An open-pit mine appears to encroach on a forested area on Dec. 22, 2024, on Gag Island in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua, in this handout photo released on Jan. 31, 2025 by Auriga Nusantara, an environmental conservation NGO.

Climate credibility gap: Can Indonesia and Brazil lead at COP30?

As the custodians of two of the world's top three tropical forests by area, Brazil and Indonesia have an opportunity, and arguably a responsibility, to take the global lead in climate policies by starting where it matters the most: at home.

1 month ago

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Labor at work and the dynamics of change

At the forefront of the context is the relationship between the labor force and related standards to guarantee that “labor is not a commodity”, and that the human face at work needs protection in the form of human rights. ...

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How Indonesia can still win post-Trump deal

Compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors, Indonesia emerged with the worst outcome. The Philippines and Vietnam secured nearly identical tariff rates, 19 percent and 20 percent, respectively, but gave up far less. ...

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Increasing control: President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech on June 20 during a plenary session of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

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Indonesia has a history of illiberal democracy

History shows that authoritarianism is one of the country's standard responses to economic upheaval.

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Solid foothold: A padel player (left) hits a return on Feb. 8, 2025 during a tournament at the Padel Culture Club in Bandung, West Java. The racket sport, which combines elements of squash and tennis and traces its origins to Mexico, has been gaining popularity since it entered Indonesia via Bali around 2020.

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Why Jakarta’s padel tax misses the mark, reinforces inequality

At a time when governments are promoting healthier lifestyles and community-based wellbeing, Jakarta has chosen to tax the very spaces where those goals are pursued

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Protesters stage a hunger strike to urge the House of Representatives to pass the domestic worker protection bill in front of the legislative complex at Senayan, South Jakarta, on Aug. 14, 2023.

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'Maid’: A mirror to women’s struggles in Indonesia

The domestic workers protection bill has been proposed since 2004 but remains unpassed, putting the rights and well-being of 4 million domestic workers across the country at stake.

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Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words “Artificial Intelligence“ in this illustration created on Feb. 19, 2024.

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The real AI risk? A failure of ethical leadership

We should not look at ethics as a barrier to innovation; but as the foundation for sustainable progress.

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History repeating itself?: A person uses AI software on a laptop during the opening of the new Synthesia headquarters on July 2 in Central London.

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Is today's AI boom bigger than the dotcom bubble?

AI will require vast capital outlays, especially on data centers, which may mean that earnings and share price growth in tech could slow in the short run.

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Handle it with care: A National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) researcher inspects a nuclear reactor pond on July 15 at G.A Siwabessy nuclear facility in the BJ Habibie Science and Technology Estate in Serpong, Banten.

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The real price of Indonesia’s nuclear dependency

Some in our scientific community have been asked to delay proposals, soften publications and mute designs for the sake of diplomatic convenience.

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An employee arranges a shelf of vegetable seeds on July 21, 2025, at the Hutadaa rural cooperative in Gorontalo regency, Gorontalo, one of 80,000 co-ops launched on July 21 under President Prabowo Subianto’s Red-and-White Cooperative (KDMP) program.

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Red and White cooperatives: Culture, potential for bad debts and political interests

Transparency, empowerment and independence are key to making sure that the recently launched KMDP initiative does not suffer a fate similar to the cooperatives of the reform era.

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A student presents Deputy Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Stella Christie (right) with a traditional Dayak headband on June 18, 2025, at a visit to SMAN 10 Samarinda senior high school in the East Kalimantan capital, which has been designated Garuda Transformation School.

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Imperative for the transparent selection of SOE commissioners

The practice of appointing SOE commissioners from an arbitrary pool of public officials and political loyalists has become tradition, and requires urgent reform lest it undermine public trust, investor confidence as well as the very purpose of state-owned entities: to serve the public.

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Our Children's Trust hosts a press conference on July 16 pushing to support a stable climate and to back plaintiffs suing the Donald Trump administration at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC.

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How to fight climate change without the US

Governments and civil society now face a fundamental challenge: Developing viable strategies for achieving climate and biodiversity goals without US involvement.

1 month ago

Members of Myanmar's military stand guard on a street in Yangon on July 19, 2025.

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War, repression and disaster collide in Myanmar

As humanitarian crises mount and international aid is obstructed, the need for pragmatic engagement with local non-state actors has become more urgent than ever.

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United States President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order imposing tariffs on imported goods during a “Make America Wealthy Again“ trade announcement event on April 2 in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC.

