University of Indonesia campus in Depok, West Java.

The wrong remedy: Evaluating university study program closures

Closing university programs based solely on immediate employment metrics mistakes a labor-market symptom for an educational diagnosis. Indonesia needs institutions that form human character and an economy capable of receiving them, not a policy that merely moves the burden of unemployment onto the students.

41 minutes ago

Society premium

Proposal to close university majors under scrutiny

A higher education ministry official argued several majors, such as education and medical degrees, have been oversupplying graduates, leaving hundreds of thousands of graduates from such programs without employment. ...

1 hour ago

Politics premium

Creeping militarization looms as battalions expand nationwide: CSIS

The recent expansion of Army battalions across Indonesia has raised concerns over what analysts describe as “creeping militarization” under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, pointing to a growing presence of military roles in civilian affairs that could weaken civilian supremacy. ...

1 hour ago

The Latest

A container ship sails past oil tankers anchored on April 14 in the Singapore Strait, a key gateway to the Strait of Malacca.

Academia premium

The Malacca Strait runs the world

Not Hormuz, but Malacca is the true fulcrum of global maritime power — and the evidence is already gathering on the ocean floor.

1 hour ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) leads the inauguration of new Cabinet officials at the Presidential Palace Complex in Central Jakarta on April 27, 2026. A total of six new officials filled positions in the reshuffle of the Red and White Cabinet, including Jumhur Hidayat as minister of environment, Hanif Faisol as deputy coordinating minister for food, Gen. (Ret.) Dudung Abdurachman as head of the presidential staff office, Muhammad Qodari as head of the government communications agency, Hasan Nasbi as special advisor to the president for communications, and Abdul Kadir Karding as head of the national quarantine agency.

Opinion premium

Analysis: Cabinet reshuffle No. 5: Prabowo’s political recalibration

President Prabowo Subianto has reshuffled his cabinet for the fifth time just 18 months into his term. While the frequent adjustments may ostensibly reflect an effort to bolster effective governance, they also signal a state of perpetual political recalibration and unsteady organizational cohesion.

1 hour ago

People take part in a flower-strewing ceremony on April 30 to pray for the victims of a train collision, at Bekasi Timur Station in Bekasi, West Java.

Society premium

Probe underway for Bekasi train crash as another accident raises safety concerns

The Jakarta Police have escalated their handling of last week’s fatal train collision at Bekasi Timur Station in West Java, moving from a preliminary inquiry to a full investigation amid renewed scrutiny over railway crossing safety following another deadly crash in Central Java.

1 hour ago

A vendor arranges plastic bags on April 9, 2026, for sale at Toko Dua in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan. Prices of plastic-based products surged after the Idul Fitri holiday according to the vendor, rising by about 50 percent, leading to decreased purchasing power among customers.

Economy premium

Govt turns to alternative packaging materials, feedstock as plastic prices surge

Plastic producers say the pressure is most acute upstream, where tight raw material supply and surging prices are driving up costs, forcing manufacturers to absorb them while trying to keep production running.

2 hours ago

Stock up: Motorcyclists line up to refuel with non-subsidized fuel Pertamax on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at a gas station in the Kuningan area, Jakarta.

Archipelago premium

Fuel shortages hit Riau, triggering long lines at gas stations

Across the province, lines of motorcycles, trucks and cars have formed at nearly every gas station, frequently spilling onto main roads and causing traffic disruptions.

2 hours ago

Grassroots groups stage a rally on Aug. 13, 2025 outside Pati Regent Sudewo's office in Central Java, demanding his resignation.

Editorial premium

Taxing without turmoil

Regional taxes will not be accepted if citizens see local elites living extravagantly, renovating official residences or wasting public money on nonessential spending.

2 hours ago

Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi with Indonesia's Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin inspects the honor guard during a welcome ceremony on May 4 in Jakarta.

Asia & Pacific premium

Indonesia, Japan ink defense pact as Tokyo eases arms export restrictions

Indonesia and Japan on Monday hailed a “historic milestone” in their security relations with the signing of a new defense cooperation agreement (DCA), reaffirming their commitment to maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific amid heightened anxieties over an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.

12 hours ago

Quick Dispatch

Art Jakarta Gardens 2026 reinvigorates city park through art, collaboration

Art Jakarta Gardens is set to return for 2026, offering new ways of experiencing fine artwork through a combination of presentations across outdoor and indoor spaces.

16 hours ago

Motorists line up on March 31 to refuel at a gas station owned by state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina in Depok, West Java, as the government announces limits on subsidized fuel sales to counter the impact of the United States-Israeli war on Iran.

Economy premium

Inflation contained, for now

Experts warn of rising price pressure going forward, as fuel price hikes will only fully reflect in May data.

13 hours ago

Heavy equipment operators work at an open-pit coal mine in Jambi on May 19, 2017.

Economy premium

Q1 trade surplus halves amid slump in coal, coffee exports

While manufacturing exports continued to expand, rising 3.96 percent in the first quarter and supported by strong nickel shipments, the gains were not enough to offset declines in mining exports caused by weaker coal shipments.

16 hours ago

A number of students take part in automotive training at a private vocational school in Jakarta on April 4, 2026. The Jakarta administration expanded its free private school program in 2026 covering 103 schools across various education levels, aiming to expand access to education for Jakarta residents.

Jakarta premium

Jakarta expands free schooling scheme as out-of-school rate remains high

The Jakarta administration is expanding its free private school program this year by funding more than 100 schools across the capital, as the number of out-of-school children remains high.

