This photo taken on June 23, 2026 shows villagers riding a truck along a road at Tanggedu village in East Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara.`

Inside Indonesia's slave island: 'I want my children to be free'

Slavery has been illegal in what is now Indonesia for more than 160 years, but it survives in Sumba's rigid caste system, particularly in the island's east.

32 minutes ago

Politics

Chief of troubled free meals agency resigns on health grounds

The chief of the agency overseeing President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free meals program said on Wednesday she had resigned, citing health reasons, the second leadership change at the beleaguered government body in just over a month.

2 hours ago

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Two killed, one missing after suspected gas leak blast in Medan

According to the Medan Search and Rescue Agency, seven people were inside the house when the explosion occurred: A married couple and their two-year-old daughter, a driver, two domestic workers and a courier who was delivering a package.

3 hours ago

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This photograph shows a handheld smartphone displaying the icons of some of the main artificial intelligence based apps, including LLMs, chatbots and generative AI, in Saint-Mande, east of Paris, on July 15, 2026.

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Gen-Zers turn to AI for mental health support despite validity, privacy risks

Six of 10 surveyed Generation-Zers in Indonesia said they have used artificial intelligence platforms to confide about personal issues and discuss sensitive topics such as mental health, a recent survey has found.

6 hours ago

This undated photo released by Antara March 16, 2026, shows Manggala Agni firefighters attempting to extinguish a forest fire in Pelalawan regency, Riau province.

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Wildfires spread across country as dry season takes hold

The largest wildfire was reported in Buleleng regency in Bali, where flames swept through 48 hectares of dry grassland in the hills of Pemuteran village. About half of the burned area is part of a protected forest.

6 hours ago

Piles of coal are seen on barges on Aug. 16, 2022, in Samarinda, East Kalimantan.

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Cooperatives, religious groups to keep receiving mining concessions

Energy minister Bahlil Lahadalia insists that cooperatives and religious will remain eligible for priority mining licenses after the Constitutional Court struck down direct appointments, pledging to introduce new implementing regulations accordingly to ensure transparent vetting.

6 hours ago

A police officer (right) registers Indonesians deported from Malaysia for various immigration violations on July 17 at Batam Center Ferry Terminal in Batam city, Riau Islands. The Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru facilitated the repatriation of 90 Indonesians ahead of Independence Day on Aug. 17.

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Indonesia repatriates 90 citizens held in Malaysia over immigration violations

The Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru facilitated the repatriation of 90 Indonesians who were previously detained in Malaysia for various immigration violations.

9 hours ago

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chair Megawati Soekarnoputri (left) sits down after greeting party secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto (right) during the party congress at the Bali nusa Dua Convention Center in Nusa Dua, Bali on Aug. 2, 2025.

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No party members in free meals program: PDI-P

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has prohibited its members from managing kitchens under President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meal program, saying government welfare initiatives should not become vehicles for political or commercial interests.

17 hours ago

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Cooperatives, religious groups to keep receiving mining concessions

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No party members in free meals program: PDI-P

Civil servant participants in the first wave of the 2026 Reserve Component (Komcad) basic military training program chant slogans after a graduation ceremony at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta on June 5, 2026. A total of 1,758 participants completed the training and were inducted into the national reserve force.

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Tax office denies military role in monitoring taxpayers

Lawyer Hotman Paris gestures while speaking at a press conference on a corruption case implicating his client, former assistant attorney general for special crimes Febrie Adriansyah, at the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) headquarters in Jakarta on July 17, 2026.

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Press Council criticizes celebrity lawyer for jibes at journalists

Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Viada Hafid (center), accompanied by Director General of Digital Space Oversight Alexander Sabar (left) and Director General of Public Communication and Media Fifi Aleyda Yahya (right), delivers a press statement on the implementation of Government Regulation No. 17 of 2025 on Electronic System Governance for Child Protection, known as PP Tunas, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs imposed sanctions on Google after its platform YouTube failed to comply with the provisions outlined in the regulation.

politics

Indonesia's planned copyright law puts Google, AI platforms on notice

If passed, Indonesia could become the first country in Southeast Asia to incorporate AI in its copyright law, as governments globally grapple with the impact of the technology on copyright rules, including the use of work created by humans to train AI models.

2 days ago