Latest Indonesia News &amp; Current Events in English

Burning Kalimantan forests put orangutans at risk

Fires not only directly affect Bornean orangutans by destroying their habitats, but also potentially put the primates at risk of respiratory health issues and disrupting their reproduction, which may push them further to ward extinction, according to conservationists.

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Skepticism persists even as court decriminalizes insulting government

The Constitutional Court’s decision to scrap criminal penalties for insulting the government and state institutions has been applauded by activists, though they caution that the ruling alone remains insufficient to deter rising intimidation and criminalization against critics.

9 hours ago

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Residents wear masks as they cross Siak IV Bridge, shrouded in haze on Aug. 24 in Pekanbaru, Riau. The Riau provincial administration has urged residents to reduce outdoor activities and wear protective masks while outdoors as air quality in Pekanbaru deteriorates due to smoke from forest and land fires.

Riau’s acute respiratory cases increase by 1,960 a week

Acute respiratory infection cases spread in 10 out of 12 cities and regencies in the province with seven regions implementing online learning to prevent haze exposure.

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Opening stage: A participant takes a photo in front of a banner for the 35th Nahdlatul Ulama National Congress (Muktamar NU) on Aug. 27 after the five-day conference opened at Untung Suropati Field in the sprawling complex of Pondok Pesantren Bahrul Ulum Tambakberas, an Islamic boarding school in Jombang regency, East Java.

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NU hands clerics greater power in historic change to leadership election

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has decided to elect its next chairman indirectly through a council of senior clerics, abandoning the one-member-one-vote system as disagreements persisted ahead of the planned election of chairman of the country’s largest Muslim organization on Sunday night.

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Officials from various agencies look on as two men install a poster warning residents and tourists not to approach Mount Sinabung on Aug. 29 in Karo regency, North Sumatra. The Mount Sinabung Monitoring Post has increased the volcano's status to Level II Waspada (advisory) following increased volcanic activities.

N. Sumatra tourism sites closed as Mt. Sinabung volcanic activity increases

The closure started from Aug. 19 for an indefinite time based on a recommendation from the Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center’s (PVMBG) Mount Sinabung monitoring command post.

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Opening stage: A participant takes a photo in front of a banner for the 35th Nahdlatul Ulama National Congress (Muktamar NU) on Thursday, after the five-day conference opened at Untung Suropati Field in the sprawling complex of Pondok Pesantren Bahrul Ulum Tambakberas, an Islamic boarding school in Jombang regency, East Java

NU event shows religious tolerance, boosts local economy

Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second largest Islamic organization, provides food, beverages and health posts while three churches provide shelters for participants.

17 hours ago

This undated handout photograph taken by the Orangutan Information Centre and released on June 10, 2026 shows the Tapanuli orangutans over a tree in the Batang Toru forest in Indonesia's North Sumatra. Climate change-fueled landslides wiped out nearly one in 10 remaining members of the world's rarest great ape species on Sumatra island, scientists said on June 10.

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As forests fragment, arboreal bridges offer orangutans a lifeline

Habitat fragmentation limits orangutan movement between populations, potentially reducing genetic exchange and raising the risk of inbreeding, with implications for the species’ long-term survival.

1 day ago

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Police officers and protesters face each other during a demonstration urging lawmakers to immediately pass an asset forfeiture bill for corrupt officials outside the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta on Aug. 27, 2026.

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Jakarta deadly unrest prompts calls to probe alleged mobilizers

Participants of the 35th Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) national congress (Muktamar) interrupt the first plenary session of the event on Friday at the Tambakberas 'pesantren' Islamic boarding school in Jombang, East Java. The plenary session was suspended because of a wave of interruptions from attending participants.

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NU leadership race tests strength to distance itself from Jakarta

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Post-protest unrest disrupts Jakarta commute

Friday morning saw the remnants of unrest following Thursday’s protest at the Senayan Legislative Complex, which spread into nearby Pejompongan and Slipi, where residents mounted a defense against unidentified groups via makeshift roadblocks.

