Cut Mery, Antara, Jakarta – Cyclone Senyar, an unusual weather phenomenon for the Malacca Strait, has unleashed a series of deadly disasters across Sumatra, as Indonesia's meteorological agency warns that shifting climate patterns are making rare tropical systems more likely to form near the archipelago.

Jakarta – The death of a 13-year-old junior high school student in South Tangerang, Banten, last week marks yet another bleak moment for Indonesia's education system.

Jakarta – Indonesian Centre for Environmental Law (ICEL) Executive Director Raynaldo G. Sembiring is urging the National Police (Polri) to establish a National Police Regulation (Perkap) on the protection of environmental activists.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The government plans to form 150 new battalions each year starting in 2026 to guard vital state assets, such as oil refineries, as part of an ambitious expansion of the Indonesian Military (TNI), a move that once again raises concerns about deeper military encroachment into civilian affairs.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Extreme weather has severely impacted the Tapanuli Tengah Regency in North Sumatra, triggering widespread floods and landslides over the past few days. Regent of Tapanuli Tengah, Masinton Pasaribu, confirmed that the precarious situation has resulted in the region losing both its electricity and internet connections.

Budiman, Jakarta – Musofa, a male Javan rhinoceros, died shortly after his historic relocation from its habitat to the Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area (JRSCA) in Ujung Kulon National Park, Pandeglang, Banten, park officials said on Thursday.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – Prolonged armed conflict in Papua has forced more than 100,000 indigenous people, most of them women and children, to flee their homes. The government's failure to provide adequate protection has also left many displaced families struggling to meet basic needs, prompting serious concerns from rights advocates.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – Palm oil edged higher on Wednesday after touching a near five-month low, with Malaysian futures climbing more than 1 percent to around 4,040 ringgit per tonne as bargain hunters returned to the market.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, commonly known as Zulhas, has reaffirmed that Indonesia will not allow rice imports throughout 2025. His statement follows the discovery of 250 tons of imported rice from Thailand entering the country without permission.

Kurniawan Arif Maspul – Indonesia's overhaul of its Criminal Procedure Code could modernise justice – or entrench a system where police power expands, judicial oversight shrinks and civic life becomes riskier. With the clock ticking towards implementation, the choices made now will shape Indonesia's democratic identity for decades.

Bambang Ismoyo, Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – The Manpower Ministry has yet to announce the 2026 provincial minimum wage (UMP) as the government is still finalizing a new regulation that will define the updated wage-setting formula.

Manpower Minister Yassierli said the UMP decision is still expected to be released before December 31, 2025.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Law and Human Rights has proposed a fundamental change to how minor criminal offenses are penalized, calling for prison sentences stipulated in regional regulations to be replaced with fines.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Army is enforcing security in Papua with a "smart approach" that combines proportionate force and community-focused programs, a senior official said Tuesday.

Colonel Donny Pramono, head of the Army Information Service, said the dual strategy has improved safety on the ground while helping stimulate the local economy and strengthen public welfare.

On 16 and 17 November 2025, Mrs Irene Sokoy, a pregnant indigenous Papuan woman living on one of the small islands in Lake Sentani, Jayapura Regency, Papua Province, died together with her unborn baby after being denied emergency care by four hospitals in Jayapura Regency and Jayapura City, Papua Province, in West Papua (see photo on top).

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has voiced full support for a government plan to deploy military personnel to secure state-owned oil refineries, calling the measure essential to safeguarding strategic national assets.

Rahmad Nur, Akmalal Hamdhi, Heru Andriyanto, Morowali, Central Sulawesi – A privately operated airport inside one of the world's largest nickel-processing hubs has ignited a national debate over sovereignty and regulatory oversight in Indonesia, after senior officials alleged the facility runs without full supervision from the central government.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has stated that the uncertainty surrounding the announcement of the regional minimum wage (UMP) for 2026 has led to manufacturing companies choosing to relocate their factories.

Jakarta – State-owned energy company Pertamina has welcomed the government's plan to deploy Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel to guard its oil refineries beginning in December, a move announced earlier by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia now expects its economy to expand between 5.4 and 5.6 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the fourth quarter of 2025, as the government seeks to take advantage of the upcoming holiday travel rush, a senior official said on Wednesday.

On 25 November 2025, at around 9.00 pm, residents on Gunung Street in Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan province, observed a military drone repeatedly circling above their neighbourhood. According to eyewitnesses, the drone flew several loops over the area and then hovered for a few minutes above a cluster of civilian houses.

Antara, Jakarta – Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister/National Land Agency Chief (ATR/BPN) Nusron Wahid has endorsed Bali's decision to halt the conversion of productive farmland for commercial development, warning that the island's protected agricultural zones have fallen far below national requirements.

Andrew Tito, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is auctioning a series of confiscated assets, including a factory in Bogor valued at Rp 60.6 billion ($3.6 million) and a house in Kupang owned by former House Speaker Setya Novanto, officials announced on Tuesday.

Jakarta – Muhammad Fikry had just finished his prayers when several officers seized him in Tambelang subdistrict, Bekasi Regency, West Java, in July 2021. Without saying a word, police dragged Fikry and his friends, who were hanging out near his father's kiosk, into a police car. "They came without an arrest warrant," Fikry recalled on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Government has officially rolled out the second batch of the National Internship Program, placing 62,128 recent university graduates in ministries, state-owned enterprises, and private companies nationwide.

