An attack on a ship Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz led the UN to suspend efforts to evacuate trapped mariners as the United States warned against Iran charging fees for passage through the vital waterway.

Samsung Group will announce on Monday plans to invest 1,000 trillion won (US$647.53 billion) in South Korea over 10 years, including a potential 300 trillion won to build chip factories in the southwest of the country, a media report said on Friday.

The government’s preference for state-led solutions not only exacerbates cumbersome governance but also hurts business efficiency – thereby dragging down Indonesia’s global competitiveness.

Another vessel Pertamina Pride remained stranded on the opposite side awaiting further movement instructions.

National Economic Council (DEN) head Luhut Pandjaitan said the implementation of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meals program was “somewhat rushed” but expressed optimism that significant improvements would happen in the coming months.

The government is preparing to scale back President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free meals program, with officials weighing another budget cut of more than $2 billion along with reductions in kitchens and beneficiaries, according to two sources familiar with the matter and an internal presentation.

The Karawang facility is being developed by PT SK Plasma Core Indonesia, a joint venture between South Korea's SK Plasma and Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund INA, with an investment of US$150 million. 

Venture capital and private equity investments in China totaled $91.6 billion in the first five months of this year, jumping nearly 60 percent from a year earlier, according to ChinaVenture Investment Consulting.

Asian equities surged on Thursday after strong earnings and forecasts from chip giants Micron and Qualcomm helped alleviate some concerns over the red-hot AI rally that has pushed global stocks to record highs.

The state-owned energy giant will not order them through the narrow strait until it receives a comprehensive risk assessment and formal recommendations from relevant authorities. 

The intervention comes as labor groups warn that two major ceramic producers, Milan Keramik and Mulia Keramik, face an imminent shutdown in Bekasi, West Java, potentially putting about 55,000 jobs at risk.   

Press and journalism associations have urged the government to ensure the Indonesia-United States Reciprocal Trade Agreement (ART) does not undermine the sustainability of the national media industry or disrupt the implementation of the Presidential Regulation on Publisher Rights.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has ordered urgent inspections requiring airlines to examine the wing-spar structure on the affected jets after inspectors found cracks during routine maintenance checks.

Indonesia's competitiveness was ranked 27th globally in 2024 then nosedived to 48th this year thanks to worsening business and government efficiency.

Stock market volatility continued after a broad selloff of technology and semiconductor sectors dragged global shares lower, sparking safe-haven demand for the dollar and bonds.

While acknowledging transparency reforms, the global index provider still flags concerns about consistency in policy implementation and impact. 

Asian stocks were wobbly on Wednesday, a day after a global selloff in technology and semiconductor shares, with analysts cautioning about the risk of renewed volatility.

Indonesia and China are looking to become less reliant on the United States dollar by pushing ahead with the local currency transaction (LCT) scheme to conduct cross-border trade and investment using their own currencies.

Strapped for more revenue to finance development but constrained from further tapping the state budget, the government is effectively offering legal immunity in a bid to attract investor appetite for its new debt instruments.  

The government plans to increase the Housing Credit Program to Rp 50 trillion in 2026 from Rp 36 trillion after disbursement of the subsidized loans surpassed half of the government’s target, benefiting more than 91,000 borrowers nationwide.

The share of food-insecure Indonesians rose from 8.7 percent in 2024 to 10.4 percent in 2025, or roughly 29 million people.

Most of the stimulus were to be spent on food assistance namely 10 kilogram rice handouts for 33.24 million beneficiaries for the entire third quarter.

The presidential regulation lays out a roadmap for ministries and regional governments to adopt AI from 2026 to 2029, targeting "economic growth through development, facilitation and use of AI especially in the president's priority programs."

Japan's finance minister said Tuesday that Tokyo was ready to take "resolute measures" as the yen came within a whisker of its 40-year low against the dollar.

Al Hikmah Attains IBDP, A First For An International Islamic Boarding School in Indonesia

As the dry season approaches, communities are becoming increasingly vital in the fight against land and forest fires.

Industry players cautioned that the policy must be clearly communicated to avoid misinterpretation that could undermine business confidence.