3 days ago

President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech on Aug. 27 during the opening ceremony of Nahdlatul Ulama’s 35th congress in Jombang, East Java.

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Prabowo highlights NU’s role in maintaining national stability

Projo cofounder and chairman Budi Arie Setiadi (center) speaks on July 6, 2023, during a meeting at the South Jakarta headquarters of the organization, known as the largest group of supporters of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

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Jokowi loyalist Budi Arie apologizes for 'early election' remarks

Protesters deliver speeches and put up posters and banners on a gate on Thursday during a demonstration urging lawmakers to immediately pass an asset forfeiture law for corruptors outside the Legislative complex in Jakarta.

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From Pati to Senayan, protesters take aim at corruption

Residents and online motorcycle taxi drivers arrange boxes of bottled water donated by members of the public for participants of the United Pati People’s Alliance (AMPB) rally outside the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta on Aug. 26, 2026.

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Protesters swarm House to demand asset forfeiture, end to graft

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Jakarta commuters unhappy with proposed parking fee hike

Feeling the heat: The main play structure at Embung Jagakarsa open green space in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta stands tall under direct sunlight with no shade above and around it, as seen on Aug. 10, 2026.

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Too hot for Jakarta kids to play outside

Visitors look at the National Monument (Monas) against a backdrop of air pollution, from the balcony of the National Library on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan on Sunday in Central Jakarta.

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Borderless pollution chokes Greater Jakarta as policy gaps persist

Students stage a protest in the city center on Aug. 18, a day after the 81st Independence Day in Jakarta, demanding the government eradicate corruption, collusion and nepotism, end wasteful programs, and lower the prices of basic necessities and fuel.

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Jakarta police plan to limit protest sites draws backlash

Skyscrapers in Jakarta are shrouded in haze on July 20 in East Jakarta. Jakarta's Air Quality Index (AQI) averaged between 120 and 168 in mid-July 2026, placing the city's air quality in the unhealthy category.

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Rainless days exacerbate air pollution in Jakarta

This screengrab, with no time or location provided, shows the atmosphere during The Sounds Project music festival held Aug. 7-9, 2026, at Ecovention & Ecopark Ancol in North Jakarta, Indonesia.

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Quran challenge for alcohol draws outrage, police probe

Commuter train passengers wait for the wagons to stop during the morning rush hour on November 8, 2024, at Manggarai Station in Jakarta.

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Teen’s death on commuter train track stirs calls for transit safety

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N. Sumatra tourism sites closed as Mt. Sinabung volcanic activity increases

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NU event shows religious tolerance, boosts local economy

Two packets of white powder lay next to drugs wrapped in black plastic in this undated illustration.

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Malaysia nabbed for smuggling etomidate vapes to Medan

Illustration of a police tape sealing a crime scene.

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Australian man arrested for alleged public sex act in Bali

Imam Taufik, a coconut grower in Kuala Selat, Indragiri Hilir, Riau, points on July 26, 2023 to the land that used to be his coconut plantation. He has lost six plantations because of coastal erosion and seawater intrusion following mangrove deforestation.

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Illegal logging persists in Riau as wildfires sweep province

An antenna of the Starlink satellite-based broadband system donated by American tech billionaire Elon Musk transmits data on Sept. 25, 2022, in Izyum, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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Backlash after man jailed for reselling Starlink service on remote island

North Sumatra Vice Governor Surya (left) shakes hands with Belgian Ambassador to Indonesia David Jordens (center) next to assistant to North Sumatra Secretary for governance and people's welfare Basarin Yunus Tanjung, during a meeting in Medan on Aug. 24, 2026. Jordens said he planned to reactivate the Belgian honorary consul post in Medan, given the city's strategic position as one of Indonesia's international gateways and its status as the largest city on Sumatra.

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