Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto suspects that the food poisoning cases from the free nutritious meal (MBG) program were caused by students not using spoons when eating the provided snacks. Additionally, he suspects that the children did not wash their hands properly.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto expressed his support for the abolition of the outsourcing system, or labor outsourcing, one of the demands of laborers during the International Labor Day commemoration at the National Monument (Monas), Central Jakarta, on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

Jakarta – The lack of monitoring has resulted in products with halal (conforming to Islamic law) certification, but which are actually haram (non-halal) being sold in public. This finding shows even more clearly that halal certification, which has long been claimed as a way to protect Muslim customers, simply provides opportunities for corruption.

Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – The Chairperson of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Nany Afrida, believes that student press agencies play a strategic role in responding to the spread of harmful content in the digital space.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The Alliance for the Elimination of Violence Against Children (Aliansi PKTA) urges Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to halt the steps taken by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi to send students considered problematic to military barracks.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), Maruarar Sirait, acknowledged ongoing challenges in securing investment to support the government's ambitious goal of building 3 million houses annually.

Fachri Hamzah, Jakarta – Another street brawl occurred on Jalan Tambak, South Jakarta, precisely in the Manggarai Tunnel area. The clash between residents broke out last night at around 20:00 local time.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – More than 24,000 workers in Indonesia have been laid off as of May 2025, according to Manpower Minister Yassierli, marking nearly a third of the total layoffs recorded in 2024.

Muhammad Firman, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) faces a new legal challenge following the enactment of Law No. 1/2025 on State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), which came into force on February 24, 2025.

Elan Suherlan, Wawan Kurniawan, Olena Wibisana, Putu Ayu Pratama Sugiyo, Jakarta – A proposal by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi to make vasectomy a requirement for receiving social assistance has sparked strong reactions from religious and political leaders across Indonesia.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is set to ramp up social assistance and the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) initiative to boost economic growth after first-quarter GDP expansion fell short of expectations.

Vinnilya, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto on Monday dismissed claims that he is merely a puppet of his predecessor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, pushing back on rumors that the former president still pulls strings behind the scenes.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto claimed Monday that his signature free meal program had a success rate of 99.99 percent, saying that only a small number of kids had caught food poisoning. Prabowo also revealed that the school-feeding initiative had caught American businessman Bill Gates' attention, whom he would be meeting on Wednesday.

Rama Sukarta, Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Indonesia's manufacturing sector suffered a steep contraction in April 2025, with the S&P Global Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) falling to 46.7, the lowest since August 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia's open unemployment rate edged down to 4.76 percent in February 2025 from 4.82 percent a year earlier, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). But the drop in percentage terms masks a worrying trend, as the number of unemployed people actually rose.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said on Monday that the government has initiated the process to award the title of National Hero to slain labor activist Marsinah, though a final decision is unlikely this year.

Jakarta – Students who show indications of being Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) in Cianjur, West Java, will also be included in student development programs at Indonesian Military (TNI) barracks next week.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – An unprecedented crowd of hopeful jobseekers have flocked to Jakarta City Hall in the past few weeks to apply for jobs as sanitation workers, highlighting mounting concerns over unemployment and rising layoffs in the capital.

Jakarta – The sweeping re-election victories of Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in their respective parliamentary elections on Saturday should be a significant relief for President Prabowo Subianto. He can continue collaborating with the two leaders he knows in person when facing worsening global uncertainties.

Jakarta – Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka went on Instagram on Sunday to congratulate Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on the landslide election victory of his People's Action Party (PAP).

Jakarta – The national economy grew 4.87 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, its weakest growth rate in more than three years, official data showed on Monday, compared with a 4.91 percent growth rate expected by analysts in a Reuters poll.

Jakarta – Indonesia recorded year-on-year (yoy) economic growth of 4.87 percent in the first quarter of 2025, ranking as the second-highest among G20 countries after China, which reported 5.4 percent growth for the same period.

In 12 April, 2025, Socialist Union (Perserikatan Sosialis) and Socialist Youth (Organisasi Kaum Muda Sosialis) Indonesia organized a discussion and meeting to build international solidarity against militarism under the shadow of Prabowo's regime in Indonesia.

Adhyasta Dirgantara, Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto claims that the success rate of the free nutritious meals (MBG) program has reached 99.99 percent despite the cases of poisoning in various regions. Prabowo reasoned that poisoning victims due to MBG are only around 200 people, a small portion compared to the 3 million recipients.

Jayanty Nada Shofa & Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia's economy grew at a slower rate of 4.87 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the first quarter of 2025, official statistics showed on Monday.

Han Revanda, Jakarta – The Head of the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) Taruna Ikrar stated that the agency is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the free nutritious meals program. This monitoring is intended to prevent mass poisoning.

