Since its introduction to the Indonesian public in 1968 with the brand “Supermie”, instant noodles have slowly but surely become a significant part of the Indonesian diet. It has been categorized as comfort food, even marketed as an occasional replacement for daily breakfast, lunch or dinner. The word "instant" no longer accurately applies in "emergency cases" such as when time or resources are limited.

Azerbaijan recently invited Indonesian journalists to the country for an update on the latest developments in international efforts to help resolve its territorial conflict with Armenians over Nagorno-Karabakh.The Jakarta Post’s Pandaya, who also interviewed Armenian diplomats in Jakarta, sees growing tensions as the peace negotiations that began in 1994 remain stalled.

A melting pot of cultures, Indonesia is very fortunate to be blessed with a mix of Melayu, Indian, Arab, Chinese and European music, now known as dangdut. The popularity of the genre has reached far and wide; however, maybe not as far as the United States — or so one might think. 

The indigenous forest people of the remote Mentawai Islands, about 150 kilometers off the west coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean, are being pushed even further to the edge. They are powerless to defend their pristine forest, which a company has eyed for converting into a plantation. The Jakarta Post journalist Moses Ompusunggu recently visited Siberut, the largest of the three islands that make up the regency, and observed the native people’s struggle to protect their ancestral home.

The world-class Gelora Bung Karno sports complex, a legacy of Indonesia’s founding father Sukarno, has been renovated for the upcoming Asian Games, which will be cohosted by Jakarta and Palembang, South Sumatra. The Jakarta Post sports correspondent Ramadani Saputra has taken a look at the history of the sports complex, from its inauguration to what it looks like today after having gone through a US$205 million renovation.

The challenge to feed the world’s 7.6 billion people has never been more daunting. Scientists, governments and farmers have come together to promote biotechnology and boost agricultural products in the face of shrinking arable land and global warming. During a recent ASEAN Plant Science Primer event organized by agriculture companies association CropLife Asia in Manila recently, The Jakarta Post’s writer Corry Elyda had the opportunity to observe how some ASEAN countries are making the most of biotechnology.

The recent bust of a prostitution service disguised as an online dating platform has put the controversy over nikah siri (informal unregistered marriage) back into the spotlight. The Jakarta Post’s Corry Elyda and Ika Krismantari discuss why people still love to embrace this bald-faced hypocrisy.  

They turn down television deals and, with their own quantifiable online audience and self-produced videos, these are people who do not have the slightest worry about ratings or “getting axed.”

Until seven years ago, event organizers would rely on music and dance to liven up parties. Things began to change with the rise of stand-up comedy, which quickly gained popularity thanks to its steady stream on TV.

Being a former grassroots activist and an avowed communist, Mustafa Barghouthi did not mince his words when criticizing the Israeli government and a whole host of its policies.