Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – Indonesia still has enough fiscal space to make the first nine years of education free at both public and private schools, according to an analyst.

Jakarta – Following the conclusion of this year's computer-based entrance exam (UTBK) for state university admissions, organizers have vowed to take firm action against mass cheating and fraud, including referring serious cases to law enforcement.

Hendro Dahlan Situmorang, Jakarta – Indonesia is strengthening its national tsunami early warning system by utilizing undersea fiber optic cable technology to detect seismic activity, particularly along the country's vulnerable megathrust zones.

Muhammad Farhan, Jakarta – The Manpower Ministry has issued a new directive banning discriminatory requirements in job recruitment, such as appearance, age, height, marital status, ethnicity, and skin color, in a move to foster a more inclusive labor market and reduce unemployment.

Grace el Dora, Jakarta – The Presidential Palace clarified on Friday that President Prabowo Subianto was drinking non-alcoholic apple juice – not wine – during a toast with French President Emmanuel Macron, following online speculation about the beverage's contents.

Antara, Jakarta – The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged the Indonesian government to mandate standardized plain packaging for all cigarette products, featuring graphic health warnings and stripped of branding elements.

Sahat Simatupang, Medan – Delima Silalahi, an environmental activist in Toba Regency, North Sumatra, received a package containing a bloody carcass of a bird at her home in Silangit, Toba, on Friday morning. Packaged in a cardboard box with a sticker that read 'To: Delima' on it, the delivery was sent by an unknown person.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – The Head of the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority, Basuki Hadimuljono, announced that the construction of the Vice President's Palace at IKN in East Kalimantan has reached 43 percent completion. This Phase I construction project encompasses the Vice President's office, residence, secretariat, and security barracks.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Digital Monitoring confirms that the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) has lifted the block on archive.org website.

Responding to the Constitutional Court (MK) ruling ordering state administrators to make all schools, both private and public, free of charge up to the elementary education level, Amnesty International Indonesia Deputy Director Wirya Adiwena said:

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – Bara Muhammad Setiadi, a researcher from the Center for Economic and Law Studies (Celios), stated that online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers must put in extra hours to earn an income comparable to other workers.

Maidina Rahmawati and Erasmus AT Napitupulu – The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) is reportedly set to ratify amendments to Law No. 2 of 2002 on the National Police after starting deliberations in February this year.

Agencies, Jakarta – France and Indonesia have signed a preliminary defence pact that could lead to new orders of French military equipment including Rafale fighter jets and Scorpene submarines, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday.

Fuad Iqbal Abdullah, Yovanda Noni, East Kalimantan – Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka made a two-day working visit to Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara (IKN), on May 28 and 29, his first official trip to the site since assuming office.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Indonesia is moving closer to providing free basic education for all students, including those enrolled in private schools, following a landmark Constitutional Court ruling that partially grants a judicial review of the National Education System Law.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto received the Grand-croix de la Lgion d'honneur, the highest honor from France, at Sapta Marga Field, Akmil Magelang (Magelang Military Academy), on Thursday, May 28, 2025. French President Emmanuel Macron directly awarded the honor to Prabowo.

Musthofa Bisri (Kontributor), Bangkalan – Prabowo Subianto, the 8th President of the Republic of Indonesia, purchased a sacrificial cow from Jamil Achmadi, a resident of Dusun Tlempok, Katol Timur Village, Kokop District, Bangkalan Regency, East Java.

Savero Aristia Wienanto, Jakarta – Middle East geopolitical analyst Dina Sulaeman shed light on the pro-Palestine movement in Indonesia, which tends to be less active compared to other parts of the world. Dina mentioned several reasons behind the less massive support for Palestine in Indonesia.

Louis Plottel – There's a notorious stretch of road in Indonesia, by the border of North Sumatra and Aceh provinces, that passes through kilometres and kilometres of oil palm plantations. There are few people there, besides the occasional plantation worker. Trees stretch in grids as far as the eye can see.

Dyna Rochmyaningsih – Indonesia, one of the most biodiverse nations on Earth, appears to be gearing up to renew official estimates of its remaining wildlife populations, following nearly two decades without official updates on the status of some key species.

Andika Julia Perdana Putra – The government's move to block the archive.org website has attracted support and opposition from the public. The website known as a digital archive was created specifically to preserve and provide universal access to all information on the internet.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Greenpeace Indonesia has criticized the recently introduced Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL) 2025-2034 shared by the government. The international environmental organization contends that despite the urgent climate crisis and the shift toward clean energy, the plan still favors fossil fuels, particularly coal and gas.

Ananda Ridho Sulistya, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Digital Space Supervision at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Technology (Komdigi) has confirmed the blocking of the website Archive.org. The move, described as temporary, targets a site widely known for providing historical digital archives and documentation.

Jakarta – The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) has reported that Mount Semeru, situated on the border of Lumajang and Malang districts in East Java, erupted several times on Wednesday morning, spewing thick ash plumes up to 1,200 meters above the Mahameru peak.

Agencies, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday said he would be willing to establish diplomatic relations with Israel if it recognised a Palestinian state, as he held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Jakarta.

