On Thursday night, Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted, sending an ash cloud over 8 kilometers (5 miles) high. This massive eruption quickly disrupted air travel and raised emergency alerts for locals and tourists. The eruption started at 10:56 PM local time and produced a thick column of dark ash. Airlines, particularly Jetstar, canceled numerous flights […]
Indonesia
Indonesia expands military role in government amid protests
Indonesia’s parliament has passed a controversial law that increases military authority in civilian positions. This decision has sparked significant protests and criticism from civil society groups. Many fear a return to military dominance reminiscent of the Suharto era from 1967 to 1998. The new law allows military officers to hold a variety of civilian roles. […]
Seventeen children among the dead in Indonesian soccer stampede
Seventeen children were among at least 125 people killed in a soccer stampede in Indonesia at the weekend, officials said, as pressure builds on the Southeast Asian nation to explain how one of the world’s worst stadium disasters unfolded. Violence and hooliganism have long been features of Indonesian football, especially in places such as Jakarta, […]
Powerful earthquake shakes Indonesia’s Sumatra
A strong and shallow earthquake shook Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Saturday, killing a resident, injuring 11 and damaging more than a a dozen houses and buildings, police said. The magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck about 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) northeast of Sibolga, a coastal city in North Sumatra province, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It […]
Indonesia, Norway ink deal to reward rainforest protection
Indonesia, Norway ink deal to reward rainforest protection. Indonesia and Norway signed a deal Monday to reward deforestation reduction months after the collapse of a similar $1-billion agreement that was part of a UN-backed global initiative criticised for its ineffectiveness. Protecting trees is key to meeting climate goals but environmentalists blame Indonesia — home to […]
Sumatran fishermen discovers ‘Island of Gold’
The fabled Indonesian kingdom boasted of untold treasure that disappeared 700 years ago. Fishermen had been hunting for this hidden wealth for the past five years and finally discovered it during the night-time dives on the Musi River near Palembang on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The treasure trove include precious gems, gold rings, coins, […]
5.9 magnitude quake strikes off Indonesia’s Papua: USGS
A 5.9 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region Monday, the United States Geological Survey said, but there was no tsunami warning or immediate reports of damage. The quake hit at a relatively shallow depth of 12 kilometres (7.5 miles), about 180 kilometres northeast of Tual city. Shallow quakes tend to […]
Indonesia’s Sinabung volcano erupts
Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung erupted on Wednesday, spewing a massive column of smoke and ash into the sky. The eruption of the volcano in North Sumatra province lasted about 12 minutes, a local geological agency said. “The volcanic material reached 4,500 metres into the air,” the head of the agency’s Sinabung monitoring post, Armen Putra, told […]
6.2-magnitude quake strikes off Indonesia’s Sulawesi: USGS
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Sulawesi island Monday, the United States Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The strong quake hit offshore at the shallow depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), about 100 kilometres west of the town of Luwuk.
Indonesia loosens Covid-19 curbs despite warnings of another wave
Small shops, streetside restaurants and some shopping malls reopened in coronavirus-battered Indonesia on Monday after the government loosened a shutdown despite warnings it could unleash another Covid-19 wave. President Joko Widodo said Sunday that a partial lockdown imposed in early July would continue until August 2 even as the highly infectious Delta variant tears across […]