Feb. 6 is International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

Midwives caught between law and tradition on female genital mutilation

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.

1 day ago

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Gen Z mobilized, protests spread across the world

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. ...

1 day ago

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The narrative battle of youths for Indonesia’s future

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

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The Latest

John Hassler, Chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Science in Memory of Alfred Nobel, the Secretary General of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Hans Ellegren and Kerstin Enflo, member of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (left to right) sit in front of a screen displaying the portraits of the 2025 prize winners (left to right) Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt, as they addresses journalists on Oct. 13 during the announcement of the winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.

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What the Nobel Prize says about Indonesia’s future growth

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

2 days ago

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In defense of encryption

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.

2 days ago

William Wallace Molyneaux (center, left) of the United States attends a press conference on June 5 at the Bali National Narcotics Agency (BNN) office after being arrested on drug related crimes in Denpasar. Molyneaux was arrested on May 23, allegedly carrying seven packages containing 99 pills of amphetamine, Bali's narcotics agency told reporters in Denpasar. Molyneaux has multiple charges leveled against him including distributing drugs, which carries a maximum penalty of death by execution.

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Indonesia’s draconian, irrational and inhuman drug laws

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

2 days ago

A message reading “AI artificial intelligence“, a keyboard and robot hands are seen in this illustration taken on Jan. 27.

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ASEAN firms can’t afford to ignore EU’s AI Act

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

2 days ago

Safe plates: A staff member displays a free nutritious meal program meal platter on Sept. 30 during the launch of the nutritional fulfillment service unit (SPPG), at Al Amien Islamic Boarding School in Kediri, East Java.

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MBG and the moral test of nourishing a nation

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

2 days ago

A man unloads palm oil seeds from a pickup truck on July 10, 2024, after bringing them from a plantation to sell at a market in Sepaku, East Kalimantan.

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IEU-CEPA: A chance to reform Indonesia’s business and human rights governance

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.

2 days ago

Workers prepare meal packages under the free nutritious meal program at the Plaju Ulu II nutrition fulfillment service unit (SPPG) in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Oct. 10, 2025. The kitchen distributes over 3,000 meal packages for eight schools in the area.

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Prabowo prioritizes human development, so why isn't Indonesia happy?

While investments in human capital are essential for long-term growth, they do not address Indonesia’s pressing short-term challenges: Low productivity, a weak job market and the lack of formal employment.

3 days ago

Protesters attend a demonstration on Sept. 1 in front of the Balikpapan Representative Council in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

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Civil society under pressure after August protests

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.

3 days ago

Vendors and visitors at a traditional market in Medan Labuhan District, Medan, North Sumatra, carry on with their usual activities amid ankle-deep floodwaters on Oct. 13, 2025.

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The hidden reality of informal employment statistics

Jobs are being created, but many remain unprotected and unworthy of the term “decent work.”

3 days ago

A general view of the city skyline of Jakarta on Oct. 30, 2021.

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How facility management can drive green transition

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

3 days ago

Members of the Kasepuhan Cisungsang indigenous community carry newly harvested rice to be placed in a leuit or rice barn during a Seren Taun traditional ceremony in Cisungsang, Lebak, Banten, on Sept. 29, 2025.

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Better together: Building 'Four Betters' in agrifood systems

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

3 days ago

People carry placards on Oct. 2, 2025 during a protest against the government’s free nutritious meal program, in Jakarta. Increasing numbers of people are questioning the program’s efficacy and safety following mounting food-poisoning incidents.

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Safer food for a better future: Lessons from the free meals program

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

3 days ago

Police officers from the Operation Cartenz Peace conduct a patrol in Bintang Highlands regency, Papua Highlands on Sept. 21, 2023.

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The politics of labeling in Papua: How narrative control perpetuates conflict

In Papua's conflict dynamics, civilian victims frequently become subjects of competing labels depending on which party controls the narrative.

4 days ago

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado speaks to supporters while holding up electoral records during a rally in Caracas on Aug. 28, 2024.

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Machado’s peace Nobel revives the prize’s old dilemmas

The Venezuelan opposition leader is the latest in a long list of controversial Nobel peace laureates that illustrate the committee's complex reasoning behind whether to choose a model of change or a model for change.

4 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto speaks on Sept. 23, during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City.

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Prabowo’s second year and the changing economic landscape

Prabowo’s populist, project-driven, fiscally expansionary approach has been unfolding in a fragile institutional setting.

