EU strikes deal with Indonesia to strengthen trade ties
The long-awaited pact comes as the U.S. imposes tariffs on trade partners.
Indonesia
EU pauses tariff response to US, Indonesia trade breakthrough announced
Most member countries support the Commission’s stance and will not push for retaliation before the 1 August deadline. Von der Leyen also announced progress towards an “ambitious” free trade deal with Indonesia.
Macron calls on EU to โdefend European interests resolutelyโ from Trump tariffs
French president says bloc should be ready for trade war after 30% tariff threat but other EU leaders call for calmThe French president, Emmanuel Macron, has called on the EU to โdefend European interests resolutelyโ after Donald Trump threatened to im…
Indonesia says EU deforestation law is still unworkable
Jakartaโs push for further postponement comes as EU countries call for โonerousโ rules to be simplified
Plastic waste is a solvable problem
A global instrument to combat plastic waste is only the start. Coordinated action, innovative financing and consistent reporting metrics are needed for countries to implement the right solutions and infrastructure.
Putinโs investment forum fails to attract western companies
Even Russiaโs allies send lower-ranking officials and executives to St Petersburg โ except Indonesiaโs president
Palm oil nations are struggling to balance environmental concerns with economic risks [Advocacy Lab Content]
Environmentalists have raised red flags about cultivating palm oil. Malaysia and Indonesia are addressing these concerns, but they risk damaging a major economic sector in doing so.
The world just got closer to an ocean-saving treaty
France claims victory as enough nations promise to ratify the high seas treaty despite opposition from Trump’s America.
Indonesia โ EU free trade talks to wrap up this month, minister says
Airlangga did not disclose any agreements that would be part of the deal
Macron to China: Keep North Korea out of Ukraine war or risk NATO coming to Asia
French president delivers veiled warning to Beijing during speech in Singapore.
France and Indonesia enhance cultural ties with new partnership agreement during Macron visit
The French president, currently on a week-long diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia, arrived in Indonesia with First Lady Brigitte Macron on Tuesday evening, the second stop of his tour after Vietnam.
Indonesia and Malaysia tackling deforestation as new EU restrictions loom [Advocacy Lab Content]
Some stakeholders say the European Commissionโs deforestation designations are too political for some, and too soft for others. Can the Commissionโs balancing act protect the environment without destroying jobs?
Macron meets ‘great friend’ Subianto in Indonesia to discuss defence and trade
French President Emmanuel Macron is in Indonesia to discuss boosting defence and trade with his counterpart Prabowo Subianto. It marks the second stop on his week-long Southeast Asia tour.
Macron-Brigitte spat caught on camera was โsquabbling,โ says presidentโs office
Footage of the French president and his wife appearing to have an altercation in Vietnam went viral.
Macron touts France as โreliableโ partner for south-east Asia
French presidentโs visit to Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore will portray Paris as more respectful than US or China
Macron talks tariffs and peace with Xi Jinping
French president seeks greater access to the Chinese market and urges Beijing not to impose tariffs on Cognac makers.
Wildfires push forest destruction to 20-year high just as EU delays anti-deforestation rules
It comes as the European Union decided to delay new trade legislation to curb forest destruction worldwide.
Battle for next pope is about whether Rome is still the Churchโs power base
As pre-conclave lobbying intensifies, top Vatican diplomat Pietro Parolin has become a point of convergence for cardinals looking to restore Vatican’s primacy.
Save our Steel: Trumpโs tariffs and Chinese overcapacity force governments to act
Governments the world over are racing to keep their steel industries alive. From the U.K. to France, the EU and Australia: Billions are reserved to counter global overcapacity and Donald Trumpโs steep tariffs.
EU backs Olympic bid for 2036, while London wants the Games in 2040
Europeโs sports chief calls for the Olympics to return to the EU โ but that aspiration could clash with a bid from London.
Trump talks tariffs. The EU talks free trade with the rest of the world.
With the United States throwing up the highest trade barriers in a century, Ursula von der Leyenโs European Commission is on a mission to do trade deals with everyone else.ย
Trumpโs tariff war empowers Europeโs free traders
Even the EUโs most protectionist countries are realizing that they need new friends to trade with as their oldest ally goes rogue.
Offshore detention is inhumane โ I know because I lived it
Europe’s nations have proposed establishing refugee โreturn hubsโ in third-party countries outside their jurisdiction for failed asylum seekers. But they should think twice.
Putinโs play for an Indonesian airbase was always likely to fail โ but Russia has wider ambitions
Russia remains a key arms supplier in South-east Asia, and Trumpโs unstable leadership is providing more opportunities to make inroadsA defence industry report claiming that Russia requested a permanent base for its warplanes in Indonesiaโs remote Papu…
Australia balks as Russia eyes Indonesian air force base
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says government is โseeking further clarificationโ from Jakarta.
