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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jakarta – There is another irony in this country. While President Prabowo Subianto is loudly calling for an "anti-foreign lackey" stance, businesses are busy importing waste from overseas: from used clothing from South Korea, to radioactive scrap iron from Chinese companies and, the latest example, electronic waste discarded in the United States.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has agreed to a proposal that the 2026 minimum wage will not be set as a specific, fixed figure but will instead be presented as a range.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 – 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.