Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – The Chairperson of the Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Society (MPBI), Avianto Amri, has provided an update on the conditions in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra after a month under the emergency response status for disaster mitigation.

Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has criticised the Attorney General's Office (AGO) for displaying a pile of cash valued at 6.6 trillion rupiah, the result of the saving of state finances.

ICW Legal and Investigation Division head Wana Alamsyah said this is not substantial and was just image building.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – The Finance Ministry plans to extend its tax holiday incentive into 2026 to sustain investment momentum, while adjusting the scheme to comply with global minimum tax rules.

Aep Sopandi, Bandung – The city of Bekasi has once again recorded the highest monthly minimum wage in Indonesia, with the figure set just short of Rp 6 million ($358.5) for 2026, according to an announcement made on Wednesday night.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has announced a 6.17% increase in the capital's provincial minimum wage (UMP) for 2026, raising it to Rp5,729,876 per month ($341.81) from Rp5,396,761 this year.

The increase, equivalent to about Rp330,000, was finalized following deliberations by the Jakarta Wage Council and was announced at City Hall on Wednesday.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Jakarta – The condition of several small islands in Indonesia's Riau Islands province that were damaged by mining has once again drawn public attention after images went viral on social media. The latest case involves Propos Island, located in Ngal Village, Ungar District, Karimun Regency.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has pledged Rp 2 trillion ($119.29 million) in export credit facilities through Indonesia Eximbank to support the furniture industry, responding to complaints over limited access to affordable funding.

Indah Handayani, Jakarta – State-owned fertilizer producer Pupuk Indonesia has begun construction of Indonesia's first ammonium nitrate-based NPK fertilizer plant in West Java, a project aimed at cutting imports and strengthening domestic fertilizer supply.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Susi Air airline is being sued for bankruptcy by its former employee regarding the fulfillment of severance pay. Fadila, a former employee, filed the lawsuit at the Central Jakarta Commercial Court on December 24, 2025.

Jakarta – Those who are in power find it all too easy to conclude that the natural disasters striking the country are caused solely by extreme natural phenomena. The disaster in Sumatra, for instance, has been narrowed down in explanation as merely the impact of Tropical Cyclone Senyar. This perspective is dangerous because it turns a blind eye to the true cause of the problem.

Andrew Tito, Jakarta – The Jakarta provincial government has officially launched a large-scale flood control initiative worth Rp2.62 trillion ($156.25 million), aiming to strengthen the capital's resilience against chronic flooding and coastal inundation.

Jakarta – Former ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) employee Laras Faizati Khairunnisa, who is facing a one-year prison sentence for allegedly inciting the August protests, insists she has not committed a crime.

News Desk, Jakarta – The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has come under criticism for continuing its free nutritious meal program during the school holiday period with critics urging the government to suspend the program temporarily and reallocate its budget to assist disaster evacuees in Sumatra.

Nur Janti, Jakarta – On a humid afternoon in Bekasi, West Java, two chefs from distant corners of Oceania, Kia Kanuta of New Zealand and Charles Toto of Papua, worked side by side, using kindred techniques that turned the ground beneath their feet into a living stove.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office transferred Rp 6.6 trillion ($390 million) to the state from fines imposed on palm oil and nickel companies for forestry violations, in a ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – The Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) has rejected the 2026 Jakarta Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) of Rp5.73 million, arguing that it falls short of meeting the basic living needs of the city's workers.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – Indonesia is preparing to seal a trade agreement with the United States by the end of January after the two sides reportedly resolved all substantial issues in negotiations earlier seen at risk of stalling.

Iil Askar Mondza, Jakarta – Heavy rain has once again fallen in Pidie Jaya Regency, Aceh, on Wednesday, December 24, 2025. As a result, several villages are once again inundated by water from the Meureudu River. In some locations, the river has flooded the villages.

On Tuesday December 23, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) management launched its Year-End Report (CATAHU), which based on a snapshot of case handling by 16 Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) regional offices and two LBH projects in 18 provinces.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency's (BPOM) appointment as a WHO Listed Authority (WLA) places Indonesia among the few global regulators of medicines and food. This status not only signifies international recognition but also has a direct impact on the national healthcare system and the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

Fachri Hamzah, Jakarta – The recovery from flash floods in West Sumatra requires a comprehensive approach. This includes everything from accurate data collection to strict law enforcement in spatial planning.

Jakarta – Indonesia said Wednesday that it had reported controversial adult star Bonnie Blue to UK authorities over her flag controversy.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa responded to the 79,000 job terminations in 2025. According to Purbaya, the high number of job terminations indicates an economic slowdown.

Hanaa Septiana, Jakarta – The East Java Provincial Government has set the 2026 Minimum Wage (UMP) at Rp2,446,880. This figure was finalized through Governor's Decree Number 100.3.3.1/934/013/2025 on Tuesday evening, December 23, 2025.

The new rate represents an increase from the previous year's wage of Rp2,305,985. In total, the 2026 East Java UMP rose by Rp140,895.