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Is the trade deal with the US truly a victory for RI?

Should the public worry about negative consequences of the deal, as free market access for US products may harm domestic industry?

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Chair of the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) Achmadi speaks as agency members look on during a media conference in Jakarta on June 11, 2024.

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Shooting the messenger: The urgent need for whistleblower protection

While the Constitution and legislation formally promote public participation in exposing misconduct, in practice whistleblowers often face intimidation, threats and retaliation.

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An aircraft from Singaporean low-cost carrier Scoot receives the customary water cannon salute at Kertajati International Airport on its inaugural flight on Sept. 28, 2024. Scoot flies to Kertajati on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

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Making Kertajati airport work: A test of political will

While political and institutional hurdles remain, strong political will and coordinated action can turn Kertajati into a viable gateway for West Java, Indonesia’s most populous province.

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Children queue with pots to receive meals from a charity kitchen in Gaza City on July 14, 2025. With the war in Gaza now in its 22nd month and Israel only slightly easing an aid blockade of the Palestinian territory, shortages of everything from food to clean water have hit everyone.

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Gaza’s weaponized starvation central to Israel’s ethnic cleansing

In Gaza, the ongoing weaponized starvation, first planned by Israel almost two decades ago, plays a key role in the ethnic cleansing and the genocidal atrocities.

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United States President Donald Trump (left) gestures on July 22, 2025, as he welcomes Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr at the entrance to the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC.

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Does the Philippines’ strategic location mean anything to Trump?

Security and trade are not necessarily mutually exclusive domains, but with Trump throwing both allies and adversaries into the same basket, it remains to be seen whether security deals will translate into economic benefits.

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Kedonganan Beach in Badung, Bali, is covered with trash on March 20, 2024.

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Haze and trash: The rise of new anthropogenic seasons

Seasons are more than just divisions of time, they are our connection with nature.

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Sea defense: People walk near the sea wall built along Muara Baru port in North Jakarta on Feb. 5, 2025.

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Java’s 'giant' seawall: A question of necessity

While Java is often linked with large-scale development, adopting nature-based solutions and sustainable flood management presents a more prudent path for the island's future, rather than hastily implementing the "Giant Sea Wall" project.

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A worker loads bunches of oil palm fruit on a boat for transportation along the Kampar River on August 13, 2022, to the processing plants in Kampar, Riau.

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IEU-CEPA will not hinder Indonesia from deforestation regulation

The agreement is not an end point but a starting point for Indonesia to navigate the EU’s deforestation regulation more strategically.

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Activists hold a silent protest on Nov. 16 inside the venue of the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, to demand that rich nations provide climate finance to developing countries.

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COP30 must make good on past climate commitments

Brazil's COP30 presidency is aiming to deliver pragmatic solutions for making progress on "collectively agreed" commitments of the past, setting the stage for a productive climate conference in November amid increasingly challenging global headwinds.

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President Prabowo Subianto looks on during the first plenary session of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6.

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How would Prabowo deal with Trump's ‘art of the deal’?

By now Prabowo should have learned a lesson on how to deal with Trump, and he should use these lessons when he has the opportunity until Aug. 1 to negotiate again with Trump to get a better deal.

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President Prabowo Subianto (left) meets with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 3, 2025.

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Empowering workers: The future of Saudi-Indonesian labor cooperation

With approximately 850,000 Indonesian citizens already living and working in Saudi Arabia, the labor market collaboration between the nations remains a cornerstone of economic and social partnership.

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A United States Air Force B-2 stealth bomber returns on June 22 after the US attacked key Iranian nuclear sites, at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the US.

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Why US strikes on Iran didn’t eliminate nuclear threat

The US strikes were too limited to eliminate Iran’s capabilities, yet provocative enough to destroy diplomatic bridges painstakingly built over the past two decades.

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A diver enjoys the beauty of coral reefs on May 6, 2024 in the waters off Tomia Island, Wakatobi regency, Southeast Sulawesi.

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The beauty of coral reefs is key to their survival

Why do people care about coral reefs? Why does their damage cause such concern and outrage? What drives people to go to great lengths to protect and restore them?

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Children huddle around a mobile device on April 2, 2024, during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan in Banda Aceh, Aceh.

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Great children, strong nation: Building the future from today

This year's National Children's Day and its theme presents an occasion to reflect on how we, as a society, can reflect on the kind of inclusive, supportive and nurturing environment we need to foster to prepare today's children with a view to achieving Golden Indonesia 2045.

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