World News by Wild Rose

Indonesia is doubling its 2028 bioethanol-blending target to 20%, accelerating a push under President Prabowo Subianto to reduce reliance on fuel imports.

Japan’s proposed port upgrades in Indonesia’s Natuna Islands reflect Tokyo’s push to bolster South China Sea security without building an overt military footprint. However, analysts stress that the move does not mean Jakarta is siding with Japan in its efforts to contain Beijing. Japan, which earlier this year eased its restrictions on lethal weapons exports, is ramping up security cooperation with Indonesia – a crucial bellwether for Southeast Asia. The expanding partnership includes joint...

Struggling to breathe through the acrid haze emanating from wildfires on Indonesia’s Borneo Island, residents said on Wednesday they feared for their health but had little to do but wait out the foul-smelling hazard. Indonesia, which shares Borneo with Malaysia and Brunei, is grappling with forest fires that have ravaged swathes of the island, partly caused by the El Nino climate phenomenon that has also affected other countries in Southeast Asia and beyond. In Pontianak, the capital of West...

Insight with Haslinda Amin, a daily news program featuring in-depth, high-profile interviews and analysis to give viewers the complete picture on the stories that matter. The show features prominent leaders spanning the worlds of business, finance, politics and culture. (Source: Bloomberg)

Nickel Industries Ltd. halted the ramp-up of one of its Indonesian processing plants due to water shortages, a sign of how an El-Niño linked drought is hurting output in the world’s top producer.

Suahasil Nazara, Indonesia’s new finance minister, is an experienced insider and familiar face for investors, having served as a deputy over the past seven years.

The appointment of Suahasil Nazara as Indonesia’s new finance minister signals the government’s recognition of its fiscal challenges, according to analysts.

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has sacked the finance minister and appointed the deputy ‌finance minister as his replacement, the president’s office said on Monday. Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara was among the senior ⁠officials who arrived at the state ‌palace for a swearing-in ceremony. Earlier on Monday, Finance Minister Purbaya ‌Yudhi Sadewa had left in ⁠the ⁠middle of a parliamentary hearing. Suahasil Nazara ‌had been deputy finance minister since 2019. He said ‌on Monday...

Indonesia intensified its search operation on 14 September for 129 people still missing after the Virgo Transport 8 ferry capsized in rough seas in the Java Sea the previous day. By then, 108 survivors had been rescued and six bodies recovered.

Indonesian rescue teams on Monday deployed specialised underwater teams and navy-operated underwater drones as the search for more than 120 people missing in the Virgo Transport 8 ferry capsizing intensified.

Jakarta, Sept. 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Self-Defense Forces will soon begin work to extinguish forest fires in western Kalimantan, Indonesia, in its first firefighting operation abroad. The Maritime SDF's Kunisaki transport vessel, carrying three CH-47 large helicopters of the Ground SDF, arrived at a port in West Kalimantan province on Thursday. SDF personnel continued coordinating with...

Six people have been killed and 130 remain missing after a passenger ship capsized in the Java Sea off Indonesia.

At least one person has died and more than 100 people remain missing after a ferry carrying 243 people sank in rough weather between the Indonesian islands of Java and Borneo. The disaster is the second major ferry accident in the region in five days, renewing concerns over safety standards, overcrowding and maintenance.

The nation's search and rescue team said it lost contact with the Virgo Transport 8 in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Search and rescue ongoing after Virgo Transport 8, with 243 people on board, lost contact with its operator.

Indonesian authorities are working to repatriate five baby orangutans allegedly trafficked to India, where they were found motherless in a forest, Jakarta’s forestry ministry said on Friday. The critically endangered animals were found on Tuesday by rangers patrolling in the Balasore district of India’s eastern Odisha state. Authorities suspect the primates, known for their shaggy red fur, were trafficked into India, sparking a criminal investigation. The youngsters, estimated to be about...

PT Amman Mineral Internasional, one of Indonesia’s biggest copper and gold producers, has picked banks for a listing in Hong Kong that could raise at least $1 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.

Indonesia is demanding that Netflix pay an estimated 75 billion rupiah (US$4.3 million) in royalties accumulated since its launch in the country or risk being shut down. The National Collective Management Organisation (LMKN), a government-supported agency overseeing the country’s royalty system, said the streaming platform had not paid music royalties since entering the Indonesian market 10 years ago, the Jakarta Globe reported. “The amount is estimated at around 75 billion rupiah, which Netflix...

Global investors are tiptoeing back into Indonesian markets after the turmoil witnessed earlier this year, drawn by a striking rebound in local assets as policymakers stepped in to restore stability.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meals programme is facing renewed scrutiny after yet another wave of mass food poisoning that affected more than 2,000 students, raising questions about why safeguards on paper fail to translate to food safety on the ground. A series of illnesses were reported in Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi in the past week. The latest was on Tuesday in Rembang, Central Java, where 200 students of an Islamic school showed symptoms of food poisoning...

PT Bayan Resources has received a bid from Indonesian tycoon Andi Syamsuddin Arsyad that values the coal miner at a fraction of its market value, according to people familiar with the matter.

The eruption of Anak Krakatoa in Indonesia has tested the country’s disaster preparedness, disrupting nearly 3,000 flights carrying more than 340,000 passengers as volcanic ash spread across the region. Authorities say they are monitoring the volcano, which remains under the country’s second-highest alert status. According to scientists, the event’s exceptional scale makes its impact hard to anticipate. The eruption has renewed debate on whether Indonesia’s monitoring and disaster planning can...

Up to 200 Hong Kong-bound domestic helpers remain stranded in Indonesia despite the reopening of several affected airports, as the city’s employment agencies association braces for possible further closures due to volcanic ash. The Indonesian transport ministry said Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport resumed operations on Tuesday after being shut for several days, following the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatoa on Saturday, which affected thousands of travellers. Among those stranded...

Palm oil rose as traders weighed the risk of supply disruptions from forest fires raging across Indonesia, the world’s biggest producer.

The rapport between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, was evident when the two met during the 11th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok last week. “My profound apologies for missing this important event due to urgent matters I needed to attend to back home but I’m now here to repay my debt,” Prabowo told Putin on Wednesday, referring to a missed invitation earlier to be the guest of honour at Russia’s National Day celebration on June...

Indonesia extended airport closures and halted free school meals in some areas as ash from Mount Anak Krakatau continued to disrupt activities.

Peat fires in Borneo are releasing ancient stores of carbon - and sending a toxic smog across South East Asia.

A prolonged dry spell has caused millions of fish to die in Indonesia’s Silugonggo River in Central Java.

Eight airports in Indonesia, including Jakarta's main international airport, suspended operations Sunday after the erupting Anak Krakatoa volcano spewed clouds of ash across the archipelago. Geologists said that the latest series of eruptions does not have the potential to trigger a tsunami at this time.

More than 20,000 passengers are stranded after ash was detected in airspace near Jakarta following volcanic eruptions.