Maria Gabrielle Putrinda, Tangerang – President Prabowo Subianto inaugurated the newly designated Hajj and Umrah Terminal at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang on Sunday, as part of the government's effort to improve services for pilgrims.

Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Jessi Carina, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has asked President Prabowo Subianto not to stop at statements of support for the Draft Law on Aset Forfiture (RUU Perampasan Aset) and is calling on the president to realise the bill so it is not just a commitment.

Bramanta Putra, Kediri – The press freedom index in Indonesia continues to decline every year and cases of violence against the press continue to occur.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – The director of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Institute, Heru Sutadi, believes that Apple's investment in producing AirTag has not had a significant impact on the telecommunication industry in Indonesia.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – The chair of the Indonesia Employers' Association (Apindo), Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, responded to President Prabowo Subianto's plan to eliminate the outsourcing system. She believes that the plan needs to be thoroughly studied.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday called Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to congratulate him on his reelection and expressed his commitment to deepening bilateral ties, particularly in the face of global economic headwinds sparked by sweeping US tariff hikes.

Savero Aristia Wienanto, Jakarta – The Indonesian Embassy in Moscow, Russia, officially unveiled Nusantara House. It is an Indonesian educational and cultural center, coinciding with the commemoration of National Education Day 2025.

Muhammad Farhan, Jakarta – The Indonesian Press Council supports the Communications Ministry's proposal to establish a public endowment fund aimed at promoting independent and sustainable journalism across the country.

Jakarta – For many, there was not much to celebrate on May Day this year. The general mood on factory floors and offices around the country is somber as concerns about mass layoffs, a lack of competitiveness and accelerating automation are all too present in employees' minds.

Jakarta – South Jakarta Police have insisted that groups involved in a violent clash on Jl. Kemang Raya in South Jakarta on Wednesday were not affiliated with any mass organizations.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – Jakarta Metro Jaya Police's Head of Public Relations, Commissioner Grand Ade Ary Syam Indradi, claimed that infiltrators were responsible for provoking unrest during the International Labor Day rally in Jakarta on May 1, 2025.

He said these individuals threw objects toward the toll road near the House of Representatives.

Sita Planasari, Jakarta – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is overseeing the repatriation of 152 Indonesians who were deported from Saudi Arabia for violating residence and work permits in the country.

Annisa Lisya Bazlina, Jakarta – The Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) and the French Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM) collaborate with the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) and Badan Geologi on sustainable and post-mining best practices.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) has denied claims that anarchist groups infiltrated the International Labor Day rally held in front of the House of Representatives on Thursday. The civil society coalition emphasized that all participants were unaffiliated citizens.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will reform several regulations to respond to the reciprocal tariff policy from the United States. The plan includes revising the Domestic Component Level (TKDN) rules and changing import license policies and quotas.

Antara, Jakarta – The Statistics Indonesia (BPS) has stated that World Bank data indicating that 60.3 percent of Indonesia's population is classified as poor should be considered solely as a reference and not as a definitive measure for the country.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – The rally commemorating May Day in front of the Central Java Governor's Office ended in chaos. The commotion began in the late afternoon when the police initiated a series of repressive actions against the demonstrators.

Antara, Jakarta – Two inmates at the Bukittinggi Class IIA Penitentiary in West Sumatra have died, and dozens more have been hospitalized following a suspected alcohol poisoning incident involving homemade alcohol mixed with perfume-grade alcohol. The event occurred on Wednesday, April 30.

Jakarta – The initiative by Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni to establish the Task Force to Accelerate the Designation of Customary Forests could become nothing more than a gimmick if it is not accompanied with real action. A similar team was established at the end of President Joko Widodo's administration, but the results were far from what had been hoped for.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia saw a decrease in foreign tourist arrivals in March 2025, with a total of 841,030 visits, marking a 5.63 percent decline from February 2025 and a 2.18 percent drop compared to the same month in 2024.

Zainabul Khubro, Jakarta – Recently, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) head Dadan Hindayana stirred up media attention with the claim that the free nutritious meal program's food poisoning rate was "only 0.5 percent", even though an outbreak was declared in Cianjur, West Java.

Jakarta – If anyone wonders why eradicating corruption in Indonesia remains a formidable challenge, the answer may lie in a culture nurtured from an early age within the education system where adults, who ought to serve as moral exemplars, instead become the very architects of deception.

Reza Rifaldi, Sari Hardiyanto, Makassar – Hundreds of students from various student alliances in the city of Makassar, South Sulawesi (Sulsel), held a demonstration to commemorate National Education Day (Hardiknas) on Friday May 2.

Responding to a series of incidents of excessive use of force and police violence against students, journalists and medical personnel during demonstrations commemorating International Labour Day (May Day) in a number of cities on May 1, Amnesty International Indonesia Deputy Director Wirya Adiwena, said: