With fatalities from the hydrometeorological disaster in Sumatra approaching 1,000 and numerous regions still struggling to receive aid, questions are growing over whether the government can manage the situation without international assistance.

Regent Mirwan said he had checked that all victims had been properly handled and ensured that all agencies were working properly before he performed umrah pilgrimage.

Fuel and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) supply is still limited and electricity has not fully recovered, with occasional blackouts continuing.

Riau Islands province has signaled it is ready to implement community service as an alternative punishment for criminal offenses carrying a maximum five years in prison or a fine of Rp 10 million when the new KUHP goes into effect on Jan. 2.

The regions hit by the floods and landslides in Aceh remain cut off from the government’s rescue efforts and aid delivery because of infrastructural damages, prompting fear of a rising death toll in one of the worst-hit provinces in the disaster.

The Indonesian Navy deployed at least 13 warships, five helicopters and an airplane to distribute relief for disaster victims in the northern part of Sumatra.

Drug smugglers Ali Tokman, 65, and Siegfried Mets, 74, have been languishing in jails for years after falling foul of the country's strict narcotics laws.

Aceh resident Munawar Liza Zainal said he felt "betrayed" by the government, which has so far shrugged off pressure to declare a national disaster. Declaring a national disaster would free up resources and help government agencies coordinate their response. 

Zoo spokesperson Sulhan Syafi'i said the remaining funds for animal feed will only last until Dec. 10, and so far the zoo has received no emergency assistance from either the Bandung administration or the central government.

Four species of the rare parasitic flower Rafflesia are blooming simultaneously in Bengkulu, a highly unusual phenomenon and a positive sign for the conservation of these iconic endemic plants.

Local and national police are continuing to search for at least 122 people still missing in the aftermath of the flooding and landslides that struck northern Sumatra on Nov. 26.

As fevers, typhoid and skin infections surge among survivors of last week’s deadly floods, authorities are stepping up medical outreach and disease-prevention efforts across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra to contain outbreaks and protect vulnerable communities.

In two recent operations, the Indonesian Navy has thwarted one smuggling attempt involving sports apparel worth around Rp 6.1 billion and another involving 133 reptiles from Papua.

Nearly 200,000 people died in Aceh alone after a 9.1-magnitude quake off the northern province triggered the catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004.

Joint authorities in Aceh are working around the clock to open alternative land routes and flying in fuel to support road repairs as several regions across the province are still cut-off and hindered from receiving aid.

Many evacuees have been forced to take shelter along the roadside, enduring scorching heat by day and cold temperatures at night due to a lack of temporary shelters. Residents are resorting to filtering water from puddles left by the flood to meet their basic drinking needs.

An analysis conducted at WIOEH’s Green Hospital Laboratory in South Korea detected 23 hazardous plastic-related chemicals in all samples, with the waste workers showing significantly higher concentrations than the control group.

Goods, including non-commercial ones, shipped from Batam have to pay high taxes to enter Indonesian customs area.

The Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister has dispatched around 40 tonnes of food and medical supplies to flood-ravaged Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, as the government pressed on with search and rescue missions for a disaster that has claimed nearly 800 lives.

She was one of the lucky ones on Wednesday, when soldiers in military fatigues oversaw the distribution of rice to flood survivors.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said tropical cyclone seeds could emerge across several regions in southern Indonesia between the second week of December and early January, which may dissipate or intensify into a full-fledged cyclone.

Sibolga city is among the regions worst affected by flash floods and landslides in North Sumatra. 

The six illegal workers worked as a team and each had a specific role, such as team leader, cutter or transporter.

The three provinces have suffered severe devastation after a rare tropical storm formed in the Malacca Strait and unleashed a week of torrential rain and powerful winds, triggering widespread floods and landslides.

The agency in a press conference late on Tuesday said 708 people had been killed since last week, a figure lower than the 753 reported on its website earlier in the day. It did not give a reason for the discrepancy. 

The discovery was the latest in a string of elephant deaths in recent months that has heightened concern over the endangered species’ survival.

With at least 712 dead and hundreds more missing from floods and landslides across northern Sumatra, regional leaders have admitted that they cannot handle the crisis alone, underscoring deep budgetary and logistical gaps in disaster response.

The rains have moved on and the floodwaters have largely receded, but the disaster has left a trail of devastation and trauma for those who survived.

He expressed concern that the mining activities could cause environmental degradation and threaten Komodo dragons.

The special service aims to ease mobility for local business owners, particularly in transporting agricultural products and merchandise.