Melynda Dwi Puspita, Jakarta – The release of Indonesia's economic growth data by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), showing a year-on-year increase of 5.12 percent in the second quarter of 2025, has sparked mixed reactions. The achievement drew attention not only domestically but also from several international media outlets.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has ruled out the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle in the near future, citing satisfaction with the performance of his ministers just eight months into the administration.

Bella Evanglista Mikaputri, Jakarta – Indonesia is prepared to send peacekeeping troops and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, as part of its commitment to supporting global peace efforts amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region, a senior official said on Thursday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia is planning to temporarily shelter thousands of wounded Gazans in Galang Island for medical treatment.

Residents of Kebayoran, South Jakarta, including Riki Hidayat, expressed their refusal to display the Indonesian national flag in celebration of the 80th Independence Day on August 17, 2025. Riki mentioned having half-masted the flag every Independence Day over the past three years.

Ananda Teresia and Yuddy Cahya Budiman, Pandeglang, Banten – At a shrimp farm in Indonesia, more than 16,000 km from Washington, DC, US President Donald Trump's import tariffs have left Denny Leonardo's expansion plans in disarray.

Harumbi Prastya Hidayahningrum, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has removed 228,000 individuals from its social assistance program after a joint investigation found they were either linked to online gambling or no longer met the criteria for financial aid.

Riandy Laksono – President Prabowo might have breathed a little easier after 15 July 2025. On that day, agreement was reached with the US to reduce tariffs for Indonesia to 19% – lower than the threatened 32% and seemingly more favourable than regional peers.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Indonesia's Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) has unblocked 122 million dormant bank accounts that were previously frozen over suspected links to online gambling syndicates and other criminal activities.

Jeff Bachman and Esther Brito Ruiz – Since World War II, the United States has repeatedly supported governments that have been committing mass atrocities, which are defined by genocide scholar Scott Straus as "large-scale, systematic violence against civilian populations."

Jakarta – The Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) confirmed on Thursday that Mayer Wenda alias Kuloi Wonda, a rebel leader of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), was slain while resisting arrest in Highland Papua province.

According to a TNI press release, TNI personnel laid an ambush for Wenda in Mukoni sub-district, Lanny Jaya district, Highland Papua, on Tuesday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – US President Donald Trump's 19 percent tariffs on Indonesian goods officially kicked in on Thursday, just after the clock struck midnight in Washington.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Indonesia's anti-corruption watchdog has arrested East Kolaka Regent Abdul Azis in a sting operation (OTT) in Southeast Sulawesi, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) confirmed on Thursday.

"The team is still in Kolaka Timur," KPK Deputy Chairman Johanis Tanak told reporters.

A truck driver in Indonesia named Rahmat (30 years old), who works in the Kranji area of West Bekasi, chose to install a pirate flag from the One Piece manga at the back of his vehicle's cargo box.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) regrets the government's move to ban the raising of the One Piece flag. Komnas HAM Chairman Anis Hidayah believes that the arrest of individuals raising the skull and straw hat-emblazoned flag is excessive and violates human rights.

Nabiila Azzahra, Linda Trianita – Protesters who took part in International Labour Day or May Day rallies earlier this year are now being intimidated by unknown individuals.

Jakarta – Indonesia must stop hedging its position on the prolonged war in Gaza and speak with greater moral clarity in support of the Palestinian cause.

Toronata Tambun, Jakarta – Indonesia is pushing hard on vehicle electrification. The numbers are bold: From just 14,000 domestically produced electric vehicles in 2022, the figure is projected to reach 374,000 by year-end.

Sylviana Hamdani, Jakarta – At a glance, kebaya may appear delicate, with its sheer fabric adorned with intricate lacework. But beneath its graceful silhouette lies a legacy of quiet power, a symbol of cultural pride and the enduring strength of Indonesian women throughout history.

Antara, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has no objection to communities hoisting the One Piece flag as a form of creative expression, according to State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi. He made the statement at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday, August 5, 2025.

"As a form of creative expression, it's fine. We have no issue with it," Prasetyo said.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – The Strategic Intelligence Agency of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (BAIS TNI) has captured a personnel from the Police's Special Detachment for Counterterrorism (Densus 88) named Briptu FF on Friday, July 25, 2025.

Didik Fibrianto, Julianus Palermo, Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Indonesians continue to hoist One Piece's Jolly Roger flag during public celebrations ahead of the country's 80th Independence Day on Aug. 17, defying mounting pressure from local authorities and concerns over its perceived anti-government symbolism.

Duncan Graham – Happy birthday, monster neighbour. Er, do we know you? We're strangers here – our proper place is mid-Atlantic, 'twixt the Old World and the New. However, we're trying hard to cope by promoting trade and investment, while ignoring endemic corruption and avoiding deep involvement.

Jakarta – The drop in Indonesia's poverty rate to yet another historic low should be cause for celebration, but nobody feels in the mood.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has reported three alleged violations in the procurement of catering for the 2025 hajj pilgrims to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). ICW researcher, Wana Alamsyah, stated that the alleged corruption is estimated to have caused a state loss of Rp 306 billion.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The former CEO of state-owned construction firm Hutama Karya, Bintang Perbowo, was detained on Wednesday as a suspect in a corruption case linked to the Trans-Sumatra toll road project, which allegedly caused Rp 205 billion ($12.5 million) in state losses.