16 hours ago

A fuel price board is displayed at a gas station on Jl. Jenderal Basuki Rachmat in East Jakarta in this undated photograph.

Companies premium

Pertamina, private retailers hike fuel prices further

Pertamina and private fuel retailers BP-AKR and Vivo Energy Indonesia have raised prices for nonsubsidized fuels at all gas stations, effective May 4.

16 hours ago

Officers from Ngurah Rai Immigration Office escort Italian tourist IG (second right) on Tuesday as he was deported to Doha from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Badung regency, Bali. The tourist was deported because of a physical altercation with a traffic police officer in Denpasar after IG refused to be ticketed for not wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle on April 22, 2026.

Archipelago premium

Italian deported from Bali after disrespecting police officer

The tourist was deported because of a physical altercation with a traffic police officer in Denpasar after he refused a ticket for not wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle on April 22, 2026.

17 hours ago

Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (left) and Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (right) inspect honour guards during a welcome ceremony at the Defence Ministry office in Jakarta on May 4, 2026.

Asia & Pacific

Indonesia, Japan discuss defence ties after Tokyo unlocks arms exports

Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said he would ink an agreement with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi, although details of the pact were not shared publicly and there was no official confirmation that they had signed it.

17 hours ago

Two tug boats pull a cargo ship on Jan. 20, carrying four contianers holding hazardous e-waste to the United States at Batu Ampar Port in Batam, Riau Islands. The port previously held 914 containers holding hazardous and toxic containers that had to be re-exported to its country of origin, the United States.

Archipelago premium

Walhi demands re-export of US e-waste from Batam

Destorying e-waste here is as a form of transferring the pollution load to Indonesian territory and weakening the sovereignty of environmental law enforcement.

18 hours ago

Workers produce noodles on Jan. 14, 2023, at a factory in Surabaya, East Java.

Economy premium

Manufacturing shrinks in April as costs surge on Mideast war

Output declined in April at the fastest pace in nearly a year, with firms pointing to higher input prices, material shortages and weaker purchasing power due to the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran.

19 hours ago

Local beauty clinics that specialize in the use of stem cells for therapeutic purposes advertise that their treatments can help patients overcome flagging energy, poor skin elasticity and even decreased sexual desire.

Archipelago premium

Riau Police nab former pageant finalist for running unlicensed beauty clinic

Suspect claimed to be a doctor without any proper education in offering various beaty treatments.

19 hours ago

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after speaking to the press at Parliament House in Canberra on May 4, 2026.

Asia & Pacific

Australia and Japan sign agreements on energy and critical minerals

After signing a landmark defence deal last month, the two nations agreed to strengthen energy, food and critical minerals supply chains.

19 hours ago

Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, on May 1, 2026.

Middle East and Africa

Iran warns of ceasefire violation as US plans to escort Hormuz ships

Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, and Iran's stranglehold on the strategic strait following US-Israeli attacks on Tehran has been a main point of contention.

20 hours ago

Ships sail across the Strait of Hormuz at sunset on May 1, 2026, in Musandam, Oman.

Academia premium

How to think about foreign policy in the new geoeconomic era

Middle powers need to tread skillfully around the biggest blocs in navxigating the new era of geoeconomics.

20 hours ago

People offer flowers on May 1, 2026, and pray for the victims of a train collision that killed 16 people at Bekasi Timur Station in Bekasi, West Java.

Academia premium

Deadly train crash: Vulnerability of the working class

Mobility is not just about transport. It is part of the structure of work itself.

21 hours ago

A stock trader monitors the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) in South Tangerang, Banten, on April 8, 2025.

Markets

Stocks gain in Asia, oil flat amid new Gulf proposals

Shares edged higher while oil prices flatlined in Asia on Monday as investors drew comfort from signs of patchy progress in settling the Middle East conflict at the start of a week packed with earnings and key economic data.

21 hours ago

An infant's hands are held next to adult hands in this undated illustration.

Academia premium

Why maternity leave is an investment in our future

While Indonesian law promises maternity leave, structural barriers and the undervaluation of care transform this vital right into an inaccessible luxury for many working mothers.

22 hours ago

A message reading “AI artificial intelligence,“ a keyboard and robot hands are seen in this illustration created on Jan. 27, 2025.

Tech

Energizing Indonesia’s rise as an AI contender

Agentic AI are execution models involving autonomous agents that coordinate across workflows, tools and systems with minimal human input.

22 hours ago

President Prabowo Subianto speaks on Sept. 23, 2025, during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City, the United States.

Academia premium

The unraveling order - and Indonesia’s strategic opening

For Indonesia, the question is not whether the world is becoming more uncertain; it is whether Jakarta is prepared to convert that uncertainty into influence.

23 hours ago

'Understanding Jokowi: Progressive Realism in Indonesian Politics, 2014–2024’ by Jean Couteau offers a sharp, nuanced exploration of leadership, power and development in Indonesia.

Books premium

'Understanding Jokowi': Jean Couteau explains the great transformer

A sweeping study of Jokowi’s decade in power argues that pragmatic development, not ideology, drove Indonesia’s transformation.

1 day ago

Politician Amien Rais (center) declares the founding of the Ummah Party along with the party’s leadership board on April 29, 2021, in Yogyakarta.

Politics premium

Govt quick to defend cabinet secretary from Amien Rais’ rebuke

The government has rushed to the defense of Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya from politician Amien Rais’ rebuke claiming Teddy is not fit for the job due to his alleged homosexuality, which he deemed a moral threat to the nation and President Prabowo Subianto.

1 day ago

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