https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/27/in-singapore-merz-seeks-to-widen-market-access-to-counter-trade-restrictions https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/27/2026_10_27_181019_1793091512.jpg This handout photo taken and released by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) on October 27, 2026 shows Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (right) meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Singapore. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/27/manpower-protection-law-strong-gains-for-formal-workers https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/04/28/2026_04_28_175172_1777350917.jpg People visit the booths of participating companies on Aug. 19, 2025, during a job fair in Jakarta. https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/10/27/central-kalimantan-residents-struggle-as-island-burns https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/27/2026_10_27_181016_1793085488.jpg A health worker assists a resident receiving oxygen inside a mobile health service bus operated by the Palangka Raya city administration following respiratory issues caused by land and forest fires in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, on October 26, 2026. More than 11,000 people have been treated for respiratory infections in Palangka Raya during a months-long wildfire crisis that has also affected Indonesia's neighbors with toxic haze pollution. https://www.thejakartapost.com/sports/2026/10/27/mbappe-dropped-by-chinese-brands-for-mao-zedong-joke https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/06/23/2026_06_23_176934_1782181794.jpg France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe reacts during the 2026 World Cup Group I football match between France and Iraq at the Philadelphia Stadium in Philadelphia, US, on June 22, 2026. https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2026/10/27/netherlands-pledges-500-million-to-protect-tropical-forests https://img.jakpost.net/c/2017/11/01/2017_11_01_35080_1509518762.jpg Scenic view of a tropical forest in Kalimantan. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/27/ri-urges-umrah-pilgrims-to-avoid-singapore-malaysia-transit-flights https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/27/2026_10_27_181013_1793078823.jpeg Deputy Haj and Umrah Minister Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak attends a meeting with representatives of umrah travel operators on Oct. 26, 2026, at the ministry’s office in Jakarta to discuss flight safety and services for Indonesian pilgrims. https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2026/10/27/israel-to-give-verdict-on-netanyahu-in-pivotal-election https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/27/2026_10_27_181015_1793084972.jpg People wait before casting their ballot to vote at a polling station in the Arab-Israeli town of Umm al-Fahm on October 27, 2026, on the day of Israel's legislative election. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/27/danantara-rules-out-bankruptcy-at-pos-indonesia-amid-defaults https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/07/14/2026_07_14_177606_1784016630.jpg Students visit the office of postal company PT Pos Indonesia during a study tour in Medan, North Sumatra, on Aug. 13, 2018. https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/10/27/why-chinas-stimulus-keeps-missing-the-mark https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/26/2026_10_26_180988_1792988983.jpg Job seekers look at recruitment notices at a job fair targeting college graduates and other job seekers held on May 22 in the Huai’an University Gymnasium in Huai’an, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2026/10/27/singapore-foreign-minister-heads-to-jakarta-amid-tensions- https://img.jakpost.net/c/2021/03/22/2021_03_22_111530_1616380594.jpg Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan gives a press conference after the 14th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the Royal Palace of El Pardo near Madrid on December 16, 2019. https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/10/27/navy-thwarts-departure-of-12-vietnamese-from-batam-to-malaysia https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/25/2026_10_25_180970_1792927461.jpg A Navy Military Police officer (standing left) watches over Vietnamese nationals detained over immigration violations on Tuesday at the Naval Regional Command (Kodaeral) IV/Batam in Batam city, Riau Islands. The Vietnamese, consisting of seven women and five men, were were detained after they attempted to leave Indonesia without crossing at an immigration checkpoint. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/27/ustr-greer-tells-eu-that-loan-to-airbus-threatens-trade-truce-on-aircraft-financing https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/09/25/2026_09_25_180057_1790300642.jpg An Airbus A321neo aircraft of China Eastern Airlines is pictured at the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai on May 12, 2026. https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2026/10/27/egypt-approves-military-support-for-saudi-arabia-after-houthi-attacks-escalate https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/06/2026_10_06_180378_1791252962.JPG Smoke rises from the site of the Saudi Aramco refinery after reported Houthi attacks, south of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout satellite image taken on October 3, 2026. https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2026/10/27/iran-holds-very-good-talks-with-mecca-pact-nations-on-regions-security https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/27/2026_10_27_181008_1793058755.jpg This handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency shows Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian (center left) shaking hands with Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al-Saud after a meeting with the Pakistani army chief and the Turkish intelligence chief in Tehran on October 26, 2026. Iran began talks on October 26 with the three countries of the Mecca security pact, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to discuss regional issues as the months-long Middle East war remains locked in a stalemate, state television