Jakarta – Those who are in power find it all too easy to conclude that the natural disasters striking the country are caused solely by extreme natural phenomena. The disaster in Sumatra, for instance, has been narrowed down in explanation as merely the impact of Tropical Cyclone Senyar. This perspective is dangerous because it turns a blind eye to the true cause of the problem.

Jihan Ristiyanti, Jakarta – The prosecutor charges former Chief Executive Officer of PT Sri Rejeki Isman (Sritex), Iwan Setiawan, and former Deputy Chief Executive Officer Iwan Kurniawan Lukminto with engineering and manipulating the company's financial conditions.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) reported the latest data on poisoning cases linked to the free nutritious meals (MBG) distribution throughout Indonesia. As of December 23, 2025, National Coordinator of JPPI Ubaid Matraji said over 20,000 cases of food poisoning have been recorded.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has announced a 6.17% increase in the capital's provincial minimum wage (UMP) for 2026, raising it to Rp5,729,876 per month ($341.81) from Rp5,396,761 this year.

The increase, equivalent to about Rp330,000, was finalized following deliberations by the Jakarta Wage Council and was announced at City Hall on Wednesday.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Susi Air airline is being sued for bankruptcy by its former employee regarding the fulfillment of severance pay. Fadila, a former employee, filed the lawsuit at the Central Jakarta Commercial Court on December 24, 2025.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – The Finance Ministry plans to extend its tax holiday incentive into 2026 to sustain investment momentum, while adjusting the scheme to comply with global minimum tax rules.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – Indonesia is preparing to seal a trade agreement with the United States by the end of January after the two sides reportedly resolved all substantial issues in negotiations earlier seen at risk of stalling.

Jakarta – Indonesia said Wednesday that it had reported controversial adult star Bonnie Blue to UK authorities over her flag controversy.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has pledged Rp 2 trillion ($119.29 million) in export credit facilities through Indonesia Eximbank to support the furniture industry, responding to complaints over limited access to affordable funding.

Indah Handayani, Jakarta – State-owned fertilizer producer Pupuk Indonesia has begun construction of Indonesia's first ammonium nitrate-based NPK fertilizer plant in West Java, a project aimed at cutting imports and strengthening domestic fertilizer supply.

Andrew Tito, Jakarta – The Jakarta provincial government has officially launched a large-scale flood control initiative worth Rp2.62 trillion ($156.25 million), aiming to strengthen the capital's resilience against chronic flooding and coastal inundation.

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Jakarta – Indonesia's Central Java province has set its provincial minimum wage (UMP) for 2026 at Rp2,327,386, or about Rp2.33 million, marking a 7.28 percent increase from the 2025 level.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency's (BPOM) appointment as a WHO Listed Authority (WLA) places Indonesia among the few global regulators of medicines and food. This status not only signifies international recognition but also has a direct impact on the national healthcare system and the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

Hanaa Septiana, Jakarta – The East Java Provincial Government has set the 2026 Minimum Wage (UMP) at Rp2,446,880. This figure was finalized through Governor's Decree Number 100.3.3.1/934/013/2025 on Tuesday evening, December 23, 2025.

The new rate represents an increase from the previous year's wage of Rp2,305,985. In total, the 2026 East Java UMP rose by Rp140,895.

Jakarta – After months of delays, the government has finally launched, after a fashion, the contentious volumes containing what politicians are calling the official historical narrative of the country.

Ary Hermawan – 2025 has been a tough year for Indonesians. Many people in Sumatra are still grappling with the aftermath of one of the island's worst flood disasters. The environmental crisis, which many said was man-made, caught both local and central governments off guard.

Delfi Neski, Padang, W – Sumatra. The West Sumatra provincial government has ended its disaster emergency status and shifted to the post-disaster recovery phase after reviewing conditions on the ground.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – As extreme hydrometeorological events dominated the national headlines, 2025 became another deadly year in terms of disasters, disasters that revealed the country's inadequate mitigation efforts in the face of intensifying climate extremes and worsening environmental degradation.

Zurich, Switzerland – A court in Switzerland said on Monday it would admit a legal complaint against Swiss cement maker Holcim which alleges the company is doing too little to cut carbon emissions and hence contributing to global warming.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) has criticized Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (BGN) for continuing its free nutritious meal program (MBG) during school holidays and the Christmas and New Year period.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The National Nutrition Body (BGN) denies claims that the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program runs during school holidays just to spend the state budget. Deputy Head of BGN for Communication and Investigation, Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, stated that the program actually achieved significant savings.

Jakarta – Every time disaster strikes, the government acts as if it has only just woken from a slumber. Officials scramble in a daze, searching for someone to either save face or serve as a scapegoat.

Purwanto Setiadi – Except during periods of acute crisis – most notably when the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world – Indonesia has appeared to be doing well. The economy has grown steadily at around 5 percent, major infrastructure projects have moved forward, mineral downstreaming has been accelerated, and fiscal conditions are routinely described as "safe."

