Saving the river: Activists grouped under the Ecological Observation and Wetland Conservation (Ecoton) collect plastic waste that pollutes the Ciwulan River in the Leuwi Bilik area in Tasikmalaya, West Java, on April 2.

To invest with impact, invest in the planet

By 2050, global demand for resources will almost triple to 130 billion tons annually, which would overuse the Earth's capacity by over four-fold.

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Student rally: Reason, naivety and ignorance

It would be a safe assumption that a vast number of students demonstrating that day had no real understanding of the issues they were so adamantly protesting about. ...

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Investment, homeostasis and Earth’s continuity

Humans need to be made aware and constantly reminded that we are currently “borrowing” this planet from our children and grandchildren. ...

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The Latest

Two bulldozers and logs of various varieties and sizes are seized by investigators with the Environment and Forestry Ministry's law enforcement division in an illegal logging case in Sabuai village, Eastern Seram regency, Maluku.

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Sustainable forests, agriculture need stronger international partnership

SVLK Indonesia has successfully enabled efforts to combat illegal logging and also to decrease deforestation rate since its launch.

3 years ago

Center stage: United States President Joe Biden (center) takes part in the ASEAN-US Summit on the sidelines of the 2021 ASEAN summits held online in Bandar Seri Begawan on Oct. 26, 2021.

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A date with Biden

The ASEAN leaders surely do not want to be perceived as American allies amid the US-China rivalry.

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Mea culpa: Young “crazy rich” businessman Indra Kesuma also known as Indra Kenz conveys an apology to the public after being named a suspect in an online fraud case at the National Police headquarters on March 25, 2022.

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Indonesia urgently needs law to regulate finfluencers

Many people have reportedly suffered losses from failed investments after following influencers' advice on social media platforms.

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Precious asset: A forest area near Mount Meratus in South Kalimantan is seen from Hinas Kanan village on Nov. 25. The local forestry authorities have admitted to losing 30,000 hectares of forest to mining and plantation industries in the last three years.

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To achieve health for all, embrace tradition, innovation and evidence

Traditional medicines must continue to be a critical tool in promoting a healthier, fairer and more sustainable future for all.

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Show them how: Siblings Eugene (left) and Ginger Arboleda give a demonstration on how to play Axie Infinity, an NFT game where players earn tokens that can be exchanged for cryptocurrency or cash, in Taguig, Manila.

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How much is ‘too much’? Recontextualizing blockchain’s environmental narrative

It’s hard to ignore the existing “energy-guzzling” narrative that’s been relegated to NFTs and its underlying blockchain technology.

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People wait in front of the Merdeka Building for Asia-Africa carnival participants to pass by in their colorful costumes in Bandung on Aug. 14, 2016. The building was the venue of the Asia-Africa Conference in 1955. JP/Arya Dipa

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The Bandung message and the building of a principled world order

The international order has been replete with incidents of aggression and the use of military force, in proxy or head-to-head confrontations.

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Commodity boom: A plantation company worker loads a truck with newly harvested oil palm fruit bunches in Berkat village in Central Mamuju regency, West Sulawesi, on March 10. Indonesia scored its highest exports last month, thanks in part to crude palm oil.

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Justice should be the way forward in commodity trade

Palm oil falls victim to trade injustice in vegetable oils as it has been discriminated and vilified against deforestation allegations.

3 years ago

This aerial image shows a worker standing on the back of a truck loaded with coal at the Karya Citra Nusantara (KCN) Marunda port in Jakarta on Jan. 17, 2022, after Indonesia eased an export ban on the commodity.

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The sleeping giant awakens: Indonesia reopens to the world

To focus solely on pandemic-hit sectors like hospitality would also miss the larger picture of Indonesia’s growth trajectory.

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Logistics: The process of distributing logistic supplies by the volunteers at Sumberwuluh (Courtesy of Sani Sinarsana Kisid)

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Ramadan inspires compassion and generosity

A 2018 Gallup survey suggested that Indonesians are among the world’s most generous people when it comes to giving back to their communities.

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Vendors wait for customers at a traditional market in Tangerang, Banten, on April 3, 2022.

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Who is the bearer of bad news?

While there is a strong case to maintain subsidies for the poorest of the poor, many of these schemes are so badly administered that much of the state money is going to the people who least deserve it.

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Oily business: Basic commodity sellers line up to purchase cooking oil during a market operation at Karangampel traditional market in Indramayu regency, West Java, on Feb. 23.

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Can inflation be better measured with big data?

The relevant statistics agency needs to firstly determine the basket of goods being calculated to best mimic the overall cost of living standard.

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Chinese coast guard ship 3303 passes near Imam Bonjol warship 383 as the Indonesian Navy pursues the Han Tan Cou fishing vessel entering Indonesia's Natuna waters on June 17, 2021. The Navy caught the China-flagged boat suspected of illegal fishing in Indonesian waters.

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Will Jokowi's decree on Natuna change the equation?

