Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – The Defense Ministry has denied claims that it is backing or facilitating a plan to import 105,000 vehicles from India, saying the ministry's only involvement with Indian-made pickups was the receipt of a small number of donated vehicles for disaster relief.

Denpasar – The Denpasar District Court delivered lengthy jail terms to two British men on Thursday after they were found guilty of smuggling cocaine into Bali.

Kial Garth Robinson was sentenced to 11 years, while Paul Ezra Wilkinson landed a term of nine years.

Both were also ordered to pay a fine of around $60,000 or serve an additional 190 days.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – An academic from Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia, has criticized the recently signed Indonesia-United States trade pact, arguing that it lacks fair reciprocity and disproportionately burdens Indonesia.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – The Chief of the National Police, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, has issued an apology for the actions of police officers that have wounded public sentiment. He asserted that the police institution will undergo improvements following a series of violations by its members.

Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – The Manpower Ministry is monitoring reports of possible layoffs at Karunia Alam Segar, the manufacturer of Mie Sedaap, after complaints emerged that hundreds of workers at its factory in Gresik have seen their working hours sharply reduced ahead of Ramadan.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq is considering revoking the environmental license for PT QMB New Energy Materials, a tenant at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) in Central Sulawesi, following a fatal workplace accident and allegations of unlicensed waste dumping.

Tokyo and Jakarta – On February 24, 2026, 72 civil society organizations from around the world submitted a petition to the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC; 100% state-owned), and the Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI; 100% state-owned), urging them to reject to provide suppor

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Two advocates named Raden Nuh and Dian Amalia have filed a substantive test of the Election Law to Indonesia's Constitutional Court (MK). They are asking the court to prohibit the consanguine or affinal family members of the current president and vice president from nominating themselves for the presidential election.

Agencies, Denpasar, Bali – Flooding in parts of Bali prompted hundreds of people, including dozens of tourists, to seek safety, a local disaster official said Tuesday.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Kontributor), Jakarta – Ahmad Ma'ruf, an economics lecturer at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), has criticized the Indonesian government's plan to import 105,000 pickups from India to support the Merah Putih Village Cooperative (KDMP).

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) has stated that the Rp223.5 trillion budget for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program is sourced from the education allocation in the 2026 State Budget (APBN).

Putu Geniki L. Natih and Rina Karlina, 360info/Jakarta – The tragedy in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), which saw a young child taking his own life last month after his family struggled to afford schoolbooks and pens, is a reminder of how vulnerability can build quietly over time.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Denny Indrayana, a Constitutional Law Professor at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), has urged the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) to reject the reciprocal trade agreement with the US, deeming it lopsided and detrimental for Indonesia.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – An analyst has warned that Indonesia should watch out for retaliatory measures from China, which could even morph into an international trade lawsuit, following Jakarta's tariff deal that largely benefited Washington.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indigenous communities in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua accuse the government of underhanded zoning changes to expand the so-called food estate program there to include large-scale oil palm plantations.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Kontributor), Jakarta – Protesters flocked to the headquarters of Yogyakarta Regional Police on late Tuesday, February 24, 2026, in response to the death of a student in Tual, Maluku, at the hands of a police mobile brigade (Brimob) officer.

Antara, Endang Mulyani, Jakarta – The Indonesian Vape Retailers Association (Arvindo) has instructed all member stores to stop selling electronic cigarettes to customers under the age of 21.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – More than 50 representatives from environmental civil society organizations, academia, and regulatory bodies gathered on February 24 in Jakarta to support Indonesia's transition toward a just and fair green economy within the energy and metallurgy sectors.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Indonesian exporters are worried that a new United States import tariff entering into force on Tuesday will reduce demand for their products in the US, even though the higher duty applies universally to goods shipped in from any country.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi said the Indonesian government's project to reactivate 12,000 kilometers of railway lines will begin in West Java. "It appears that we will prioritize the West Java region first," he said at Gambir Station on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Creative Desk, Jakarta – Many villages that were affected by the floods and landslides that struck three Sumatran provinces more than two months ago have yet to recover from paralysis.

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) should thoroughly investigate suspected corruption involving the issuance of cultivation rights (HGU) permits for 85,200 hectares of land for Sugar Group Companies' six subsidiaries in Lampung. If any violations are proven, whoever committed them must be held accountable.

A world premiere of a new documentary revealing the devastation of rainforest in the southeastern part of West Papua is one of two films being screened in Auckland next month.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Indonesian customs authorities have sealed several luxury jewelry stores in Jakarta over alleged violations of import and tax rules, as the government steps up enforcement against illegal high-value goods entering the country.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – Most cities and regencies in Indonesia are failing to enforce single-use plastic restrictions, a situation worsened by inadequate monitoring systems and budgets needed to meet the national target of phasing out the use of plastics by 2030, a new report has found.

Prisma Ardianto, Jakarta – Indonesia is aiming to become a key player in the global semiconductor supply chain through a strategic partnership with the United States, backed by nearly $5 billion in initial investment, Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Tuesday.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa recently revealed that the massive imports of Indian pickup trucks would use loans from state banks.