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has said that students who post complaints about the free nutritious meal program, known as Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG), on social media are showing a lack of gratitude.

Defara Dhanya, Jakarta – It turns out there is a scientific reason behind the prolonged rainfall in most regions of Indonesia throughout 2025.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – A number of civil society organizations contend that the draft of the Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Bill (RUU KKS) poses a significant risk to human rights and civil liberties. This criticism follows the finalization of the draft, which is slated for submission to the legislature as a national legislative priority in 2026.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – The Minister of Environment, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, stated that his agency is currently auditing the compliance of more than 100 companies in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra with environmental aspects.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – The Vice Chair of the Indonesian Electric Vehicle Industry Association, Prabowo Kartoleksono, criticizes the investment policy of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) for burdening foreign investors in building public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLU) in Indonesia.

Olivia Rianjani, Yogyakarta – The Gajah Mada University (UGM) traffic circle in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta was not just filled with passing vehicles yesterday.

We unequivocally condemn the dangerous escalation of imperialist aggression by the US and its allies against the sovereign Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) says it is continuing its investigation into the killing of prominent human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, more than two decades after his death. The renewed probe has been underway since early 2023.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has confirmed that a surge of wet hydrometeorological disasters swept across Indonesia this past weekend. As of Sunday morning, December 21, 2025, the agency had recorded flooding and extreme weather events spanning five major provinces: South Kalimantan, Lampung, West Java, Central Java, and East Java.

Jakarta – Waiting for President Prabowo Subianto to complete the investigation into the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib is like waiting for a river to stop flowing.

Denpasar – The Bali Regional Police (Polda) have revealed that three of the four activists arrested in Bali last week have been released. Meanwhile, one activist has been transferred to the National Police Headquarters (Mabes Polri) in Jakarta.

Jakarta – Several families of detainees involved in the August 2025 protests from North Jakarta filed a complaint over alleged criminalisation by the authorities with the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM).

Surabaya – A "Reset Indonesia" book discussion and review that was to be held in Madiun, East Java, was closed down by the authorities on Saturday night December 20. The organisers said that the closure occurred despite having previously notified police of the event.

Hannah Beech and Muktita Suhartono – When the hotels and beach clubs were built to lure tourists to this beautiful, haunted isle, the bones emerged, white and smooth.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – Indonesia's Government regulation on the placement of active police officers in civilian roles will soon be formulated. The assignment of police officers to 17 ministries/agencies was previously regulated in National Police Regulation Number 10 of 2025, which was deemed to conflict with the Constitutional Court's decision.

Banda Aceh, Aceh – The Aceh provincial government stated that humanitarian assistance from the international community for the Sumatra disaster, particularly Aceh, has been allowed to enter, but only on a non-governmental basis.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The Consumer Empowerment Forum Indonesia (FKBI) criticizes outlets that only accept Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) payments and reject cash transactions.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta -Social media conversations in Indonesia about the recent disaster in Sumatra have been dominated by negative sentiment, driven largely by criticism of the government's delayed response and calls for the disaster to be declared a national emergency, according to social media analytics firm Drone Emprit.

DW (Deutsche Welle), Jakarta – A Swiss court is set to hear a climate case against cement giant Holcim after admitting a complaint filed by four residents of the low-lying Indonesian island of Pari.

The residents say rising sea levels are swallowing their home and accuse Holcim of failing to cut carbon emissions.

Djibril Muhammad, Heru Andriyanto, Bandung – Land in the Greater Bandung area is sinking at a rate exceeding five centimeters per year, a trend that has also been recorded in several coastal cities across Java, Indonesia's Badan Geologi said on Sunday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia and the Russia-backed Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have just signed a free trade pact, a document that is expected to act as a cushion against rising US protectionism.

Herman, Jakarta – The central bank has issued a firm response after a viral social media video showed an elderly woman being denied the purchase of bread at a Roti'O outlet for attempting to pay in cash.

Bank Indonesia said the rupiah is legal tender across the country and must not be refused in payment transactions.

Maretha Uli, Jakarta – Violence against women in Greater Jakarta, particularly gender-based abuse happening in online spaces and criminalization against women has been increasing in the past year, according to the Jakarta chapter of the Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK Jakarta).

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – The government is still hoping to secure a tariff deal with the United States before the year draws to a close, as Coordinating Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto is expected to meet with the US Trade Representative (USTR) just days ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Ni Made Tasyarani, Jakarta – Foreign tourist arrivals are expected to remain below pre-pandemic levels, even as the sector shows steady post-pandemic recovery. Experts point to intensifying competition from neighboring countries, limited diversification beyond popular destinations such as Bali and a lack of "major breakthroughs" in promoting Indonesian tourism.

Agencies, Jakarta – A coach bus slammed into a barrier on a highway in Central Java early Monday, flipping over in an accident that killed at least 16 people, a rescue worker said.

Chesa Andini Saputra, Jakarta – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said on Monday that at least 175 people remain missing following a series of floods and landslides that struck parts of Aceh, West Sumatra and North Sumatra late November.