From boat races and traditional cooking competitions to cracker-eating contests, Indonesians across the country took part in traditional games and festivities to mark the 81st anniversary of independence on Monday, while some communities have opted for more subdued celebrations following a series of natural disasters and amid continued economic pressures.

The KMP Mutiara Yasmin was travelling from Padangbai port in Bali to Lembar port on the neighbouring island of Lombok on Aug. 12 when a fire broke out roughly two hours after the ferry departed.

The need to fuel the work their bodies are doing has changed the way recreational athletes view food.

South Korea will flag off on Saturday a container ship bound for Europe via the Arctic, testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice can be commercially viable, but risking friction with Western allies, as the voyage requires Russian cooperation.

For now, the pact’s principal strength may lie in its political message and deterrent effect.

As the summer slips into fall, the season transitioning into cooler temperatures amid vibrant shades of red and brown foliage, places around the world are offering another attractive travel period without the busyness of summer holidays.

Officers from the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) led a joint team in the raid on the gambling den at the Nine Stage Lounge and Bar at about 9:30 p.m. in Batam’s Nagoya Indah Shophouse Block B2 No. 9.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) launched the Laksmi Program 2026 at the East Java Cultural Park in Surabaya on Sept. 23. Laksmi is designed to support women microentrepreneurs through basic entrepreneurship assistance, specifically targeting Beneficiary Families (KPM) of the Family Hope Program (PKH).

Rather than a genuine check, the Constitutional Court provides a strategic runway for legislative engineering, allowing the executive branch to bypass immediate fiscal discipline while public attention cools, over the education fund.

Six deaths in six months have put the country’s medical internship program under scrutiny, exposing concerns over workloads, supervision and protection for those who speak up.

The state is spending billions to guard its borders against foreign adversaries, while leaving its own citizens stranded when the earth beneath them gives way.

Constitutional experts have pushed back against efforts to revive long-defunct state policy guidelines, warning that the proposal risks restoring the total political authority that the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) had during the New Order era.

President Prabowo Subianto, his predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka sit together during the Independence Day ceremony, in what observers saw as a show of unity amid speculation of strained relations among the three. 

As fiscal strain, budget reallocations and state dominance deepen across Indonesia, students and intellectuals are stepping into the fray—reclaiming their historic duty to speak truth to power.

President Prabowo Subianto's tenure has been marked by a recurring pattern of rhetorical detours. His supporters see his direct, unscripted style as refreshingly authentic; critics see a habit that regularly produces high-profile verbal slips with real domestic and international consequences.

The Jakarta Police’s plan to prohibit public protests at the Hotel Indonesia Hotel traffic circle has drawn strong opposition from students and activists, who have described the move as “unlawful” and warned that it could further restrict freedom of expression.

President Prabowo Subianto announced that Indonesia will launch the Strategic Minerals and Commodities Exchange (BMKS), set to begin operations on Jan. 1 next year.

Nearly 60,000 people are still taking shelter across the quake-hit regions, with the province facing potential threats from aftershocks that can crumble buildings and other structures already damaged in the initial earthquake on Aug. 15, according to seismologists.

What started as a presidential complaint about tiny font sizes has spiraled into an alarming, state-driven overhaul to rewrite Indonesian history.

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has signaled that the subsidy program for electric two-wheelers will resume in September.  

Interim BI governor Destry Damayanti, widely expected to become the central bank’s chief soon, has conveyed a restrictive monetary policy stance in a turbulent global economy but also emphasized the need to push growth.

The Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority will direct most of its 2027 budget toward completing legislative and judicial complexes, as private investment also expands across the future capital.

The National Narcotics Agency said it had received intelligence that a vessel sailing from Sarawak, Malaysia through the Andaman Sea may be carrying narcotics to Indonesia.

After seven years without a regular domestic competition, Indonesia’s women’s game is gaining momentum, with the national team’s recent success contrasting sharply with the struggles of the country’s more established men’s side.

The government is finalizing new rules for ride-hailing services, with a presidential regulation expected to be issued in September.

Although Indonesia’s restoration program has shown positive results, the threat of fire still looms over peatland that has already been degraded.

LaLaLa Festival marks its 10th anniversary with a star-studded Jakarta edition and ambitions to expand beyond Indonesia.