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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 – A wave of demonstrations involving students and civil society organisations titled "Dark Indonesia" took place in a number of regions, including Jakarta, between Monday February 17 and Friday February 21.

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.

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.

Agencies, Jakarta – Hundreds of students and activists rallied in major cities across the country on Friday as part of the Indonesia Gelap (Dark Indonesia) protests, which oppose President Prabowo Subianto's policies, including Rp 306.7 trillion (US$19 billion) in spending cuts that the protesters claim undermine their support systems.

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 – 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.

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.

Priyo Budi Santoso, Jakarta – At least 47 regional leaders were absent on the first day of a government retreat at the Military Academy in Magelang in Central Java, following a boycott call from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Melynda Dwi Puspita, Jakarta – The hashtag #AdiliJokowi has been trending across social media platforms in recent days. Users of X (formerly Twitter) are using it to demand authorities take legal action against Indonesia's 7th president, Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Chairperson of the National Economic Council (DEN), Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, signaled a plan to eliminate subsidized fuel by 2027. He proposed a unified fuel pricing system to President Prabowo Subianto.

Jakarta – Hundreds of students and activists rallied in some major cities for more "Dark Indonesia" protests on Friday, opposing President Prabowo Subianto's policies including $19 billion of spending cuts that they say undermine their support systems.

Zhai Kun – The year 2025 holds significant promise for ASEAN as Malaysia takes on the role of the organisation's Chair. Among the anticipated milestones is the potential ascension of Timor-Leste from an observer state to a member state.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The establishment of the Investment Management Agency Daya Anagata Nusantara (BPI Danantara) will alter the way State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) profits and losses are managed, effectively removing the burden from the state.

Alfitria Nefi P, Jakarta – The Minister of Immigration and Corrections, Agus Andrianto, said thousands of foreigners committed administrative violations on immigration throughout 2024.

"Monitoring on foreign nationals shows 5,434 violations," said Agus during a working meeting with House Commission XIII on Wednesday, February 19.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – The Central Jakarta Metro Police deployed 2,460 joint personnel to guard the ongoing demonstration of 'Indonesia Gelap' on Friday, February 21, 2025.

The areas surrounding the National Monument Horse Statue to the front of the State Palace became the primary focus of the joint personnel.

Hanaa Septiana, Jakarta – Civil society groups across Greater Surabaya are once again staging a protest under the banner of Dark Indonesia (Indonesia Gelap) today, Friday, February 21, demanding the government pass pro-people laws and revoke harmful policies.

Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) has suspected a pattern reminiscent of the New Order regime in the withdrawal of the song "Bayar Bayar Bayar" which criticizes the police by the band Sukatani.

Hanaa Septiana, Jakarta – The Surabaya Metropolitan Police are investigating allegations of police officers arresting and assaulting student demonstrators during the 'Dark Indonesia' protest on Monday, February 17, 2025. The case, involving the alleged police brutality, has been formally transferred to the Surabaya Metropolitan Police for further scrutiny.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – Protests under the Dark Indonesia banner, which began on February 17, have continued nationwide, voicing dissatisfaction with government policies. As of Friday, February 21, demonstrations have taken place in Jakarta and major cities across Indonesia.

Jakarta

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Free Health Check program, an initiative of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is not yet running optimally in several regions due to a lack of health facilities and medical personnel, according to Felly Estelita Runtuwene, Chair of Commission IX of the House of Representatives.

Ilham Oktafian, Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – The Indonesian punk scene is buzzing after Sukatani, a raw and defiant duo from Purbalingga, issued a public apology over their song Bayar Bayar Bayar, a critique of alleged police extortion. The track – now pulled from circulation – had struck a nerve, turning into a rallying song ahead of a mass protest on Friday.

Jakarta – Dozens of students in South Sumatra and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) fell ill on Tuesday after consuming meals provided by the government's free meals program, marking the third and fourth food poisoning incidents in less than two months since the program's launch.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – A new manufacturing plant producing floating solar panel systems was officially launched in Batam on Feb 14 to tap opportunities created by a major deal to supply solar power from the Indonesian island to Singapore.

Jakarta – As we try to live up to the state motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), given today's political landscape in Indonesia, we may want to emphasize diversity rather than unity. We may even want to rephrase it to "diversity within unity". The difference is more than semantics.

Jakarta – Scores of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politicians who were recently inaugurated as regional heads said they would not join a retreat organized by President Prabowo Subianto this weekend in a show of solidarity to the party's secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto who has been named as a graft suspect on Thursday.

Jakarta – Punk band Sukatani has removed their viral song "Bayar Bayar Bayar" (Pay Pay Pay) from streaming platforms after issuing a public apology to the National Police. The song's lyrics criticize rogue police officers who abuse their authority.

Arlina Arshad and Stania Puspawardhani, Jakarta – Nationwide student protests against Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's budget cuts continued in Jakarta on Feb 21, marking a key test of his leadership.

Jakarta – Hundreds of students from a Dark Indonesia protest action were still standing in front of the West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building in the provincial capital of Bandung on Friday February 21 even though it was raining in the area.

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – Thousands of students staged Dark Indonesia protests in cities across the country on Thursday (Feb 20) against budget cuts and other policies of President Prabowo Subianto, fearing they will undermine social support systems and their futures.