Yulida Nuraini Santoso – Timor-Leste's accession to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) ended more than 12 years of waiting and inaugurated a new phase in the country's regional engagement.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Supreme Council of Nahdlatul Ulama (Syuriyah PBNU), the highest authority within the world's largest Muslim mass organization, has removed Yahya Cholil Staquf, widely known as Gus Yahya, from his position as PBNU Chair, effective Wednesday, November 26, 2025.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The construction of Jakarta's sea wall, known as the Giant Sea Wall, has been delayed due to budget and logistical constraints, officials confirmed.

The project, part of the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) initiative, aims to protect northern Jakarta from frequent flooding.

Zacharias Wuragil, Jakarta – Storms rarely make landfall in Aceh.

Rahel Narda Chaterine, Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – During a meeting with the Commission for the Acceleration of Police Reform at the Ministry of State Secretariat (Kemensetneg) offices in Jakarta on Wednesday November 26, Greenpeace Indonesia reported that many retired National Police (Polri) officers have become part of corporations.

Sahat Simatupang, Jakarta – Floods and landslides due to heavy rainfall in several regions of North Sumatra over the past few days have caused at least 65 natural disaster incidents. Data collected from the North Sumatra Regional Police shows that landslides occurred in 38 locations and floods in 24 locations in eight regencies/cities in North Sumatra.

The European Union appealed Monday a World Trade Organization ruling faulting it for mistakes in setting tariffs on Indonesia stainless steel products, according to a Geneva-based trade official.

With no functioning appeals body at the WTO, the move basically suspends indefinitely the ruling handed down by the organization's Dispute Settlement Body last month.

Wawan Kurniawan, Tangerang, Banten – Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has called on the provincial governments of Jakarta and West Java to immediately secure land for waste-to-energy facilities as the region struggles to manage its urban waste problem.

Leo Galuh, Pari Island, Indonesia – Under the scorching midday sun, Asmania and several women from Indonesia's Pari Island walk toward Rengge Beach, a shoreline slowly receding from the rising sea, to plant dozens of young mangrove seedlings.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesia's Jakarta provincial government has officially banned the sale and consumption of meat from animals that can transmit rabies, including dogs and cats, in the capital city.

Eka Jaya Saputra, Bekasi – A massive fire broke out at the TAK Textiles Indonesia factory on Jalan Hajar Mekar in North Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, West Java, early Tuesday while a work shift was still underway.

All employees were safely evacuated, but the blaze caused extensive damage to the facility.

Mouzinho Lopes de Araujo – The world has lost a giant with the passing of Australian media legend Bob Howarth. He was 81.

He was a passionate advocate for journalism who changed many lives with his extraordinary kindness and generosity coupled with wisdom, experience and an uncanny ability to make things happen.

Ivo Mateus Goncalves Da Cruz Fernandes – Forms of solidarity have persisted between Indonesians and East Timorese after the restoration of Timor-Leste's independence in May 2002. This solidarity is underpinned by shared historical experiences of New Order authoritarian rule and a commitment to dismantling colonialism.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Director General of Customs and Excise of the Indonesian Ministry of Finance, Djaka Budi Utama, stated that the Tobacco Excise Policy (CHT) has not effectively reduced cigarette production. He conveyed this during a meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission XI on Monday, November 24, 2025.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Finance has collected Rp11.48 trillion from 104 tax delinquents as of November 19, 2025.

Director General of Taxes Bimo Wijayanto said the ministry will submit details of the outstanding debts, including how long each has been overdue, to the House of Representatives (DPR).

Shafiah Muhibat – Don't let the polite headlines fool you. When Timor-Leste was welcomed as the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the 47th Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the fanfare obscured one of the summit's most important actions.

Haula Noor and Windy Triana – As the Ministry of Religious Affairs promotes the concept of Pesantren Ramah Anak (Child-Friendly Islamic Boarding Schools), the controversy over a young preacher in rural East Java who was seen kissing and holding small girls during his onstage sermon casts a shadow over that initiative.

Dio Suhenda and Yerica Lai, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) is ramping up preparations for a planned deployment of its personnel to Gaza as it awaits an official order from President Prabowo Subianto on Indonesia's participation in the international stabilization force (ISF) for the war-torn enclave.

Jakarta – Bank Indonesia must mend the weaknesses in the BI-Fast national retail payment system infrastructure. Vulnerabilities in the fraud detection system have been exploited by hackers to breach banks, particularly small banks.

Riski Maulana, Cianjur, W. Java – Operations at Aurora Word in Cianjur, W. Java, were temporarily suspended on Monday after dozens of workers were affected by what witnesses described as a mass possession episode, causing panic among thousands of employees at the garment plant.

Amiadji Nur Kamil, Jakarta – Illegal imports constitute a significant challenge and concern for the domestic manufacturing sector. In recent years, the government has intensified enforcement against the illegal importation of second-hand clothing in response to the increasing circulation of such goods in the domestic market.

Antara, Jayapura, Papua – The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has called for calm and warned against any armed conflict or political mobilization ahead of the December 1 commemoration of the West Papua independence movement.

Defara Dhanya, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) is drafting a new rule that will require mobile phone users to verify their identity through facial recognition.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's government plans to increase allowances for honorary teachers and expand scholarship opportunities, reflecting efforts to improve teacher welfare and professional development across the country.

Effendi Rusli, Putu Ayu Pratama Sugiyo, Vinnilya Huanggrio, Jakarta – Calls are mounting for Indonesia to have an anti-bullying law as more children fall victim, and some of these kids have even died.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – Indonesia has endorsed the first global agreement that aims to protect land tenure rights for indigenous communities living in tropical forests around the world, a move met by skepticism from environmentalists due to the lack of policies, and persistence of land grabs in the country.