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Jakarta Post
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Prabowo pledges stronger worker protections, labor reform at May Day rally

President Prabowo Subianto delivered on Thursday a fiery speech on International Workers’ Day, or May Day, pledging reforms to improve workers’ welfare and promote stronger labor protections, amid dissatisfaction over labor conditions and concerns of more job losses.

22 hours ago
Society

Finance ministry says about $140 million spent so far on free meals program

Launched in January, the vaunted programme has reached just 3.27 million recipients as of April 29, with more than 1,000 kitchens operating across the archipelago, the ministry said.  ...

1 day ago
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Free meals program lacks public transparency, accountability: ICW

Recent findings by antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) showed President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiative, the free nutritious meal program, lacks key principles of good governance, showing poor accountability and transparency and leaving it vulnerable to fund mismanagement. ...

2 days ago

The Latest

Society

Indonesia planning minimum age limit for social media users, minister says

Communications and Digital Ministry is preparing a regulation to ban social media use for certain ages, minister Meutya Hafid said on Monday. She did not say what the age limit would be.

3 months ago
Society premium

Meet the students behind presidential threshold removal petition

The four students of Sunan Kalijaga Islamic State University in Yogyakarta say that they decided to file a judicial review request challenging the presidential nomination threshold after seeing the Constitutional Court rule in favor of another student who petitioned for a change in presidential candidate's requirements.

3 months ago
Society premium

Indonesia’s fact-checkers slam Meta’s decision to end US fact-checking program

A coalition of Indonesian fact-checking institutions has denounced Meta’s decision to scrap its fact-checking program in the United States, raising concerns that the tech company may do the same in other countries, exacerbating the spread of false information over digital platforms.

3 months ago
Society premium

Floods remain biggest threat in 2025, disaster agency says

La Niña is triggering a wetter rainy season in Indonesia, with higher intensity rainfall expected to occur until at least April, increasing the risk of hydrometeorological disasters across the country, the BNPB has warned.

3 months ago
Society premium

Indonesia, US expand Fulbright program to students under religious ministry

The Religious Affairs Ministry and the United States have agreed to expand access to the US’s Fulbright scholarship program for Indonesian institutions and individuals under the ministry, in an attempt to increase cultural exchanges and improve education quality in the country.

3 months ago
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Prasetiya Mulya University appoints former senior diplomat Hassan Wirajuda as new rector

Hassan Wirajuda, who served as foreign minister under the country's fifth and sixth presidents, was inaugurated on Wednesday as rector of Prasetiya Mulya University, vowing to develop an East Asian studies program to reflect the region's growing impact on the global order.

3 months ago
Society premium

Government, lawmakers agree to lower haj costs

The government has agreed with lawmakers to lower the haj costs for this year by around Rp 4 million (US$248) in total, in a move Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar said reflected President Prabowo Subianto’s eagerness to reduce the pilgrims’ financial burden.

3 months ago
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Food quality, safety in spotlight as free meals rollout continues

The second day of the free meals rollout saw some schoolchildren complaining of unpalatable food, raising concerns among students, parents and experts alike about whether the government can maintain food quality and safety in the ambitious flagship program.

3 months ago
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Enthusiasm fills schools on first day of free meals program

President Prabowo Subianto’s much-anticipated free nutritious meals program finally had its official rollout on Monday in numerous provinces across Indonesia, as students and teachers welcomed the first day of implementation with excitement.

3 months ago
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Indonesia launches HMPV monitoring after uptick in China

The government has advised people to stay calm and take protective measures after it increased surveillance of HMPV to prevent the virus, which causes respiratory tract infections, from entering the country amid a slight rise in cases in China.

3 months ago
Society

Indonesia launches ambitious free-meal program to combat stunting

Stunting affects 21.5 percent of children in the archipelago of some 282 million people. The government aims to reduce the rate to five percent by 2045.

3 months ago
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Anticipation as govt rolls out free meals program

All eyes will be on President Prabowo Subianto’s administration on Monday with the rollout of the landmark free nutritious meals program, which will focus most of the work on densely populated Java in the first phase of a multiyear effort to improve the nation’s overall nutritional intake.