France and Indonesia agree to boost Pacific security as tensions with China persist
The Indonesian naval chief of staff, Admiral Muhammad Ali, said the project would address various maritime security challenges, including piracy, terrorism and other illegal activities.
EU and Korea seal digital trade deal
Agreement with Seoul comes as the Donald Trump administration takes aim at the EUโs tech rulebook, which it sees as a trade barrier.
How Keir Starmerโs aid cuts threaten Britainโs climate mission
The Labour government has promised to lead the world on climate change, but its renewed focus on defense has thrown those plans into uncertainty.
Why is USAIDโs death being met with silence?
The impact of cutting international assistance is incredibly harmful, and it hurts America too. It’s time for our former leaders to speak up.
Suggestions for U.S. success in the Middle East
An aide-mรฉmoire to Secretary of State Marco Rubio from a former adviser to Tony Blair.
French man on death row in Indonesia returns home
The 61-year-old, who has cancer, is to be extradited to France on “humanitarian grounds”.
Trump administration takes first anti-abortion move on world stage
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a directive Friday to rejoin a global anti-abortion pact.
French man on death row in Indonesia expected to return home in two weeks, minister says
Serge Atlaoui is expected to be transferred after an agreement was reached with the government in Paris, Yusril Ihza Mahendra saysA French man who has been on death row in Indonesia since 2007 for alleged drug offences is expected to return home in wee…
Who will tame Donald Trump this time? Roll up, roll up, for the White House travelling circus | Simon Tisdall
On the eve of his return, itโs clear that world leaders, whether they like him or loathe him, canโt ignore this unpredictable showmanMichelle Obamaโs one-woman boycott of Donald Trumpโs presidential inauguration on Monday requires no explanation. Itโs …
Europeโs anxiety about Trump isnโt widely shared across the globe
The very things that makes the president-elect’s return so scary for many Europeans are what make him attractive to the rest of the world.
European jitters about Trump 2.0 not shared by much of world, poll finds
Exclusive: Findings suggest โweakening of westโ as relations become more transactional, say reportโs authorsEuropean anxiety about Donald Trumpโs return to the White House is not shared in much of the world, a poll has shown, with more people in non-we…
How Saudi Arabia became the worldโs plastic cheerleader
The rich oil state has built a team of silver-tongued U.N. negotiators with a simple mandate: keep plastic production growing.
Indonesia receives official request from France to transfer death row prisoner Serge Atlaoui
Minister says request regarding welder arrested in 2005 on drugs charges will be discussed in January amid spate of transfer of high-profile detaineesIndonesia has received an official request from France to transfer a French death row inmate imprisone…
Hereโs a cause Greta Thunberg and the Pentagon can agree on
The world needs a coalition of the willing to protect our oceans.
Mercosur deal risks weakening EU anti-deforestation rules
A legal fight looms as EU and Mercosur countries don’t see eye to eye on a key clause of their fresh trade deal.
Britainโs bold new world โฆ as a Pacific trading nation
With global free-traders on the back foot amid Donald Trump’s return, the U.K. is placing its bets on the tongue-twisting CPTPP.
Chinaโs bid to join major trade bloc kicked into the long grass
Tangles over Taiwan mean Costa Rica will instead become front-runner to join the 12-nation CPTPP, senior officials from member nations tell POLITICO.
Victors in the race for emerging tech will determine future
Collectively, emerging technologies are creating an unstable world, where we donโt clearly understand what national security looks like.
Indonesia and Russia launch first joint naval drills
President Prabowo Subianto seeks more influential role while maintaining long-standing neutrality
Indonesia and Russia launch first joint naval drills
President Prabowo Subianto seeks more influential role while maintaining long-standing neutrality
Indonesia and Russia launch first joint naval drills
President Prabowo Subianto seeks more influential role while maintaining long-standing neutrality
Indonesia and Russia launch first joint naval drills
President Prabowo Subianto seeks more influential role while maintaining long-standing neutrality
Indonesia and Russia launch first joint naval drills
President Prabowo Subianto seeks more influential role while maintaining long-standing neutrality
World on track for catastrophic 3 degrees Celsius warming, UN warns
Current plans and policies will lead to global temperatures rising between 2.6C and 3.1C this century, a new report finds.
Surfer dies after ‘swordfish attack’ in Indonesia
Giulia Manfrini, 36, was reportedly struck while surfing off the Mentawai Islands.
Italyโs Meloni to visit Lebanon after Israeli attacks on UN peacekeepers
PM calls actions by Israeli forces a “blatant violation” of UN resolution calling for end to hostilities.
