A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s North Maluku Sea region early Thursday, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake’s epicenter was located about 127 kilometers west-northwest of Ternate city at a depth of roughly 35 kilometers. Following the tremor, the US tsunami warning system issued alerts for possible waves within 1,000 kilometers of the epicenter, affecting coastal areas of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

Authorities warned that waves between 0.3 and 1 meter above normal tide levels could hit parts of Indonesia’s coast, while smaller waves under 30 centimeters were forecast for Guam, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Japan’s meteorological agency said only minor sea-level changes were expected, and Australia’s weather bureau confirmed no tsunami threat to its mainland or islands.

An AFP journalist in Manado, North Sulawesi, reported that residents rushed outdoors in panic as the shaking lasted for a long time, though no major damage was observed. Indonesia, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The D-8 summit scheduled to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, has been postponed due to the ongoing war situation involving Iran, the United States, and Israel. According to Al Jazeera, Iran has been carrying out counterattacks following joint strikes by the US and Israel. Indonesian Foreign Ministry senior official Tri Tharyat confirmed that the summit, originally planned for next month, has been delayed because of the current regional instability. A new date has not yet been set.

The summit was initially scheduled to take place from April 13 to 15 in Jakarta. The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, established in 1997, aims to enhance economic collaboration among Muslim developing nations spanning Southeast Asia to Africa. Its member countries include Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey, with Azerbaijan joining the group in 2025.

The postponement reflects how the escalating conflict in the Middle East is affecting international diplomatic and economic events, particularly those involving member states of the D-8.

Four people were killed when Indonesia’s largest landfill collapsed on Sunday afternoon, burying a truck and a food stall near Bantar Gebang, about 25 kilometers from Jakarta. At least five others remain missing as rescue teams continue searching the debris using heavy machinery and tracking dogs, according to the national search and rescue agency.

Local media reported that several hours of heavy rain preceded the collapse. The Bantar Gebang landfill, covering more than 110 hectares, holds an estimated 55 million tons of waste from the greater Jakarta area, home to around 42 million people producing roughly 14,000 tons of garbage daily. Environment Minister Hanif Faisal Nurofik blamed local authorities for allowing waste accumulation despite a 2008 ban on open dumping.

President Prabowo Subianto recently stated that most Indonesian landfills are being phased out but warned they will exceed capacity by 2028. The government plans to invest $3.5 billion in 34 waste-to-energy plants within two years to address the growing waste crisis.

Indonesia has announced plans to send 8,000 troops to Gaza, according to a statement signed by Army Chief General Maruli Simanjuntak. The Indonesian military said training for the deployment has already begun, with soldiers set to perform medical and engineering duties. Indonesia is the first country to take concrete steps toward sending forces to Gaza. The exact date of deployment has not yet been finalized, as officials await instructions from President Prabowo Subianto.

The move is linked to a 20-point peace plan proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, which includes forming an unelected technocratic government to manage Gaza’s administrative affairs and establishing an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to ensure security. Several countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, have joined the Gaza Board of Peace, which held its first meeting in Washington on January 19.

The Indonesian troops’ participation marks an early step in implementing the broader international framework aimed at stabilizing Gaza following prolonged conflict.

A devastating landslide in Indonesia’s West Java province has killed at least 50 people, with 32 others still missing as of Wednesday, according to local media reports. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors despite adverse weather and difficult terrain. Heavy machinery and tracking devices are being used to locate those trapped under mud and debris.

Authorities reported earlier in the day that 48 people had been confirmed dead and 32 remained missing, citing the state news agency Antara. The disaster has displaced at least 685 residents, who have been moved to safer areas. The landslide struck a village in West Bandung Regency on Saturday, burying numerous homes.

Separately, Indonesia’s Navy Chief of Staff Muhammad Ali said that 23 naval personnel were caught in the landslide during a training exercise in the same area. Four of them have been confirmed dead, while 19 remain missing. Rescue operations are ongoing despite the challenging conditions.

Indonesia’s navy confirmed that 23 marines were killed after being trapped in a landslide in West Java province. The incident occurred early Saturday in Pasir Langu village of Bandung Barat district, about 100 kilometers southeast of Jakarta. Navy spokesperson First Admiral Tunggul said the marines were participating in a training exercise linked to patrol preparations along the Indonesia–Papua New Guinea border when heavy rain triggered the landslide.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, the death toll from the landslide had risen to 20 by Tuesday afternoon, with 42 people still missing. It was not immediately clear whether the military casualties were included in that figure. Around 800 rescuers, including soldiers and police, along with nine excavators, were deployed to search for the missing. Authorities evacuated 685 residents from the affected village to local government buildings for shelter.

The disaster struck during the peak of the rainy season across Java, which has recently experienced widespread flooding. Two months earlier, floods and landslides on Sumatra island caused about 1,200 deaths and displaced more than one million people.

A deadly landslide struck a residential area in Indonesia’s West Java province early Saturday, killing at least 10 people and leaving 80 missing. Authorities have relaunched search and rescue operations after heavy rainfall triggered the disaster in a mountainous region. The Indonesian Meteorological Agency had earlier warned of a week of intense rain across West Java and nearby areas.

Local resident Dedi Kurniawan from Pasir Langu village, about 100 kilometers southeast of Jakarta, said he had never seen such a large landslide in the area before. Officials told Kompas TV that unstable terrain and continuous rain prevented rescuers from using heavy machinery, slowing down the operation. Flooding has also been reported in several parts of West Java, including Jakarta and surrounding districts, prompting evacuations to higher ground.

The incident comes just two months after floods and landslides on Sumatra island killed at least 1,200 people and displaced over a million. The new disaster has renewed concerns about Indonesia’s disaster management capacity.

A landslide in Indonesia’s West Bandung region of West Java province has killed seven people and left 82 others missing, according to Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the country’s disaster management agency. The incident occurred in a village in the region following reports of heavy rainfall across Java. Search and rescue operations are being intensified to locate the missing individuals.

The Indonesian Meteorological Department had earlier issued a one-week weather warning for West Java, forecasting heavy rain and adverse conditions starting from Friday. Local officials confirmed that the landslide was triggered by persistent rainfall in the area.

Last month, severe landslides and floods in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh provinces claimed more than 1,170 lives, highlighting the ongoing vulnerability of Indonesia’s regions to extreme weather events.

At least seven people have been confirmed dead and dozens remain missing after a landslide struck Pasirlangu village in West Bandung, Indonesia’s West Java province, early Saturday morning. The disaster occurred around 2am local time when water and loose soil from Mount Burangrang swept through the area, destroying about 30 homes while residents were asleep. Rescue teams from Indonesia’s armed forces, disaster management agencies, volunteers, and local communities are continuing search and rescue operations, according to officials.

Local authorities have ordered evacuations in landslide-prone areas to prevent further casualties. The affected zone covers roughly 30 hectares. The landslide was accompanied by flash flooding, and residents reported hearing a loud rumbling sound before the collapse. Indonesia’s weather agency had warned of extreme weather and heavy rainfall across West Java for a week starting Friday.

The incident follows a series of deadly floods and landslides last month that killed more than 1,170 people in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh. The government has filed lawsuits against six companies for environmental degradation believed to have worsened such disasters, amid growing concerns over deforestation, climate change, and rising sea levels.

Ten bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of an Indonesia Air Transport plane that crashed in the Mount Bulusaraung area of South Sulawesi province. The bodies were found seven days after the aircraft went missing while en route from Yogyakarta to Makassar, the provincial capital. The plane lost contact over Maros district on Saturday, and its debris was located on Sunday.

According to the report, the aircraft was carrying seven crew members and three passengers, all of whom perished in the crash. A joint search and rescue team recovered the plane’s black box from the crash site. The state news agency Antara reported that only two of the victims have been identified so far.

Authorities are expected to use the recovered black box to investigate the cause of the crash, though no official explanation has yet been provided.

