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.

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.

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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. ...

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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. ...

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The Latest

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.

Academia

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.

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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.

4 months 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.

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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.

4 months 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.

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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.

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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.

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) reacts as Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape speaks on Dec. 12, 2024, during a press conference in Sydney.

Academia

Old lessons for a new Australia-PNG treaty

Australia has a long history of not only working with PNG on defense, but also of Papua New Guineans being an integral part of Australia’s armed forces.

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A man carries belongings from his damaged shop in Banda Aceh, Aceh on Dec. 31, 2004 after the 9.1-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami hit the area.

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Turning disaster into opportunity

Asia and the Pacific is the world’s most disaster-exposed region, yet pre-arranged financing, including insurance, remains strikingly low with coverage below 1 percent in many developing countries.

4 months ago

Basarnas personnel evacuate victims who died due to flash floods in Pelabuhanratu, Sukabumi, West Java, on March 7, 2025. The Sukabumi City BPBD said that hydrometeorological disasters such as floods and landslides that hit the area on March 6-7, 2025 reached 18 points and affected 91,000 people.

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Stop funding disasters, start financing resilience

Every dollar spent on disaster preparedness multiplies in value by reducing future losses and safeguarding development gains.

4 months ago

A person walks on a cracked seawall on May 7, 2024, in Kalibaru, Cilincing, North Jakarta. Residents of the
area fear that the wall, which was built to protect the area from waves and tides, could collapse at any time.

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The lucrative Giant Sea Wall: A megaproject worth questioning

The Giant Sea Wall would be a perfect disaster, destroying fish spawning grounds and local and migratory waterbird habitats.

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Nature lesson: Cimahi Mandiri 1 state elementary school students attend a natural science class on Sept. 22, 2025 in the city of Cimahi, West Java.

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From chalkboards to chatbots: Teachers' agency at the crossroads

Teachers need to have the intellectual freedom to decide what and how to teach beyond algorithmic nudges.

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Indonesian women's basketball players celebrate after defeating Singapore's national basketball team on May 14, 2023 during the Basket 5X5 SEA Games 2023 competition at Elephant Hall 2, Morodok Techo Indoor Sports Center, Phnom Penh. The Indonesian women's basketball national team got a gold medal after beating Singapore 86-39.

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Can sports forge a shared destiny for Southeast Asia?

Beyond identity, we know that sports are a powerful element for promoting peace, development and social inclusion, creating new connections and friendships.

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Former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left) welcomes visiting Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir on Sept. 29, 2025 at his private residence in Surakarta, Central Java.

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More than a handshake: Decoding the Ba’asyir-Jokowi encounter

For Jokowi, the meeting with Ba'asyir reinforced his identity as a unifying figure, even in retirement.

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Curbing carbon: The Tambak Lorok gas-fired power plant in Semarang, Central Java, is among several power plants where state electricity company PLN is studying the implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to reduce carbon emissions.

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Indonesia at COP30: Powerhouse or empty promise?

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is no ordinary infrastructure, it involves cross-sectoral coordination, long-term liability management and public trust. None of which can be assumed to function automatically.

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The Euro currency sign is seen in front of the former European Central Bank (ECB) building on Dec. 11, 2024, in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany.

Academia

Time for Germany's 'sugar rush' to hit

One of the most transformative economic policy shifts in a turbulent year is about to kick in, but there is some trepidation about how all this spending and reform will actually pan out.

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A farmer tends to hydroponic crops in Semarang, Central Java, in this undated file photo.

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Escaping the rice trap: Why our farmers need a new path

The way forward is to break free from the rice trap and move toward high-value crops, modern farming and integrated rural economies.

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Visitors view creative industry products at the Sunda Karsa Fest event at the Trans Studio Mall, Bandung, West Java, on July 17, 2025.

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Rethinking value-added taxes for developing economies

In resource-rich developing countries, value-added tax (VAT) has not delivered the expected benefits, failing to make up for lost tariff revenues and leaving governments with significant fiscal shortfalls.

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A teller holds a quantity of 100 United States dollar bills atop a bundle of 100,000 Indonesian rupiah banknotes on May 15, 2025, at a money changer in Jakarta.

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The rupiah’s road home and Indonesia’s new economic currents

Cautious optimism for the fourth quarter suggests that the country can chart its course through uncertain seas by steering its way with greater resilience.

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A man passes on a light sign reading “State of the European union“ on Sept. 10, the day of the European Union Commission President 's annual State of the Union address during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France.

Academia

Europe's aging burden far less than US or China

On average the European Union's 27 members' aging-related costs will rise by just over 1 percent of gross domestic product over the next 45 years

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Millennials share ideas at Greenhouse Coworking Space in Multivision Tower, South Jakarta. The coworking space has been designed in such a way that it stimulates a creative work environment.

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The power of mattering: Creating a culture of significance

Given that mental well-being is emerging as an unspoken crisis—especially among young professionals—creating a culture of mattering is no longer a sentimental gesture; it is a strategic imperative.

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Australian Bali bombing survivor Andrew Csabi lays flowers during a commemoration ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, at the Australian consulate in Denpasar in Bali on Oct. 12, 2022.

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Beyond the Bali bombing: A journey from terror to dialogue

Stigma continues to follow former JI members, many of whom struggle to regain acceptance in their communities.

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University students hold posters of demands during a protest on Sept. 9, 2025, in front of the House of Representatives complex in Central Jakarta. The demonstration, dubbed Rakyat Tagih Janji (the people call in promises), was held to push for the fulfillment of public demands known as the “17+8”.

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Police reform hinges on the President’s will to change

Still, if President Prabowo acts decisively, ensuring the presidential committee serves as the principal reform actor, the collaboration could become a true engine of change

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Sanae Takaichi, the newly-elected leader of Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), attends a press conference on Oct. 4 after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo. Conservative Sanae Takaichi hailed a “new era“ after winning the leadership of Japan's ruling party, putting her on course to become the country's first woman prime minister.

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Japan’s first female PM and what it means for Indonesia

Sanae Takaichi marks a new era in Japanese politics with a firmer approach to security and foreign policy.

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An activist holds a poster showing Muhammad Farhan Hamid, a protester who went missing during the string of antigovernment protests in Jakarta in late August, during a vigil on Sept. 30 in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, to commemorate the August protests which led to the death of at least 10 people and hundreds detained by the police.

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Democracy on trial: Why we appeal to the United Nations

The state has resorted to intimidation, arbitrary arrests and systemic silencing of dissent.

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A couple poses on Feb. 28, 2022, during a pre-wedding photo shoot at the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade in Singapore.

Academia

Singapore’s nationalism favors the ‘normal’ family

Singaporean nationalism assumes heterosexuality as the default familial norm, which can lead to excluding people who do not fit that baseline, beyond sexual orientation.

4 months ago