CISDI pointed on Wednesday to a trial in Sentul, West Java, which provided school children with ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk containing 25 grams of sugar. Health experts have suggested children's daily intake should be less than 25g.

Brazil's vision for a global deal to tax the ultra-rich sparked divisions Thursday at a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Rio de Janeiro, where Washington dismissed the need for an international accord on the matter.

A senior Finance Ministry official said “Indonesian people are actually quite rich” given that concert tickets were frequently sold out in the country and claimed that many people even went overseas to attend international concerts.

The government is putting together a study on the planned US$60 billion mega seawall project along the northern coast of Java in a bid to address land subsidence in Jakarta and protect coastal communities from rising sea levels due to climate change.

Energy ministry secretary general Dadan Kusdiana said the 47 coal plants would add to the 99 existing participants in the carbon trading program, all of which joined last year.

Indonesia is the world’s second largest coconut producer after the Philippines, and the country is seeking to replicate the success of downstreaming crude palm oil, of which it is the world’s largest producer.

Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has said that arbitration rules modeled after Singapore’s would create legal certainty to attract more investment, including family offices, to Indonesia.

Pertamina has not purchased Russian oil for years, having taken a step back since the start of Russian-Ukraine military conflict in 2022, though Indonesia did not join Western sanctions against Russia.

The government has launched an online tracking system for nickel and tin shipments to increase state revenue and improve governance in the mining sector.

The Transportation Ministry has announced plans to “revise” rules on the service life of public transportation vehicles including intercity and tourism buses following recent accidents.

The government aims to bring down the sulfur content in fuels sold in the country to no more than 50 parts per million (ppm), from the current approximately 500 ppm for gasoline and up to 3,500 ppm for the lowest grade of diesel.  

The Trade Ministry has defended high import duties on ceramic products but admits there are concerns that local producers might seize the opportunity to raise the prices of ceramic tiles.

The government is mulling over a plan to require drivers to pay for an insurance premium called third-party liability (TPL), as part of a larger effort to boost the financial sector’s growth.

The government plans to replace subsidized fertilizer with direct cash assistance for farmers with the full implementation expected to begin nationwide starting in 2026.

Chinese exporters are shipping goods to Indonesia via India and Vietnam to evade safeguard measures imposed by Jakarta, an official representing the Industry Ministry has claimed.

The energy and finance ministries are discussing potential geothermal incentives, including tax cuts, as a way to attract more investors to achieve its ambitious energy transition goals.

Apindo says it has made several suggestions to the government on revising the Tapera program, but cautioned that any revision was likely to take time since they would need to involve the incoming legislature.

“Hopefully within one or two weeks, the regulation will be issued,” the Indonesian Trade Security Committee (KPPI) said.

A member of Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra Party who also heads the president-elect’s transition team has denied a report about alleged plans of the incoming administration to revise the State Finance Law.

Experts believe the move, which currently remains under deliberation, could play into inflation and reduce people’s purchasing power, thereby risking shock to the economy.

Food and beverage industry association Gapmmi is suggesting that the government impose a voluntary national standard for sugar content in sweetened beverages, rather than mandatory SNI certification.

Indonesia's airfare prices are among the highest in the world according to Coordinating Maritime and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan. High prices have also been blamed by local businesses for hampering the recovery of the country’s tourism sector.

Traffic in its satellite cities within Greater Jakarta area has become increasingly worse over the past years, including South Tangerang, which took roughly an hour drive from the capital’s city.

The government has softened its rhetoric after threatening to impose antidumping tariffs of 200 percent on imported ceramic products, but after a probe ended earlier this month, it remains unclear which importers will be subject to which tariffs.

Airlangga Hartarto announced on Wednesday that the government, on the President's instruction, would be establishing a new department at the BPDPKS to oversee development of the cacao and coconut industries.

The government has mulled restricting the purchase of subsidized fuel since 2022 but the plan was delayed amid concerns it would impact the purchasing power of Indonesians.

Sandiaga said on Monday that the endowment fund would be prioritized for large scale events and those deemed to produce low carbon emissions and to promote better waste management.

The government has decided to extend the 2020 subsidized natural gas program for industries and is also mulling over expanding eligible industry categories, although IPGI has asked that the program be evaluated since it benefited only downstream businesses.

In yet another delay to the multibillion-dollar megaproject, President Jokowi has postponed issuing a decree formalizing Nusantara's status as the nation's new capital due to lack of progress on key infrastructure.

In its plan to establish Bali or the future capital as a global hub for family offices the government must be cautious to prevent money laundering, experts urge.