Archaeologists have identified a red hand stencil on a cave wall in Indonesia as the world’s oldest known cave painting. The discovery, published in the journal Nature, was made by Indonesian and Australian researchers who determined the artwork to be at least 67,800 years old. The team, led by Indonesia’s Adhi Agus Oktaviana and Australia’s Maxime Aubert, conducted fieldwork on Muna Island in Sulawesi province, using uranium-thorium dating on small limestone deposits known as “cave popcorn.”

The study found that the handprints were created by blowing pigment over hands pressed against the cave wall, leaving a clear silhouette. The painting predates similar Neanderthal-associated hand stencils in Spain by about a thousand years, though the Spanish dating remains disputed. Researchers also discovered that the caves were reused for painting over tens of thousands of years, with newer images drawn atop older ones.

According to the study, the finding provides new insight into how early Homo sapiens reached Australia, supporting theories that modern humans were present in Indonesian islands around 65,000 years ago and possibly linked to the ancestors of Indigenous Australians.

Authorities in Indonesia have recovered the wreckage of a missing fisheries surveillance aircraft in the mountainous and fog-covered region of South Sulawesi province. The plane, owned by Indonesia Air Transport Group, lost contact with air traffic control around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 17, while flying over the Maros area. It was carrying eight crew members and three passengers, all linked to a ministry mission monitoring fisheries, and was en route from Yogyakarta province to Makassar, the provincial capital.

On Sunday morning, January 18, local rescue teams identified the wreckage near Mount Bulusaraung after a helicopter crew spotted a broken window fragment. Rescue chief Muhammad Arif Anwar said operations have been intensified, with up to 1,200 personnel ready for deployment. The search for the missing 11 remains the top priority, and there is still hope that some may be alive.

Dense fog, rugged terrain, and strong winds have hampered rescue efforts. Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee will investigate the cause of the crash, which experts suggest may involve multiple contributing factors.

At least 16 people were killed in a fire that broke out at a nursing home in Manado, the capital of Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province, on Sunday night at 8:36 p.m. local time, according to Xinhua. Police spokesperson Almsiah P. Hasibuan said identification of the victims’ bodies was underway at the North Sulawesi Regional Police Hospital.

Police reported that three fire department units were dispatched immediately after the blaze began, and the fire was brought under control by around 9:30 p.m. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but an investigation has been launched. Manado Fire Service Chief Jimmy Ratinsulu stated that most of the residents were physically weak due to old age and became trapped inside the building when the fire erupted.

Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the source of the fire and to identify all victims.

At least 16 people were killed when a passenger bus overturned on the highway connecting Jakarta and Yogyakarta early Monday morning, Indonesian authorities confirmed. The accident occurred near a highway interchange when the bus, reportedly traveling at high speed, lost control and collided with the roadside barrier before flipping over.

Budyono, head of the local search and rescue agency, said 34 passengers were evacuated from the wreckage. Fifteen victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while one more died later in hospital. Several injured passengers were taken to hospitals in Semarang for treatment. Preliminary reports suggest that excessive speed may have been a key factor in the crash.

Indonesia frequently experiences deadly road accidents due to poor road conditions, speeding, and lax enforcement of traffic laws. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident and are reviewing the bus company’s safety record. The government has pledged to strengthen road safety measures ahead of the upcoming holiday travel season.

At least 712 people have been confirmed dead and more than 500 remain missing after devastating floods and landslides struck Indonesia’s Sumatra Island last week, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). The disaster has affected around 1.1 million people across three provinces, with North and West Sumatra suffering the worst damage. Communication and transportation links in areas like Tapanuli and Sibolga have been completely severed, hampering rescue and relief operations. Despite government and international aid being sent by air and sea, many remote villages remain cut off, leading to severe shortages of food and clean water. Reports of looting and unrest have emerged as desperate residents struggle to survive. Authorities have deployed police to maintain order and facilitate aid distribution. In response to the communication crisis, technology entrepreneur Elon Musk has announced free Starlink internet services to support emergency connectivity in the affected regions.