For months, President Prabowo Subianto has been crafting his own strategic approach to the Middle East, often departing from some of Indonesia’s traditional foreign policy principles, including on the question of establishing relations with Israel. Central to this strategy was joining the Board of Peace (BOP) set up by United States President Donald Trump in January, a move widely criticized at home as abandoning Indonesia’s long-held support for Palestinians in their long struggle for an independent state.

With the rupiah continuing to weaken amid an oil and gas shock linked to the United States-Israeli war on Iran, Bank Indonesia (BI) has halved the threshold for monthly purchases of US dollars (USD) using rupiah. The move is intended to give the central bank more room to intervene in the currency market and safeguard foreign exchange reserves, particularly as pressures intensify from ongoing oil and gas supply disruptions. However, the policy may carry unintended consequences for the real economy.

PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara is fast becoming one of the most powerful, yet least clearly defined state-owned enterprises under President Prabowo Subianto ’s flagship programs. Initially mandated to produce staple foods and manage 425,000 hectares of food estate, Agrinas Pangan has now been entrusted with an even broader role: operating the Red and White Cooperatives (KMP) for the first two years. However, as its mandate expands, its core business becomes increasingly blurred and government liability rises.

Three weeks after the acid attack on Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (Kontras) activist Andrie Yunus, investigators have yet to clearly identify who bears ultimate responsibility. What has drawn particular attention is the resignation of the chief of the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), framed by the Indonesian Military (TNI) as a form of institutional accountability. Yet, this raises the critical question of whether the move reflects genuine responsibility-taking by the state or signals deeper power struggles within the military.

A potentially widening budget deficit amid soaring global oil prices has prompted Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa to explore alternative revenue sources, including export duties on nickel and coal, commodities that are currently benefiting from relatively strong price trends. The push for rapid revenue mobilization, however, appears to be running ahead of sectoral readiness.

Gold miner Agincourt Resources, part of diversified conglomerate Astra International, was recently given the go-ahead from the Environment Ministry and the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry to resume operations at its Martabe gold mine in North Sumatra, following an earlier sanction over alleged environmental breaches. However, reports reveal that neither ministry had ever issued a decree to formally revoke Agincourt’s business permits.

The Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) is encouraging more healthcare and electronics companies to expand their operations in the Batam, Bintan, and Karimun (BBK) area of Riau Islands Province. This aligns with Indonesia's efforts to develop new industrial areas to support the manufacturing sector and improve port connectivity between the two countries.