Indonesian politician, businessman and retired military officer who has served as president since 2024
Violence persists as Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza and Lebanon amid ongoing clashes with Hamas and Hezbollah. US remarks on ceasefires suggest a shift toward de‑escalation, while a planned international peacekeeping force struggles to form amid mixed commitments from regional partners.
Indonesia’s free meals programme has faced corruption arrests and governance scrutiny as new leadership refocuses budgets, emphasising kitchen standards, remote-area delivery, and alternative funding sources while investigations unfold.
Indonesia’s economy has come under pressure from a global energy shock and policy shifts. The rupiah has weakened to a record low near 18,000 per dollar, fueling concerns about growth, investor confidence and currency stability as central bank actions lag the energy-driven outflows.
Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez has met Turkish President Erdogan in Istanbul after arriving from India. Both sides aim to raise bilateral trade from $448 million in 2025 to $3 billion, focusing on energy, mining, and other cooperation. The talks come amid Venezuela’s broader oil-reform push and Turkey’s long-standing ties with Caracas.
Defendants from Indonesia’s military intelligence unit have been convicted over the March attack on Andrie Yunus, a KontraS rights advocate. Sentences range from 1.5 to three years. Rights groups call the verdict a shallow justice, urging civilian courts to probe higher-level actions.
A panel of judges has found Nadiem Anwar Makarim guilty of abuse of authority in relation to the 2020 procurement of Google Chromebooks for Indonesian schools. He has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, with a fine and restitution totaling over 800 billion rupiah. Prosecution says state losses reached about 125 million, while Google’s investment in Gojek is central to the case. The verdicts from multiple outlets converge, with the defense planning appeals.
The impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has begun in Manila. Police have deployed around the Senate as pro- and anti-Duterte demonstrators gather. Duterte denies wrongdoing and has appeared via counsel, with the outcome potentially barring her from future office and shaping the 2028 race.
The government has not charged Febrie Adriansyah. Authorities are carrying out raids across Jakarta, South Tangerang, and Bogor in connection with a corruption and bribery case tied to power blackouts and fraud at Asabri and Jiwasraya. The case involves state officials and mining firms amid high-profile investigations.
The Indonesian central bank chief has resigned, with the government naming an interim successor as markets react. Separately, the National Nutrition Agency faces ongoing scrutiny amid leadership changes and health concerns surrounding key figures.
Indonesia has-received artefacts linked to Papuan Dani, Asmat and Lake Sentani communities, recovered in cooperation with the FBI. The artefacts, smuggled out of Indonesia, will be housed at the National Museum, as part of efforts to restore cultural sovereignty. This follows recent repatriations including bronze Buddhist sculptures and other items.
A coordinated U.S.-Japan intervention in late July has only temporarily strengthened the yen. The currency has given back roughly half the gains from the operation and is trading near ¥159–¥160 to the dollar as of mid-August. Analysts say the yield gap between U.S. and Japanese debt and Japan's domestic policy mix are keeping downward pressure on the yen.
Top authorities have coordinated a yen intervention to stall a slide in the currency, a move that strengthens yen but leaves questions about long-term fiscal and monetary policy. The effort reflects growing geopolitical ties and a shared aim to curb disorderly moves that could threaten global markets.
Since early 2026 wildfires have scorched hundreds of thousands of hectares across Indonesia, concentrating on Borneo (Kalimantan). A powerful El Niño and prolonged dry conditions have driven deep-burning peat and forest blazes that have sent hazardous haze into Malaysian Borneo and Singapore, closed schools and prompted arrests and troop, helicopter and cloud‑seeding deployments.
Fires fueled by El Niño and a prolonged dry season have spread across Kalimantan and Sumatra, triggering health risks, water shortages, and emergency responses. Authorities are deploying aircraft, ground crews, and cloud-seeding as hotspots rise and haze blankets the region.
Indonesia's leadership has approved added funds to the budget, with finance officials noting the move could be classified as non-tax state revenue to help narrow the year's fiscal deficit. Government seeks 6% growth by 2027 while keeping the deficit at or below 2.4% of GDP, and foreign appetite for Indonesian debt remains robust amid healthy inflows.
Fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia, have burned tens of thousands of acres, triggering a regional haze that is drifting toward Malaysia and Singapore. Health impacts surge as thousands seek care weekly; authorities revoke permits for suspected burners while policing steps up arrests. The El Niño phenomenon is intensifying the dry season, raising the risk of further blazes.