Batam’s very strategic position as an international gateway brings huge challenges, especially related to illegal migrant workers and violence against women and children.

Medan Corruption Court in North Sumatra has acquitted four defendants of all charges in a case involving the sale of assets of state plantation firm PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) II to private developer PT Ciputra Land.

Mangrove forest can reduce wave height by 13 to 66 percent in 100 meters while at the same time restoring fish habitat and coastal community economy.

Head of the intelligence section at Medan Prosecutor’s Office, Valentino Harry Manurung, said the demand for eight months of counseling was submitted by prosecutors to the panel of judges during a closed trial on May 26. 

Semarang aims to increase the number of waste banks from 857 waste banks managing some 1,707.7 tonnes to 1,486 banks managing 2,823.4 tonnes per year.

Batam has welcomed the first two of 25 groups of pilgrims returning from Saudia Arabia, comprising 885 of 10,919 Indonesians who are expected to arrive in the Riau Islands city as this year's haj season comes to a close.

According to Dahnil, the decline in fatalities reflects improvements in services provided to pilgrims, particularly in health care and the management of pilgrim movements during the most demanding stages of the haj.

Detectives arrested 39 suspects, consisting of 28 Indonesians, seven Nepalese and four Myanmar nationals on May 20, who swindled US$2.32 million from 133 victims. 

The route to Hang Nadim International Airport uses the extended Corridor 7 Nongsa-Batam Center, allowing passengers to alight and board buses at the airport’s terminal area.

The Indonesian Navy intercepted a tugboat and a barge carrying 25 containers of some 390 tonnes of raw minerals containing illegal rare earth metals and radioactive elements in Riau Islands waters, on May 17

One man was attacked by a crocodile on May 27 in Central Tapanuli regency while another was pounced on separately on April 27 in North Nias regency.

The island, located just off the northwest coast of mainland Papua, was a key WWII battleground between United States and Japanese forces, though police have yet to uncover how the bomb ended up in the coastal fisheries settlement in Yanures village, Kota Biak district.

Around 25,000 Buddhists from Indonesia and abroad took part in prayers and reflections on the key events in the life of Siddhartha Gautama.

Police said one of the food samples being tested at a laboratory was barbeque meat brought by the family to the camping site.

Six months on, cleanup efforts remain slow, heightening concerns that uncleared debris and damaged landscapes could trigger secondary disasters for survivors still living in affected areas.

The Barelang Police are continuing their investigation into the cross-border gambling syndicate, tracing the flow of money and looking into the possibility of other individuals involved with the group.

The monks started their pilgrimage on May 9 from Buleleng, Bali, and are scheduled to arrive in Borobudur Temple in Megalang regency, Central Java, on Thursday.

Despite the constant threat of flooding, ongoing land subsidence and mounting health risks linked to contaminated water, soil and air, residents say there has been no meaningful long-term resolution from the government to address the enduring impacts of the mudflow.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry kicked off a school renovation program on Tuesday across 39 schools in two regions of Southwest Papua, in a move to strengthen equal access to education in the easternmost part of the country.

The Institute for Demographic and Affluence Studies (IDEAS) estimates that the number of livestock purchased for sacrificial purposes has declined slightly nationwide, falling from 1.6 million animals last year to around 1.59 million this year.

The Indonesian deportees consisted of 131 male adults, 51 female adults, four senior citizens and four children, who were sent home in two batches on Friday and Monday.

Detectives from Riau Islands Police' Special Crimes Investigation (Reskrimsus) Directorate arrested two suspects trying to smuggle 100,000 lobster larvae worth some Rp 10 billion (US$565,000) on May 20 morning.

The two elephants were seen walking calmly in an alley inside the market without any interactions with humans or damage to any stalls.

At least four people were killed and three others hospitalized from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning during the widespread blackout that plunged nearly all of Sumatra into darkness over the weekend, as businesses across the island grappled with heavy losses caused by the massive power disruption.

The blackout affected not only North Sumatra, but also other provinces inlcuding Aceh, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra.

Weather modification efforts started on May 15 for 20 days in cooperation with the Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

The OPM's paramilitary wing has claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging that the miners were undercover intelligence operatives, while security forces continue to search the area for other miners who might still be in hiding.

Musim Mas allegedly encroached forest land for their palm oil plantation with an overlapped right-to-use (HGU) certificate for 29,000 hectares plot of land.

An NGO has called for social forestry permits for communities who cultivate protected forest areas while also working to protect the environment to protect them from alleged encroachment in state forest.

This year’s Idul Adha is expected to fall on May 27, with around 2.3 million animals projected to be slaughtered nationwide, according to the Agriculture Ministry.