4 days ago

China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang (from left), President Prabowo Subianto, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Bahrain's National Security Advisor Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and South Africa's Deputy President Paul Mashatile attend a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on June 20, 2025.

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Why the Eurasian security architecture is important for Indonesia

A secure Eurasian continent will inevitably radiate waves of stability to other parts of the world.

4 days ago

Traders arrange their textiles in Cipadu, Tangerang, Banten, on Oct. 7, 2025

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The world’s $600 trillion balancing act

Global wealth accumulation this century has far outstripped economic growth, and the performance of that US$600 trillion of savings over the next decade rests heavily on how the gap is closed, a productivity boost or sustained inflation.

4 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya walk through a narrow alley in the Gerenceng community of Denpasar on Sept. 13, 2025, to meet residents affected by severe flooding in Bali’s provincial capital.

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Climate finance beyond paper: Can Bali turn promises into actions?

The recently launched Bali Climate Financing Platform introduces a new model for translating road maps into implementation and if successful, it could be emulated in other provinces to safeguard regional economies toward building climate resilience.

4 days ago

Pramoedya Ananta Toer's childhood home is filled with rows of books and various illustrations on several bookshelves.

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From Jakarta to Florida: Why democracies still fear books

Democracies like Indonesia and the US treat books as potential dangers, especially those that question dominant narratives.

5 days ago

Protesters demonstrate demanding justice for drug war victims, after the arrest of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, in Quezon City on March 11, 2025.

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Two political forces and the Philippines’ future

For the 2028 election option, the anti-Duterte forces lag behind the pro-Duterte group in preparations because of the absence of a clear successor candidate that they can collectively rally behind.

5 days ago

This aerial handout photo taken on Dec. 22, 2024, and released on Jan. 31 by Auriga Nusantara shows deforestation at an area on Gag Island in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua province.

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Alleged British links in Papua’s crisis

UK banks, energy giants and arms exporters are at the heart of one of the world’s least-known human rights and environmental crises, research has revealed.

5 days ago

The app icons of six Indonesian unicorns (clockwise from top left), e-commerce platform Tokopedia, on-demand transportation company Gojek, digital wallet OVO, parcel and courier service company J&T Express, e-commerce platform Bukalapak and online travel agency Traveloka, are displayed on a smartphone menu, in this illustration created on Aug. 3, 2021.

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The maturing of Indonesia’s tech scene

Over the past decade, Indonesia’s digital landscape has evolved beyond its initial premise as "dinosaur" corporations slowly caught up with nascent disruptors, pointing to a future that will be defined by those that possess both youthful agility and mature resilience.

5 days ago

This handout picture released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry shows Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (center) and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila (right), along with other activists, after the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on Oct. 1, 2025, as stated by the ministry.

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Indonesia’s diplomatic test after interception of civilian flotilla

Indonesia should initiate a multilateral humanitarian platform to develop international protocols for the protection of maritime humanitarian missions.

5 days ago

Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Provincial Governments (APPSI) and Jambi Governor Al Haris talks to the media after a meeting with Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa at the Finance Ministry in Jakarta on Oct. 7, 2025.

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Long live the governors, regional voice and resilience

The governors’ challenge to the regional transfer fund cuts reflects a deeper call for participation in shaping the fiscal framework that defines their capacity to govern.

5 days ago

United States President Donald Trump (right) shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (left) after agreeing on a trade deal between the two economies following their meeting, in Turnberry, Scotland, on July 27, 2025.

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The EU must stand up to Trump

Whatever their views on existing regulations, Europeans must decide whether to surrender sovereignty and democratic processes to a bullying authoritarian populist.

6 days ago

People walk amid the destruction in Gaza City, Palestine, on Saturday, a day after a ceasefire took effect.

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A pause in violence is neither peace nor justice

So severe and devastating have the actions of the Israeli government and military been that they have managed to elicit sympathy merely for pausing the slaughter.

6 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto salutes the crowd from his vehicle on July 21 ahead of inaugurating 80,081 cooperatives under the Red and White Village Cooperative initiative in a national rollout ceremony held in Bentangan village, Klaten, Central Java.

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Chasing high growth: Indonesia’s risky economic leap

Chasing high growth without structural reform, institutional strength and sound fundamentals risks imbalances, rising inequality and eroded credibility.

6 days ago

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