Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Addin Anugrah Siwi, South Tapanuli, North Sumatra – President Prabowo Subianto spent New Year's Eve in South Tapanuli Regency, one of the areas hardest hit by floods and landslides in Sumatra, choosing to welcome the year alongside affected residents, officials said on Wednesday.

Suherdjoko, Rizal Harahap, Semarang/Pekanbaru – Several regions across the country have decided to scrap their planned New Year's Eve celebrations, opting instead for more subdued events in a show of solidarity with millions of people affected by recent catastrophic flooding and landslides in Sumatra.

Antara, Denpasar – Bali Governor Wayan Koster said the cancellation of New Year's Eve fireworks will not deter tourists, citing rising visitor arrivals even as the island scales back celebrations in solidarity with disaster-hit regions in Sumatra.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – As 2025 draws to a close, a troubling pattern of intimidation has emerged in Indonesia, targeting activists, influencers, artists, and journalists who have publicly voiced criticism over the government's response to a series of major national issues and crises.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator for External Affairs at Kontras, warns of a growing pattern to silence critics through terror under President Prabowo Subianto. This terror targets journalists, activists, and influencers. The methods range from verbal threats to the delivery of animal carcasses.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) seized 70,000 tons of illegal coal in Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan. Officials confiscated the coal during a three-day operation from December 28 to 30, 2025.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – From 24-hour city parks to libraries extending their evening hours, Jakarta closed the year with a series of public space initiatives. Yet these expansions remain concentrated around economic hubs, reinforcing the spatial inequality that has long shaped the capital.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported 13 more deaths from the Sumatra disasters. Abdul Muhari, Head of the BNPB Data and Information Center, said the total death toll from floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra reached 1,154 by Wednesday evening, December 31, 2025.

Intan Setiawanty, Jakarta – Indonesia experiences the most severe human rights setback in 2025, according to Amnesty International Indonesia. The human rights watchdog describes this year as a "national human rights catastrophe," as state policies sacrifice citizens' rights for economic agendas, including deforestation-based development.

Prisma Ardianto, Jambi – Indonesia on Wednesday marked a milestone in formalizing community-run oil production as state energy company Pertamina completed its first-ever purchase of crude produced from community-managed oil wells, or sumur rakyat, in Jambi.The inaugural transaction was officiated by Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Yuliot Tanjung, marking the on-the-grou

On 23 December 2025, forty-year-old Papuan civilian, Mr Agus Magayang, suffered fatal blast injuries after allegedly stepping on a victim-activated explosive device placed on a civilian path used for daily movement between gardens and homes in the Jalan Gunung area of Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan province.

Intan Setiawanty, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia reported that at least 5,538 people were arbitrarily arrested, subjected to violence, or exposed to tear gas in 2025 while exercising their right to express opinions in public, amid what the organization described as a growing repressive approach by the state toward public protests."Throughout this year alone, 5,538 people

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Indonesian Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo deemed the series of protests and unrest across the country in late August 2025 a major event for Indonesia, calling it "August Gray" that the nation successfully overcame.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – Labor unions on Monday staged a protest near the National Monument in Jakarta against the newly announced provincial minimum wage, warning that the demonstrations could escalate nationwide and continue throughout next year unless the decision is revised.

Jakarta – A chicken carcass was sent to the home of Greenpeace Indonesia Climate and Energy Campaign Manager Iqbal Damanik on Tuesday December 30. The carcass was found on the porch on Tuesday morning without any packaging.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Main Director of PT PLN (Persero) Darmawan Prasodjo said that the electricity recovery in three regencies in Aceh remains low. The mentioned areas are Central Aceh Regency, Bener Meriah Regency, and Gayo Lues Regency.

Jakarta – When the Constitutional Court ruled to ban active police officers from holding concurrent civilian positions and the police chief responded with a regulation allowing the practice to stand, rational observers called this act disrespectful of the rule of law.

Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – Indonesia aims to end diesel fuel imports by 2026 and achieve self-sufficiency as production ramps up at a major refinery upgrade project in Balikpapan, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Tuesday.

Adhyasta Dirgantara, Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – Adi Prayitno, a political observer from the Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University (UIN) in Jakarta, says there is an impression that the political elite are afraid of the ordinary people, which is why they are floating the idea of electing regional heads (Pilkada) through Regional Representative Councils (DPRD).

Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – Indonesia has met its national investment target for 2025, with total realized investment expected to reach Rp 1,905 trillion ($113.9 billion), Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani said on Tuesday.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The Campaign Manager for Climate and Energy at Greenpeace Indonesia, Iqbal Damanik, received terror threats from an unknown person on Tuesday morning, December 30, 2025. The environmental activist's house was sent a chicken carcass.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – The Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) expects Indonesia's economic growth to remain under pressure in 2026, hovering around 5%, amid mounting global and domestic headwinds.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Customs and Excise has dismissed 27 employees over the past two years for fraud and serious disciplinary violations, while disciplinary proceedings are underway against another 33 staff members, the agency said on Tuesday.

Antara, Jakarta – A senior immigration official recently revealed that the government had begun accepting applications for the Global Citizenship of Indonesia (GCI) program, which would grant an unlimited stay permit for former citizens.

Isabel Esterman, Jakarta – Indonesia closed 2025 facing an uncomfortable reality: climate disasters are escalating while policy direction has remained largely unchanged during President Prabowo Subianto's first year in office, with the country still heavily dependent on fossil fuels and extractive industries such as palm oil and mining.

