Newly appointed Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara (left) shakes hands with outgoing finance minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa during a handover ceremony on Sept. 15 at the Finance Ministry in Jakarta.

Suahasil can restore budget credibility, but challenges remain

The new finance minister brings steady hands and deep institutional memory, but restoring fiscal credibility will mean making the hard choices his predecessor avoided.

1 week ago

Opinion premium

Analysis: Adaro witness summons revives questions over tycoon rivalry

The corruption investigation into the Banjarmasin Medium Tax Office (KPP Madya) has taken an unexpected turn, with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) examining senior tax officials linked to Adaro, one of Indonesia’s largest business groups. The development has brought renewed attention to Adaro’s long and complicated ownership history, including a past dispute involving busin...

1 week ago

Economy premium

El Niño chokes Indonesia’s coal exports as rivers run shallow

Citing data from the Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), Indonesia's coal exports totaled 36.10 million tonnes in August, down 23.34 percent year-on-year and 6.54 percent month-on-month, the lowest August level in five years. ...

1 week ago

The Latest

A student reacts while receiving treatment for food poisoning at a regional general hospital after eating a government-sponsored free school meal in Pati, Central Java, on Sept. 9, 2026.

Editorial premium

Feeding, not poisoning

The food poisoning incident has left parents a lingering question: How could a program intended to nourish children end up putting their health at risk? And, perhaps more frighteningly, could their children be next?

1 week ago

Parenting time: A 2.5-month-old proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) plays on April 14 under the watch of its mother at Batu Secret Zoo, Jatim Park 2, in Batu, East Java. The zoo has increased the population of the endangered Kalimantan-endemic primate from five to 10 individuals through a conservation breeding program carried out over the past two years.

Archipelago premium

12 endangered proboscis monkeys killed as wildfires ravage Kalimantan

In West Kalimantan, one of the provinces hit hardest by the ongoing wildfires, conservation authorities and environmental groups have rescued three orangutans found in critical condition.

1 week ago

Economy premium

Suahasil seen to prioritize fiscal discipline, continuity

The new finance minister is expected to favor predictable policy and tighter governance even as Prabowo pushes for growth.

1 week ago

An aerial view of the Virgo Transport 8 passenger ship that capsized in Indonesia's Java sea, September 13, 2026, in this still image taken from video.

Archipelago

Bad weather hampers Virgo Transport ferry rescue

Dozens of people remain unaccounted for three days after the Virgo Transport 8, which carried 213 passengers and 30 crew, went down early Sunday.

1 week ago

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov listens during Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow, Russia, on December 19, 2019.

Europe

Russia says space 'must be free from any weapon'

"We believe that space must be free of any weapon," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

1 week ago

A soldier sweeps the entrance to a Red and White Cooperatives facility on July 22, 2026, in Suka Damai village, Muaro Jambi regency, Jambi.

Companies premium

Agrinas chief lambasts delay in installing cooperatives managers

The head of the state-owned agribusiness has expressed frustration at the delay in installing managers at individual Red and White Cooperative units, describing it as “a form of structural sabotage”.

1 week ago

(Courtesy of Permodalan Nasional Madani)

Quick Dispatch

PNM and Ministry of MSMEs launch Laksmi Program, strengthen women-led microenterprise

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).

18 hours ago

This handout picture released by the US Navy on September 13, 2026, shows a US Sailor checking ordnance on an FA-18 Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102, aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) on September 13, 2026.
The USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East.

Americas

US military confirms Iran war has led to munitions shortfall

The United States is facing a shortfall in ammunition as a result of its war against Iran, the Defense Department's inspector general confirmed Monday, contrasting with President Donald Trump's assertions of full stocks.

1 week ago

Outgoing Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa reacts as he talks to journalists after a handover ceremony at the Finance Ministry in Jakarta, September 15, 2026.

Economy

Purbaya says he was 'upset', but half expected removal

Known for his candor, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa's tenure was marked by the fastest economic growth in three years, but also the widest budget deficit in over twenty years outside of the pandemic, and credit rating outlook downgrades by ratings agencies Fitch and Moody's.

1 week ago

Cambodia Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn (center) arrives for the first meeting of the Conciliation Commission established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in Singapore on September 15, 2026.

Asia & Pacific

Cambodia 'playing the victim', Thailand tells global mediators

Thailand accused Cambodia on Tuesday of "playing the role of a victim" in a dispute over maritime resources, as the Southeast Asian neighbors brought their long-standing feud before international mediators.

1 week ago

Workers assemble truck parts at a factory in East Karawang, West Java, in this undated file photo.

Economy

Long-term sectoral growth patterns: What should we focus on?

The manufacturing sector’s contribution to GDP remains substantial, 19.1 percent in 2025, but its growth has lagged behind national growth, causing its share of GDP to decline over the past 15 years.

1 week ago

This photo taken on October 1, 2025 shows elderly shoppers walking through the Tsurumibashi “shotengai“, an old covered shopping street in the Nishinari ward of Osaka.

Asia & Pacific

Japan centenarians top 100,000 for the first time

The number of centenarians across Japan topped 100,000 for the first time, the health ministry said Tuesday.

1 week ago

A drone view shows vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, Aug. 28, 2026.

Middle East and Africa

Houthis strike Saudi targets anew as talks over Strait of Hormuz stall

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launched a new wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia and were digging into positions on the western coast of Yemen along the Red Sea, Yemeni officials said, as urgent deliberations took place in Riyadh over how to respond to their lightning advance.

1 week ago

An electronic display board inside the main hall of the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in South Jakarta shows an overall downward movement across most stocks during the lunch break on Jan. 29, 2026, when the IDX Composite index fell 6.3 percent after global investment firm MSCI raised concerns about free float and trading transparency.

