The lack of a global plastics treaty does not mean that people are standing idly by: communities, businesses and governments are already moving forward with national plans to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution.

Following the furor over the recent cut to the regional transfers scheme, the government could turn crisis into opportunity by trialing its fiscal decentralization move as a managed, monitored and measurable policy lab.

After one year, Prabowo’s natural resource policies stand in the shadow of an ecological paradox.

One year into his presidency, Prabowo's broader agenda is evoking echoes of the "Smiling General".

For Prabowo, victory is measured not by contracts, but by Indonesia's position at the global negotiating table.

President Prabowo Subianto may have raised Indonesia’s diplomatic profile in the Middle East, but going by public sentiments, opening diplomatic ties with Israel is not in the cards. The war in Gaza has made that prospect even more remote.

If hiccups, setbacks and public discontent in the past year can be any indication, we know that there is still much to be desired from how the Prabowo administration governs.

While losing gracefully shows strength of character, it must not become habit, lest we lose out on the lessons of defeat and let go of our ambitious dreams for chronic acceptance instead.

Good regulation must be matched with consistent execution and solid institutions.

Studies indicate that the tendency toward medicalization in Indonesia is driven by people’s belief that there is a social and religious obligation to circumcise girls.

Young people across the world, who appear to be inspired by the Gen Z movements in Indonesia and Nepal, have continued demonstrations against their governments in recent weeks.

The government has walked back its previous plan to raise the tobacco excise tax, a policy that had been a central pillar of its earlier crackdown on illegal cigarettes. Under the former administration, the approach was largely punitive, marked by annual excise hikes, aggressive “Gempur Rokok Ilegal” raids on small retailers, and stiff penalties for anyone caught selling untaxed products. In a major policy shift, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has now announced that the government will instead offer amnesty to illegal cigarette producers, aiming to incentivize them to register, fulfill their tax obligations, and transition into the formal, regulated market.

On social media, the riots were remembered less for their casualties or property damage than for the narratives that crystallized around them. 

Indonesia’s education system continues to struggle with underpaid teachers, uneven resource distribution and dilapidated schools in vast parts of the country.

Brussels’ landmark AI ruling has a global reach. For ASEAN businesses, early compliance is the key to turning regulation into advantage.

Implementation must strengthen existing MSMEs—the warung, food sellers and canteen operators who understand local taste and hygiene. 

Indonesia needs a binding national standard for human rights due diligence, ensuring that companies operating in forestry, energy and extractive sectors identify, prevent, and remediate human rights violations and environmental harm.

Encryption is under unprecedented threat from established democracies, which are inadvertently paving a dangerous path that the world’s autocrats are only too eager to follow.

Reality shows that killing drug traffickers does not really save the lives of Indonesian drug addicts or reduce drug trafficking. 

Prosperity depends less on how much capital you pour in, and more on whether societies can generate and spread “useful knowledge.” 

The newly appointed Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has wasted no time asserting his fiscal philosophy within just a month in office. One of his first major decisions, rejecting the call for a third round of tax amnesty, has sparked debate in policy circles, pitting the need for short-term revenue against the imperative of restoring long-term credibility to Indonesia’s tax system.

Regardless of official statements, the state budget has borne, and will continue to bear, the consequences of the initial miscalculation of the Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway.

Inefficient energy use in buildings  represents a substantial obstacle toward national climate objectives, thus underlining the importance of effective facility management.

Threats to agrifood systems, ranging from climate shocks to conflict, can unwind years of progress against hunger. 

There can be no better food without safer food, and no better future if the health of our people is compromised.

An independent and free Palestine is the best and only guarantee for the security of Israel.

Nearly 1,000 suspects have been named in the riots, including high school students. Police have seized books they claim are subversive to justify the arrests.