Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung (right) and his deputy Rano Karno (center) talk on May 8, 2025 with a prospective resident of low-cost rental apartments (rusunawa) Jagakarsa in South Jakarta.

Building Jakarta from the ground up: A year under Pramono Anung and Rano Karno

Pramono Anung and Rano Karno’s first year in office focused on rebuilding Jakarta by prioritizing people and basic services.

1 week ago

Archipelago premium

Flash floods in North Sulawesi kill at least 16, injure 18

BMKG has urged the public to remain vigilant in the face of extreme weather after detecting the formation of Cyclone Seed 91S in the southwestern Indian Ocean near Lampung on Monday. ...

1 week ago

Academia premium

Venezuela, Taiwan and the return of power politics

The US invasion of Venezuela is a worrying sign of the world to come, one that will be defined by multilayered, regional systemic conflict against which internal national strength is the only defense. ...

1 week ago

The Latest

An electronic quotation board displays numbers of the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo stock Exchange in Tokyo on Nov. 5, 2025.

Markets

Crude oil slumps, Asian shares edge lower as global tensions climb

US President Donald Trump said Venezuela will be "turning over" up to 50 million barrels of oil to be sold at its market price following the toppling and capture of the nation's leader.

1 week ago

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport om Jan. 5, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York, the United States.

Academia premium

The precedents to Trump's Venezuela operation

While shocking, nothing about this calamity is new: it recalls four precedents that can help us see elements of the present that otherwise may be shrouded by propaganda or emotion.

1 week ago

Batam Rempang Galang (Barelang) City Police traffic police chief Comr. Afiditya Arief Wibowo (left) accompanies Barelang City Police chief Sr. Comr. Zaenal Arifin (center) on Dec. 17, 2025, in handing over a plaque marking the launch of the Traffic Corner to a school representative in Batam, Riau Islands. The Barelang City Police also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Batam city administration to include traffic education in elementary and junior high school curriculums.

Archipelago premium

Batam adds traffic education to curriculum, aims to reduce accidents involving students

Batam, the largest city in Riau Islands province, is an economic center with high vehicle mobility thanks to its free trade zone status.

1 week ago

Lokataru executive director Delpedro Marhaen gestures after attending the reading of charges on Dec. 16 at the Central Jakarta District Court. Delpedro and three other co-defendants, Muzaffar Salim, Syahdan Husein and Khariq Anhar, have been charged with incitement for allegedly posting social media content related to demonstrations in August that turned violent after a delivery driver was ran over and killed by police.

Academia premium

The paradox of police reform: High approval ratings, low rule of law

Despite the sweeping reform in 1998, the National Police is still fraught with a culture of violence, uneven professionalism and a lack of accountability.

1 week ago

Aero Sutan Aswar of Indonesia and Aqsa Sutan Aswar of Indonesia compete on Jet Skis in the 2018 Asian Games on Aug. 24, 2018 in Jakarta.

Archipelago premium

Tourism safety in spotlight after Saudi tourist killed in jet ski accident

A lawmaker has called for a sweeping overhaul of Indonesia’s tourism safety and security standards, saying a series of fatal incidents involving both domestic and foreign tourists has exposed serious weaknesses in oversight and enforcement.

1 week ago

Fatal accident: A building on Jl. Letjen Soeprapto is seen on Dec.9, 2025, after a fire in Cempaka Baru, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. The fire, which took place in a building housing a company providing unmanned aircraft for industrial use, left 22 people dead. There has been no immediate report on the cause.

Jakarta premium

Overcrowded settlements, weak safety fuel Jakarta’s fire crisis

Jakarta’s fire crisis deepened in 2025 as higher death tolls and mounting losses revealed enduring risks in overcrowded neighborhoods and poorly regulated commercial buildings.

1 week ago

A demonstrator carries Indonesia’s national flag alongside a pirate flag from the Japanese anime One Piece, an internet symbol of protest against government policies, during a rally on Aug. 29, 2025, outside the residence of the Governor of East Java, in Surabaya.

