Dani Aswara, Jakarta – The distribution of aid for flood and landslide victims in Sumatra has come under scrutiny. A video circulating on social media, uploaded by the Instagram account @bkmedan_, depicts the chaotic state of relief supplies. The location in the video is narrated to be in Tapanuli, North Sumatra.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – The floods and landslides in Sumatra signify two things: the unavoidable impact of the climate crisis and the long-standing environmental destruction.

Ahmad Fikri (Kontributor), Jakarta – The Governor of West Java, Dedi Mulyadi, admitted to preparing a circular on a moratorium or temporary ban on forest logging in areas at risk of causing disasters. The circular is addressed to regents and mayors in West Java.

Debrinata Rizky, Erlangga Djumena, Jakarta – Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Advisory Board Chairperson Hashim Djojohadikusumo has emphasised that the Indonesian government's stance is that it will not phase out or completely stop the use of fossil fuels, including coal.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The death toll from cyclonic rains-induced floods and landslides in the island of Sumatra has climbed to at least 753, according to the latest available data by Indonesian disaster authorities as of Wednesday morning.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – The government has appealed to the private sector to create more jobs and relax requirements for entry-level positions as the labor market grapples with an annual influx of approximately 1.5 million new graduates.

Rebecca Ratcliffe – The number of people killed by floods and landslides on Indonesia's Sumatra island rose to 753 on Tuesday, the disaster agency said, with 504 people missing.

The toll was a sharp increase from the 604 dead reported by the agency on Monday.

Harso Kurniawan, Jakarta – A consortium of Indonesian, German and US companies on Tuesday announced a $26.7 billion investment commitment to develop semiconductor, silica sand and advanced glass manufacturing industries on Galang Island in Batam, Riau Islands.

Jakarta – This is what happens when a mass organization accepts a coal mining concession. Instead of focusing on social and religious activities for the benefit of its members, senior Nahdlatul Ulama figures are caught in an internal conflict over the management of natural resources.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The spokesperson for 212 Reunion rally, Aziz Yanuar, stated that the grand reunion to be held at Monas Field, Central Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon, December 2, 2025, will begin with a collective dhikr and a Salat al-Ghaib, or Absentee funeral prayer, for the victims of Sumatra floods.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia will require $757.6 billion in climate financing by 2035 to meet its climate-action commitments under the Enhanced and Secondary Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), highlighting a major funding gap as current climate spending accounts for only 3 percent of the state budget, the government said on Tuesday.

Martin Bagya Kertiyasa, Jakarta – The government has allocated Rp 2,567.9 trillion ($154.49 billion) for eight national priority programs in 2026, Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Tuesday. The allocation is part of the 2026 State Budget, which totals Rp 3,842 trillion.

Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – Indonesia currently has 25 special economic zones (SEZs) across multiple provinces, but their combined land area remains far smaller than Malaysia's, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Think-tank Celios revealed that Indonesia could lose Rp 68.67 trillion or approximately $4.1 billion from the cyclone-induced floods and landslides hitting Sumatra.

The estimates encompassed the economic losses on a national scale and took into account the available data as of Nov. 30.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has announced compensation and long-term housing plans for victims of the recent floods and landslides across Sumatra.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Kapuas Hulu, Indonesia – A palm oil company is rapidly clearing rainforest inside a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that's home to orangutans and sun bears, adding to concerns over Indonesia's efforts to curb deforestation.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Indonesian Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf dismissed reports of looting in the Bulog warehouses in Central Tapanuli Regency and Sibolga City, North Sumatra. He said the rice was intentionally distributed to the flood and landslide-hit residents.

Maria Baru, Sorong – Hundreds of Papuans from various organisations held a peaceful action to commemorate the Political Manifesto Day for Papuan independence in Sorong City, Southwest Papua, on Monday December 1.

Maretha Uli, Jakarta – Life dramatically changed for Nining Ivana when she tested positive for HIV during a medical checkup for a job 21 years ago. She was 20 when she lost her job and had to face an illness she barely understood.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – Researcher from the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), Rani Septyarini, highlights the harmful impact of trawling on capture fisheries. "In 1960, capture fisheries production growth reached 21.67 percent, but it plunged to 2.41 percent in 2022," said Rani, in a written statement on Tuesday, December 2, 2025.

Made Supriatma – Indonesia's new Criminal Procedure Code might make it harder for justice to be done.

Dayat, Padang, W – Sumatra. The recent floods and landslides across Sumatra have claimed at least 604 lives, with 464 people still missing and more than 570,000 displaced, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has not yet declared the flash floods and landslides on Sumatra Island as a national disaster.

Tamaam Alfarizqi and Alfath Asmunda, Tapanuli, North Sumatra/Banda Aceh – In North Sumatra, Rosmina wades into her home through soupy grey-brown mud that reaches her knees, searching for belongings she can extract after deadly flooding submerged her village.

