Jakarta – A group of mothers, young people and women who are members of the Voices of Indonesian Mothers (Suara Ibu Indonesia) are urging the government to halt the free nutritious meals (MBG) program following cases of mass poisoning in various regions.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, views the practice of exporting raw materials, including mineral resources, as akin to the methods employed by the United East India Company (VOC) during the colonial era.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto believes that the Rp10,000 (US$0.60) per portion budget for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program is sufficient to provide a complete and nutritious menu, including chicken and eggs.

Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – The Inspector General of the Jakarta Metro Police, Asep Edi Suheri, announced a major collaborative effort to maintain security and public order in the capital, inviting approximately 5,000 members from various mass organizations to partner with the force.

Indonesia, West Papua – Indonesia's Constitutional Court rejected formal review petitions challenging Law No. 3/2025 on the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), ruling that the legislative process did not violate the 1945 Constitution despite procedural controversies and widespread criticism from civil society organizations (CSOs), academics, and students.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – A group of supporters of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka are planning to establish a cyber team. Their aim is to counter the narrative regarding the free nutritious meal program (MBG) which they believe is being slandered on social media.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Hundreds of alumni from Islamic boarding schools gathered at the Transmedia building in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday morning, October 15, 2025, in a protest titled "Silaturahim dan Meruwat Trans7" (Strengthening and Nurturing Trans7).

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 – The government found traces of radioactivity at a clove farm in Sumatra, a government spokesperson said Tuesday, as Jakarta expanded an investigation launched after the US health authority detected Caesium-137 contamination of spices from the country.

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.

Jonathan Yerushalmy – Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto has been heard on a hot mic asking Donald Trump if he can meet with the president's son Eric, as the leaders gathered in Egypt for a summit aimed at securing a lasting peace in Gaza.

Prasakti Ramadhana (Dana) Fahadi, Angus Baranikow and Monica Winarnita – Various media outlets reported on how Indonesian diaspora members took part in protests against the Indonesian government that began at the end of August 2025.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – US President Donald Trump praised his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto for coming to the Egypt summit that saw the historic signing of a Gaza peace pact on Monday local time.

Anis Firmansah, Gresik, East Java – Indonesian authorities have seized more than 4,600 cubic meters of timber linked to an alleged illegal logging operation that caused widespread forest destruction in the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, officials said Tuesday.

Herman, Jakarta – Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita reaffirmed on Tuesday that all vehicles operating in Indonesia – including passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and mining trucks – must comply with the Euro 4 emission standard, in line with national environmental regulations.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza, the son of fugitive oil magnate Mohammad Riza Chalid, went on trial Monday in a high-profile corruption case linked to alleged irregularities in crude oil and refinery product management at state energy firm Pertamina Patra Niaga.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.