Academia premium

From print to platforms: What holds nations together now?

The increasingly virtual world has made digital platforms the central stage of democracy.

1 week ago

An election staffer counts ballots at a polling station on Nov. 27, 2024, in Banda Aceh, Aceh.

Politics premium

Democrats back Prabowo’s plan to end direct regional elections

The pro-government Democratic Party has thrown its weight behind President Prabowo Subianto’s suggestion to abolish direct elections for regional heads, potentially overturning a legacy of democracy that came about under its founding figure, former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

1 week ago

A worker stacks rolls of fabric ready for export on April 15, 2025, at the Trisula Textile Industries factory in Cimahi, West Java.

Economy premium

Trade protectionism to persist in 2026

Trade protectionism has become a new normal that economists say Indonesia will have to navigate carefully this year through market diversification.

1 week ago

A police officer stands guard in front of the Constitutional Court building on Feb. 4, 2025, in Jakarta.

Politics premium

New KUHP, KUHAP meets legal pushback in Constitutional Court

At least 10 judicial review petitions against the new Criminal Code (KUHP) and Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP) have been filed with the Constitutional Court within four days after the new laws came into force.

1 week ago

Activists from Gerakan Buruh Bersama Rakyat (Gebrak), an alliance between labor unions and civil groups, join a peaceful march along Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta on Sept. 4, 2025, to during protests against police brutality and repression in several major cities across the country.

Editorial premium

Beyond wage hikes

Instead of simply calculating minimum wages that will support a decent standard of living per worker per region, the government must do more in implementing an integrated policy approach that focuses on cost of living relief for households.

1 week ago

Industrial Digging: Excavators transfer soil to transport trucks on July 28, 2023, at a nickel mine operated by nickel mining company Vale Indonesia in Sorowako, South Sulawesi.

Regulations premium

Miners call for faster quota approvals amid rule shift

While temporary permits have provided short-term relief, experts warn that a growing backlog could undermine investment certainty and the sector’s long-term stability.

1 week ago

A teacher cleans school equipment on Jan. 4 from mud caused by flash floods at state elementary school SDN 11 Kuta Blang in Bireuen, Aceh. The Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry confirmed that 3,508 out of 4,149 schools affected by hydrometeorological disasters in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh are ready to resume the second semester on Jan. 5.

Archipelago premium

Flood aftermath hampers school reopening in Aceh

As schools in disaster-hit regions of Sumatra reopened this week, students in Aceh continue to face challenges returning to normal learning routines, with many flood-damaged schools still undergoing recovery.

1 week ago

Stock traders monitor the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) on April 8, 2025, in South Tangerang, Banten.

Markets premium

IDX Composite sets new all-time high above 8,900

The principal Indonesian stock market gauge closed at a fresh record on Tuesday, supported by strong commodity stocks and global risk appetite.

1 week ago

A passenger train runs on an elevated track on Aug. 5, 2025, in Jakarta's central business district.

Economy

Banking sector 2026: Gaining altitude?

Indonesia’s banking sector had a tough time in 2025 due to several challenges, mostly stemming from weaker domestic demand. A struggling middle-to-low-income class has put pressure on banks from the assets and liability side.

1 week ago

Bold operation: Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives on Monday, Jan. 05, 2026, at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport as he heads toward the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face US federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, the US.

Americas

US capture of Maduro tests limits of China's diplomatic push

China follows a policy of non-intervention and routinely criticises military activity conducted without the UN Security Council's approval.

1 week ago

Caracas limbo: A car drives on an empty street on Jan. 3, 2026 after United States President Donald Trump said the US has struck Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas.

Companies premium

US raid has not affected Venezuela operations, Pertamina says

Indonesian government officials and an industry group have said the crisis in Venezuela has had little to no impact on the country’s economic activity so far.

1 week ago

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez is sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president at the National Assembly, after the US launched a strike on the country and captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 5, 2026.

