Agencies, Jakarta – The death toll from devastating floods and landslides in Southeast Asia climbed past 400 on Saturday as clean-up and search-and-rescue operations got underway in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

Heavy monsoon rain overwhelmed swaths of the three countries this week and left thousands stranded, many on rooftops awaiting rescue.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has promised to double the budget for school rehabilitation in 2026 after acknowledging that the government had only been able to improve around 16,000 schools this year.

Ranny Supusepa, Asrul Rizal – The North Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) says that the ecological disaster in the form of flooding and landslides that occurred in Batang Toru in the regencies of South Tapanuli (Tapsel), Central Tapanuli (Tapteng) and North Tapanuli (Taput), were allegedly caused by seven companies.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto claims that the government has shown tangible results in the first year of his leadership. According to Prabowo, the government has achieved commendable feats.

Dhaka – The 50th anniversary of Timor-Leste's Proclamation of Independence has been celebrated in Dhaka highlighting the significance of the milestone and underscoring prospects for expanded bilateral cooperation following Timor-Leste's recent accession to ASEAN as its 11th member.

Antara, Jakarta – Massive floods and landslides across western Indonesia have killed more than 100 people, displaced tens of thousands, crippled fuel supply lines, and exposed possible environmental damage upstream, authorities said on Saturday, as rescue teams struggled to reach isolated communities cut off by collapsed roads and overflowing rivers.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf has declared a state of emergency due to floods and landslides in several regions of Aceh Province over the past week.

Antara, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo has disclosed the direction of the monetary policy in 2026: to maintain a balance between stability and growth, or pro-stability and pro-growth. This policy direction is chosen amidst the ongoing global uncertainty.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The floods and landslides wreaking havoc in Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra are evidence that relying on forest-damaging extractive energy may not be the best solution for Indonesia, according to the Indonesian Institute Center for Public Policy Research (TII).

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The Chair of the House Commission VIII (DPR), Marwan Dasopang, suspects that the recent flooding in several areas of North Sumatra, especially in South Tapanuli (Tapsel) and Central Tapanuli (Tapteng), was caused by deforestation.

Maria Gabrielle, Jakarta – Concerns over coastal defenses in Jakarta have intensified after a video showing seawater seeping through a seawall in Pantai Mutiara, North Jakarta, went viral on social media this week.

Flash floods and landslides on Indonesia's Sumatra island have killed 69 people, with 59 missing as emergency workers search in rivers and the rubble of villages for bodies and possible survivors.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto on Friday offered condolences to victims of the devastating floods and landslides that have struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, as the confirmed death toll reached 72 and is expected to rise.

Yohannes Tohap, Jakarta – Online videos showing massive flooding in South Tapanuli (Tapsel) and Central Tapanuli (Tapteng), North Sumatra, and logs being swept downstream has fueled public speculation that deforestation contributed to the deadly disaster.

Ali MC, East Timor – It is a quiet afternoon in Lospalos. Just the clucking of chickens, the grunt of a pig and in the distance, a transistor radio playing Portuguese reggaeton; a typical small-town soundtrack in this country of 1.4 million people situated in the Timor Sea between Indonesia and Australia's northern territories.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto attended the National Teacher's Day commemoration event at the Indonesia Arena, Gelora Bung Karno area, Central Jakarta, on Friday, November 28, 2025.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – Indonesia's upstream textile industry is experiencing a steep downturn, with the Association of Indonesian Fiber and Filament Yarn Producers (APSyFI) reporting the closure of five factories this year alone.

Anna O'Connor – Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has doubled down on processing liquified natural gas (LNG) from the Greater Sunrise field in the country ahead of a new agreement with the Australian operator, reports the Portuguese news agency Lusa.

Felix Martua, Jakarta – Puput Setia Susanti, the senior program officer in the Cultural Division at The Japan Foundation Jakarta, recalled an interesting moment from the third-day screening of Cells at Work! at the Japanese Film Festival (JFF) Indonesia 2025 during a virtual interview on Nov. 18.

Keith Anthony Fabro – In the cool highlands of Indonesia's Flores Island, where mist settles over rice fields and coffee gardens, the Manggarai people have cultivated a close relationship with the forest. Their land is known as the rice granary of East Nusa Tenggara province, but it also produces cacao, vanilla and other crops that sustain families and the wider region.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Head of the Advocacy Department of the Association of Education and Teachers (P2G) Iman Zanatul Haeri has warned that Indonesia's government-backed nutrition education module, part of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, could disrupt school curricula and place additional burdens on teachers.

