Musicians perform during the 10th Colours of Culture Festival 2026 in Jakarta’s Kota Tua district on Friday, Oct. 16. The annual cultural festival celebrates Indonesia’s diversity through art, traditional textiles, music and culinary offerings under the theme “Tanda Mata Indonesia” (A Gift from Indonesia). The festival runs through Oct. 18.`

Kota Tua vendors back revamp but fear being sidelined

Jakarta’s plan to give its historic Kota Tua district a European-inspired makeover has won cautious support from longtime vendors, who welcome more tourists but want assurances that they will still have a place in the district’s future.

5 hours ago

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PKS seeks House talks on Gibran's fate after court ruling

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) seeks discussions with other political parties in the House of Representatives on the appropriate follow-up to address Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s legitimacy as Vice President, following a court ruling that raised questions over his educational qualifications.

14 hours ago

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Govt’s defiance over wildfire disaster status faces scrutiny

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is still mulling over the technical assistance on offer from Singapore and Malaysia to put out the fires, with cooperation to be focused on closing gaps from existing efforts.

14 hours ago

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This undated illustration picture shows a gavel in a courtroom.

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Indonesia sees rule of law weaken under Prabowo

An annual international index on countries’ adherence to the rule of law found Indonesia scoring lower this year compared to 2025, with the country scoring lowest in criminal justice, absence of corruption and fundamental rights.

14 hours ago

A protester from a coalition of university students holds a banner reading, “Fully Investigate Money Laundering and Coal Corruption,“ during a demonstration on July 10 outside the House of Representatives complex in Jakarta. The protesters called for curbing corruption in the coal industry.

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Proposal to narrow definition of corruption draws flak

A proposal to narrow the legal definition of corruption has prompted concerns of weakening anticorruption campaigns.

15 hours ago

University students protest against the government's handling of haze and wildfires outside the Central Kalimantan Governor's office in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia, October 23, 2026.

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Students protest Central Kalimantan haze

The students, many wearing surgical masks, gathered under an eerily orange sky with severely reduced visibility and waved banners urging authorities to declare a national emergency to free up more aid.

1 day ago

Activists hold placards during a vigil on Feb. 19, 2025 against the impending execution of Malaysian national Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, sentenced to death for trafficking heroin into Singapore, outside the Singaporean embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

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Indonesia keeps death penalty despite execution hiatus

The country saw its last executions in 2016 of four drug trafficking convicts. While Indonesia has maintained a hiatus on new executions, the death penalty remains legal, although the new KUHP, which took effect in January, marks a shift in the legal framework by classifying it as a “special punishment” to be imposed only as a last resort.

1 day ago

Society premium

Forum calls for ethical AI development

Amid rapid expansion of artificial intelligence worldwide, experts and business representatives are pushing for ethics and humanity values to be included as safeguards in the development of the technology.

2 days ago

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Indonesia keeps death penalty despite execution hiatus

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Prabowo's allies distance themselves from flagship free meals program

Until now, Prabowo — who marks two years in office this week — has faced little or no pushback. There have been no dissenting votes on any bills the government has proposed, not even by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), one party that is not formally part of the ruling bloc.

3 days ago