A cigarette vendor smokes on Jan. 29, 2023, as he awaits customers at his roadside stall in Surabaya, East Java.`

Health Ministry to push regulation on tobacco plain packaging

Studies looking at Australia and other countries that have imposed plain packaging for tobacco products found a drop in the number of smokers following the implementation of such a policy.

34 minutes ago

Archipelago premium

North Sulawesi shaken by tremors, weak tsunami after major Philippines quake

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Abdul Muhari said the earthquake generated minor tsunami waves ranging from 9 to 19 centimeters in West Halmahera, as well as in Siau Tagulandang Biaro Islands regency and Talaud Islands regency in North Sulawesi and North Maluku.

3 hours ago

Politics premium

Prabowo swears in new BGN chief, labor leader Said Iqbal as presidential advisor

President Prabowo Subianto on Monday inaugurated new leadership for the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) and named labor leader Said Iqbal as a special presidential advisor on employment, raising questions about the future direction of the government’s free meals program and the country’s labor movement.

3 hours ago

The Latest

Yenny Wahid, the daughter of late president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, speaks on June 3, 2026, during an extraordinary congress of the women's group Indonesian Women's Congress (Kowani) in Jakarta. Yenny was elected Kowani’s new chairperson in the congress.

Society premium

Yenny Wahid elected chair of Kowani women's group

Yenny Wahid, the daughter of late president and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) leader Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, was elected chairperson of the Indonesian Women's Congress (Kowani) in an extraordinary congress last week, amid an ongoing leadership dispute that questioned the election’s legitimacy.

23 hours ago

Mount Dukono spews volcanic ash on May 12, 2026, as seen from Mamuya village, North Halmahera regency, North Maluku.

Archipelago premium

Govt tightens tourism monitoring in volcanoes after Mount Dukono incident

The Tourism Ministry will coordinate with the management teams of natural tourist destinations and audit tour guides to ensure compliance with regulations and prevent tourists from getting closer to an active volcano, following the death of three hikers, including two Singaporeans, at Mount Dukono in North Maluku.

1 day ago

Schoolchildren pose with small Indonesian and French flags on May 28, 2025, while waiting to greet a motorcade carrying French President Emmanuel Macron at the National Monument (Monas) complex in Jakarta during his state visit to Indonesia.

Society premium

Plan to introduce French lessons draws support, doubt

Some parents believe the extra French lesson in school may help improve their children’s competitiveness in the global market, but educators have raised concerns whether the country’s education system is ready to introduce another foreign language in the curriculum.

1 day ago

Police officers stand guard in front of the Aceh Provincial Legislative Council (DPRA) building on Sept. 1, 2025, in Banda Aceh, Aceh, during a protest by students demanding police reform and the dissolution of the House of Representatives.

Politics premium

Concern grows over planned expansion of police roles in free meals agency, drug regulator

Proposed amendment to the Police Law has alarmed critics over new provisions that could allow active-duty officers to serve at two agencies in charge of rolling out free meals and regulating food and drugs, stoking fresh fear of police encroachment into civic spaces.

1 day ago