pay' (Bayar Bayar Bayar) and the forced apology to the Indonesian National Police Chief and the police institution, the electro-punk duo Sukatani finally returned to the stage in the Crowd Noise concert in Slawi, Tegal Regency, on Sunday, February 23, 2025.

Jakarta – The police censorship of the song "Bayar Bayar Bayar" (Pay Pay Pay) by the Indonesian punk band SUKATANI has received strong protests from students, civil society, and fellow musicians. The song was banned for allegedly mocking the police institution.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia is trying to lure its foreign partners into work together with its freshly launched Danantara, the country's sovereign wealth fund that is expected to manage over $900 billion in assets.

Jakarta – The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has released a list of 91 brands of illegal cosmetics, from both inside and outside the country, often sold through online marketplaces and advertised on social media.

Olena Wibisana, Heru Andriyanto, Magelang – Newly-installed Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has led a group of other elected local leaders affiliated with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to finally join the retreat program in Magelang, Central Java, on Sunday, two days late than the original schedule.

Jakarta – The government's drive to save US$44 billion through massive state budget cuts is a certainly a feat, but when we heard that some $20 billion was set to be channeled to the sovereign wealth fund Danantara, questions and concerns began to arise.

Jakarta – The country's sixth and seventh presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, respectively, joined President Prabowo Subianto on Monday in a lavish event at the State Palace organized to launch Indonesia's Temasek-like sovereign wealth fund Danantara.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) has denied claims that subsidized fuel (BBM) will be eliminated. Deputy Chairman of Commission XII, Bambang Haryadi, stressed that any policy related to subsidies must be approved by parliament.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto on Monday launched a new sovereign wealth fund set to be the biggest in Indonesia and give the leader greater control of the country's coffers.

He wants to tap into the fund's assets – planned to be more than $900 billion – to boost Indonesia to developed economy status, despite expert concern about its governance.

Jakarta – Following the inauguration of regional heads elected in the 2024 simultaneous regional elections by President Prabowo Subianto, chairman of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) Sultan B. Najamuddin has proposed that governors should be elected indirectly.

Indonesia on Monday launched a new sovereign wealth fund that will aim to manage state assets worth more than $900 billion as President Prabowo Subianto looks to turbo-charge growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

Novie Fauziah, Jakarta – The sovereign wealth fund Danantara will become Indonesia's new strategy to make the best use of its state assets, according to a presidential special envoy.

Kuala Lumpur – Timor-Leste is likely to join ASEAN as a full member at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He stated that a special unit has been established at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta to expedite Timor-Leste's admission as a full member of ASEAN

Farid Nurhakim, Jakarta – Not only have they come from inside the country, but statements of support for the Dark Indonesia (#IndonesiaGelap) actions have also come from Indonesian students studying overseas.

Antara, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia recently reported that the national QR code payment system had recorded around Rp 80.9 trillion (approximately $4.9 billion) in transactions throughout January 2025.

Muhammad Firman, Vinnilya, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has appointed seasoned businessmen Rosan Roeslani, Pandu Sjahrir, and Dony Oskaria to lead Indonesia's newly launched sovereign wealth fund, Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara). The fund is expected to manage over $900 billion in state assets and oversee an initial $20 billion investment in strategic industries.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Indonesia's newly launched sovereign wealth fund, Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara), will oversee all state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as part of a broad consolidation strategy, CEO Rosan Roeslani said after the fund's official launch at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday.

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, Indonesia – More than 1,000 students in Indonesia's restive Papua region took to the streets to protest a government-sponsored free-meal program, demanding that the government instead prioritize free education.

Banda Aceh – A gay couple with the initials AI and DA, who were caught having sex in a raid by local residents at a boarding houses in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, have been sentenced to be flogged.

Michael Neilson, Jakarta – "I wonder what Bali used to be like?" is a common refrain heard on Indonesia's best-known holiday island.

Jakarta – The Journalist Safety Index 2024 by the Safe Journalism Consortium, published on Thursday, revealed that violence against media workers remains rampant in Indonesia despite a slight improvement from a score of 59.8 in 2023 to 60.5 last year, putting the country's journalists in the "somewhat protected" category.

Ester Veny Novelia Situmorang, Jakarta – In February 2025, PT Sanken Indonesia announced via the Online Single Submission (OSS) system that it will be shutting down. After nearly 30 years in the electronics industry, the company will officially cease operations in June 2025.

Effendi Rusli, Pelalawan, Riau – Rescue workers have recovered 14 bodies, most of them children, after a truck carrying dozens of passengers plunged into the Segati River in Riau on Saturday. One passenger remains missing as search efforts continue, authorities said on Monday.

Yerica Lai, Jakarta – President is facing a major test of his leadership as signs of dissent against his new government have appeared in the form of student protests and the possible emergence of an opposition party.

Jakarta – Newly inaugurated Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto has promised that the single tuition fees (UKT) in state universities will not increase, despite the ongoing budget efficiency measures imposed by President Prabowo Subianto.

Bogor – President Prabowo Subianto on Saturday held his first meeting with dozens of chief editors since his inauguration last October, engaging in discussions on pressing national issues and exchanging views on Indonesia's political and economic landscape.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) receives the majority of its funding from the private sector, its chairman Erick Thohir said on Saturday.

Erick made the statement in response to questions regarding the government's budget efficiency measures, which have affected numerous state agencies and organizations.

Effendi Rusli, Dumai – Malaysian immigration authorities have deported 68 Indonesian migrant workers through Dumai Port in Riau, an official said on Sunday.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – The Public Works Ministry has canceled plans for comparative studies on building designs in Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara, due to budget efficiency measures. Minister Dody Hanggodo said the review will instead rely on online resources.

Sidoarjo, Indonesia – Over two decades and 37 surgeries on, Ms Chusnul Chotimah is still reeling from the night she survived the Bali bombing, which killed 202 in one of the world's deadliest militant attacks.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto stated that his side warmly welcomes and is committed to bolstering collaboration in higher education with Timor-Leste.

Jakarta – In a dark stable under a heaving highway in Indonesia's capital, trucks rumble past emaciated carriage horses tied to pillars in ramshackle wooden stalls, their ribs protruding.

Jakarta – Several government buildings in Purbalingga regency, Central Java were vandalized in an act allegedly related to the recent brouhaha surrounding Sukatani, a punk band from the regency, and its song criticizing the police.

Jakarta – Four months into his term, it seems that President Prabowo Subianto is thrusting hard his merciful image by pushing his administration's plan to pardon thousands of prisoners across the country.