If China wants to sincerely solve its dispute with Indonesia, it can emulate the Indonesia-Australia deal.

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A rider walks past a reproduction of a Salvador Dali painting in the Atlantic Avenue subway station February 12, 2009 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Museum of Modern Art has installed 58 reproductions of pieces from their permanent collection, by artists including Picasso, Matisse, and Hopper, for the underground promotional campaign which runs through March 15th.

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Time might not exist, according to physicists and philosophers – but that’s okay

But developments in physics suggest the non-existence of time is an open possibility, and one that we should take seriously.

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Easter mood: A student decorates an Easter egg at the Widya Tama school for children with special needs in Surabaya, East Java, on April 14, 2022.

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Easter: Seeking hope, peace in ominous times

At the very least, Christians are challenged to think globally for the sake of caring for the Earth, the common home afflicted by this ecological crisis and to act locally according to their respective contexts.

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Gender solidarity: Male members of an activist group attend a demonstration to highlight the struggles and issues faced by Filipino women in Quezon City, suburban Manila, on March 6, ahead of International Women's Day.

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Human rights and the future of ASEAN

The more ASEAN remains bogged down by institutional paralysis, the longer it will take for the people of the region to take notice of it.

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Mea culpa: Young “crazy rich” businessman Indra Kesuma also known as Indra Kenz conveys his apology to the public after being named suspect in an online fraud case at the National Police headquarters on March 25, 2022.

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Surviving the perfect fraud storm

In Indonesia, efforts to prevent and combat financial and trading frauds seem still inadequate because the agencies in charge are short of resources.

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Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (left) talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting in Fujian, China on April 2, 2021. The two ministers talk about the latest development in Myanmar after the military launched a coup in February, among other issues.

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RI political parties build relations with China despite their anti-communist ideology

Indonesian political parties’ partnership with China’s ruling political party CCP have started for some time.

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Students and activists hold a peaceful rally on April 11, 2022 at the Senayan legislative complex in Central Jakarta to oppose a proposal to postpone the 2024 elections and extend the presidential term. They also called on the government to stabilize the prices of basic necessities, such as cooking oil.

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Students kill all attempts to extend presidency beyond 2024

David has again bested Goliath in defense of the people and our aspirations, as modern Indonesian history has proven over the decades since independence.

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Seizing new growth opportunities for ASEAN amid challenges

Asia and the Pacific is vulnerable to some of the most destructive effects of climate change, and these are expected to worsen.

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Electronic displays show the names of the countries taking part in the vote on a resolution to suspend Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council, during an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on April 7 at UN headquarters in New York.

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Ukraine: The Western-led massacre of truth

Readers should think for themselves about the who and the why behind the information war that is laying the blame for civilian killings in Ukraine at Russia's doorstep.

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Eco-friendly energy: Two technicians of state-owned oil and gas giant PT Pertamina work on a geothermal power plant in West Java. Pertamina continues to boost the use of geothermal energy to encourage a more eco-friendly energy transition in Indonesia.

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Indonesia’s G20 presidency: Palm oil and global energy needs

Reverting back to oil, gas or even coal is not the right answer to secure Europe’s energy independence in the medium to long term.

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The team at World Mosquito Program breeds the Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes and releases them to areas affected by mosquito-borne diseases.

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New tools needed to control the spread of mosquito-borne disease

Mosquitoes are the world’s deadliest creature, and they’re on the move.

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In this picture taken on October 3, 2021, children walk to a river from their village near the cliffs pockmarked by caves where people still live as they did centuries ago in Bamiyan.

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Feed more hungry people for less money – help them plant!

Even before the war in Ukraine, the numbers of people suffering food insecurity across our fragile and interconnected planet were already staggering.

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An employee of German biopharmaceutical company CureVac, demonstrates research workflow on a vaccine for the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease at a laboratory in Tuebingen, Germany, March 12, 2020. Picture taken on March 12, 2020.

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In the name of good science: Lessons from the Terawan case

Indonesia needs to start teaching scientific thinking at schools, not just science.

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Students march during a protest against the high prices of supplies, postponement of presidential elections and an extension of the President's term in Jakarta on April 11.

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Student demonstrations, history and the Death Economy

Student demonstrations in the past and present often face the risk of being engineered by other bigger, political forces, or being infiltrated.

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President Joko Widodo (third left) and First Lady Iriana Widodo (second left) pose with Vice President Jusuf Kalla (fourth right) and Second Lady Mufidah (third right) during an event on Aug. 17, 2017 to mark Indonesia’s 72nd Independence Day at the State Palace. Also pictured are former presidents Megawati Sukarno Putri (fourth left) and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (second right), as well as Yudhoyono’s wife Ani (right).

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Reform era presidents all upheld democracy. President Jokowi should join the club

Through the reform era of the last two decades, our heads of state have had many chances to slam the brakes on Indonesia's democracy but didn't, and Jokowi has become the latest to join their exalted ranks.

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