Jihan Ristiyanti, Jakarta – The prosecutor charges former Chief Executive Officer of PT Sri Rejeki Isman (Sritex), Iwan Setiawan, and former Deputy Chief Executive Officer Iwan Kurniawan Lukminto with engineering and manipulating the company's financial conditions.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) reported the latest data on poisoning cases linked to the free nutritious meals (MBG) distribution throughout Indonesia. As of December 23, 2025, National Coordinator of JPPI Ubaid Matraji said over 20,000 cases of food poisoning have been recorded.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Academics from various universities in Indonesia will be involved in conducting environmental audits on at least a hundred corporations after the flood in Sumatra. The government stated that experts will evaluate the impact of these corporations' operations on the hydrometeorological disasters that occurred at the end of November.

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Jakarta – Indonesia's Central Java province has set its provincial minimum wage (UMP) for 2026 at Rp2,327,386, or about Rp2.33 million, marking a 7.28 percent increase from the 2025 level.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – The Minister of Environment, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, stated that his agency is currently auditing the compliance of more than 100 companies in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra with environmental aspects.

Zurich, Switzerland – A court in Switzerland said on Monday it would admit a legal complaint against Swiss cement maker Holcim which alleges the company is doing too little to cut carbon emissions and hence contributing to global warming.

We unequivocally condemn the dangerous escalation of imperialist aggression by the US and its allies against the sovereign Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Defara Dhanya, Jakarta – It turns out there is a scientific reason behind the prolonged rainfall in most regions of Indonesia throughout 2025.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has said that students who post complaints about the free nutritious meal program, known as Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG), on social media are showing a lack of gratitude.

Purwanto Setiadi – Except during periods of acute crisis – most notably when the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world – Indonesia has appeared to be doing well. The economy has grown steadily at around 5 percent, major infrastructure projects have moved forward, mineral downstreaming has been accelerated, and fiscal conditions are routinely described as "safe."

Jakarta – After months of delays, the government has finally launched, after a fashion, the contentious volumes containing what politicians are calling the official historical narrative of the country.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – The Vice Chair of the Indonesian Electric Vehicle Industry Association, Prabowo Kartoleksono, criticizes the investment policy of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) for burdening foreign investors in building public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLU) in Indonesia.

Delfi Neski, Padang, W – Sumatra. The West Sumatra provincial government has ended its disaster emergency status and shifted to the post-disaster recovery phase after reviewing conditions on the ground.

Jakarta – Every time disaster strikes, the government acts as if it has only just woken from a slumber. Officials scramble in a daze, searching for someone to either save face or serve as a scapegoat.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – As extreme hydrometeorological events dominated the national headlines, 2025 became another deadly year in terms of disasters, disasters that revealed the country's inadequate mitigation efforts in the face of intensifying climate extremes and worsening environmental degradation.

Ary Hermawan – 2025 has been a tough year for Indonesians. Many people in Sumatra are still grappling with the aftermath of one of the island's worst flood disasters. The environmental crisis, which many said was man-made, caught both local and central governments off guard.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The National Nutrition Body (BGN) denies claims that the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program runs during school holidays just to spend the state budget. Deputy Head of BGN for Communication and Investigation, Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, stated that the program actually achieved significant savings.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – A number of civil society organizations contend that the draft of the Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Bill (RUU KKS) poses a significant risk to human rights and civil liberties. This criticism follows the finalization of the draft, which is slated for submission to the legislature as a national legislative priority in 2026.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) has criticized Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (BGN) for continuing its free nutritious meal program (MBG) during school holidays and the Christmas and New Year period.

Olivia Rianjani, Yogyakarta – The Gajah Mada University (UGM) traffic circle in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta was not just filled with passing vehicles yesterday.

Shinta Maharani, Jakarta – A group of women from the Suara Ibu Yogyakarta movement is preparing to hold a demonstration to protest the Indonesian government's delay in declaring a national disaster status due to flooding in several districts and cities in Sumatra.

Hannah Beech and Muktita Suhartono – When the hotels and beach clubs were built to lure tourists to this beautiful, haunted isle, the bones emerged, white and smooth.

Surabaya – A "Reset Indonesia" book discussion and review that was to be held in Madiun, East Java, was closed down by the authorities on Saturday night December 20. The organisers said that the closure occurred despite having previously notified police of the event.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has confirmed that a surge of wet hydrometeorological disasters swept across Indonesia this past weekend. As of Sunday morning, December 21, 2025, the agency had recorded flooding and extreme weather events spanning five major provinces: South Kalimantan, Lampung, West Java, Central Java, and East Java.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) says it is continuing its investigation into the killing of prominent human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, more than two decades after his death. The renewed probe has been underway since early 2023.

Denpasar – The Bali Regional Police (Polda) have revealed that three of the four activists arrested in Bali last week have been released. Meanwhile, one activist has been transferred to the National Police Headquarters (Mabes Polri) in Jakarta.