Maretha Uli, Jakarta – The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has hired 5,000 professional chefs to train staff working at kitchens providing food under the free nutritious meal program, although experts have warned the move may not be a solution to the persistent food poisoning that has marred the program.

Jakarta – The statement by Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister Nusron Wahid that 474,000 hectares of land in South Papua that was released from forest classification as 'state land' and 'uninhabited' shows a mistaken and dangerous viewpoint. This statement appears to be reviving the terra nullius doctrine inherited from European colonialism.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, announced a new investment commitment of US$316.28 million (Rp5.25 trillion) from Chinese automaker Chery to strengthen Indonesia's battery-based automotive industry.

Jakarta – Almost all the bodies established after the 1998 Reformasi are still in existence. But almost all of them have lost their essence. Bodies established with the aim of correcting the bad practices of the past have lost their teeth in carrying out their functions.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Jakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) member Francine Widjojo stated that the trade in dog and cat meat in the capital city should be banned. Francine supports Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung Wibowo's plan to issue a gubernatorial regulation (Pergub) regarding the ban.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Indonesia's Deputy Chair of Commission X of the House of Representatives (DPR), Lalu Hadrian Irfani, supports Minister of Primary and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen) Abdul Mu'ti's idea to manage the free nutritious meal program (MBG) through school kitchens.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Kontributor), Jakarta – Wildlife researcher and Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Raden Wisnu Nurcahyo, urged the Indonesian central and regional governments to take serious action against a number of endangered wildlife.

Adhyasta Dirgantara, Robertus Belarminus, Jakarta – The Rose Team (Tim Mawar), which was a small team created by the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) Command Group IV in 1998, apparently still leaves traces to this day.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – Indonesia's Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, has raised concerns over what he described as media exaggeration of sexual crimes in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren).

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) has imposed an administrative fine of Rp78,125,000 on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) for failing to remove pornographic content. Komdigi also noted it has issued three official reprimands to the platform, but has received no response from the platform owned by Elon Musk.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Indonesian Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono announced that Indonesia is still facing a shortage of medical and healthcare professionals. He mentioned that 4.6 percent of public health centers (puskesmas) in Indonesia do not have doctors.

On 27 August 2025, 22-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Maikel Welerubun was shot by security forces during a demonstration in Sorong City, Southwest Papua Province, protesting the transfer of four Papuan political prisoners from Sorong to Makassar.

Antara, Jakarta – The government has revoked the business permits of 2,039 kiosks, distributors, and retailers found guilty of violating subsidized fertilizer regulations, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said on Monday. The move aims to protect farmers' interests nationwide.

Gembong Hanung and Maretha Uli, Jakarta – A recent string of radioactive contamination cases in several regions has prompted calls for greater oversight on imported scrap metal, a high-demand commodity with irradiated traces that may pollute the environment and harm the public.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The Indonesian Army (TNI AD) will dispatch 26 soldiers to Singapore to participate in the Institutional Food Management Training at the Army Combat Service Command from October 13 to 18, 2025.

Jakarta – The government has nearly doubled a key allowance for its lawmakers, an official said on Monday, one month after canceling some of the benefits given to lawmakers in an effort to assuage public anger following a series of violent demonstrations.

Timor-Leste is pushing to revive the Tasi Mane project, promising returns of up to US$52 billion by 2056 with development of the energy industry infrastructure, reports Portuguese news agency Lusa.

A'an Suryana – The pesantren (Islamic boarding school) building that recently collapsed in Sidoarjo, East Java, killing at least 67 students, has exposed the lack of government oversight and the people's ignorance, especially in this particular pesantren community, of the need to construct buildings with proper engineering and government permits.

Sopian Hadi, Badung – Tears and solemn prayers filled Ground Zero Monument in Kuta on Sunday evening as hundreds gathered to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombings, one of Indonesia's darkest chapters that claimed more than 200 lives.

Indah Ayu Pujiastuti, Jakarta – Indonesia's tourism industry players have voiced frustration following the removal of the Indonesia Tourism Industry Association (GIPI), the country's umbrella organization for tourism associations, from the newly revised Tourism Law, passed by the House of Representatives (DPR) on October 2, 2025.

Wahyu Sahala Tua, Jakarta – For the first time this year, no Chinese electric vehicle (EV) models appeared in Indonesia's top 10 best-selling cars in September, as the market was once again dominated by Japanese brands, particularly Toyota and Daihatsu.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The Labor Party criticizes Indonesia's national internship program from the Ministry of Manpower. According to the President of the Labor Party, Said Iqbal, the program belittles workers who have completed their undergraduate education.

Purwanto Setiadi – There is a story about a bicycle that's inextricably linked to the image of Mohammad Hatta. This European-style bicycle, common during the colonial era, was never a status symbol in his hands. For Hatta – who later became Indonesia's first vice president – it represented his conscious choice to live modestly, to serve without excess.

Jakarta – The free nutritious meals program reminds us of Joseph Stalin's collectivization of agriculture in Ukraine during 1932 to 1933, when that nation was still part of the Soviet Union.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) reported that the number of children experienced food poisoning from the government's free nutritious meal project, also known as MBG, as of 12th October 2025, has reached 11,566 children.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) reported that foreign investors injected Rp 6.43 trillion ($389 million) into the country's financial markets between October 6 and 9, with most inflows channeled into government bonds (SBN).

