A worker prepares meal packages for the free nutritious meal program on Feb. 12 in the kitchen of an Islamic boarding school in Kudus regency, Central Java.

The hidden food safety crisis behind the MBG program

Even before the free nutritious meal program was launched, food safety was a persistent issue in Indonesia.

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American shakedown, global system shakeup

In trying to reset the global monetary system by using tariffs, the Trump team has inadvertently pushed de-dollarization and the system back toward a gold stardard. ...

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Indonesia’s demographic bonus and the productivity imperative

The employment structure in Indonesia is imbalanced, with 33.67 percent of workers in part-time jobs and 59.33 percent in the informal sector, often without job security, social protections or access to skill development. ...

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The Latest

Clear blue: A tourist is surrounded by sharks in Karimun Jawa, Central Java, in this undated file photo.

Academia

The catch in paying fishers to save sharks

Halting overfishing of sharks and rays is difficult because the issue is surrounded by complex social dynamics.

1 day ago

A student sprinkles flowers over a framed portrait of the late Pope Francis on April 22, 2025, at Santa Stanislaus junior high school in Surabaya, East Java.

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The late pope and the path to a just economy

Drawing on the insights he gained during his upbringing and experience in Argentina, Francis advocated for upholding human dignity and togetherness as a means of resolving the moral ills of economic injustice and convened a Jubilee Commission to tackle the deepening global crisis of debt and development.

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Pallbearers carry the coffin of Pope Francis on April 26, 2025, during his funeral at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) in Rome.

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The blessed legacy of Pope Francis on interreligious ecotheology

Pope Francis has left an impact on ecotheology through his writings and interreligious agreements, which underline the role of religion in lifting human dignity and promoting togetherness as a means to solving the man-made ecological crisis.

1 day ago

Mario Dandy, the defendant in an aggravated assault case against 17-year-old David Ozora, exits the courtroom after the verdict hearing against him at the South Jakarta District Court on Sept. 7, 2023. Judges sentenced him to 12 years in prison and a Rp 25.14 billion restitution for assaulting and inflicting severe injuries against David.

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KUHAP revision: Why courtroom live streams need rules

Regulating the live broadcast of ongoing trial sessions is not equivalent to restricting journalistic work.

2 days ago

Students take the Computer-Based National Examination (UNBK) at the Vocational High School (SMK) 8 Makassar in South Sulawesi on March 16, 2020.

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Retraining the nation, rewriting the future

Without a dramatic expansion of education access and a fundamental reinvention of adult learning, the demographic bonus may become a burden.

2 days ago

Motorcycle deliverymen working for three different online companies, Gojek, Grab and Shopee, wait for the green light at a crossroads in Jakarta on Feb. 10, 2022.

Academia

Harnessing the digital revolution to build safer, healthier workplaces

Digital technologies, from artificial intelligence and robotics to wearable sensors and virtual reality, are revolutionizing workplaces. They hold huge potential to reduce occupational safety and health (OSH) risks and improve working conditions.

2 days ago

Visitors walk past skulls made from resin and graves recreated for an art installation in Jakarta on May 21, 2024, to commemorate 26 years of “reform struggle“ since the May 1998 Indonesia riots, in which hundreds of protesters were killed or disappeared in unrest that brought an end to the rule of former president Soeharto.

Academia

The enduring power of judgement in an uncertain world

The quality of judgement exercised by leaders in a time of crisis will determine whether a nation will survive or succumb to chaos.

2 days ago

Quick, easy, patriotic: A customer scans a QRIS code on Oct. 17, 2024, to pay for a bowl of bakso (meatball soup) in Tangerang, Banten.

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QRIS: A symbol of national sovereignty

The innovative payment method has been pivotal in shaping the country's financial landscape, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding national interests.

2 days ago

Chronic delay: A large number of vehicles are seen stuck in traffic on roads leading to Tanjung Priok Port on April 17 in Jakarta.

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Tanjung Priok’s gridlock shows maritime logistics mismanagement

We are witnessing a symptom of a deep-seated structural crisis in our logistics system, one that remains unresolved.

4 days ago

Slow motion: Artists perform the “Dewi Sekartaji Mask” dance on April 7, 2025 during the Mangkunegaran Performing Arts Festival at the Mangkunegaran Palace in Surakarta, Central Java. Traditional Javanese dance features controlled, deliberate and refined movements that are often slow and meditative.

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Rediscovering Indonesia’s rhythm: A hope for 2045

As Indonesia speeds along its course of pseuo-modernity toward 2045, perhaps it needs to take a "time out" to look back at its epistemic history without the colonial lens and reclaim the rhythm and ethic of timing, restraint and relational appropriateness that once underlined its identity.

4 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left) and Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary To Lam inspect the guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony on the day of their meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta on March 10.

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Ratifying historic maritime boundary agreement in the South China Sea

The House of Representatives' ratification of a 2022 maritime border agreement would confirm Indonesia and Vietnam's refusal of China's nine-dash line claim.

4 days ago

An official from the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) shows confiscated illegal cosmetics at a press briefing in Jakarta on Feb. 21, 2025. Between Feb. 10 and 18, BPOM seized more than 205,000 illegal cosmetics items across the country.

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Indonesia can shape the future of drug safety and access

Indonesia is taking initiative in reshaping traditional regulatory pathways with an innovative model that positions itself as an early participant rather than a late adopter, focusing on selective adaptation of global principles to local realities and leading the paradigm shift to empower emerging economies in influencing global standards alongside development at home.

