Reunited at last: Philippine drug convict and former death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso is kissed by her sons at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, on Dec. 18.

Veloso’s release: A triumph of solidarity and a call for justice

Mary Jane’s case highlights the critical importance of operationalizing the non-punishment principle enshrined in the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.

4 months ago

Academia

A female secretary-general of ASEAN: Has the time finally arrived?

Will Indonesia break the trend by fielding the first female ASEAN SG in 2028? ...

4 months ago

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Christmas in Bethlehem: A symbol of solidarity and love

Bethlehem embodies the spirit of solidarity, emphasizing unity, compassion and kindness. ...

4 months ago

The Latest

A Muslim vendor sells Christmas decorations at a shopping mall in Jakarta on Dec. 11, 2024.

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Christmas for peace and humanity

For many years, Christmas, along with Idul Fitri, has been a shared public culture and a symbol of tolerance, togetherness and friendship .

4 months ago

Police officers escort two dozen suspects in an online gambling case ahead of a press briefing at the Jakarta Police headquarters in Jakarta on Nov. 25, 2024.

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Online gambling: A mental health problem with devastating consequences

Is the legal approach being taken by the government strong enough to tackle the problem of internet betting?

4 months ago

Field workers harvest sugarcane to have it ready for crushing in Purwosekar village in Malang, East Java, in this undated photo.

Academia

Indonesia’s bioethanol goals: A reality check

One primary bottleneck is the price disparity between bioethanol and gasoline.

4 months ago

Villagers face an increased risk of flooding as sea levels rise and the ground beneath them sinks in Timbulsloko village in Demak, Central Java, on June 20, 2023.

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The world needs ocean-based climate solutions

To date, international support for climate action has fallen far short of meeting developing countries’ needs.

4 months ago

Threatened ecosystem: Visitors walk among mangroves at the Angke Kapuk Nature Tourism Park in Jakarta on Dec. 7.

Academia

Promising outcomes from the summit to conserve and restore mangroves

Mangroves are crucial to building climate resilience.

4 months ago

A woman removes boiled green mussels from their shells beside her daughter on March 19, 2024, at a fishing port in Jakarta.

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Celebrating the women behind Indonesia’s fisheries

Women’s contributions to fisheries and environmental protection increasingly underscore the need for gender-responsive fisheries policies.

4 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto (center) welcomes a member of his Red and White Cabinet during a special retreat for newly installed ministers and select aides, held at the Indonesian Military (TNI) Academy in Magelang, Central Java, from Oct. 24 to 27, 2024.

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Sounding the alarm: Why the TNI is 'recruiting' senior officers for 200 civilian posts

A little over a quarter of a century ago, Indonesians were up in arms about the military's dominance in politics and government; today, the people are fed up with the civilian government and the police, and are looking at the military as if it was a panacea.

4 months ago

Hard at work: A farmer tills a plot of land using a hand-held tractor in Lumajang, East Java, on Nov. 6.

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Misunderstanding Industry 4.0: Indonesia's premature leap toward revolution

There are widespread misunderstandings about what the new industrial revolution, particularly Industry 4.0, truly entails.

4 months ago

A person wearing a mask depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stands in a mock prison during a demonstration in Seoul on Dec. 19, 2024, calling for the impeached president’s ouster.

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The high cost of South Korea’s short-lived martial law

While the South Korean president's failed declaration of martial law has led to political suicide, it has also left the country facing a political vacuum via the subsequent impeachment process in view of potential changes to US policies under a second Trump administration.

4 months ago

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

Academia

Cop-out on climate finance at COP29

It seems that saving the planet from an impending climate catastrophe does not figure in the priorities of developed countries.

4 months ago

A woman checks her ballot before casting her vote on Nov. 27 in the 2024 regional head elections at a polling station in Darul Imarah, on the outskirts of Banda Aceh.

Academia

Acehnese women sidelined from decision-making, despite past tragedy and conflict

Aceh still has a long road ahead in embracing women as contributing members of society at all levels, including in disaster management and preparedness, toward inclusive, equitable development.

4 months ago

A health worker takes the blood pressure of a pregnant woman on June 4, 2024, at a Posyandu (integrated health services post) in Gondoharum village, Kudus, Central Java.

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The undiagnosed majority: A call to action for Indonesia’s health system

Formal reporting that includes explicit figures for both diagnosed and undiagnosed prevalence is essential for not only implementing national health screening initiatives, but also to assess, improve and innovate such programs to ensure their effectiveness.