Antara, Manokwari, West Papua – An Indonesian Army soldier was killed in an ambush by separatist rebels affiliated with the Free Papua Movement (OPM) in West Papua's North Moskona District, Teluk Bintuni Regency, on Saturday, military officials confirmed.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has just secured $17.4 billion worth of investment commitments for its sustainability-related programs, some of which were expected to help put the sovereign fund Danantara's waste-to-energy plan into motion.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Bogor, West Java – The Indonesian government is stepping up efforts to meet its 2025 tax revenue target of Rp 2,076.9 trillion ($125 billion) during the final three months of the year, as the fourth quarter traditionally accounts for the bulk of annual tax payments.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Indonesia's Financial Services Authority (OJK), in collaboration with the Task Force for the Eradication of Illegal Financial Activities, has shut down 1,556 illegal online lending platforms and 284 unauthorized investment schemes detected between January and September 30, 2025.

Agencies, Jakarta – The Israel Gymnastics Federation said it was appealing Indonesia's decision to block the country's gymnasts from competing in a world championship, calling the move by the world's largest Muslim-majority country "outrageous".

M. Raihan Muzzaki, Jakarta – The head of the Central Jakarta Police, Commissioner General Susatyo Purnomo Condro, has urged participants of today's pro-Palestine rally to respect the rights of other citizens and maintain public order during their demonstration.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – FIAN Indonesia, an Indonesia civil society organization advocating for the right to food and nutrition, has criticized the draft Presidential Regulation on the government's free nutritious meal program (MBG).

The group argued that the regulation fails to address fundamental problems in the government's flagship initiative.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Banking Surveillance Report of Indonesia published by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) revealed that the distribution of commercial bank credit in Indonesia in the second quarter of 2025 grew by 7.77 percent year on year. This figure slowed down compared to the same period in the previous year, which grew by 12.36 percent year on year.

Taufiq Syarifudin, Jakarta – A number of people held a Defend Palestine action at the Horse Statue in Central Jakarta on Sunday October 12. They continue to call for Palestinian independence through these actions.

Dili, Timor-Leste (Bernama-Kyodo) – Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta has expressed hope for increased Japanese investment following his country's accession to ASEAN at a summit in Malaysia later this month, Kyodo News reported.

Seri Iskandar (Bernama) – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today confirmed that Timor-Leste will be officially made a full member of ASEAN on Oct 26.

Anwar, who is also the ASEAN Chairman, said Malaysia, through the Foreign Ministry, is working hard to ensure that Timor-Leste is accepted as a permanent member of the regional bloc.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia and North Korea agreed to explore "mutually beneficial" partnership when their chief diplomats met in Pyongyang on Saturday.

Thresa Sandra Desfika, Jakarta – Indonesian business tycoon Prajogo Pangestu has further cemented his position as the country's richest person, with his net worth rising to $48.3 billion (Rp801 trillion) as of Saturday afternoon, according to Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires data.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has set aside an undisclosed amount of funds to buy some shares in the BRICS-sponsored New Development Bank, according to a senior minister, as the multilateral lender requires members to make paid-in capital payments.

Mohamad Bintang Pamungkas, Jakarta – Mobile coffee sellers in Jakarta now have a new role as part of the city's security strategy. Jakarta Metro Jaya Regional Police (Kapolda) Chief Inspector General Asep Edi Suheri says that traders can not only sell coffee, but can also be the "eyes and ears" of the police in the field.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Jakarta – East Java Police have launched a criminal investigation into the deadly collapse of a building at the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo Regency, which killed at least 61 people and has become one of the country's deadliest nonnatural disasters this year.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia's government debt stood at Rp 9,138.05 trillion ($551.3 billion) as of June 2025, equivalent to 39.86 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), according to data from the Finance Ministry.

Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has ordered the suspension of 190 mineral and coal mining permits (IUP) for failing to meet reclamation obligations, a move he said underscores the government's firm stance on sustainable mining practices at Investor Daily Summit (IDS) 2025 on Thursday.

Martin Bagya Kertiyasa, Jakarta – The Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) has raised concerns over the growing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), warning that it could trigger a rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and burden Indonesia's healthcare system in the years ahead.

Djibril Muhammad, Jakarta – Senior minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said Thursday that the government would not let six Israeli athletes enter its country to take part in the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics. The sports event is set to take place in Jakarta from Oct. 19-25.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia's trade with the European Union or EU is expected to more than double thanks to a tariff-eliminating pact, according to senior minister Airlangga Hartarto.

Maudey Khalisha, Jakarta – Industry players have warned that Indonesia's export reputation is on the line, as delays in addressing recent radioactive and toxic material contamination could undermine the credibility of local goods abroad.

On 30 September 2025, a peaceful demonstration organised by Solidaritas Peduli Uncen (SPU) at the Cenderawasih University (Uncen) campus gate in Perumnas 3, Waena, Jayapura, was forcibly dispersed by police. The demonstration was held to mark the 63rd anniversary of the 1962 Rome Agreement and to demand the right to self-determination for the Papuan people.

Jakarta – Indonesia has recently been hit with a wave of literally toxic news, starting with a warning from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA detected cesium-137 (Cs-137) contamination in a sample of frozen shrimp imported from Indonesia. The seafood was packed by a company operating at the Cikande Industrial Estate in Serang, Banten.