TheJakartaPost

Maduro copied my dance, says Trump

Trump's comments come after a New York Times report that Maduro's regular public dancing in defiance of US threats convinced White House officials that it was time to act. ...

12 minutes ago

Regulations premium

RI imposes safeguard duties on cotton fabric imports

The measure is regulated under Finance Ministry Regulation No. 98/2025, signed by Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa on Dec. 22, with the tariffs set to take effect this Saturday. ...

42 minutes ago

The Latest

A farmer plants rice on Oct. 26, 2025 in Nagari Padang Laweh Malalo, Tanah Datar regency, West Sumatra.

Academia

Gene editing in Indonesia: Can new biotechnology solve old agricultural problems?

Can gene editing truly support smallholder farmers and help Indonesia achieve food sovereignty, or will it simply revive the old controversies surrounding genetically modified crops?

1 hour ago

Regime change: United States President Donald Trump (second right), alongside Deputy Chief of Staff (left) Stephen Miller, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (second left) and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaks to the press on Saturday, Jan. 03, 2026 following US military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump announces plan to sell Venezuelan oil

Maduro is in a New York jail awaiting drug charges after the Saturday morning raid that the US estimates killed about 75 people, according to a Washington Post report citing officials familiar with the matter.

1 hour ago

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung (right) and his deputy Rano Karno (center) talk on May 8, 2025 with a prospective resident of low-cost rental apartments (rusunawa) Jagakarsa in South Jakarta.

Building Jakarta from the ground up: A year under Pramono Anung and Rano Karno

Pramono Anung and Rano Karno’s first year in office focused on rebuilding Jakarta by prioritizing people and basic services.

2 hours ago

Rescue teams assisted by local residents conducted a search for flash flood victims on Jan. 5, 2026, in Sitim District, Sitaro Island, in North Sulawesi. At least 16 people were killed and 18 others injured after heavy rain triggered flash floods on the island.

Flash floods in North Sulawesi kill at least 16, injure 18

BMKG has urged the public to remain vigilant in the face of extreme weather after detecting the formation of Cyclone Seed 91S in the southwestern Indian Ocean near Lampung on Monday.

2 hours ago

Personnel from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) escort Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to an armored van at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York City on Jan. 5, 2026, for transporting to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan US Courthouse to face federal charges including narco-terrorism and money laundering.

Venezuela, Taiwan and the return of power politics

The US invasion of Venezuela is a worrying sign of the world to come, one that will be defined by multilayered, regional systemic conflict against which internal national strength is the only defense.

3 hours ago

An electronic quotation board displays numbers of the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo stock Exchange in Tokyo on Nov. 5, 2025.

Markets

Crude oil slumps, Asian shares edge lower as global tensions climb

US President Donald Trump said Venezuela will be "turning over" up to 50 million barrels of oil to be sold at its market price following the toppling and capture of the nation's leader.

3 hours ago

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport om Jan. 5, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York, the United States.

The precedents to Trump's Venezuela operation

While shocking, nothing about this calamity is new: it recalls four precedents that can help us see elements of the present that otherwise may be shrouded by propaganda or emotion.

4 hours ago

Batam Rempang Galang (Barelang) City Police traffic police chief Comr. Afiditya Arief Wibowo (left) accompanies Barelang City Police chief Sr. Comr. Zaenal Arifin (center) on Dec. 17, 2025, in handing over a plaque marking the launch of the Traffic Corner to a school representative in Batam, Riau Islands. The Barelang City Police also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Batam city administration to include traffic education in elementary and junior high school curriculums.

Batam adds traffic education to curriculum, aims to reduce accidents involving students

Batam, the largest city in Riau Islands province, is an economic center with high vehicle mobility thanks to its free trade zone status.

4 hours ago

Lokataru executive director Delpedro Marhaen gestures after attending the reading of charges on Dec. 16 at the Central Jakarta District Court. Delpedro and three other co-defendants, Muzaffar Salim, Syahdan Husein and Khariq Anhar, have been charged with incitement for allegedly posting social media content related to demonstrations in August that turned violent after a delivery driver was ran over and killed by police.

The paradox of police reform: High approval ratings, low rule of law

Despite the sweeping reform in 1998, the National Police is still fraught with a culture of violence, uneven professionalism and a lack of accountability.

5 hours ago

Aero Sutan Aswar of Indonesia and Aqsa Sutan Aswar of Indonesia compete on Jet Skis in the 2018 Asian Games on Aug. 24, 2018 in Jakarta.

Tourism safety in spotlight after Saudi tourist killed in jet ski accident

A lawmaker has called for a sweeping overhaul of Indonesia’s tourism safety and security standards, saying a series of fatal incidents involving both domestic and foreign tourists has exposed serious weaknesses in oversight and enforcement.

5 hours ago

Fatal accident: A building on Jl. Letjen Soeprapto is seen on Dec.9, 2025, after a fire in Cempaka Baru, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. The fire, which took place in a building housing a company providing unmanned aircraft for industrial use, left 22 people dead. There has been no immediate report on the cause.

Jakarta premium

Overcrowded settlements, weak safety fuel Jakarta’s fire crisis

Jakarta’s fire crisis deepened in 2025 as higher death tolls and mounting losses revealed enduring risks in overcrowded neighborhoods and poorly regulated commercial buildings.

5 hours ago

A demonstrator carries Indonesia’s national flag alongside a pirate flag from the Japanese anime One Piece, an internet symbol of protest against government policies, during a rally on Aug. 29, 2025, outside the residence of the Governor of East Java, in Surabaya.

