Indonesia is expected to face a longer dry season this year as the impacts of El Niño intensify, bringing drier conditions from the Pacific Ocean to the archipelago.

Months of frustration boiled over into a mass protest on Monday involving at least 500 residents in North Sumatra's Langkat regency, where over 73,000 survivors are still waiting for their data to be verified before the government could release recovery aid following the November 2025 disaster.

Pangolins are the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, driven by high demand for their scales and claws in traditional medicine.

North Sumatra was hit by widespread fuel shortages last week, forcing motorists to endure lines stretching up to 13 kilometers outside filling stations. Some drivers even had to wait overnight as stations ran out of fuel supplies.

The event triggered widespread backlash after several local residents said they were denied access to the club and prevented from joining the run after identifying themselves as Indonesian citizens, while applicants who identified themselves as foreign nationals were reportedly accepted without issue.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru facilitated the repatriation of 274 Indonesians from Melaka International Ferry Terminal in Malacca and Port Dickson Port in Negeri Sembilan to Dumai, Riau, and Tanjung Balai Asahan, North Sumatra.  

There are 39 regencies and cities in Indonesia, which cannot pay their contract employees using their own regional budgets after the central government cut funding. 

The government has begun renovating a severely damaged elementary school in Grobogan, Central Java, six months after its deteriorating condition emerged and only days after a photograph of its crumbling classrooms went viral, reigniting criticism over the country’s education spending priorities.

Labelling of journalists as londo ireng, or black Dutchmen, was condescending, belittling and delegitimizing to journalists' profession.

Opposition to the initiative to give cash rewards to people that catch criminals came from experts and a government official, who fear that the move may encourage vigilantism and create division among civilians.

A number of regions in Indonesia are suffering from crop failures, as the onslaught of the warming El Niño climate phenomenon intensifies and may extend the dry season through next year, with rice production already dropping in the last three months.

In the dry season, clouds of coal dust billow through the village, settling on rooftops, yards and furniture, forcing residents to clean their homes almost every day. When the rains come, many roads turn into muddy, waterlogged tracks.

There were no signs of violence on the body of 21-year-old recruit Genial Gavensi Gulo, who was found dead hanging during basic training at the Military Command (Kodam) I/Bukit Barisan’s Main Regiment (Rindam) in Pematangsiantar city, North Sumatra.

Koster revealed last year that more than 400 car rental and tour businesses in Badung regency, one of Bali’s main tourism hubs, were owned by foreign nationals. Many of these businesses, he said, did not even maintain a physical office on the island.

The crackdown on the misuse and hoarding of subsidized fuel comes as several regions across Indonesia have reported fuel shortages in recent months, including Aceh, North Sumatra, Bangka Belitung Islands, East Nusa Tenggara, South Sumatra, East Kalimantan and South Sulawesi.

The Papuan rebels executed three civilians, accusing  them of being intelligence agents for the Indonesian government. 

Earlier this month, a Red and White Cooperative in Melawai, South Jakarta, drew public attention after reports showed it had generated only Rp 78,000 (US$4.34) in profit after six months of operations, despite receiving capital of Rp 3 billion.

The deputy forestry minister cited fragmented habitats and catastrophic natural disasters, such as the floods and landslides late last year, as key causes of the decline in Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan populations.

Authorities said that the alleged embezzlement not only caused state losses but also affected animal welfare, with some animals becoming emaciated and, in some cases, dying due to inadequate care.

At 19.33 kilometers long, the Nongsa-Changi Cable (NCC) is expected to enhance digital connectivity between the neighboring countries while strengthening the overall digital ecosystem in Southeast Asia.

Slavery has been illegal in what is now Indonesia for more than 160 years, but it survives in Sumba's rigid caste system, particularly in the island's east.

According to the Medan Search and Rescue Agency, seven people were inside the house when the explosion occurred: A married couple and their two-year-old daughter, a driver, two domestic workers and a courier who was delivering a package.

The largest wildfire was reported in Buleleng regency in Bali, where flames swept through 48 hectares of dry grassland in the hills of Pemuteran village. About half of the burned area is part of a protected forest.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Johor Bahru facilitated the repatriation of 90 Indonesians who were previously detained in Malaysia for various immigration violations. 

The accident happened after a truck carrying 5-gallon water jugs experienced a brake system failure hit eight vehicles,  killed four people and injured eight.

A woman who led a baby trafficking ring in West Java, Indonesia was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison, a judge said.

The collapse is the latest in a string of incidents involving deteriorating school buildings across Indonesia over the past year, some of which resulted in injuries and deaths, intensifying scrutiny of the government's commitment to repairing aging education infrastructure and ensuring safe learning environments.

The latest clash was not the first violent incident between the two villages linked to the long-running land dispute. A similar confrontation erupted in March, while another conflict broke out in May, leaving dozens of houses burned and seven residents shot and requiring hospitalization.

PT Pertamina Patra Niaga is seeking to normalize supply by extending operating hours to 24 hours and deploying 30 additional fuel tanker trucks to distribute fuel to gas stations across North Sumatra. 

Airport operator PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia has prepared various facilities, both at airside and landside, to welcome the return of jet airliners and commercial flights to Bandung's airport.