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

Cashing in mining royalties

For decades, the nation’s extractive industries have been plagued by issues such as corruption and regulatory inconsistency, as well as unfair profit-sharing mechanisms with local governments.

1 month ago

Academia premium

Southeast Asia jurisdiction lighthouse for sharia-compliant innovation

Southeast Asia is emerging as the jurisdiction lighthouse for sharia-compliant financial services, with Indonesia and Malaysia leading the charge. ...

1 month ago

Academia premium

Making sense of the tariff chaos

The escalating trade tensions spawned by the US' unilateral tariffs, rather than a sign that multilateralism is failing, could indicate a painful transition toward a framework that better reflects the evolving global balance of power. ...

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The Latest

Unforgettable clash: United States President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meet on Feb. 28 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC.

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Trump’s big deal or small deal? Buying time to compete

2025 is Trump 2.0’s wakeup call that Europe cannot take the United States' defense umbrella for granted.

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Traders gather before a digital screen displaying movements on the Indonesian carbon exchange (IDX Carbon) on Jan. 20, 2025, at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in the Sudirman Central Business District, South Jakarta.

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Making ESG count: Substance over spin

A holistic approach involving regulators, banks and investors that embeds ESG principles as a business metric is key to ensuring that genuine sustainability efforts, not some branding hype, drive transformation.

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Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (center) speaks with State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi (left) as Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto looks on during the House of Representatives’ plenary session on March 20, 2025, when lawmakers passed a revision to the 2004 TNI Law at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta.

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TNI Law revision: Time for Indonesia to ratify Rome Statute

The passage of the TNI Law revision this week raises pertinent questions about potential foreign interference as the government's reasoning behind its persistent refusal to ratify the Rome Statute, which allows the ICC to step in only when national courts fail to administer justice in serious crimes, such as human rights abuses involving a country's military.

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Police and protesters face off on March 21, 2025, during a demonstration in Banyumas, Central Java, to oppose the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law revision that was passed the previous day.

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New TNI Law strengthens hegemonic masculinity in Indonesia

The newly passed TNI Law revision essentially aims to normalize masculine hegemony in Indonesian society by justifying male dominance across the social, political and economic spheres.

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A woman walks past a large screen displaying stock indices at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in Jakarta on March 14, 2024. The IDX Composite index closed 0.08 percent lower at 6,850.09 on June 12, 2024.

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Analysis: Govt scrambles to sustain the market as JCI plunges to alarming low

The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) imposed a 30-minute trading halt on Tuesday from 11:19 a.m. to 11:49 a.m.

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Palestinians flee Beit Lahia with their belongings on March 21 in the northern Gaza Strip.

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Time to step in

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Electric fleet: A Transjakarta electric bus drives past Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Aug. 20, 2022, in Central Jakarta. The Jakarta government has pledged to electrify 10,000 public buses by 2030 as part of the city’s emission reduction campaign.

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EV fits the lifestyle shelf more than it fixes the system

EV adoption is an elite-driven transition that benefits those who already have private vehicles while leaving behind those who need sustainable mobility the most.

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Economic machine: Smoke billows out of chimneys on July 28, 2023 at the nickel mine operated by PT Vale Indonesia in Sorowako, South Sulawesi. Indonesia acquired the company through a divestment mechanism earlier this year.

Academia

Water and the growth of Indonesia’s mining sector

Mining companies often miss a simple step to protect the value of their operation through improving the management of their water assets.

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A protester puts up posters that read “Civilian supremacy“ (left) and “Democracy without the shadows of uniforms“ (bottom) during a protest against the revision of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law in Jakarta on March 20, 2025.

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Militarism never ended in Indonesia, it hid in plain sight

The reforms in 1998 never sent the military back to its barracks. It merely hides behind the civilian administration.

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A worker tidies up a stack of locally produced rice at state food company Perum Bulog’s warehouse in Indramayu, West Java, on May 30, 2024.