From print to platforms: What holds nations together now?

The increasingly virtual world has made digital platforms the central stage of democracy.

6 hours ago

An election staffer counts ballots at a polling station on Nov. 27, 2024, in Banda Aceh, Aceh.

Politics premium

Democrats back Prabowo’s plan to end direct regional elections

The pro-government Democratic Party has thrown its weight behind President Prabowo Subianto’s suggestion to abolish direct elections for regional heads, potentially overturning a legacy of democracy that came about under its founding figure, former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

6 hours ago

A worker stacks rolls of fabric ready for export on April 15, 2025, at the Trisula Textile Industries factory in Cimahi, West Java.

Economy premium

Trade protectionism to persist in 2026

Trade protectionism has become a new normal that economists say Indonesia will have to navigate carefully this year through market diversification.

6 hours ago

A police officer stands guard in front of the Constitutional Court building on Feb. 4, 2025, in Jakarta.

Politics premium

New KUHP, KUHAP meets legal pushback in Constitutional Court

At least 10 judicial review petitions against the new Criminal Code (KUHP) and Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP) have been filed with the Constitutional Court within four days after the new laws came into force.

6 hours ago

Activists from Gerakan Buruh Bersama Rakyat (Gebrak), an alliance between labor unions and civil groups, join a peaceful march along Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta on Sept. 4, 2025, to during protests against police brutality and repression in several major cities across the country.

Editorial premium

Beyond wage hikes

Instead of simply calculating minimum wages that will support a decent standard of living per worker per region, the government must do more in implementing an integrated policy approach that focuses on cost of living relief for households.

7 hours ago

Industrial Digging: Excavators transfer soil to transport trucks on July 28, 2023, at a nickel mine operated by nickel mining company Vale Indonesia in Sorowako, South Sulawesi.

Regulations premium

Miners call for faster quota approvals amid rule shift

While temporary permits have provided short-term relief, experts warn that a growing backlog could undermine investment certainty and the sector’s long-term stability.

16 hours ago

A teacher cleans school equipment on Jan. 4 from mud caused by flash floods at state elementary school SDN 11 Kuta Blang in Bireuen, Aceh. The Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry confirmed that 3,508 out of 4,149 schools affected by hydrometeorological disasters in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh are ready to resume the second semester on Jan. 5.

Flood aftermath hampers school reopening in Aceh

As schools in disaster-hit regions of Sumatra reopened this week, students in Aceh continue to face challenges returning to normal learning routines, with many flood-damaged schools still undergoing recovery.

17 hours ago

Stock traders monitor the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) on April 8, 2025, in South Tangerang, Banten.

Markets premium

IDX Composite sets new all-time high above 8,900

The principal Indonesian stock market gauge closed at a fresh record on Tuesday, supported by strong commodity stocks and global risk appetite.

18 hours ago

A passenger train runs on an elevated track on Aug. 5, 2025, in Jakarta's central business district.

Economy

Banking sector 2026: Gaining altitude?

Indonesia’s banking sector had a tough time in 2025 due to several challenges, mostly stemming from weaker domestic demand. A struggling middle-to-low-income class has put pressure on banks from the assets and liability side.

19 hours ago

Bold operation: Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives on Monday, Jan. 05, 2026, at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport as he heads toward the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, the US.

US capture of Maduro tests limits of China's diplomatic push

China follows a policy of non-intervention and routinely criticises military activity conducted without the UN Security Council's approval.

21 hours ago

Caracas limbo: A car drives on an empty street on Jan. 3, 2026 after United States President Donald Trump said the US has struck Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas.

Companies premium

US raid has not affected Venezuela operations, Pertamina says

Indonesian government officials and an industry group have said the crisis in Venezuela has had little to no impact on the country’s economic activity so far.

22 hours ago

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez is sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president at the National Assembly, after the US launched a strike on the country and captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 5, 2026.

Venezuelan parliament swears in interim president after Maduro's ouster

Trump has warned Rodriguez could face a fate worse than Maduro if she failed to heed US demands on policy reforms and oil access.

22 hours ago

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks during a news conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, July 15, 2019.

Asia & Pacific

Malaysia's ex-PM Mahathir in hospital after fall

Mahathir has suffered health problems in recent years and was previously hospitalised for fatigue after a picnic celebration for his centenary in July.

22 hours ago

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen addresses a press conference of the Nordic-Baltic Summit at the Prime Minister's official summer residence Harpsund, Sweden on November 27, 2024.

Europe

NATO ally Denmark warns US against taking Greenland by force

Washington's military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears about Trump's designs on the autonomous Danish territory, which has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a vital player as polar ice melts, opening up new shipping routes.

23 hours ago

Attendants wait for customers at a Shell gas station in an unknown location on Sept. 19, 2025, as a gasoline shortage sweeps private retailers, in part due to a corruption scandal linked to state-owned energy giant Pertamina.

Regulations premium

RI raises fuel import quota for retailers after 2025 supply snarl

Following last year’s fuel snafu, the government has decided to increase this year's import quotas for private retailers, but has not publicly announced by how much.

1 day ago

Slow recovery: Homes are seen as they are rebuilt amid cleared lots on Dec. 28, 2025, in Altadena, California, the United States, where homes were destroyed by the Eaton Fire one year ago. The Eaton Fire ignited on Jan. 7, 2025, killing 19 people and destroying more than 9,000 structures, most of them homes in Altadena. The fire is the fifth deadliest and the second most destructive wildfire in California history.