TheJakartaPost

US, Philippines deploy anti-ship missile system near Taiwan

The Philippines' northernmost province, with about 20,000 residents, sits around 100 miles south of Taiwan, along the Luzon Strait, a strategic corridor on the frontline of the great power competition between the US and China for dominance in the Asia-Pacific region. ...

8 hours ago

Trump says cutting US troop numbers in Germany 'way down'

The Pentagon announced the 5,000-troop reduction on Friday, but Trump told reporters Saturday "we're going to cut way down, and we're cutting a lot further than 5,000." He did not elaborate. ...

8 hours ago

The Latest

This photo taken on April 29, 2026 shows visitors eating local street food in Chinatown in Bangkok. Across Bangkok, aromas of garlic, chili and grilled meat drift from roadside stalls and carts, but tighter controls on vendors threaten livelihoods and the street food culture that defines the Thai capital.

Bangkok food vendor curbs push city staple from the streets

Across Bangkok, aromas of garlic, chili and grilled meat drift from roadside stalls and carts, but tighter controls on vendors threaten livelihoods and the street food culture that defines the Thai capital.

9 hours ago

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with Vietnam's Prime Minister Le Minh Hung during a welcoming ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam on May 2, 2026.

Japan, Vietnam seek deeper energy, minerals ties amid geopolitical risks

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged on Saturday to deepen ties with Vietnam, highlighting energy and critical minerals in talks with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, and later urged Southeast Asian nations to bolster regional supply chains.

13 hours ago

Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, on May 1, 2026.

Iran offers strait deal, Trump says he's not satisfied

Trump's Republican Party faces the risk of a voter backlash over higher prices when the country votes in midterm congressional elections in November.

15 hours ago

Keeping it together: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte delivers a speech during a meeting of the Security and Defense Commission on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, at the European Parliament in Brussels.

NATO, top Republicans question US troop withdrawal from Germany

The Pentagon's announcement of the troop withdrawal follows a spat between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said on Monday that Iran was "humiliating" Washington at the negotiating table.

15 hours ago

Pope Leo XIV leads a holy mass for the beginning of his pontificate, in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on May 18, 2025.

Pope names former undocumented migrant as US bishop of West Virginia

Trump and the pontiff have been at odds over US immigration enforcement and the US-Israeli war against Iran.

1 day ago

A sign of the World Health Organization (WHO) at their headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland in this photo taken on Dec. 7, 2021.

Gridlock as pandemic treaty talks fail to finish

Wealthy countries and developing nations are at loggerheads over how the pandemic treaty, which was adopted last year, will work in practice.

1 day ago

Vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters, are moored off the coast of the town of Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, in Greece, on May 1, 2026.

Gaza activists disperse after flotilla halted by Israel off Crete

More than 50 vessels had set sail from ports in France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking the blockade of Gaza and bringing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.

1 day ago

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right) bows as she disembarks a plane upon her arrival at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam on May 1, 2026.

Japan PM to meet top Vietnam leaders in Hanoi

The trip is Takaichi's first to Vietnam since becoming prime minister in October.

1 day ago

United States President Donald Trump holds a meeting in the Situation Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., the US on June 21, 2025.

Trump says he's dissatisfied with Iranian proposal as rift with allies deepens

Though the US and Iran have suspended hostilities since an April 8 ceasefire, the two countries remain at odds over a range of issues, including Iran's nuclear ambitions and control over the Strait of Hormuz.

1 day ago

A human rights activist affiliated with the Justice for Victims Solidarity Network holds a poster on April 2, 2026, during the 902nd “Kamisan” protest across from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.

Asia & Pacific premium

Panel warns of narrowing dissent in Indonesia

Experts say curbs on criticism risk undermining democratic legitimacy as political consolidation limits opposition.

1 day ago

ASEAN and EU ministers and representatives
pose for a photo for the 25th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting on April 28, 2026, in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Asia & Pacific premium

EU, ASEAN reaffirm commitment to multilateralism amid geopolitical tensions

Kallas said ASEAN and the EU should strive for a partnership with strategic vision and concrete actions.

2 days ago

Boats of a new humanitarian flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip make a symbolic leave from Barcelona's Port Vell on April 12, 2026.

Israel seizes Gaza aid flotilla in international waters

The ships make up part of a second Global Summud flotilla to try in recent months to break an Israeli blockade by carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. They sailed from the Spanish port of Barcelona on April 12.

2 days ago

A group of women wait to board their flight on April 22, 2026, at Juanda International Airport in Sidoarjo, which serves East Java capital Surabaya, as they prepare to depart on the annual haj to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Middle East and Africa premium

One Indonesian still in hospital after Jeddah bus crash, Foreign Ministry says

The road accident on April 29 occurred near Medina, Saudi Arabia, and involved a crash between two buses carrying Indonesian pilgrims, injuring 10 with no fatalities.

3 days ago

EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks during a joint press statement with Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Palestinian Prime Minister before a Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) Ministerial Meeting, in Brussels on April 20, 2026.