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Beyond travel: Why food logistics matter during Idul Fitri

During peak holiday seasons such as Idul Fitri, Christmas and New Year, food supply chains face critical distribution challenges.

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Women gather around buckets of water supplied by local officials during a drought in Lhoknga, Aceh, on May 12, 2024.

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World Water Day: Beyond celebration, making water diplomacy deliver

The world’s water emergency demands urgent, coordinated and transformative action.

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Heading home: A farmer walks among rice fields in Brebes regency, Central Java.

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Analysis: 70,000 Red-White village cooperatives may overlap with BUMDes

The government plans to establish 70,000 Red and White village cooperatives at an estimated cost of Rp 350 trillion (US$21.47 billion), with the official launch set for July 12, coinciding with National Cooperatives Day. This initiative aims to strengthen rural economies and tackle key challenges such as extreme poverty by improving access to staple goods. However, concerns have been raised about the project’s feasibility and the potential redundancy it may create alongside existing village-owned enterprises (BUMDes).

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Pendi, 72, feeds stray cats outside the National Monument (Monas) complex in Central Jakarta on Sept. 2, 2020. Every week, Pendi receives Rp 70,000 (US$4.74) from a donor to buy cat food and feed around 150 stray cats in the area. JP/Dhoni Setiawan

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Cats’ year of living dangerously

Sending alley cats to a designated island in Thousand Islands regency is a sure way of destroying their lives, especially if the human population is too small.

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Prospective airplane passengers queue to enter terminal 1A of Soekarno Hatta Airport on Dec. 21, 2024, in Tangerang, Banten.

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Strategic partnerships key to Indonesia’s soaring aviation industry

To cement its status as a true aviation hub, Indonesia must address critical challenges in infrastructure and workforce development.

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This aerial handout picture taken on Dec. 21, 2024, and released on Jan. 31, 2025 by Auriga Nusantara shows a general view of deforestation at an area on Kawei Island in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua province.

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Nature’s groceries and safety net: Forests help feed the world better

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Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech on Feb. 13, 2025, during the proclamation rally for his political party PDP-Laban's senatorial candidates ahead of the midterm elections, at Club Filipino in San Juan, Metro Manila, the Philippines.

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The political fallout from a Philippine strongman’s fall

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Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, accompanied by United States President Donald Trump (right), and his son X Musk, speaks on Feb. 11, 2025, during an executive order signing in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC.

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The world according to the oligarchs

Over the past 40 years, technology has been used to reorganize work worldwide, creating large gains for the already wealthy and highly educated, but making life harder for everyone else.

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An activist holds an umbrella with an inscription that reads “Return the Indonesian Military (TNI) to the barracks!” in front of the State Palace in Jakarta on Feb. 13, 2025, during the 851st Kamisan rally.

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TNI Law, civilian-military relations and leadership in social change

It seems many civilians still feel more confident with the presence of military figures, both in government and social life.

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A doctor checks a pediatric dengue fever patient on March 8, 2024, at the Sunan Kudus Islamic Hospital in Kudus, Central Java.

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Doctor tax updates: A hardship or a hidden gain?

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Oiled up: Residents carry bottles of cooking oil during a market operation conducted by the Trade Ministry at Trayeman traditional market in Tegal, Central Java, on Monday. Each household was entitled to 1.2 liters of cooking oil at a price of Rp 14,000 (98 US cents) per liter. (Antara/Oky Lukmansyah)

Opinion premium

Analysis: MinyaKita scandal exposes weakness in govt’s anti-market policy

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1 month ago

High-ranking Indonesian Military (TNI) officers salute during the force's leadership meeting at the TNI headquarters in Jakarta on Jan. 31, 2025.

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The military strikes back

With a former Army general in the highest office, the country will likely experience a bolder, brasher TNI in the years to come.

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The headquarters of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is seen on May 30, 2024, in Geneva, Switzerland.

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Beware of refugee repatriation scams

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