Markets premium

IDX launches short selling scheme after long delay

The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) plans to issue the list of short-selling securities on Sept. 28, which is slated to take effect in October.

1 week ago

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (right) and his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail arrive during the 69th National Day celebrations in Malaysia's administrative capital Putrajaya on Aug. 31, 2026.

Academia

Malaysia’s election drums, political sums

Can Malaysia's UMNO pressure Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim into calling for an early election?

1 week ago

A smartphone menu displays the search results for artificial intelligence apps on July 15, 2026, in this illustration created in Saint-Mande, east of Paris, France.

Tech

Indonesia's second digital leap must be about capability

Indonesia's next digital leap, rather than helping democratize access, must lead toward democratizing capability: using AI to generate value.

1 week ago

A satellite image shows black smoke rising from an area of Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline south of Medina, Hejaz Region, Saudi Arabia on Sept. 10, 2026.

Academia

Oil markets survived the Iran war sprint. Now comes the marathon

The Iran war is no longer a short-lived energy supply shock, but a prolonged, unpredictable test of global economic endurance.

1 week ago

Social aid recipients receive sacks of rice from the government's food reserves distribution program at Dumai Post Office in Riau on Oct. 29, 2024.

Regulations premium

Social aid exclusion errors spur call for bigger data registry budget

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) acknowledged a 23 percent error rate in its mathematical model for estimating household expenditure in the Single National Socioeconomic Data (DTSEN).

1 week ago

A police tape reads “Crime scene [...]“ in this undated illustration of a crime scene.

Archipelago premium

One hostage escapes, another dies a month after OPM abducted nine in Central Papua

According to authorities the two hostages had fled their captors and travelled through the forest for about 20 days without food or water. Demerina was found in a weakened condition while Yosina was found dead due to starvation.

1 week ago

A 100,000 rupiah banknote is pictured next to a 100 United States dollar banknote at a currency exchange office in Jakarta on June 4, 2026.

Markets

Dollar near two-week high as oil surge lifts yields, Fed hike bets

The dollar inched up to trade near a two-week high on Tuesday as surging oil prices lifted Treasury yields and reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates this week.

1 week ago

A signpost is seen in Pantai Melayu village on Rempang Island, Batam city, Riau Islands, announcing that the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam) has the rights to manage the land, reportedly to be used as a Sekolah Rakyat location, as seen on July 15, 2026. BP Batam's unilateral claim is strenuously challenged by villagers, who say they own the land.

Academia premium

The Land Bank paradox: For profit or justice?

Masked as agrarian reform, the national Land Bank is quietly dispossessing the rural poor to serve corporate profit, and a rushed new bill is about to make it permanent.

1 week ago

Rescuers help to evacuate the body of 29-year-old Australian tourist Brianna Lani Cronin after she fell from an 80-meter cliff at Kelingking Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, on Sept. 12, 2026. Cronin was later found dead at the beach.

Archipelago premium

Australian woman dies after falling from cliff at Bali’s Kelingking Beach

Kelingking Beach is a popular tourist destination where visitors regularly hike along the cliffs or trek down to the beach. The descent can take up to two hours and the trail has been described as perilous.

1 week ago

Two schoolchildren look over a densely populated informal settlement in the Kebon Melati neighborhood of Jakarta, on Aug. 7, 2026. Statistics Indonesia reported that the country's poverty rate stood at 8.07 percent in March 2026, with 22.93 million people living below the poverty line, down by 430,000 from September 2025.

Academia premium

Global development's missing ingredient

Faith-based institutions committed to human dignity and pluralism can play an instrumental role in building the infrastructure required for grassroots organizing at scale.

1 week ago

The SpaceX Starship rocket launches from Starbase, Texas, as seen from South Padre Island on May 27, 2025. SpaceX mission control lost contact with the upper stage of Starship as it leaked fuel, spun out of control and made an uncontrolled reentry after flying halfway around the world, likely disintegrating over the Indian Ocean, officials said.

Americas

US has weapons deployed in orbit, Space Force says

"The US has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action," a US Space Force spokesperson said in a statement that did not provide specifics on the weapons.

1 week ago

Learning by doing: Twin sisters Kimberly Georgia and Kathleen Victoria, 17, demonstrate their mathematics teaching approach on Aug. 26, 2026, in Jakarta. Their concrete, pictorial and abstract (CPA) approach uses hands-on materials and visual aids to make mathematics more engaging for children.

Science & Tech premium

From toy bears to formulas: Making math tangible for Indonesian children

A hands-on approach to mathematics is helping Indonesian children move beyond memorizing formulas to understand the concepts behind the numbers.

1 week ago

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, leaders of participating countries gather for a family photograph during the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Sept. 13, 2026.

Academia premium

Delhi's BRICS moment: A bite without teeth

New Delhi Declaration holds an 11-nation bloc together, but ducks the Middle East, and Washington breathes easy.

1 week ago

Director of the Jakarta Police Criminal Investigation Department, Sr. Comr. Iman Imanuddin,(left) and spokesperson Sr. Comr. Budi Hermanto (right) show face sketches of alleged perpetrators of unrest that led to the killing of 60-year-old mirror vendor Bambang Setiyawan in Pejompongan, Central Jakarta, during a press briefing at the Jakarta Police headquarters in South Jakarta on Sept. 2, 2026. The police also named 47 suspects allegedly involved in the damaging of public facilities and other violent acts during the unrest.

Jakarta premium

Calls mount for police to hunt down mastermind behind deadly Jakarta unrest

Calls are mounting for police to identify the mastermind behind last month’s deadly unrest in Jakarta, after investigators uncovered a paid scheme to orchestrate the violence and named individual suspects allegedly involved behind them.

1 week ago

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