Today's Top 3 News: Is the LGBT Community Causing Surge in HIV/AIDS?

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tempo English compiled the top 3 news on Friday, July 17, 2026. Here are the highlights: Fact Check: No, LGBT Community Is Not the Cause for HIV/AIDS Surge; IKN Seeks Extra Rp2.7tn: How Did Purbaya Respond?; and Fact Check: Is a 9-Day Global Blackout Starting on July 18?

The following is the list of the top 3 news on Tempo English today:

1. Fact Check: No, LGBT Community Is Not the Cause for HIV/AIDS Surge

Several Facebook posts [archive] link the surge in cases of human immunodeficiency virus, which causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

"Data shows that the largest contributor to HIV is the LGBT community. It's reasonable to classify them as a non-military threat to the state," wrote one account on Monday, July 13, 2026.

These social media narratives not only cite nationwide-scale data but also link the LGBT community to the rise of HIV/AIDS cases in a number of regions. For example, in Sidoarjo, Malang, Probolinggo, Samarinda, Balikpapan, Palu, and Tarakan. Other posts also cite data from West Java and West Sumbawa.

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has responded to the proposed Rp2.7 trillion budget increase requested by the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority. The extra funding is slated to support the construction of the project's third phase.

Purbaya stated that he has yet to receive the official funding proposal from the IKN Authority. He also emphasized that he does not know the specific details of the request, noting that the documents may still be winding their way through bureaucratic channels. Why did the IKN Authority impose a budget increase? Read more here.

3. Fact Check: Is a 9-Day Global Blackout Starting on July 18?

A number of posts on Facebook [archive] and Instagram claim that there will be a global power outage or blackout for nine days starting July 18, 2026. But is there really going to be a global power outage for nine days?

FACT CHECK

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