4 months ago

Academia

Looking back to look forward: Mother's nutrition and health in Indonesia

Indonesia’s history offers a profound lesson: neglecting maternal health is equivalent to compromising the nation’s future.

4 months ago

Miners work in a tin mining site in Bangka Belitung in this undated photo.

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Sustainability and down-streaming policies for tin mining

Despite having abundant tin reserves, most of the tin products, in the form of tin ingots, are still exported without being processed further domestically.

4 months ago

Activists hold up a bunch of balloons bearing the names of hazardous and toxic emissions produced as a by-product of coal at a protest in Jakarta on May 15, 2024, during coal miner Adaro’s general meeting of shareholders.

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Responsible mining can advance global environmental goals

Coordinated action that bases its approach on human rights is urgently needed to protect vulnerable communities amid the surging demand for minerals and metals as the energy transition accelerates across the globe.

4 months ago

Decisive action needed: People walk past ASEAN-member nation flags outside the venue for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' (AMM) retreat meeting, in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Jan. 27, 2024.

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Meetings on Myanmar: Human rights and ASEAN’s credibility at stake

Beneath the veneer of pragmatism lies a deeper, more troubling dilemma: Thailand’s decision to include junta representatives risks legitimizing a regime responsible for egregious human rights abuses, undermining both ASEAN’s credibility and the principles it claims to uphold.

4 months ago

Academia

UGM celebrates 75 years of spreading benefit

In its 75th year, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) remains committed to advancing the nation through science and technology development, instilling noble values in its academics to help nurture the nation’s superior and competitive future generations.

4 months ago

Construction cranes operate near skyscrapers at a business district in Jakarta on Nov. 13, 2024.

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Achieving Indonesia’s 8 percent growth goal

The goal now will require much stronger efforts in an era of heightened global competition and worrying global economic trends.

4 months ago

The new World Health Organization Academy building is pictured on the eve of its inauguration, in Lyon, central France, on Dec. 16.

Academia

Birth of a game changer: The WHO Academy’s vision for global health

The WHO Academy is a new institution to equip health and care workers, policymakers and the WHO workforce with the skills and competencies they need to deliver health for all.

4 months ago

Activists from a women's anti-violence movement hold a banner reading “eradicate sexual violence? There must be a way!“ on Feb. 10, 2020, during a protest outside the former education and culture ministry in Jakarta.

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Policy progress in female circumcision in Indonesia

On the policy level, the government has shown extraordinary and commendable action.

4 months ago

Visitors look at a scale model of a housing complex on April 24, 2024, at an exhibition in Tangerang, Banten.

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Imposing VAT on self-build projects hinders public housing development

If we accept housing as a basic need, then VAT on self-built homes contradicts the principle of fairness.

4 months ago

Students greet their teacher during a ceremony to commemorate National Teacher's Day at SMP 1 Banda Aceh junior high school in Banda Aceh, on Nov. 25.

Academia

Lessons from Aceh: How language unites and segregates in conflicts

Language, as an important element of culture, can aid in resolving conflicts.

4 months ago

A tractor operates on March 5, 2021, at the site of a forest that has been cleared for a government project in Gunung Mas regency, Central Kalimantan.

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Papua food estate project risks turning into conflict hot spot

The government's approach to national food security needs a paradigm shift to an inclusive approach that embraces indigenous stakeholders and their centuries-old knowledge in sustainable resource management, so that development can benefit all Indonesians across the country's diverse communities and natural ecosystems.

4 months ago

A woman holds up a ballot for the Jakarta gubernatorial election at a local polling station on Nov. 27, when Indonesians voted in the 2024 regional head elections held simultaneously in provinces, regencies and municipalities.

Academia

Jakarta, the crucial battleground for democracy

The results of Jakarta's gubernatorial race indicate that the city is more than a mere outlier in this year's regional head elections: It stands as a bastion of democracy, built by its politically aware electorate on its historical foundation as the center of civil movements.

4 months ago

A supporter of United States Vice President Kamala Harris wipes away a tear as the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential candidate delivers her concession speech on Nov. 6 at Howard University in Washington, DC.

Academia

How gender bias plays a hidden role in populist politics

A study has found that populism, negativity and gender stereotypes all play a role in contemporary electoral politics, particularly in shaping campaign strategies tailored to an opponent's gender to influence voter perception.

4 months ago