A Defense Ministry spokesperson said the visit marked “the first time a finance minister had visited a high-risk conflict zone in Nduga,” state news agency Antara reported.

The former president appears to be gunning for a chance at helming the PSI, currently led by his youngest son Kasang Pangarep, rather than the PPP, another political party that failed to win any legislative seats in the 2024 election.

Gerindra executive chairman and House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad shared the news on his Instagram account on Thursday, saying the delegation “received guidance and input for the good of the nation under the leadership of Pak Prabowo” during the visit a few days earlier.

In the latest extortion scandal to rock the National Police, its oversight body has demanded strict punishment for six Makassar officers alleged of illegally arresting, assaulting and extorting a South Sulawesi man late last month.

The Institute for Demographic and Affluence Studies (IDEAS) estimates that 1.92 million people purchased sacrificial livestock this year, marking a decline of 233,000 buyers or around 12 percent compared with last year.

A group of historians and human rights activists have raised concern over a draft of the government’s “updated” national history books, which they say selectively omits some of the country’s most painful and politically sensitive chapters, risking a distorted narrative shaped by political interests.

Monitoring data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources show that cracks and fractures in the surrounding cliffs have now extended beyond four meters, highlighting an escalating risk of additional landslides.

The eastern archipelago of Raja Ampat in Southwest Papua Province sits in the Coral Triangle and is thought to be one of the world's most pristine reef areas, with its clear blue waters making it a popular diving spot.

The controversial installment of a temporary stairlift at Borobudur Temple opened the way for a debate about inclusivity for visitors at the World Heritage Site. 

The Constitutional Court has dismissed the first five petitions filed among at least a dozen to challenge the contentious TNI Law revision, primarily because the petitioners had failed to prove their legal standing to bring a case.

An American man and two Kazakh nationals face the death penalty for alleged drug crimes on the popular Indonesian resort island of Bali, authorities said Thursday, the latest cases in a nation with some of the world's toughest narcotics laws.

Central Java Police Deputy Chief Brig. Gen. Usman Latief said authorities arrested 888 men and 28 women during a province-wide operation from May 12 to 31, targeting gangs, rogue mass organizations and street crime.

She said Pratama told her that he had been physically abused by senior members during the training, including being kicked in the chest and stomped on the stomach.

Surabaya City councilor Johari Mustawan in East Java said recently he had received hundreds of reports from residents who were denied treatment because their conditions did not meet JKN’s emergency criteria.

Civil society organizations (CSOs) have firmly rejected President Prabowo Subianto’s repeated claims that certain groups are funded by foreign entities to sow division within Indonesian society, calling the allegations baseless and harmful to democracy.

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka is facing intensifying pressure as a group of retired military generals has formally petitioned the nation’s legislative bodies to begin impeachment proceedings against him, just as President Prabowo Subianto appears to be consolidating support from key figures once aligned with his political rivals.

The University of Indonesia (UI) and several civil society organizations have condemned the police’s alleged use of excessive force and criminalization of student protesters during the May Day rally in Jakarta last month, describing the actions as an abuse of power that threatens citizens' democratic rights.

A group of Greenpeace activists and Papuan youth held a peaceful protest on the first day of an ongoing critical minerals expo in Jakarta to demand protection for Papua's biodiverse marine region of Raja Ampat.

The Public Housing and Settlements Ministry is facing mounting scrutiny after a leaked draft decree revealed plans to significantly reduce the minimum size requirements for subsidized housing units. Critics warn the proposed changes could compromise the basic standards of safety, health and comfort.

Students in West Java are banned from being outside from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., while students involved in brawls during curfew will not receive medical bill assistance from the provincial administration. 

Overtourism and overdevelopment have become serious issues in Bali as tourism returns to the island following the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports of rowdy tourists violating local customs and unlicensed businesses competing unfairly with locals have become increasingly common in recent years.

The Health Ministry has urged health facilities to stay alert and increase surveillance of COVID-19 amid a surge in cases caused by a more transmissible but less deadly Omicron subvariant in several countries across Asia.

Monday’s Pancasila Day celebration marked President Prabowo Subianto’s second meeting with de facto opposition party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and an unexpected reunion between her and former party member Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.  

As the government rolls out a new stimulus package to cushion the impact of the economic slowdown, concerns are growing over its long-term effects, with experts warning of potential public dependency on temporary welfare assistance and calling for more sustainable economic measures.

A proposal to increase state funding for political parties to curb corruption in the country’s executive and legislative branches is gaining support among politicians, but experts warn that it will only work if the parties also commit to greater transparency and clean governance.

Member of the House of Representatives Mafirion of the National Awakening Party (PKB), said the repeated prison breaks highlight serious shortcomings in the security and management of Indonesia’s correctional system.

Indonesia hands out severe punishments for drug smuggling and has previously executed foreigners, but has upheld a moratorium on the death sentence since 2017.