reported. https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/10/27/tanker-uses-ship-to-ship-transfer-to-smuggle-ketamine-police-chief https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/25/2026_10_25_180969_1792922500.jpg National Police chief Gen. Suyudi Ario Seto (fifth left), Customs and Excise Director General Djaka Budhi Utama (sixth left), North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution (third left), North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Sonny Irawan (right) and Bukit Barisan Military Command chief Maj. Gen. Hendy Antariksa (fifth right) display evidence on Friday during the disclosure of a ketamine trafficking case in Belawan, Medan, North Sumatra. The National Police's Criminal Investigation Department, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the Customs and Excise Directorate General and the National Police's Water and Air Police Directorate jointly uncovered a drug trafficking operation involving the MT Global 168 vessel, arresting six Indonesian nationals and a Taiwanese citizen and seizing 1.16 tonnes of ketamine. https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/10/27/fifth-year-and-counting-asean-australia-comprehensive-strategic-partnership https://img.jakpost.net/c/2024/03/12/2024_03_12_148229_1710256648.jpg Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (center, rear) is projected onto a giant screen on March 6, 2024, as he addresses a plenary meeting of the 2024 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in the capital city of Australia’s southeastern Victoria state. https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/10/27/strengthening-eu-indonesia-dialogue-advancing-human-rights https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/25/2026_10_25_180972_1792936736.jpg European Union flags fly at half-mast outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels on March 1, 2023, to honor the victims of the Greece train collision on Feb. 28. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/27/concern-for-child-nutrition-inspires-annabelle-to-introduce-nurivo-for-active-young-people https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/27/2026_10_27_181009_1793068847.jpg (Courtesy of Nurivo) https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/27/2026_10_27_181011_1793069065.jpg (Courtesy of Nurivo) https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/27/2026_10_27_181010_1793069065.jpg (Courtesy of Nurivo) https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/10/27/joint-firefighting-team-evacuates-162-climbers-from-mt-sumbing https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/25/2026_10_25_180971_1792930863.jpg Fire razes the slope of Mount Sumbing in Wonosobo regency, Central Java, in this undated picture issued by Wonosobo Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD). Mount Sumbing has been on fire since Monday, affecting 306 hectares of land. https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/10/27/decolonization-and-the-geopolitics-of-legitimacy-from-morocco-to-papua https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/09/30/2026_09_30_180222_1790771913.jpeg Indonesia exercises its right of reply during the General Debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in response to statements by representatives of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu regarding the situation on Sept. 28in Papua. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/27/anthropic-points-to-ai-dangers-soaring-sales-in-100b-ipo-filing https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/10/2026_10_10_180516_1791600764.jpg This photograph shows the logo of the US artificial intelligence safety and research company Anthropic displayed on a smartphone's screen in Brussels on June 10, 2026. https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/10/27/indonesias-gas-policy-must-deliver-more-than-energy-sovereignty https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/26/2026_10_26_180987_1792978009.jpg The sprawling Plaju refinery of state-owned energy giant Pertamina stands alongside a green space and residential settlement in South Sumatra’s provincial capital Palembang on Oct. 24, 2018. https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/10/27/delays-in-forming-selection-panel-for-election-body-draw-scrutiny https://img.jakpost.net/c/2024/11/27/2024_11_27_157746_1732681928.jpg A woman casts her vote in the simultaneous regional elections on Nov. 27, 2024, at a booth in a polling station in Jakarta. Voters in 37 provinces and more than 500 cities and regencies picked regional leaders in the country's biggest simultaneous regional election. https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/10/27/millions-seized-in-hercules-case-spotlights-informal-power-in-land-deals https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/09/02/2026_09_02_179313_1788336082.jpg H. Hercules Rozario Marshall (center), general chairman of the central executive board of Gerakan Rakyat Indonesia Bersatu Jaya (GRIB Jaya), speaks on Aug. 30 about several issues that emerged following chaotic demonstrations in Jakarta on Aug. 27, after attending the regional working meeting of the GRIB Jaya West Java chapter. https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/10/27/redefining-corruption-misses-the-point-of-indonesias-judicial-crisis https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/06/30/2026_06_30_177153_1782823228.jpg Defendant in the alleged corruption case involving the procurement of Chromebooks for the Education Ministry's school digitalization program, Nadiem Anwar Makarim, center, greets Gojek drivers after attending the verdict hearing on June 30 at the Jakarta Corruption Court in Jakarta. The panel of judges sentenced Makarim to 10 years in prison, fined him 1 billion rupiah (about US$61,000), with an alternative of 190 days in jail if unpaid, and ordered him to pay restitution of 809.59 billion rupiah, with an additional five-year prison term if unpaid. https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/10/27/analysis-pln-leadership-shift-signals-solar-ambitions-challenges-remain https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/26/2026_10_26_180993_1793009230.jpg Final tweaks: Technicians check panels on Sept. 29, 2023, at the Cirata floating solar photovoltaic plant, located at the Cirata Reservoir in Purwakarta, West Java. https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2026/10/27/ministers-up-ante-in-ri-singapore-row https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/26/2026_10_26_180994_1793023056.JPG Motorcyclists wearing protective masks drive through the Talawang traffic circle as haze from wildfires shrouds the area in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, on Oct. 24, 2026. https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/10/27/another-day-another-warning https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/25/2026_10_25_180964_1792906354.jpg A rallygoer holds a poster that reads “Breathing is a right” during a protest on Oct. 23 in front of the Central Kalimantan gubernatorial office in Palangka Raya to urge the central government to declare the widespread forest and peatland fires as a national disaster. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/26/idx-doubles-down-on-tackling-manipulative-trading https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/07/10/2026_07_10_177475_1783666362.jpg The logo of the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) is seen at the bourse's headquarters in Jakarta on April 19, 2026. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/26/govt-to-hike-imports-to-meet-subsidized-gasoline-demand https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/15/2026_10_15_180689_1792038495.jpg Motorcyclists queue to refuel at a gas station in Denpasar amid a fuel supply shortage in Bali on Oct. 14, 2026. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/26/south-korean-investment-in-batam-reaches-us65-1-million-as-bp-batam-seeks-opportunities https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/26/2026_10_26_180992_1793008793.jpg A BP Batam delegation, comprising (from left) Annang Setia Budhi, President Director of PT Bandara International Batam (BIB); Kurnia Budi, Director of BP Batam’s Airport Business Entity; Alexander Zulkarnain, Deputy Head of Administration and Finance at BP Batam; and Fary Djemy Francis, Deputy Head of Investment at BP Batam, poses for a photograph with the Deputy Ambassador of the Indonesian Embassy in South Korea and embassy staff during a visit to Seoul. The delegation is seeking to attract further investment from South Korea.(Image courtesy of BP Batam) https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/10/26/kota-tua-vendors-back-revamp-but-fear-being-sidelined https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/26/2026_10_26_180990_1793001735.jpg Musicians perform during the 10th Colours of Culture Festival 2026 in Jakarta’s Kota Tua district on Friday, Oct. 16. The annual cultural festival celebrates Indonesia’s diversity through art, traditional textiles, music and culinary offerings under the theme “Tanda Mata Indonesia” (A Gift from Indonesia). The festival runs through Oct. 18. https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/26/2026_10_26_180989_1793001730.jpg A mother leads her son, attached with a wrist-leash, in Kota Tua, Jakarta’s old quarter in front of Dutch-style Batavia Gallery and Kafe. Jakarta, Oct. 18. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/26/ri-tsingshan-discuss-deeper-nickel-downstream-projects-in-morowali-weda-bay https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/09/2026_10_09_180481_1791512805.JPG Nickel processing facilities operate on Oct. 8 at the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park in Central Halmahera regency, North Maluku. https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2026/10/26/oil-spill-off-uae-widens-prompting-more-beach-closures- https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/10/26/2026_10_26_180991_1793007346.JPG Satellite imagery shows UAE shore before oil spill, off the coast of United Arab Emirates Oct. 19, 2026. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/26/govt-rolls-out-year-end-travel-discounts-extends-economic-stimulus https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/09/07/2026_09_07_179501_1788781254.JPG Stranded passengers wait on Sept. 7 at the domestic terminal of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport as some flights to Jakarta were canceled due to the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau volcano, in Kuta, Bali. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/26/singapore-to-explore-new-tech-to-weather-global-resource-nationalism-minister-says https://img.jakpost.net/c/2021/10/05/2021_10_05_118139_1633401183.jpg Boats sail past the Shell refinery on Pulau Bukom off Singapore on Nov. 11, 2020. The price of Brent crude oil jumped on Sept. 28, 2021 above 80 USD for the first time in almost three years on expectations for surging demand and concerns about supplies. https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/10/26/is-a-chinese-implosion-looming https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/05/09/2026_05_09_175553_1778327589.JPG An employee demonstrates the working of a humanoid robot on April 15 during the China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China. https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2026/10/26/bj-habibies-status-in-indonesian-history https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/08/06/2026_08_06_178387_1785997939.jpg President B.J. Habibie addresses the House of Representatives on Aug. 15, 1998, where he called for military reform and a new democratic paradigm during the early days of the Reform Era. https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2026/10/26/netanyahu-warns-iran-may-try-to-disrupt-election https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/09/25/2026_09_25_180056_1790300334.jpg Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on September 24, 2026. https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/10/26/currency-markets-subdued-ahead-of-pivotal-central-bank-week https://img.jakpost.net/c/2026/08/14/2026_08_14_178646_1786677211.JPG A currency dealer works as an electronic board displays the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), the exchange rate between the US dollar and South Korean won and the Korea Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (KOSDAQ) at the dealing room of a bank in Seoul on July 14, 2026.