Families seek to clear names of men who refused to fight for former Dutch colony
Conscientious objectors refused to take part in military campaign against Indonesian independence in 1940sFamilies of 20 men who were jailed for refusing to fight to preserve the former Dutch colony in Indonesia have formally asked for their names to b…
How the Israel-Hamas war sidelined other world hot spots
Every administration has to readjust to respond to world events, but the Israel-Hamas conflict has been particularly disruptive to Bidenโs other foreign policy efforts.
Argentinaโs eyes light up over Falklands as Britain gives away one overseas territory
Chagos Islands deal sparks interest in Buenos Aires, more than 40 years after war between U.K. and Argentina.
Indonesia urges EU to rethink deforestation rules impacting farmers [Advocacy Lab Content]
Indonesia is seeking to ensure European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) does not penalise its smallholder farmers, whose livelihoods depend on exports to Europe.
Indonesia concerned EUโs new deforestation rules will hurt millions of smallholders [Advocacy Lab Content]
The European Union’s Deforestation Regulation will impact Indonesia significantly. Musdalifah Machmud, Deputy Minister for Food and Agribusiness, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Republic of Indonesia, spoke with Euractiv about his concerns.
The Red Sea: Time for Indiaโs Modi to step in
Nothing the West says or does will convince the Houthis to halt their campaign. But the Indian prime minister is perfectly suited to the task.
Germanyโs Scholz wants new EU anti-deforestation law delayed
German media group has been lobbying against the rules.
Pope heads to economic power Singapore after visit to impoverished, devout Timor-Leste
Pope Francis departed Timor-Leste on Wednesday for Singapore. During his trip through Southeast Asia and Oceania, he also visited Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Indonesia warns of โchaosโ from EU deforestation law
Pressure builds on Brussels to delay implementation of new rules that industry says will impose administrative burden
Pope Francis begins Asia tour with hope of promoting interfaith understanding
The head of the Catholic Church landed on Tuesday in Jakarta, Indonesia, for a 12-day visit that will also take him to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
Pope Francis embarks on ambitious Asia-Pacific tour
Francis will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore over 11 days.
Pope Francis sets off for Indonesia at start of longest tour as pontiff
Francis will arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday to begin a four-nation tour that is also his farthest.
Pope to embark on four-country Asia tour, the longest and farthest of his papal trips
Francis will clock 32,814 kilometres by air during his Sept. 2-13 visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore, far surpassing any of his previous 44 foreign trips.
Fincantieri CEO on Trump, defense spending and consolidation
SNEAK PEEK โ Fincantieri boss Pierroberto Folgiero is looking to the Middle East and Southeast Asia for growth, he told Jacopo. โ The U.K.โs new government is under pressure to halt arms sales to Israel. โ F-35s, Eurofighters and GCAP: Morning Defense brings you the latest news on fighter jets. Good morning, and welcome to [โฆ]
Here are the world leaders Kamala Harris has on speed dial
Vice President Kamala Harris would enter the White House with working ties with some allied heads of state โ others sheโd have to build.
Indonesians who paid thousands to work on UK farm sacked within weeks
Exclusive: Several sent home for slow fruit picking face debts as watchdog investigates alleged illegal feesIndonesian workers who paid thousands of pounds to travel to Britain and pick fruit at a farm supplying most big supermarkets have been sent hom…
The MEPs who actually matter
Here are 11 EU lawmakers to keep your eye on in the new term.
Germanyโs Scholz blasts EU for failure to do trade deals
Berlin didnโt relinquish its powers to do trade deals in order for Brussels to do nothing, Chancellor Olaf Scholz tells lawmakers.
Final blow to Chinese โneutralityโ on Ukraine war
With the dismissal of the Swiss peace conference, Beijingโs commitment to Russia has reached new heights.
Ukraine war briefing: Russia is โnot ready for a just peaceโ, Zelenskiy tells summit
Ukraine president says talks with Moscow could start tomorrow โif they leave our legal territoriesโ; more than 80 countries and organisations back Ukraineโs territorial integrity. What we know on day 845See all our Ukraine war coverageMore than 80 coun…
Switzerland peace summit backs โterritorial integrityโ of Ukraine
Though the Ukraine peace summit on Sunday (16 June) outlined a roadmap to peace, many key Global South countries – including Saudi Arabia, Mexico, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia – did not sign the final declaration.
Russia-Ukraine war: Saudi Arabia, India and South Africa among countries opting out of Ukraine declaration โ as it happened
Nations also including Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico and United Arab Emirates did not sign final communique at summit on peace, says Swiss governmentUkraineโs president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thanked leaders and officials for attending this weekendโs p…
ESG requirements are making metals more sustainable, industry says [Advocacy Lab Content]
New metal production practices prompted by revised expectations from governments and investors are already affecting countries like Indonesia. However, there are concerns about rising costs and a lack of regulatory coordination.
