The government is considering increasing the public quota to join what is being billed as the largest Independence Day celebration ever held at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta to commemorate the country’s 80th anniversary.

Several government officials called the raising of a pirate flag from a popular Japanese anime “an act of treason”, while military and police officers in several regions confiscated the flags and intimidated people who raised the symbol.

President Prabowo Subianto’s administration will open the gates of the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta to thousands of citizens on Sunday, Aug. 17, in what is being billed as the largest Independence Day celebration ever held on the palace grounds, marking the country’s 80th anniversary.

Ahead of Independence Day, a flag from a popular Japanese anime One Piece has reportedly been spotted in various spots and events instead of the national flag, which has prompted the government’s ire.

Students are resigning from Sekolah Rakyat for various reasons, with some opting for regular schools, some feeling unable to stand dormitory life or missing their families and some opting to take care of their parents at home.

Indonesia has made limited progress in eliminating discrimination against women, despite more than four decades of commitment to gender equality following its ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), with gender-biased laws remaining on the books and key pro-women bills continuing to stall in the legislature.

Ruang GTK is an inclusive, scalable digital platform designed to empower teachers nationwide to address the urgent need for equitable professional development across Indonesia.

According to labor unions and human rights groups, the high number of human trafficking cases left unresolved by law enforcement authorities shows a weak commitment from the government to enforce the law and protect victims.

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered strong law enforcement against companies or individuals violating quality standards for premium and medium-grade rice, following alarming findings of a recent surge in illegal blending across the country.

The waves triggered by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Russia’s far east did not cause any damage or casualties in Indonesia, as recorded by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The world needs moral leadership based on wisdom, not strength, to solve various crises. 

Human rights groups have strongly condemned a recent mob attack on a Christian prayer house in Padang, West Sumatra, accusing authorities of enabling religious intolerance through inaction and dismissive responses.

Mounting calls for the government to take bolder action in addressing the climate crisis were voiced at the 2025 Indonesia Net-Zero Summit, as experts and leaders from various sectors emphasized urgency ahead of the COP30 climate talks in Brazil later this year.

The use of local ingredients for the free nutritious meal program can help accelerate the local agriculture sector. 

A new landmark study on individual carbon footprints from the IESR points to a wide disparity between urban and dwellers, suggesting that administrations can create more localized policies to encourage residents to curb their daily emissions.

The alarming rise in child abuse in Indonesia, often at the hands of familiar persons such as family members or neighbors, has underscored the state's failure to guarantee the right of children to safe and protective care.

Data from the Network for Education Watch Indonesia (JPPI) shows a rising trend in reports of bullying in educational institutions over recent years. 

President Prabowo Subianto instructed his administration to accelerate the rollout of the free nutritious meals program to reach 20 million people before the country’s 80th independence day on Aug. 17.

President Prabowo Subianto’s Red and White Cooperatives program is deemed a new chapter in the country’s long history of the economic institution that has roots in the Indonesian social value of gotong royong (mutual support).

The Javanese prince of the Yogyakarta Sultanate declared war on July 21, 1825, at Selarong Cave, Bantul, after Dutch troops arrived at his Tegalrejo estate the day before to secure a road construction site, triggering long-held resentment against the Dutch.

The government has denied that it is planning to restrict internet-based voice and video call services after reports of a possible ban on popular messaging platform WhatsApp sparked public concern.

After the launch of a new national artificial intelligence center, experts have warned that the government may be moving too quickly on the tech's development while remaining sluggish in working for the regulations mandating safeguards for its users.

Lack of education and poverty may have played a role in recent incidents of stone-throwing at moving trains, an act that is often committed by children from communities living near railway tracks.

Foreign hospitals are expected to provide better services for Indonesians and at the same time provide employment opportunities for local health workers. 

From spiritual journeys to contemplations amid snow, travels can be so much more than just ticking destinations off on a bucket list. The submissions to The Jakarta Post’s Photo Story Travel Competition are proof of that. Here are excerpts from the winning entries.  

As part of an expanded cooperation between Jakarta and Riyadh, Indonesia has been given the green light to build a special village in Mecca to serve haj pilgrims.

The Social Affairs Ministry opened the doors of 63 Sekolah Rakyat (community school) sites across the country on Monday, with students slated to undergo orientation and assessments first before starting the regular learning process in August.

Indonesia officially wrapped up this year’s haj season late last week with the departure of the final group of pilgrims from Medina, Saudi Arabia, coinciding with a recent legislative push in Jakarta to revise the 2019 haj law.

A summary of the rule of Soeharto, who is also Prabowo's former father-in-law, only mentions how "student demonstrations... became a factor" in his resignation.

The minister said the high price of land in big cities inspired his plan to build 18-square-meter subsidized houses on 26 sq m of land to help young people become homeowners.