Flood aftermath: A man takes pictures on December 13, 2025, as he stands on piles of uprooted trees swept away by a flash flood at Darul Mukhlisin Islamic boarding school in Aceh Tamiang, Aceh. Floods and landslides triggered by extreme weather linked to Cyclone Senyar struck three northern Sumatran provinces in late November 2025.`

Sumatra flood survivors still seek justice eight months after disaster

Eight months after the Sumatra disasters, many survivors still seek justice amid reports of delayed aid distribution and slow recovery progress, while the government refutes a citizen lawsuit accusing it of poorly handling one of the country’s worst ecological disasters in years.

55 minutes ago

Politics premium

Court ruling on free meals funding gets cautious welcome

Several plaintiffs and education observers critiqued the Constitutional Court for not ordering the government to immediately revise the 2026 and 2027 state budget, which is still in deliberation, to exclude allocations for the free meals program from the education budget.

1 hour ago

Politics premium

Major political parties unfazed by Kaesang’s bid for House seat

Major parties have largely brushed aside the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) chairman Kaesang Pangarep's decision to run for a legislative seat in the next race in 2029, a move that analysts say reflects the party’s serious push to break into the House of Representatives.

1 hour ago

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This photo taken on Feb. 11 shows native forest trees (left) and land cleared and prepared for industrial planting (right) in Lahei Mangkutup, Kapuas Regency in Central Kalimantan Province. Vast tracts of Indonesian rainforest home to endangered orangutans have been cleared for plantations supplying a maker of “carbon-neutral“ packaging, an investigation by AFP and The Gecko Project has found.

Politics premium

Battalion expansion raises deforestation fears

The government’s plan to clear over 900 hectares of forest land for military territorial development battalions has drawn criticism from environmentalists, who warn the move could accelerate deforestation and undermine the ecological functions of Indonesia’s forests.

2 hours ago

Food-poisoned plates: A student receives medical treatment on April 4 at a hospital in Jakarta, after a suspected case of food poisoning. The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has said it will cover all medical expenses for students affected after consuming food packages from the free nutritious meal program and will tighten supervision at Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) to prevent similar incidents.

Archipelago premium

Hundreds fall ill after consuming govt’s free meals despite BGN overhaul

Amid declining public confidence in the program, newly appointed BGN head Sudaryono has launched a sweeping governance overhaul, shutting nearly 900 kitchens out of 28,000 nationwide and dismissing hundreds of employees.

2 hours ago

This photo released by the Sukabumi administration on July 28 shows the aftermath of a fire in Kasepuhan Ciptamulya, an Indigenous customary village, in Sukabumi, West Java.

Society premium

Village fire underscores climate vulnerability of indigenous communities

Like many indigenous settlements across the archipelago, Kasepuhan Cipta Mulya is dominated by wooden buildings, valued for their naturally cool interiors and earthquake resilience but highly susceptible to fire. Combined with strong winds during the current dry season, the flames spread through the village within minutes.

13 hours ago

A police officer patrols the grounds of the Constitutional Court in Central Jakarta on Feb. 4, 2025.

Politics

BREAKING: Court orders free meals financing removed from education budget

The court held that the program does not qualify as an educational expense, and that using education budget funds violates the Constitution, which mandates that at least 20 percent of the national budget be allocated to education.

17 hours ago

A stork perches on a plastic bucket stranded on the lakebed as water levels drop in Jakarta on July 29, 2026, due to the impact of El Nino, which has brought a prolonged dry season and triggered extreme drought, threatening food security in various regions of Indonesia.

Society

Weather agency warns El Niño in Indonesia to last through early 2027

More than 5,000 hotspots were detected as of July 29, a sharp increase compared to previous El Niño years in 2015, 2019 and 2023, BMKG official Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan said in an online briefing. The provinces of West Kalimantan, South Papua and Riau recorded the most hotspots.

18 hours ago