NATIONAL

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) continues to investigate the involvement of Lin Che Wei, who is suspected of being used by a number of parties to obtain crude palm oil (CPO) export permits.

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has designed a number of policies to support the government program to increase the use of domestic goods (P3DN). These policies were announced by Defense Ministry’s inspector general Lt. Gen. Ida Bagus Purwalaksana on Wednesday (18/5).

The National Police (Polri)’s Densus 88 anti-terror squad arrested 24 suspected terrorists from the MIT Poso and ISIS networks in Central Sulawesi, Bekasi and East Kalimantan, Saturday (14/5).

Many Malaysians praised the appearance of Indonesian President Joko Widodo when he met SpaceX’s billionaire founder Elon Musk. They specifically tweeted about the shoes Jokowi was wearing, a pair of sneakers made by Bandung-based NAH Project.

ASEAN countries have agreed to mutually recognize Covid-19 vaccine certificates issued by each other. The declaration of recognition of Covid-19 vaccination certificate in all ASEAN countries is initiated by Indonesia as the chair of ASEAN Health Ministers (15th AHMM) Meeting to be held in Bali, May 11-15.

The government extended the Enforcement of Public Activities Restrictions (PPKM) until May 23, even though Covid-19 cases have been on the wane.

Borobudur Temple hosted Vesak festival on Monday (16/5). Tourists were welcome to see the ritual up close.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) attended a meeting with corporate leaders (CEOs) during his visit to the US to attend the ASEAN-US Special Summit, Thursday (12/5). On this occasion, Jokowi invited corporate America to invest in Indonesia. He especially highlighted Indonesia's green energy potential, from hydro to geothermal power plants.

Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s Geological Agency suggested the Lapindo mud disaster in Sidoarjo, East Java might be a blessing in disguise as it holds a “treasure trove” in the form of rare mineral resources such as lithium and strontium.

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto received a visit Tuesday (May 10) from Army Chief of Staff of Singapore Brigadier General David Neo, at the Defense Ministry, Jakarta. Brig. Gen. David Neo is a graduate of the Indonesian Army Command and Staff School (Seskoad), a testament of Seskoad quality, recognized by the Singapore Armed Forces. 

Dicky Budiman, epidemiologist at Griffith University, Australia, advised that the government’s Covid-19 policy is aimed at containing the virus as opposed to declaring it endemic. Because endemic means that there will still be cases and the virus can still pose danger.