Reports from environmental groups claim there were 807 fire hot spots with high confidence levels in the national strategic project (PSN) area, with blazes allegedly tied to land clearing for road and airport construction.

Some Indonesians have been turning to social media to voice their frustrations and apologize about the uncontrolled wildfire that causes toxic haze reaching Malaysia, Singapore and other countries, while urging them to protest the Indonesian government over their handling on the issue.

Nearly half of acute respiratory illness cases caused by wildfire in Sumatra and Kalimantan recorded in the past two months are children who are more vulnerable to wildfire haze because of their biological conditions.

Various officials have raised ideas to give dual citizenship for people with Indonesian descent with “exceptional talents”, but some Indonesian diaspora conveyed that such a scheme should also be opened regardless of potential contribution to the country.

The figure, an area nearly 12 times larger than London, is a conservative estimate in part because haze has complicated satellite verification, said David Gaveau, founder of deforestation monitoring site Nusantara Atlas.

The Forestry Ministry is accused of restricting data amid widespread wildfires raging the country, as it threatens criminal charges against unauthorized copy and use of geospatial data crucial for tracking deforestation and fire hot spots.

A deadly explosion at a warehouse in Cimanggis Market in Ciputat, South Tangerang, on Wednesday has raised questions about safety oversight across the government’s free nutritious meal program, as police investigate whether the facility was part of the initiative’s supply chain.

The Indonesian Ulema Council’s (MUI) objection to Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli’s planned concerts, given his past activities linked to Israel, has put the events under a cloud, with the Tourism Ministry signaling it would respect the council’s position.

Teachers have urged the House of Representatives to revise the national education law to strengthen teacher governance, including by guaranteeing minimum salaries and better welfare regardless of employment status.

While Indonesia grapples with gaps in mental health services, people with mental illness should have a greater say in their care and be involved in treatment decisions to better support recovery, a media briefing held to mark World Mental Health Day has said.

A buffet-style system currently being tested under President Prabowo Subianto’s free meals program does not eliminate the risk of food contamination, as meals are still prepared at kitchens outside school complexes and must be transported to schools. 

Indonesia has again urged Meta to comply with the country’s Child Protection in Digital Space Regulation, known as PP TUNAS, singling out its Threads platform for failing to report any action against underage users more than six months after the regulation took effect.

Teaching the use of artificial intelligence at schools has become the quiet responsibility of teachers in Indonesia and worldwide to develop the practical knowledge of what responsible AI integration actually looks like.

National Nutrition Agency (BGN) chairman Sudaryono said that the trial was aimed at assessing whether the system could improve food quality and safety by shortening the time between cooking and consumption.

Local volunteers are eager to help put out forest fires across the country, but some have received little to no support or resources necessary to perform their duty.

More than two months into haze crisis, worsening air quality and mounting health concerns are fueling frustration among residents and renewed calls for authorities to hold those responsible for the fires accountable.

What grows wild in Indonesia’s forests is finding a new place on the table, as women from forest communities turn overlooked ingredients into food products, delicacies and new sources of income.

In a study aiming at quantifying the relationship between temperature and excess mortality, researchers projected that Indonesia may see almost 20,000 extra heat-related deaths during this El Niño season.

By late September, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported at least 108 people had died while taking shelter after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake jolted Flores Island in NTT on Aug. 15. The number of people who were killed directly by the disaster was 48, according to official records.

Health and consumer rights groups have welcomed a recent Constitutional Court ruling that called for a regulation of sugar, salt and fat labelings on food and beverage products in order to strengthen consumer health protection.

The National Police have named the driver of the Argo Bromo Anggrek long-distance train a suspect over a fatal collision in Bekasi, West Java, prompting questions among experts over other factors found by the transportation safety committee that pointed to more systemic failures.

The planned data center site, owned by Singapore-based firm BDx Data Centers, is located roughly 5 kilometers from the Jatiluhur Dam, the main source of clean water for the Greater Jakarta area and irrigation for farms in the western part of West Java.

Efforts to improve governance on haj management done by the Haj and Umrah Ministry had resulted in the reduced waiting time for pilgrims under state-subsidized regular program from 49 years to 14 years. 

The government’s planned Rp 20 trillion injection into national health insurance provider BPJS Kesehatan will help shore up its finances in the final months of the year, but analysts say the insurer needs broader reforms to address its cash-flow problems.

Fires are currently burning within habitats containing 52 percent of Borneo's orangutan population, including 13 of the 20 largest remaining populations, according to the conservation body.

Only 15 percent of Indonesians have heard about pneumococcal pneumonia and understand what it means, according to a survey by YouGov of 1,000 respondents in Indonesia.

Kinari, a Protestant from South Tangerang, feared that allowing intimidation to end with an apology could encourage more serious acts in the future. She also pointed to what she saw as a double standard in the treatment of religious minorities.