Mastin Annisa and Jeremy J Kingsley – The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Rail (KCJB), known as Whoosh, is Southeast Asia's first-ever bullet train.

Antara, Jakarta – Former President Joko Widodo or Jokowi denied allegations that he inaugurated the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) Airport in Morowali, Central Sulawesi.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Hopes for a policy reversal on imported second-hand clothing have been shut down after Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa firmly rejected a proposal to legalize thrifting.

Responding to the arbitrary arrest of two activists in Semarang, Adetya Pramandira and Fathul Munif, Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director Usman Hamid said:

Rizal Harahap and Theresia Sufa, Pekanbaru – Amid relentless deforestation and rising human – elephant conflict, two more Sumatran elephant calves have died in Aceh and Riau, deepening concerns for the future of the critically endangered species.

Agnes Valentina Christa, Tangerang – East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa said on Friday that the province has already achieved full food self-sufficiency and now holds one of the strongest food stock positions in Indonesia.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – Deputy Director of PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk, Thomas Sugiarto Oentoro, said that the injection of Rp23.6 trillion in capital from Investment Management Agency Danantara automatically reduces the amount of publicly owned shares in the company.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Aceh Barat Regency recorded that a total of 3,866 people from 2,652 households have been affected by the flood for three days since November 25, 2025. The water, reaching a height of 1.5 meters, submerged at least seven sub-districts in the regency.

Sahat Simatupang, Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) in North Sumatra has accused seven companies of playing a significant role in the flash floods and landslides that have struck the North Sumatra's Tapanuli region.

Jakarta – Flooding and landslides across Sumatra have killed at least 84 people this week and dozens more are missing, rescue officials said Friday.

Indonesia, along with neighbouring Malaysia and Thailand have been hit by severe rains that have caused dozens of deaths across the region in recent days.

Iwan Arifianto, Semarang – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) is urging the police to release two activists from Semarang, Adetya Pramandira alias Dera and Fathul Munif, who were arrested by police on Thursday morning November 27.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said he views strict teachers as playing a constructive role in shaping student character, emphasizing that firm discipline is often directed at misbehaving students.

As Indonesia marked its 80th birthday with much fanfare, pomp and ceremony, it has been clear that the country sits at an uncomfortable crossroads, with underlying challenges further buffeting Prabowo's year in office. Mass protests exploded across the country, calling out the hypocrisy of the political elite, the worsening economic situation and then security force violence.

Jakarta – Last year, the policy of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, ending the ban on the lobster larvae export, was criticized due to the significant risk of leaks and a weak oversight system.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto claimed that the allocation for the education budget receives the largest portion in the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN).

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has pledged sweeping reforms at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, warning that the agency could be frozen and replaced by Swiss inspection company Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS) if performance does not improve.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Sovereign wealth fund Danantara aims to merge Indonesia's state-run construction engineering firms by the first quarter of 2026, according to a senior official who admitted that the plan could not take place within this year due to financial troubles.

Alfi Dinilhaq, Jakarta – Private fuel retailers in Indonesia have begun restoring gasoline sales after months of shortages triggered by supply disruptions and limited access to base fuel, marking the first signs of recovery since the crisis emerged in mid-August.

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.

Jayapura – Amnesty International Indonesia is calling for a thorough investigation into a fatal drone attack in Dekai city, the capital of Yahukimo regency, in the Papua Highlands.

Amnesty International Indonesia's Executive Director Usman Hamid said that they condemn the attack on Tuesday evening November 25, which killed one civilian and injured one other person.

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.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – Despite President Prabowo Subianto's bold pledge to shift Indonesia entirely to renewable energy, a proposal to grant state utility company PLN greater leeway to build new coal-fired power plants, beyond what is currently allowed under a presidential regulation, threatens to undercut that ambition.

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.

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.

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.

Antara, Jakarta – The House of Representatives has removed four major bills from its 2026 priority legislative program, including several high-profile initiatives such as sovereign wealth fund Danantara and its related Patriot Bond framework.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – Deputy President Director of PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk (GIAA) Thomas Sugiarto Oentoro said dozens of the carrier's aircraft remain grounded, both from Citilink and Garuda.

"There are approximately 34 aircraft that are still grounded," he said during a virtual public presentation on Thursday, November 27, 2025.

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.

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.