Environmentalists are pushing Indonesia to be more proactive in the negotiations for the world's first treaty aimed at curbing plastic pollution and spurring plastic waste diplomacy in Southeast Asia, a region heavily impacted by the matter.

In line with National Teacher’s Day, Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti has announced a series of initiatives aimed at improving the quality and welfare of the nation’s educators, including offering them a chance to attain higher education.

A minister’s recent remark on Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) scholarship awardees' right to not return to Indonesia upon completing studies abroad, which contradicts the program’s general policy, has drawn public scrutiny and sparked further discussion about the state of the local job market.

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka said on Nov. 21 that he requested that the schools minister eliminate the zoning system for the upcoming public school enrollment (PPDB) because of multiple concerns.

The House of Representatives' Legislation Body (Baleg) argues that certain ethnic groups in Indonesia still consume dog meat and that the issue can be solved through articles on animal welfare and protection.

The Manpower Ministry has confirmed that Government Regulation (PP) No. 51/2023 will not be used as a reference for determining the 2025 provincial minimum wage (UMP), which is set to be announced before the end of December.  

Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 carrying a suitcase lined with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin and later sentenced to death by firing squad. 

Excessive use of force during arrests is among the contributors to the persistence of torture and abusive practices, Komnas Perempuan deputy chairwoman Mariana Amiruddin said.

Euro 4 fuel standards require a maximum sulfur content of 50 parts per million (ppm) while fuels sold in Indonesia range from 150 to 400 ppm for gasoline and from 300 to 2,000 ppm for diesel.

Raising National Health Insurance (JKN) premiums may be necessary to ensure the sustainability of the program, but the government should refrain from making a dramatic increase like it did in 2020, an observer has warned.

The government, together with global health leaders and partners, has called for swift action to end the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic through innovative approaches.

After seeing various "controversial" initiatives under former education minister Nadiem Makariem, the new government is aiming to reform the education sector by introducing  fresh policies. While analysts note it might be necessary, they also warn that too many drastic changes could instead be detrimental to students.

Mu'ti, however, said that the lessons on AI and coding would be elective and would only be available for students in fourth grade.

The raging war in the Middle East since October 2023, first in Gaza and now spreading to Lebanon, may be about fighting over land and securing borders, but the impact is spilling over to other parts of the world, often in the form of even more hatred against religious communities.

Discussion surrounding the controversial subject of childlessness has resurfaced recently as a Statistics Indonesia (BPS) report shows 8.2 percent of Indonesian women of childbearing age choose not to have children.

Environmentalists and experts urge Indonesia to show a strong commitment to forest protection and restoration, through a policy framework and achievements on the ground, during the United Nations climate conference (COP29) in Baku.

The University of Indonesia will hold an ethics hearing on the circumstances surrounding the doctoral work of Energy and Mineral Resources Minister and Golkar Party chairman Bahlil Lahadalia, whose graduation will depend on the outcome of the process. 

Twenty-six years have passed since New Order security forces fired on democracy protesters in Central Jakarta’s Semanggi interchange, killing 17 people, but still no one has been held responsible for the tragedy.

His body was taken to the university’s Balairung Hall in Yogyakarta on Thursday afternoon for mourners to pay their last respects before he was laid to rest at the Sawitsari cemetery in the city on the same day.

Among the measures that Indonesia will implement as part of its effort to halt global warming to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is to push for energy transition to renewables and reforest more than 12 million hectares of degraded land.

A massive collision involving an overloaded truck and at least 17 other vehicles on the Cipularang toll road in Purwakarta, West Java, has sparked fresh calls for stronger government oversight over the country’s logistics and land transportation sectors.

The nationwide free screening program is part of the government's broader aim to lower the mortality rate of certain NCDs and by doing so, reduce the country's overall burden by up to $1.6 trillion.

The newly established Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry is mulling over a plan to revive the national examination in a bid to boost students’ motivation to learn after various reports indicating a decline in the country’s academic performance following the abolition of the exam in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indonesia ranked at 77th on the Global Hunger Index, with an index value of 16.9 percent, which means moderate hunger, while 7.2 percent of the population is still not food secure . 

Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid relayed President Prabowo’s order not to assist any individual involved in online gambling.

The Jakarta Post won two prizes for feature articles at the Asian Media Awards, organized by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) on Wednesday night in Singapore.

Police detained three suspects at Soekarno-Hatta Airport for attempting to send 28 Indonesian citizens abroad in an alleged human trafficking ring.

At least a dozen of the communications ministry’s employees were arrested for allegedly enabling online gambling operations. These employees allegedly pocketed a piece of the profit, earning up to Rp 8.5 million ($US539.43) from each site.

Last year's dry season was the most severe since 2019 due to an El Nino weather phenomenon, bringing a prolonged drought that hurt crops and exacerbated forest fires.

Indonesia has much work to do at home to demonstrate its commitment to the recently concluded COP16, which agreed to form a global indigenous body to protect and recognize indigenous communities' wisdom and efforts in biodiversity conversation, including by passing the long-stagnant 2012 bill on indigenous people.