Indonesia has no formal ties with Israel and has consistently called for a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict.

Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – Tensions have risen between flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and its pilots over disputes regarding the new leadership's hiring policy.

Donny Iqbal – Indonesia's highest court has overturned the acquittal of an accused translator who facilitated transactions in the international trade of poached rhino horns.

Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – CEO of sovereign wealth fund Danantara, Rosan Roeslani, and CIO Pandu Sjahrir firmly deny reports that American investor Ray Dalio has withdrawn from Danantara's advisory board.

Eka Jaya Saputra, Bekasi, West Java – More than 25,000 job seekers crowded the President University Convention Center on Tuesday for a large job fair organized by the Bekasi Regency Government. The event featured 2,517 job openings from 64 companies across various industrial zones in Bekasi.

Widi Agustian, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor warns that students who smoke at school or in public places could lose their Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) Plus financial aid.

KJP Plus is a financial assistance program from the Jakarta Provincial Government that provides monthly stipends to help underprivileged students cover education-related expenses.

Agung Dharma Putra, Surabaya – The Indonesian government has made it mandatory for all landowners to convert their paper-based land certificates into a digital format, as part of a sweeping modernization effort in the country's land administration system.

Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) investigation into the management of oil imports by Pertamina increasingly confirms the fact that it involves many people and careful planning from upstream to downstream. The questioning of Adaro Minerals Indonesia Finance Director Heri Gunawan shows that losses to the state also occur in the sale of oil to industry.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – Chairperson of the Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Puan Maharani, asked Minister of Cooperatives Budi Arie to clarify allegations of the involvement of the party with a bull logo in a case of online gambling at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics.

Budhy Nurgianto, Halmahera – Dozens of blood samples from workers at the Weda Bay Nickel Industrial Park, and the residents around the nickel industrial area located in Weda, Central Halmahera, North Maluku, Indonesia, were found to be contaminated with two heavy metals, mercury and arsenic, exceeding the safe limits.

Antara, Jakarta – Manpower Minister Yassierli announced on Wednesday the issuance of a new circular prohibiting all forms of discrimination in the job recruitment process.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free meal program could balloon to hundreds of trillions of rupiah and put significant pressure on the state budget, a senior economist warned on Wednesday.

Salman Mardira, Jakarta – The Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) have appointed Major General Edwin Adrian Sumantha as the new commander of the Presidential Security Force (Paspampres), replacing Maj. Gen. Achiruddin, who has been promoted to lead the Diponegoro Regional Military Command.

Melynda Dwi Puspita, Jakarta – Thousands of job seekers crowded the Bekasi Pasti Kerja 2025 Job Fair, organized by the Bekasi District Manpower Office at President University's Jababeka Convention Centre, Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. A viral video on social media showed applicants jostling for space.

Max Lane – From two different May Day events in Jakarta, divergent approaches in negotiating workers' aims and rights in Indonesia can be discerned.

Lelilef Sawai, Indonesia – Sitting deep in east Indonesia's lush jungle, Bokum, one of the country's last isolated hunter-gatherers, has a simple message for the nickel miners threatening his home: "This is our land."

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is investigating a suspected extortion scheme at the Ministry of Manpower involving the approval of foreign worker permits. The illegal practice is believed to have started in 2019 and may have generated up to Rp 53 billion (about USD 3.3 million).

Indonesia plans to purchase 42 second-hand J-10 fighter aircraft from China and could also proceed with procurement of Russian Su-35 fighters, marking a dramatic shift in the country's air force modernization strategy, according to sources.

Han Revanda, Jakarta – Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, stated that European countries still use electricity generated from fossil energy such as coal. Bahlil said that this energy source is still widely used in European countries, including Turkey.

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – Rahayu Oktaviani revered the work of Canadian primatologist Birute Galdikas while a student in the mid-2000s, aspiring to join her hero in protecting the Bornean orangutan, which would be classified several years later as a critically endangered species.

Jakarta – Perhaps President Prabowo Subianto is making use of Winston Churchill's popular quote: history is written by the victors. Established after winning last year's presidential election, the Prabowo administration is rewriting the 'official history' of Indonesia.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – Human rights organization Lokataru Foundation reported that as many as 200 protesters have been detained throughout May. The arrests took place during numerous rallies across the country, from Java to Maluku.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian, Jakarta – The Indonesian Mother's Voice Movement has submitted a formal letter to Jakarta Metro Police Chief Inspector General Karyoto, urging the immediate release of 16 Trisakti University students who were arrested and named as suspects following a protest that turned chaotic during the 27th anniversary commemoration of the Trisakti Tragedy at Jakarta City Hal

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Despite Indonesia's commitment to a cleaner energy future, efforts to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy remain slow and largely symbolic, an executive at state-owned energy giant Pertamina said on Monday.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has launched an investigation into alleged corruption in the Education Ministry's Rp 10 trillion ($615 million) Chromebook procurement project, which was intended to support the digitalization of schools nationwide between 2019 and 2023.

Every year from May 26 to 31, the international community commemorates Enforced Disappearance Week.