Bali's tourism head has quashed an idea to build a casino in the island province, saying that it did not align with either the Balinese culture or the nation's laws, whereas the local chair of HIPMI, which broached the idea, said the project could enhance equality, create jobs and grow the local economy – so long as Indonesians were banned from partaking in any gambling activities.

Having more than one aviation fuel provider would mean challenging state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina’s monopoly.

Standard Chartered said $20 billion JETP funding “is nowhere near enough” to realize the archipelago’s energy transition programs but that amount served as a “catalyst” to attract more funding from the private sector further down the line.

Opponents of deep sea mining suffered a serious setback Friday when they failed to take a first step toward an international moratorium on the controversial practice.

A change in status has been opposed by US steelmakers, Gulf Coast shrimpers and honey farmers and members of the Congress representing them, but backed by retailers and some other business groups.

In Jakarta and other major cities, it is a general knowledge that housing development has largely favored high-income earners, leading to supply backlogs for low-income earners.

Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan will lead a task force aimed at improving the investment climate in the upstream oil and gas sector.

The ministry, however, said no permits would be issued anytime soon, saying it required several review processes and the selection needed to be done carefully.

The APPBI is asking the government for support in providing incentives for investors to develop shopping centers in the country's future capital, especially considering the limited footfall owing to the city's current small population.

Countries whose exports would be affected would include Israel, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.

Transmission projects are deemed supporting infrastructure, which means that they generate a small return on investment compared with renewable energy plants despite requiring hefty investment.

Wealthy economies provided and mobilized a record $116 billion for climate finance for developing countries in 2022, 40 percent of which came from multilateral development banks (MDBs).

Protections for online consumers, digitalization of customs procedures and recognition of electronic signatures figure among the measures laid out in the text aimed at promoting and facilitating digital transactions.

The government is considering a suspension of the luxury goods tax on car purchases to aid the flagging automotive market.

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.