President Prabowo Subianto is set to name the current interim Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority head, Basuki Hadimuljono, as the body’s definitive head as he looks to conclude the project in four years.

The Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) has kicked off what it says will be a nationwide wave of mass protests ahead of November, the month in which the next year’s minimum wage is typically determined.

A top adviser to President Prabowo Subianto says the government will issue a presidential regulation to cancel the debts of some 6 million borrowers to allow them to obtain loans from banks instead of loan sharks or peer-to-peer lending platforms.

Instead of being placed under the command of the coordinating economic minister, the finance minister now reports directly to the President, which indicates a more hands-on approach by Prabowo Subianto to budget management.

Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said on Tuesday that the government planned to cut CPO exports by 5.3 million tonnes annually, starting next year, as part of the biodiesel program.

Less than two years after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo issued Presidential Decree No. 17/2023 on the declaration of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic activities have returned to normal despite lingering geopolitical tensions and a global economic slowdown.

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have been in the limelight throughout the 10 years of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration, with the Directorate General of Taxation of the Ministry of Finance taking concrete steps to reinforce their venture performance.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto wants to establish a new investment agency that would become a holding company for state investments, similar to Singapore's Temasek, the official named to head the proposed firm said on Tuesday.

The conditional approval for the project, which is expected to be operational after 2035, recognises the technical and commercial viablity of the Sun Cable project, the EMA said.

The OJK has revoked the license of homegrown P2P lender Investree, which faces a host of problems including fraud allegations and legal action against its founder, who has been slapped with the regulator's maximum sanctions and ordered to return to Indonesia.

As part of a structural overhaul, the ministry will also establish a dedicated undersecretary position focused on youth services.

Previously, the three sectors were overseen by Luhut Pandjaitan in his role as coordinating investment and maritime affairs minister under former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

This is not the first time Bahlil has criticized the electricity export plan. He made a similar statement opposing the idea in 2022, when he was still the investment minister, leading to a inter-ministerial clash over the clean power export plan.

Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday, aiming to launch the plan by the end of the year, their civil aviation authorities said in a joint statement.

Now a new tool, which has been welcomed by European Union officials, has tested generative AI models developed by big tech companies like Meta and OpenAI across dozens of categories, in line with the bloc's wide-sweeping AI Act, which is coming into effect in stages over the next two years.

Government authorities plan to inspect grocery store shelves to check compliance with a law requiring halal labels on food items from Friday, officials said, although some importers and restaurants face hurdles in complying.

Almost 500 people have submitted applications for a so-called golden visa since the special permit was launched in July, Director General of Immigration Silmy Karim has revealed.

Indonesia has seen little progress in its energy transition over the past decade as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has straddled two diverging boats, trying to increase power generation from renewable sources but failing to phase out coal.

Delaying the implementation of the European Union’s deforestation-free rule for imported products may provide more time for negotiations between Indonesia and the EU on a free trade agreement but will do little to bridge the remaining divides between the two parties, analysts say.

"We must dare to look at hardship and try to resolve it,” the president-elect said on Thursday

The KSPI has announced its plan to hold mass protests from Oct. 24 to 31 to demand better pay and the repeal of certain provisions in the jobs law, noting that the protests were scheduled on those dates to ensure a peaceful inauguration day on Oct. 20.

Albanese said he agreed on the timeline to resume full lobster trade by year end during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in Laos.

Indonesia will open thousands of kitchens across the country next year as the incoming government led by president-elect Prabowo Subianto kicks off his multibillion dollar free meals program, the head of the agency running the initiative said on Tuesday.

The president-elect's flagship free meal program has evolved from its initial aim to combat stunting to providing two meals per student per day, a top advisor has said at a Kadin event on Monday.

To date, Apple has not fulfilled its promised investment in Indonesia by establishing a total of four R&D facilities in the country, Industry Ministry said.

Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority head Basuki Hadimuljono said the target was for work on ministerial infrastructure to wrap up by the end of October. Meanwhile, trials will be launched for the use of larger aircraft at Nusantara’s airport, according to the Transportation Ministry.

Immigration authorities in Bali plan to conduct an in-depth evaluation of local business operations after receiving complaints about a growing number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on the island being controlled by foreign nationals.

The construction of Indonesia’s planned new capital city in East Kalimantan has drawn flak from experts who see the megaproject veering toward elite private developments at the expense of inclusivity.

A new Manpower Ministry regulation is in the works to guarantee social protection and security for informal workers with so-called partner status, including on-demand motorcycle drivers.

Deputy Finance Minister Thomas “Tommy” Djiwandono stressed the importance of private consumption, which accounts for more than half of the country’s GDP, as a crucial driver of economic growth.