4 days ago

A worker fries tofu in Cisadap, Ciamis, West Java, on March 7, 2023.

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Accelerating growth through industrialization of rural informal sector

A well-designed and implemented rural industrial policy has the potential to contribute as much as two percentage points to annual GDP growth.

5 days ago

A small river bisects an area in Jakarta, with modern high-rises and a green space on one side and a densely populated neighborhood on the other, in this aerial photograph taken on May 21, 2022.

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Addressing urban challenges by protecting indigenous peoples

If governments have their own people’s interest as a priority, then deliberative practices at the ground level should be seen as the biggest opportunity to manage urban spaces.

5 days ago

A technician runs a bacterial resistance test in a laboratory at Persahabatan Central General Hospital in Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta, in this undated photo.

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Developing countries can lead in medical innovation

Learning from the vaccine nationalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, South-South cooperation presents a pathway to improving access to therapeutics and diagnostics and to address health challenges and promote medical innovation in the Global South, especially in view of the US' recent withdrawal from the WHO.

5 days ago

Reviving historic vision: Visitors take a selfie in front of Asian and African countries' flags on April 16 at the main hall of the Merdeka Building in Bandung, West Java. The building was the venue for the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference, where 29 Asian and African countries convened in the spirit of anti-colonialism.

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Beyond nostalgia: Bandung Spirit and the fight for human rights today

The Bandung Spirit calls for a more democratic and inclusive interpretation, one shaped by the voices, histories and lived realities of the Global South.

5 days ago

Excavators transfer soil to transport trucks on July 28, 2023, at a nickel mine operated by nickel mining company Vale Indonesia in Sorowako, South Sulawesi.

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New mining royalty structure’s implications for investment

The introduction of higher royalties is a double-edged sword for direct investment.

5 days ago

The EU's Green Deal aims to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create high-paying jobs and ensure that clean air, clean water and healthy food are available as basic human rights.

Academia

Why ASEAN should push for a trade pact with the EU

Under the CBAM, foreign exporters in carbon-intensive sectors, such as steel, cement, aluminum and fertilizer, must purchase carbon certificates that mirror EU carbon pricing.

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Proud reminder: Motorists ride in front of the Merdeka Building on April 16 in Bandung, West Java. The building was the venue for the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference, where 29 Asian and African countries convened in the spirit of anti-colonialism.

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The Global South in a shifting world: Challenges, aspirations and the road ahead

The threat against multilateralism is coming not only from the so-called major powers, but also from inward-looking foreign policies of some countries in the Global South.

6 days ago

Historic venue: A worker cleans chairs at the main hall of the Merdeka Building on April 16 in Bandung, West Java. The building was the site of the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference, where 29 Asian and African countries convened in the spirit of anti-colonialism.

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Bandung principles, world order and the imperative for change (part 2)

The immediate impact of the recent global trends has been the painful marginalization, or more aptly, re-marginalization, of the Global South.

6 days ago

Schoolchildren wave Indonesian and Japanese flags to welcome Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during his visit to Bogor, West Java, on Jan. 11.

Academia

Giving cash to poor, rural families can help bring down child marriage

A study of about 1 million girls suggests government programs can be effective in reducing the number of child brides.

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Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto (second left) waves to journalists as he leaves the stage along with Deputy Investment and Downstream Minister Todotua Pasaribu (left), National Economic Council (DEN) deputy head Mari Elka Pangestu (second right) and Second Deputy Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir (right) during a press briefing on April 14, following a meeting about United States tariff negotiations held at Airlangga's office in Jakarta.

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Opposing US tariffs without burning bridges

President Prabowo Subianto has been strangely silent and has yet to issue a specific public communication addressing the US tariff rise or laying out a strategy for its resolution.

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Unwavering compassion: Pope Francis is pictured in his open coffin on Monday at The Vatican in this handout photo distributed by The Vatican Media on Tuesday.

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The enduring legacy of Pope Francis on women's leadership in Church

Pope Francis' legacy lies not only in the specific reforms he implemented, but in the broader paradigm shift he championed.

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Cathedral staff set up an image of Pope Francis inside The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, informally known as Westminster Cathedral, in central London on April 21, following the news of his death. Pope Francis died on April 21, aged 88, a day after making a much hoped-for appearance at Saint Peter's Square on Easter Sunday, the Vatican said in a statement.

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Pope Francis’ greatest reforms and controversies

From the very start of his papacy, he seemed determined to do things differently.

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Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel rappel from an Air Force H-225 M Caracal helicopter during the Super Garuda Shield 2024 joint military exercise, held on Sept. 6, 2024, which included Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in Situbondo, East Java.

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Letter to editor: Scholar responds

An Australian researcher has responded to the Russian ambassador’s letter over the former's views about reports of a Russian request to base its aircraft in Papua, in the context of bilateral cooperation, published in an op-ed on April 17.

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Then-president Sukarno (right) delivers a speech during the Asia-Africa Conference in the Merdeka Building in Bandung, West Java, on April 18, 1955.

Academia

Bandung Principles, world order and the imperative for change (part 1)

The historic Asia-Africa Conference symbolized Asia’s resurgence, the promise of full liberation of Africa and strategic solidarity between two regions representing over half of the world’s population.

1 week ago