Andrew Tito, Mita Amalia Hapsari, Jakarta – Jakarta authorities will close the capital's main thoroughfares, Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Thamrin, from 6 p.m. on Wednesday to accommodate New Year's Eve celebrations, the city government said.

Maretha Uli, Jakarta – Protections for indigenous people's rights in Indonesia have seen little progress throughout 2025, with legislation in favor of local communities stalled and repression persisting despite promises made by the government on the global stage.

Indonesia, West Papua – On 16 December 2025, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced plans to expand palm oil plantations across West Papua as part of a broader strategy to achieve energy self-sufficiency within five years.

Jakarta – Four defendants who are being tried in Jakarta on charges of allegedly inciting the August 2025 demonstrations plan to go on a hunger strike until the entire trial process concludes.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo on Tuesday acknowledged significant shortcomings in the force's performance throughout 2025 and issued a public apology, while urging citizens to continue providing feedback and oversight.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Said Iqbal, Labor Party President, claimed police obstructed the access for hundreds of workers to rally in front of the State Palace on Monday, December 29. The workers eventually decided to demonstrate near Horse Statue area in Central Jakarta.

Antara, Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Bali Governor I Wayan Koster recently attributed the decline in the year-end domestic travelers to a shortage of planes.

Koster said that some planes had to undergo their regular maintenance work, thereby prompting Indonesian airlines to operate at a smaller capacity during the year-end holidays.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Those who criticized the way floods were handled in Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra reportedly faced various forms of digital repression. The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) mentioned that several activists and influencers who voiced criticism experienced doxing, hacking, and cyberattacks after revealing the post-disaster conditions.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Indonesia is considering easing restrictions on live cattle imports to secure domestic meat supplies, while moving to tighten controls on frozen beef imports to balance prices and support local value creation.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – The government has granted special sentence reductions to 16,078 prisoners, including juvenile inmates, during the Christmas season, a move officials said would help reduce state spending.

The remissions are expected to save the state Rp 9.47 billion (US$610,000) in prison-related costs, according to the Immigration and Corrections Ministry.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The death toll from floods and landslides that hit Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra at the tail-end of November continues to rise. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported 1,140 people have been killed as of Monday, December 29, an increase of two from the previous day's count.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – The Central Administrator of the Indonesian Association of Agricultural Economics, Khudori, considers the government's decision to halt sugar imports in 2026 to be potentially causing price fluctuations. "It's highly risky if there's no import," he said in a written statement on Sunday, December 28, 2025.

Ni Made Tasyarani, Jakarta – Indonesia's textile products will not be exempt from United States tariffs despite earlier talks seeking exemptions for several key commodities, according to Coordinating Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto, who also heads the team for negotiating a reciprocal tariff agreement with Washington.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – The Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Zulkifli Hasan, plans to set a single highest retail price (HET) for rice nationwide. "Later, rice can have the same price throughout Indonesia," he said in a limited coordination meeting in Jakarta on Monday, December 29, 2025.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – Indonesia's economic resilience is currently low, edging towards fragile, the Bright Institute reported. This is evident from the weak macroeconomic conditions, narrow-spaced fiscal policies, and a restricted monetary approach. The think tank also warns of sluggish economic growth for the next two years.

Sekadau, Indonesia – Children's laughter skimmed over water the color of mud as mothers wrung laundry over banks where the Sekadau joins the Kapuas, the longest river in Indonesia.

Candle Heiner Rogaga, Manado – A fire tore through a nursing home in Manado, North Sulawesi, late Sunday, killing 16 elderly residents, authorities said. The death toll represents half of the facility's occupants at the time of the incident.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – Research firm Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) estimates that the cost of restoring physical infrastructure across three disaster-hit provinces in Sumatra will exceed Rp 77 trillion ($4.6 billion), significantly higher than the government's current allocation.

Grace Gandhi, Jakarta – The exchange rate of the Indonesian rupiah against the U.S. dollar on Monday afternoon, December 29, 2025, closed weaker, down 43 points or about 0.26 percent to Rp16,788 per U.S. dollar.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia's electric vehicle penetration has surpassed that of the United States for the first time, marking a major milestone in the country's clean-energy transition, according to new research by Ember Energy.

Sui-Lee Wee – In a remote corner of the island of Borneo on a recent Monday, a runner breezed down the middle of a freshly paved six-lane road. There was no traffic. Nearby, a gigantic eagle-like bird, made of thousands of copper bars, was perched on a hill.

This is the heart of Nusantara, a new, green metropolis rising from scratch from a forest in Indonesia.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has transferred 1,882 high-risk inmates from prisons across the country to the maximum-security correctional complex on Nusakambangan Island, Central Java, by the end of 2025, officials said.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) will hold a protest to reject the determination of the 2026 provincial minimum wage (UMP). Thousands of workers will carry out the demonstration for two consecutive days on December 29 and 30, 2025, at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta.

Wahyu Wilopo, Indonesia – In 2004, Aceh was hardest hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami. In 2025, Indonesia's most disaster-aware province was among the worst hit by floods. The failure was not forecasting, but what happened – or didn't – after the alarms were raised.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – PT Pertamina Internasional EP (PIEP), a subsidiary of Pertamina Hulu Energi's upstream subholding, has shipped 1 million barrels of crude oil from Algeria to Indonesia, marking the first such delivery under its operations in the country.

The shipment departed from the Port of Arzew in Oran, Algeria, on December 24, 2025.