🌏 Jakarta & Indonesia Updates — Sept 30, 2025 🇮🇩

Top Headlines 🎙️ Press freedom row: CNN Indonesia reporter briefly banned from palace, access now restored after backlash. 🍱 Free meals crisis: 5,000+ schoolkids sick, calls to suspend the program. 💰 Budget 2026: Rp 3,842.7 trillion (~US$231B) approved — welfare & defense spending up. 🌾 Rice prices jump 24% despite strong harvests — consumers feel the squeeze. 🌊 Jakarta sinking: Govt seeks $80B foreign investment for 700-km seawall. ⚔️ Military influence grows under President Prabowo — raising democracy concerns. 🌧️ 2025 floods + 🔥 Glodok Plaza fire still fresh in memory — safety & infrastructure challenges remain. 📌 Why It Matters Jakarta faces climate threats, economic pressure, and political shifts. Public trust in government is being tested, while massive infrastructure projects may decide the city’s future.