Americas

Venezuelan parliament swears in interim president after Maduro's ouster

Trump has warned Rodriguez could face a fate worse than Maduro if she failed to heed US demands on policy reforms and oil access.

1 week ago

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks during a news conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia, July 15, 2019.

Asia & Pacific

Malaysia's ex-PM Mahathir in hospital after fall

Mahathir has suffered health problems in recent years and was previously hospitalised for fatigue after a picnic celebration for his centenary in July.

1 week ago

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen addresses a press conference of the Nordic-Baltic Summit at the Prime Minister's official summer residence Harpsund, Sweden on November 27, 2024.

Europe

NATO ally Denmark warns US against taking Greenland by force

Washington's military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears about Trump's designs on the autonomous Danish territory, which has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a vital player as polar ice melts, opening up new shipping routes.

1 week ago

Attendants wait for customers at a Shell gas station in an unknown location on Sept. 19, 2025, as a gasoline shortage sweeps private retailers, in part due to a corruption scandal linked to state-owned energy giant Pertamina.

Regulations premium

RI raises fuel import quota for retailers after 2025 supply snarl

Following last year’s fuel snafu, the government has decided to increase this year's import quotas for private retailers, but has not publicly announced by how much.

1 week ago

Slow recovery: Homes are seen as they are rebuilt amid cleared lots on Dec. 28, 2025, in Altadena, California, the United States, where homes were destroyed by the Eaton Fire one year ago. The Eaton Fire ignited on Jan. 7, 2025, killing 19 people and destroying more than 9,000 structures, most of them homes in Altadena. The fire is the fifth deadliest and the second most destructive wildfire in California history.

Academia premium

Beware of central economic forecasts for 2026

With China’s efforts to upgrade its growth model progressing slowly, the US will serve by far as the global economy’s primary engine, a concentration that creates its own set of risks.

1 week ago

Indonesian migrant worker Sugianto stands next to South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Dec. 2, 2025, during an award ceremony at the Blue House in Seoul. Sugianto received a presidential honor for his bravery in rescuing elderly residents during a massive forest fire in South Korea in March 2025.

Society premium

Indonesian migrant worker receives South Korean presidential award for heroic act

Wearing a mask, Sugianto began going door to door, knocking on residents’ homes. He guided them slowly to the evacuation site and carried those who were unable to walk.

1 week ago

Employees work in a workshop which recycles copper on July 11, 2025, in Anqing, in China's eastern Anhui province.

Academia

Every mineral is critical in the new metals age

The USGS updated critical minerals list now encompasses 60 different materials, representing around 80 percent of all the mined commodities on the periodic table.

1 week ago

Cargo staff and police officers at Soekarno-Hatta Airport unload the coffin of Indonesian migrant worker Yasmiati from Grobogan, Central Java, upon arrival from Hong Kong on Dec. 23, 2025, at the airport’s cargo terminal in Tangerang, Banten. The Foreign Ministry, the Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong and the Migrant Workers’ Protection Ministry repatriated nine victims of the Wang Fuk Court apartment fire, on Nov. 26, 2025, in Tai Po District, Hong Kong

Academia premium

Time to turn commitments into real protection for migrant workers

Many Indonesian migrant workers continue to live and work without effective protection.

1 week ago

Pedestrians walk in front of an electronic quotation board displaying the Nikkei Stock Average closing price at 40,000 yen level on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on June 27, 2025.

Markets

Asian stocks extend record rally while oil, dollar drift

US big oil got a boost from the country's military raid at the weekend that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

1 week ago

Urban farming reimagined: Chicken Hero Pavilion, a self-initiated project by RAD+ar, rises as a hilly structure in Urban Forest, South Jakarta, exploring backyard poultry farming as a design response to food waste and urban resilience.

Culture premium

Beyond tropical: How Indonesian design is evolving today

Today’s practitioners are responding to a shifting design discourse, shaped by a fast-moving industry, environmental urgency and new ways audiences encounter design and space.

1 week ago

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