EU calls on Southeast Asian countries not to get oil from Russia

The EU approved a fresh round of sanctions on Russia this month, including tightened restrictions on oil trade, as it looks to undermine Moscow's ability to fund its war in Ukraine.

4 days ago

This file photo taken on February 26, 2017 shows Host Jimmy Kimmel on stage at the 89th Oscars in Hollywood, California. Late night funnyman Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the Oscars, the Academy said May 16, 2017, as the glitzy annual show moves on from the biggest mix-up in its history. The 49-year-old comedian will be reunited with producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd for the 90th Academy Awards, which will take place on March 4, 2018.

FCC reviewing Disney's ABC station licenses after Jimmy Kimmel joke

The standoff between President Donald Trump's administration and the global entertainment conglomerate is the first crisis facing Walt Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro.

4 days ago

A container ship sails past oil tankers anchored in the Singapore Strait, a key gateway to the Strait of Malacca, on April 14, 2026.

Thailand touts $31 billion 'Land Bridge' plan amid Hormuz crisis, courts Singapore

Thailand's government has said it is reviving a "Land Bridge" project across its narrow southern peninsula after recent disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz underscored the vulnerability of global shipping chokepoints, including the nearby Malacca Strait.

4 days ago

The Italian aircraft carrier Garibaldi is moored at the southern Italian harbor of Taranto, on Nov. 17, 2001.

Italy's parliament backs donation of aircraft carrier to Indonesia

A parliamentary report said transferring the carrier to Indonesia would save Italy maintenance costs estimated at around 5 million euros only for last year or the nearly 19 million euros required for dismantling.

4 days ago

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at the UN headquarters in New York on April 27, 2026.

'Looming' risk of nuclear arms race, UN proliferation meeting hears

The nine nuclear-armed states – Russia, the US, France, the UK, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea – possessed 12,241 nuclear warheads as of January 2025, SIPRI reported.

5 days ago

Attendees are seen inside the ballroom after shots were reportedly fired during the White House Correspondents' dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2026.

Trump shooting scare renews 'staged' conspiracy theory

Americans on both sides of the political divide are prone to outlandish conspiracy theories, as many turn to partisan influencers for information amid mistrust of mainstream media, researchers say.

5 days ago

Ships and boats sit on the water on April 20, 2026, in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman. A member of Iran's parliament said a proposed law for managing the strait would make the country's armed forces the overseeing authority for passing vessels, with levies to be paid in Iranian rial.

Iran FM blames US for failure of talks as he meets Putin

Trump faces domestic pressure to find an off-ramp as fuel prices rise, with midterm elections due in November and polls showing the war is unpopular among Americans.

5 days ago

A satellite image shows fishing vessels blocked by a floating barrier at the entrance to the disputed Scarborough Shoal, in this file photo taken in the South China Sea on April 11, 2026.

At UN, China denounces Japan and EU over South China Sea remarks

Japan and the European Union express concern over South China Sea tensions at UN Security Council maritime security forum, attracting criticism from China.

5 days ago

A border wall between China and Myanmar with barbed wire and a Chinese national flag is pictured on January 14, 2023, in Ruili, west Yunnan Province.

China and Myanmar vow more trade, security cooperation

China's Wang Yi has been on a three-country visit to Southeast Asia, travelling to Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar this week, seeking to strengthen ties and present Beijing as a more stable alternative to Washington.

6 days ago

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaks during the opening of the Australia-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit in Melbourne on March 4, 2024.

Australian minister Wong to raise energy security on Asia tour

Wong said in a statement that meetings with her counterparts in the three countries would "help ensure we are coordinating effectively" amid upheaval on global energy markets.

6 days ago

Parched land: Goats belonging to a local resident roam on a dried out rice field in Jonggol village, Bogor regency, West Java on Aug. 2, 2023. The Meteorology, Geophysics and Climatology Agency has forecast that El Nino weather phenomenon will affect 63 percent of the country’s territory this year.

El Nino set to return in mid-2026: UN

The United Nations' weather and climate agency said El Nino conditions could well develop as early as May to July.

6 days ago

Babcock International Group chief executive officer David Lockwood (second left) and United Kingdom Ambassador to Jakarta Dominic Jermey (second right) display Memorandum of Understanding documents on April 23, flanked by Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fishery Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono (left) and UK Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonization Minister Keir Mather in Jakarta. The MoU provides Babcock/Chevening Scholarships for 30 recipients in three years, as part of the UK-Indonesia Maritime Partnership Program which was launched during the event.

Europe premium

UK, Indonesia launch maritime partnership by signing 4 MOUs

The partnership aims to strengthen Indonesia's maritime economy, promote food security, improve resilience in coastal communities and create opportunities for the next generation of shipbuilders.

6 days ago

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers arrive at the site of an Israeli attack that severed the last remaining bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country on April 16 in Qasmiyeh, Lebanon.

Middle East and Africa premium

Indonesia calls for stronger protection for peacekeepers

Chief Pvt. Rico Pramudia, who was injured during an attack by Israeli forces in Lebanon on March 29, died from his wounds on April 24, bringing the total casualties among United Nations peacekeepers in the country to six.

6 days ago