Chappy Hakim, Jakarta – As Indonesia nears its 80th year of independence, the nation should reflect on its maturity as a sovereign and democratic state.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's decision to pardon Thomas Lembong and Hasto Kristiyanto in their high-profile graft cases has sounded alarms over political interference in the judiciary and sparked renewed scrutiny over his administration's commitment to anticorruption.

The phenomenon of raising the One Piece flag with the iconic skull and straw hat emblem from the widely popular anime series is increasingly widespread in Indonesia leading up to the 80th anniversary of Indonesian Independence Day. The black flag with the smiling skull and straw hat is the symbol of the fictional pirate group led by the main character of the anime.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – The Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) has raised doubts over the credibility of Indonesia's second-quarter economic growth figure, calling the 5.12 percent year-on-year expansion released by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) an "anomaly" that does not reflect the real economy.

State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi announced that the launch of Indonesia's new history book might be postponed. The initial launch was scheduled for August 2025.

"There is a possibility of postponement," Prasetyo said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Tuesday, August 5, 2025.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The practice of returning political favors is becoming more apparent through the appointment of dozens of deputy ministers as commissioners of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). This is a serious symptom of the worsening of governance in the President Prabowo Subianto era.

Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto has rejected suggestions that Indonesians' purchasing power is in decline, following the country's stronger-than-expected economic growth in the second quarter of 2025.

Anne Barker and Natasya Salim – More than 20 years after Australia banned all forms of asbestos, the deadly legacy still lingers.

It is in the walls and roofs of homes, schools and countless other buildings, as well as the lungs of the thousands of Australians who still die every year from exposure they never saw coming.

Singapore – Indonesia has become the first country in Southeast Asia to deploy a tactical ballistic missile system that will enhance its short-range battlefield capabilities, based on sightings by military enthusiasts in East Kalimantan.

Hendrik Yaputra, Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto warned that Indonesia is being exploited by economic actors who prioritize profit over public welfare.

Speaking at a full cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 5, 2025, he claimed these groups deliberately keep the population poor.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – One of the activists behind the One Piece flag installations, Kharik Anhar, said several specific locations had been targeted for displaying the pirate anime flags.

He plans to put up the flags in the lead-up to Indonesia's 80th Independence Day, particularly in neglected areas such as damaged roads, rundown schools, and underdeveloped regions.

Amnesty International criticized the Indonesian government's stance on the display of the One Piece flag as a potentially divisive act. The phenomenon of displaying the flag depicting a skull from the Japanese anime series became widespread on social media ahead of the 80th Anniversary of the Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia.

Cut Mery, Jakarta – An employee of the Banda Aceh City Government has been arrested by the Indonesian National Police's Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88) Anti-Terror Unit for alleged links to a terrorist network.

The raising of the One Piece manga series flag ahead of Indonesia's 80th Independence Day on August 17 has caught public attention. The flag of the Japanese manga series about pirates, known as the Jolly Roger, is being raised in homes and vehicles in various regions.

The Secretary General of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Amirsyah Sanusi Tambunan, stated that the use of "sound horeg," an excessively loud music system, could be considered haram, or forbidden, if it causes mafsadat, or harm. Amirsyah's comment was made in response to the death of a resident in Lumajang, East Java, who was watching a sound horeg performance.

By Lin Ching-yin, Wu Hsin-yun and Wu Kuan-hsien, Taipei (CNA) – Taipei-based conglomerate Walsin Lihwa Corp. was accused Wednesday of causing severe pollution and human rights violations at its factories in Indonesia by local environmental groups and workers.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has assured that Indonesia's food production is currently secure and robust. He attributed this stability to the smooth transition of power from former President Joko Widodo to his administration.

Raden Putri Alpadillah Ginanjar, Jakarta – The Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) evacuated a male orangutan named Sugiman after receiving a report from residents of Mendawai Seberang Village in Arut Selatan District, Kotawaringin Barat Regency, Central Kalimantan, on July 30, 2025.

The lawsuit filed by a lawyer from Makassar, Komardin, against several officials of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) regarding the alleged fake diploma of former President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at the Sleman District Court has been deemed invalid.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto recently engaged in back-to-back talks with the military top brass of the world's biggest economic superpowers: China and the US.

The hoisting of One Piece flag has become a public spotlight here in Indonesia. Ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia's independence on August 17, the flag of the Japanese anime series about pirates has been flying from houses to vehicles in various regions.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati on Wednesday firmly defended the credibility of the country's second-quarter GDP data, dismissing public skepticism and affirming the government's full confidence in the national statistics agency.

At a Full Cabinet Meeting held at the Presidential Office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, President Prabowo Subianto asked journalists to leave during a discussion about the 2026 State Budget Draft. The media were initially allowed to cover the meeting while Prabowo delivered his opening remarks and guidance.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – Indonesia's Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced that Indonesia's economy grew by 5.12 percent year on year in the second quarter of 2025, but Nailul Huda, Director of the Digital Economy Center at the Institute for Economic and Legal Studies (Celios), argued that the data contained several anomalies that raised questions.