3 months ago
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Govt to roll out free health screening next month

President Prabowo Subianto’s administration is planning to roll out free medical screenings next month as part of the country’s effort to detect various diseases early and avoid preventable deaths.

3 months ago
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Police arrest four suspects in fatal Tangerang-Merak toll road shooting

Two of the arrested suspects are civilians, while the other two are military personnel, prompting the police to coordinate with the Military Police in investigating the case.

3 months ago
Society

2024 was hottest year on record: Weather agencies

Indonesia had its hottest April in more than four decades last year as extreme heat swept parts of Asia.

3 months ago
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Govt’s plan to revamp national exams next year met with doubt

Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti is looking to scrap the national assessment and replace it with a revamped version of the national examinations, although observers are unconvinced that reintroducing the decades-old policy will result in an improvement to the nation’s education system.

3 months ago
Society

Schools zoning regulations under evaluation: Deputy schools minister

The Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry is set to evaluate its school zoning policies to enhance fairness and accessibility in education. This initiative aims to address ongoing challenges and incorporate community feedback.

3 months ago
Society

Schools ministry forms 27 task forces to prevent school violence

In response to rising concerns about violence in schools, the Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry has established 27 new task forces dedicated to preventing and addressing incidents of violence in educational institutions.

3 months ago
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Fraud, alleged illegal levying raise questions about free meals program’s implementation

A string of hiccups in the pilot tests of the government’s free nutritious meal program, including alleged fraud, have prompted questions over how the plan would efficiently be implemented nationwide this week.

4 months ago
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BPOM seizes Rp 8.9b worth of illegal, hazardous cosmetics

Most of the products came from China, South Korea, India, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, BPOM Chief Taruna Ikrar said in a press briefing on Monday, adding that the cosmetics contained various dangerous chemicals such as mercury, rhodamin, hydroquinone and tretinoin. 

4 months ago
Society

Month-long school holiday for Ramadan under discussion

Earlier, a video went viral on social media featuring a statement from President Prabowo Subianto, conveyed through Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar, announcing the possibility of a full month of school holidays for Ramadan 2025.

4 months ago
Society premium

Government promises to lower haj prices in 2025

After several issues that riddled this year's haj program, including uneven quota allocation and subpar facilities, the religious affairs minister has promised to reduce prices for the 2025 program without compromising on service quality.

4 months ago
Society premium

Universities skeptical over govt's commitment to lecturers' welfare

The education minister has recently announced a decision to review a new rule on incentive pay for lecturers issued by his predecessor, which was due to come into force in January, leading some universities to question the government's commitment to improving their welfare.

4 months ago
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Discourse: Flexible, rapid decision-making at heart of 2004 tsunami response

Despite the heavy toll, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami hitting Indonesia and dozens of other countries has become a wake-up call for nations to prepare for tsunamis as well as an example of how the world can work together to rebuild after disasters.

4 months ago
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Aceh marches on with lingering grief 20 years after tsunami

Mourners flocked to several mass grave sites in Banda Aceh and neighboring Aceh Besar regency starting on Thursday morning.

4 months ago
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Death and rebirth: Aceh marches on, slowly, after 2004 tsunami

Two decades have passed since the deadliest earthquake and tsunami in modern history hit Indonesia’s westernmost province. Many wounds linger and are hard to heal, but Aceh has moved on, slowly but surely rising up from the disaster.

4 months ago
Society

Ministry evaluates regulation on lecturer allowances

The Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry is reevaluating a ministerial regulation signed by former education minister Nadiem Makarim on allowances for lecturers, while asking for extra funding from the Finance Ministry to allow them fully pay benefits to lecturers.

4 months ago
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Millions on the move for year-end holidays

Millions of Indonesians have begun hitting the road for the Christmas and New Year holidays, as authorities put policies in place for smooth and safe travel.

4 months ago
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Deaths continue amid poor road, trucking safety

Indonesia has seen a number of deadly road accidents over the past year, sparking concerns about road safety and calls for stronger government oversight of the land transportation and logistics sectors.

4 months ago
Society

Indonesians embrace return of plundered treasure from the Dutch

Today, the volcanic rock likeness of the Hindu god Ganesha, bearing four arms and the head of an elephant, stands tall inside the National Museum in Jakarta.

4 months ago

Today's ePost

Fri, May 2, 2025

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