How Western shipping lines try to minimize disruption is of great interest to China
Beijingโs intrusion means Western shipping lines must make sure their crews arenโt just masters of the seas but also able to understand the world of state-linked espionage.
Deforestation law risks pushing Indonesia toward China
However well-intended, the EU’s directive has particularly rattled producers in the Indo-Pacific region.
Zelenskyy accuses China of helping Russia sabotage peace summit
Moscow’s and Beijing’s diplomats are “threatening” countries to convince them not to attend June 15-16 meeting, Ukraine leader says.
Indigenous groups warn of continued deforestation in Malaysia, as EU law nears
Representatives of Malaysiaโs indigenous peoples, along with climate and human rights NGOs, urged the European Commission to involve civil society in discussions about the EUโs anti-deforestation regulation (EUDR) during a visit to Brussels this week.
Kyivโs dilemma: Gaza overshadows Ukraine for non-NATO countries
Kyiv already struggled to convince countries not in NATO to back its cause. The war in the Middle East has made that even harder.
AI, Inc. flexes its election bona fides โ and hunts for customers
Billions of voters head to the polls this year โ and consultants, advocates and nonprofits want to use the emerging tech to reach them. But the success of such campaigns is far from clear.
โUncharted terrainโ: How officials, campaigners and fact-checkers tackle AIโs influence on elections around the world
Developing countries, many of which hold elections this year, struggle to keep up with the emerging tech absent regulations and technical know-how.
Nickel,ย gunsย and foreign powers: How Franceโs New Caledonia reached the brink of โcivil warโ
Violent protests have erupted in Franceโs South Pacific archipelago as decades-old tensions come to a head.
Whatโs behind the wave of recent incidents on Boeing planes?
New York, May 9, 2024 (AFP) – Boeing has been in the headlines lately following a series of problems with its aircraft, with the most recent incidents in Turkey and Senegal.The episodes, which follow a near-disastrous panel blowout on an Alaska Airlin…
Deepfakes, distrust and disinformation: Welcome to the AI election
From phony robocalls to lifelike forged photos, the trendy tech is evolving at breakneck pace โ as billions head to the polls.
The impact of AI on disinformation and democracy
Why high-quality tech journalism matters to the 2024 global election cycle.
Does the EU have what it takes to fight China on green tech?
If you arenโt sure what the difference is between an anti-subsidy probe and an investigation into foreign subsidies, we’ve got you covered.
France has the military gear everyoneโs desperate to get
Leading defense company ramps up production to meet massive global demand.
Taking a leaf out of Putin’s book? France’s Macron releases ‘virile’ boxing photos
IN THE PRESS โ Thursday, March 21: We look at reactions to the confirmation of Prabowo Subianto’s election as Indonesia’s new president. In France, photos of a sweaty, muscled Emmanuel Macron boxing spark derision and questions about their symbolism. …
Boeing crisis: Why is everybody freaking out?
Multiple recent safety issues buffet the massive American airplane manufacturer.
โThe Trump whispererโ โ Can Mark Rutte save NATO?
The Dutch prime minister is a top contender to lead the alliance in a period of unprecedented turbulence.
End fossil-fuel era to address colonial injustices, urges prominent historian
West should address โcolonisation of the presentโ and not focus on past, argues David Van ReybrouckCities in the global north that curb their carbon emissions are doing more to address colonial injustices than those who focus their efforts on taking do…
The threat of Russian interference in Indonesiaโs elections is real
As a relatively new democracy, the 14 February election will be another litmus test for Indonesiaโs democratic resilience, and as the recurrent player in the disinformation arena, all eyes will be on Russia, Ross Burley writes.
Indonesian fruit picker landed in debt bondage challenges Home Office
Exclusive: Test case likely against UKโs seasonal worker scheme as charity alleges breach of right to be protected from labour exploitationWhen Ismael found himself sleeping rough at York station in the late October cold he struggled to understand how …
Blairites take on Brussels
Former PM Tony Blairโs international policy shop has recruited a half-dozen experts in the Brussels bubble.
John Kerry to step down as Biden climate envoy
The veteran diplomat helped craft the 2015 Paris climate agreement, and more recently led the U.S. team at COP28 in Dubai.
Itโs official: Global temperatures soared to a new record in 2023
And 2024 may bring more of the same.
Democracy is in peril in the worldโs bonanza year of elections
Democracy faces an existential test this year as countries representing nearly half the world’s population head to the polls.
Building wind power, canceling coal โ itโs all drowning under borrowing costs
Central banksโ efforts to tame inflation have made it harder for both wealthy and poor nations to shift away from fossil fuels.
Diplomatic cables reveal UK fears over $15B Vietnam coal deal
Briefing notes reveal private worries about a major green deal struck between Vietnam and international donors.
Christmas season fights: Man vs. Frog (and pigeons and geese)
The French love eating frog legs at this time of year โย but should they?