Responding to the devastating impact of Cyclone Senyar, which has claimed at least 604 lives due to floods and landslides on Sumatra Island in Indonesia, Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director Usman Hamid said:

Ni Made Tasyarani, Jakarta – Indonesia extended its trade surplus in October despite a slowdown in exports amid declining oil and gas shipments.

Marian Faa and Stephen Dziedzic – The first meeting of defence ministers – featuring Australia's Richard Marles and his Indonesian and PNG counterparts – will be held tomorrow morning in Port Moresby.

Johnny Johan Sompotan, Jakarta – Flash floods and landslides that battered the island of Sumatra over the past week have wiped out four villages in Aceh, Governor Muzakir Manaf said on Sunday.

In a video posted on social media, Muzakir broke down in tears as he spoke about the scale of the disaster in his province.

Giovanni Torre – The flag of West Papua was raised around the world on Monday for West Papuan National Flag Day, including at Leichhardt Town Hall in Sydney.

In 1961 the Morning Star flag, representing the West Papuan nation, officially flew for the first time – in what was then the Dutch colony of Netherlands New Guinea.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – Recent floods and landslides that swept through northern parts of Sumatra were not solely triggered by climate factors or extreme weather, said an Atmospheric physics professor at Andalas University in Padang, West Sumatra.

Environmental degradation

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said it had warned local governments well in advance about the formation of Tropical Cyclone Senyar, which triggered catastrophic flooding across Sumatra last week.

Vinnilya Huanggrio, Jakarta – The deadly flash floods that struck multiple regions across Sumatra have been made significantly more destructive by years of large-scale deforestation, which triggered landslides and washed heavy debris into residential areas – a pattern not seen in recent floods in Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, according to an environmental expert.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Three Indonesian provinces in the region of Sumatra have not fully recovered after being hit by flash floods and landslides over the past week. The three affected areas are Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. The number of casualties due to this disaster continues to rise.

Kurniawan Arif Maspul – A pregnant woman's preventable death after being refused treatment exposes the deadly gap between health coverage and real access to care in Indonesia's most marginalised regions.

Aida Ulim, Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) commemorated the 64th anniversary of the West Papuan independence Political Manifesto on December 1, by reflecting on what the KNPB has done and what it will do in the future.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has signaled that he does not plan on declaring the disastrous Sumatra flooding a national emergency for now, despite its soaring death toll.

Antara, Jakarta – The massive floods and landslides that struck three Indonesian provinces, namely Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra, have caused extraordinary impacts, casualties, infrastructure damage, property losses, and have paralyzed the economy and social life of the community.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia reported Monday that its October trade surplus reached $2.39 billion, but this was only nearly half of what the country had registered in September despite a 66-month streak.

The surplus had amounted to $4.34 billion in September.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – The Chair of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), Jusuf Kalla, predicts that the cost of post-flood recovery in the Sumatra region will exceed Rp60 billion. He calculates that the funds are needed to provide for the basic needs of the affected communities for the next year.

Jakarta – The North Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) believes the flash floods that have hit several areas recently were not solely the result of extreme weather.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian acknowledges that the government is not yet ready to deal with large-scale disasters such as the Sumatra flood that occurred in the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Yuliot Tanjung has responded to growing public scrutiny over the role of extractive industries in worsening climate-driven disasters in Indonesia, after flash floods and landslides swept across northern Sumatra last week.

Arso Gombo, and Mirius Wenda – We are the West Papua Campaign USA, a nonprofit organization established in 2021 with the support of the Pacific Island Community Association of Washington State (PICA-WA).

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Anis Firmansah, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has opened the door to investigating whether extensive illegal logging contributed to the deadly floods and landslides that have devastated parts of Sumatra over the past week, as the death toll surged to 442.

Jakarta – Amid the doom and gloom characterizing recent global events, rare, positive, albeit pungent, news has bloomed from a forest in West Sumatra. A Rafflesia hasseltii, a parasitic flower from the same genus as the world-renowned Rafflesia arnoldii, was recently rediscovered in a community forest in Sijunjung regency.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded a 0.17 percent (month-to-month) inflation in November 2025. Meanwhile, the year-on-year and year-to-date inflation are recorded at 2.72 percent and 2.27 percent, respectively.

Nathanael Sumaktoyo – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto surprised many on 11 June 2025 when he mentioned in a speech at the Indo Defence Expo & Forum that according to a study purportedly published a few weeks earlier, "the Netherlands took resources from Indonesia valued at US$31 trillion in today's terms during their colonisation of our country".

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Indonesian manufacturing sector has recorded an expanded Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) in November 2025 at the level of 53.3, according to the Standard & Poor's Global Ratings (S&P). The manufacturing PMI last month improved compared to October, with 51.2, marking the highest standing since February 2025 at 53.6.

Muawwan Daelami, Jakarta – Fast Food Indonesia said the financial strain stemming from last year's boycott of KFC products continues to fade, with the company reporting significantly smaller losses through the third quarter of 2025.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – Erma Yulihastin, a climate and atmosphere researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), predicted that the rainy season in Java will be affected by the emergence of the Borneo Vortex in the South China Sea region.