Reiner Brabar, Jayapura – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) says that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Indonesian government and Freeport McMoRan Inc to extend its mining contract until 2061, which was signed in the US on Wednesday February 18, has the potential to prolong the ecological crisis and suffering for indigenous peoples.

Mattha Busby – Jarred Shaw is locked up in an Indonesian prison – but at least he isn't facing execution, something that appeared a possibility less than a year ago.

Ary Hermawan and Iim Halimatusa'diyah – Indonesian Islamic groups' endorsement of President Prabowo's decision to join Trump's Board of Peace risks perceptions that they are departing from their long-standing support for the Palestinian cause.

Associated Press, Ria Fortuna Wijaya, Jakarta – Fresh turbulence in global trade policy spilled into Indonesia's equity market on Tuesday, sending the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) down 1.37% as investors weighed US tariff escalation and domestic fiscal risks.

Ni Made Tasyarani, Jakarta – Listed companies are expected to release more than Rp 187 trillion (US$11 billion) in new shares as the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), along with the Financial Services Authority (OJK), seeks to double the percentage of shares available for public trading as part of a wider push to reform the capital market.

Susannah Patton – The conventional account of why Timor-Leste's membership of ASEAN is good for regional security goes something like this: Timor-Leste is a young, post-conflict, least-developed country. Membership of the region's premier regional grouping will give it access to economic opportunities, including trade and international assistance which flows to ASEAN as a group.

Twenty-two years after it was proposed, the Domestic Workers Protection Bill is still stuck in the House of Representatives. Now, shortly after National Domestic Workers Day on February 15, 2026, it is worth reminding President Prabowo Subianto of his promise to pass the bill.

Heru Andriyanto, Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Indonesia has received its first shipment of around 1,000 pickup trucks from Indian automakers Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors, marking the start of deliveries under a controversial $1.5 billion vehicle procurement program, a business executive said on Tuesday.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – The Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS) has filed a formal objection to President Prabowo Subianto regarding the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) between Indonesia and the United States, signed on February 19, 2026.

Fitriansa Sima Sima Sohilauw, Jakarta – Indonesian police have dismissed a Brimob (Mobile Brigade) officer on Tuesday following an internal ethics ruling over the death of a 14-year-old student in eastern Indonesia, a case that has sparked nationwide outrage and scrutiny of police use of force.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – Indonesia has stressed the importance of providing stability through the United States-led Board of Peace (BoP) to pave the way for lasting peace in Gaza, amid domestic concerns about Jakarta's planned troop deployment to the region.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Finance reported that as of January 31, 2026, the government had withdrawn new debt totaling Rp127.3 trillion. This figure represents 15.3 percent of the total government debt target set in this year's state budget (APBN), which is expected to reach Rp832.2 trillion.

Responding to the murder of a student in Tual City, Maluku, by a member of the paramilitary police Mobile Brigade (Brimob), Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid said:

"We convey our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased AT (14). Likewise, we pray for recovery of the victim's older brother, NK (15).

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) announced that users of its national QR payment system, Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS), have surpassed 60 million, meeting the central bank's 2026 target ahead of schedule.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Stella Christie emphasized that state scholarships are a "debt of gratitude" that must be understood as a trust. This statement was issued in response to a polemic on social media regarding the attitudes of scholarship alumni toward their citizenship status.

Jakarta – Indonesia's plan to bring home its first aircraft carrier in 2026 has an undeniable cinematic quality – a 180m warship, long retired by a European navy, retrofitted and returning to life in South-east Asia as a floating runway and command post.

Leonard AL Cahyoputra, Jakarta – An economic think-tank recently revealed that Indonesia's plan to import 105,000 Indian pickup trucks can slash the economy by Rp 39 trillion ($2.3 billion) and trigger mass layoffs.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Indonesia has extended the placement of Rp 200 trillion ($11.9 billion) in government funds at state-owned commercial banks through September 2026, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa announced on Monday.

Aristyo Darmawan – On Thursday, 19 February 2026, during Prabowo's visit to the United States, Indonesia signed a tariff deal with the US as part of the Implementation of the Agreement toward a New Golden Age US-Indonesia Alliance. Essentially, the agreement reduced Indonesia's tariff from 32% to 19%.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Indonesia's state budget posted a deficit of Rp 54.6 trillion ($3.24 billion) as of Jan. 31, 2026, equivalent to 0.21% of gross domestic product, as government spending outpaced revenue in the first month of the year.

Tangerang – The black-and-green ink that runs down the side of Mr Ahmad Rezki Fauzi's face draws stares wherever he goes.

Thick and deliberate, it is impossible to ignore. The tattoo is not simply decoration. It is a shield.

Riri Rahayuningsih, Jakarta – The North Java Coastal Authority Agency (BOPPJ) is currently formulating the master plan for the giant sea wall project. BOPPJ Head Didit Herdiawan stated that construction will occur along the northern coast of Java, covering approximately 535 kilometers and spanning Banten, Jakarta, Central Java, and East Java.