Trimming Welfare via Deciles: When State Coffers Run Dry, Citizens Get “Promoted” by Math
It turns out there is an exceptionally elegant way to slash social welfare budgets without ever having to explicitly admit, “Sorry, we are out of money.” The trick? Run it through a…
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Smoke Reaches Neighbors: DPR Urges Malaysia and Singapore to Help Fight Forest Fires, Not Just Complain
The annual cycle of “haze export” from Kalimantan’s forest and land fires (karhutla) has once again brought diplomatic relations between Indonesia and its regional neighbors to a…
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The $252 Billion Treasure Under the Mattress: How Indonesian Households Became Accidental Gold Hoarders
Have you ever looked at your unassuming neighbor—the one wearing flip-flops and watering their plants in a plain t-shirt—and considered that they might be sitting on an empire capable of rattling…
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US National Debt Hits $40 Trillion: Uncle Sam’s Debt Collection Outshines His Sneaker Collection
There is a fundamental rule in modern finance that only a global superpower like the United States can truly demonstrate: if you owe the bank $10,000, that’s your problem; but if you owe the world…
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Dressed in Black at Bundaran HI: UI Students Remind the Nation That Freedom Feels a Lot Like Suffering
Just a day after the flag parades ended and the sweet-talking anniversary speeches faded from the 81st Independence Day celebrations, the capital’s streets were hit with a familiar, time-honored…
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The IDR 700,000 Onion Peeling Salary: Between the Istana’s Altimetric Fantasy and the IDR 10,000 Sack Reality at the Market
There are moments in the history of state addresses when statistical figures magically transform into high-level speculative fiction. On Friday, August 14, 2026, that historical page swung wide open…
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The Strait of Hormuz Is Not a Twitter Feed: Iran’s Brutal Clapback at Donald Trump That Made Aircraft Carriers Facepalm
If there is one thing world leaders love relying on in the modern era outside of ballistic missiles, it’s the publish button on social media. Just drop a series of spicy, provocative tweets, and…
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