Demokrat politician Andi Arief rejected PSI’s suggestion that party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) was seeking the vice-presidency amid controversy over the Supreme Court’s ruling on Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s high-school certificate equivalency document. Arief said AHY would pursue a proper electoral contest after President Prabowo Subianto’s era, while defending fellow Democrat Jansen Sitindaon’s legal analysis and inviting critics to present counterarguments.

International relations observer Andrea Abdul Rahman says Indonesia should reassess its membership of the Gaza Board of Peace if the forum’s credibility or relevance shifts amid political uncertainty in Israel and the United States. He urged the government to uphold its bebas-aktif (independent and active) foreign policy, supporting peace without becoming entangled in either country’s domestic rivalries.

Indonesia’s police say five people were trafficked through recruitment schemes to serve as Russian mercenaries and were sent to the battlefield after just one month of training. Recruits were reportedly promised a large joining bonus, while one suspect allegedly arranged recruitment and departures for commission; investigators say the number of victims may rise.

Bappenas, the FAO and the Indonesian Organic Alliance have launched the 2025 Indonesian Organic Agriculture Statistics report to support evidence-based development of sustainable farming. It finds that organic farmland grew by about 24% to 65,100 hectares between 2020 and 2024, while the number of organic producers tripled; the government aims for organic commodities to account for 1.55% of agricultural production by 2029.

Singapore’s manufacturers expect business conditions to improve over the six months to March 2027, with global demand linked to artificial intelligence supporting the outlook despite geopolitical uncertainty. Precision engineering and electronics are most positive, while chemicals firms remain wary; manufacturers also anticipate higher production output in the fourth quarter of 2026.

A volunteer group says Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka was not surprised by the Supreme Court’s decision to annul an education-equivalency certificate issued for his 2024 presidential election candidacy. The ruling has prompted calls for Parliament to respond, but the group argues it does not affect the legitimacy of his vice-presidency, while lawmakers and political parties say they are still considering the legal and political implications.

Seven Surabaya narcotics officers were transferred after arresting three East Java provincial legislators at a hotel, and are now being investigated by East Java Police’s professional standards unit over alleged procedural violations. The Surabaya police chief confirmed the transfers but did not clarify whether the alleged breaches were directly connected to the arrests, describing the moves also as routine organisational and career measures.