The presence of Cesium-137 in food products exported from Indonesia is believed to come from imported scrap metal recycled as raw material for steel processing industries. More than 450,000 tonnes of scrap metal have been imported to Indonesia this year, according to UN Comtrade data.

On Oct. 1, the Defense Ministry distributed 4.8 million doses of a multivitamin called Vitarma, produced by the Defense Ministry Pharmaceutical Center (Pusfarhan), to around 100 free meal kitchens across Jakarta. The supplements are intended for students and pregnant women who are beneficiaries of the government’s free meals program.

Managed by the Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry, the initiative aims to prepare students for admission to the world’s top universities.

Introduced on Tuesday, the initiative includes a reporting platform that allows the public to flag incidents related to the program, including issues of food quality and hygiene.

Lawmakers have joined the chorus of growing calls for a rigorous investigation into a prayer hall that collapsed on students at an Islamic boarding school in the East Java city, as the toll rises to at least 67 dead and over 100 injured in what is quickly becoming the worst nonnatural disaster of 2025.

After years of rejection, isolation and systemic barriers, two advocates have broken a historic barrier in the judicial system, proving that deafness is no obstacle to serving justice.

As food poisoning cases linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meal program continue to spread across the country, public concern is mounting over the government’s insistence on continuing the rollout despite calls for a full pause to allow for investigation and improvements.

The contamination is suspected to have originated from discarded industrial scrap metal processed at a smelting plant located less than 2 kilometers from a frozen shrimp packaging factory. 

The government’s ongoing food estate project has drawn criticism for environmental damage that could undermine Indonesia’s climate commitments, as the initiative requires large-scale land and forest clearance despite past failures in achieving food self-sufficiency

Teachers have voiced concern over the government’s plan to have them oversee the free nutritious meal program, warning that, despite offered incentives, the added responsibility could distract from teaching and expose them to liability if food safety problems occur.

When asked whether WFT was the infamous hacker Bjorka, responsible for alleged data breaches targeting several government institutions between 2022 and 2024, Fian said authorities have not yet confirmed this, noting that “everybody can be anybody on the internet.”

Aulia's body was discovered on Aug. 12, 2024, in her rented room. Her death was reportedly attributed to a fatal overdose from self-injected tranquilizers. The anesthesiologist is believed to have been bullied during her residency at Dr. Kariadi Central General Hospital in the provincial capital, as described in her personal diary found at the scene

The collapse of an Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, which killed several people and left dozens missing has cast a harsh spotlight on Indonesia’s weak construction safety standards and the shortcomings of local administrations in monitoring urban development.

Wednesday’s fire was the second in just over two years as Dumai Refinery suffered from a fire in April 2023, which was caused by hydrogen leakage.

An investigation into suspected radioactive contamination at the Cikande Industrial Estate commenced in August after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detected Cs-137 contamination in a sample of frozen shrimp imported from Indonesia. The shrimp originated from PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, a company operating within the Cikande area.

The motorbike-mad country of 270 million people will welcome newly-crowned MotoGP champion Marc Marquez to Lombok island this weekend for the first race since he matched Valentino Rossi's seven titles with victory in Japan.

Jakarta residents are rallying behind a viral call to end officials’ traffic privileges, arguing that police escorts and blaring sirens add chaos to already congested streets and symbolize inequality on the road.

Parents are growing increasingly concerned about the government’s free nutritious meals program for schoolchildren amid a spike in food poisoning cases nationwide, with many fearing their children could suffer food poisoning next.

‘Java Man’, or remains of a Homo erectus unearthed by Dutch geologist Eugene Dubois in Java, were used to suggest the existence of early human in Asia, challenging prevailing theories that ancient human only emerged in Africa and Europe.

The government insists on keeping the free nutritious meal program running and will only close problematic kitchens temporarily for investigation, despite numbers of food poisoning cases continuing to increase among school students.

With the Education Law revision set to bring sweeping changes, teachers and observers urge lawmakers to bring the revised law to reform how the constitutionally mandated 20 percent of state spending on education is allocated.

The nine Indonesian crew members boarded the Gabon-flagged LNG tanker Gas Falcon in October last year. However, since November 2024, the vessel has been barred from leaving Beira, a coastal city approximately an hour’s flight from Maputo, because of legal disputes involving its owner.

Born from the streets and carried into the digital realm, two colors, pink and green, have become symbols of grief, courage and resistance in Indonesia’s latest wave of protests.

Civil society organizations are calling on the government to conduct a “total reevaluation” of the flagship free nutritious meal program in the wake of widespread food poisoning cases at schools across the country.

BGN head Dadan Hindayana, stated that the majority of trays used in the program were produced locally using plant-based lubricants. However, he acknowledged that Indonesia still imports approximately 4 million trays per month, as domestic manufacturers are unable to meet the growing demand.

The government is accelerating plans to build special accommodation for Indonesian pilgrims in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with construction of the so-called haj village expected to begin as early as the end of this year, following an instruction from President Prabowo Subianto to improve services.

Since Indonesia confirmed its first mpox case in 2022, the country has recorded 181 cases, including two fatalities.

President Prabowo Subianto’s free meals program faces mounting calls for suspension following repeated cases of mass poisoning that have heightened public concern over food safety and mismanagement.

A surge in childhood obesity across Indonesia is raising the alarm, with experts warning that the country’s children face a greater risk of diabetes, heart disease and other life-threatening illnesses as junk food replaces healthier diets.

From the program's launch in January, when the program was launched, over 4,000 children have been hit by food poisoning after consuming the meals, according to INDEF.