Activists hold up posters as they shout slogans during a rally denouncing violence allegedly committed by the police during days of protests against lavish allowances given to the members of the parliament, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 3, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

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New Delhi:

In a heartfelt showcase of soft culture influencing bilateral ties between the two countries, an Indonesian delegation sang the famous Bollywood song ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ at the banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday.

The delegation hosted in honour of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the Rashtrapati Bhavan included senior Indonesian ministers.

The title track from the movie of the same name — ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ starred Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji in lead roles. The directorial debut of Karan Johar was a huge blockbuster both in India and overseas. The song, composed by Jatin Lalit and sung by Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik, was a major hit among the audience and still continues to captivate people.

#WATCH | Delhi: A delegation from Indonesia sang Bollywood song ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ at the banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu in honour of Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The delegation included senior Indonesian ministers.

The… pic.twitter.com/VH6ZHRTbNS

— ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2025

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is on his first state visit to India. He will grace the 76th Republic Day celebrations as its Chief Guest at Kartvya Path today.

The 76th Republic Day celebrations will also see Indonesia’s Genderang Suling Canka Lokananta, a 190-member ensemble band from the Indonesian Military Academy (Akmil), that embodies discipline and military tradition.

This unique blend of military music and noble values reflects the spirit and honour of the academy.

Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at Hyderabad House in Delhi.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with a focus on sectors like defence, security, maritime domain, economic ties, and people-to-people connections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

 Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived in the national capital on Friday night, on his first state visit to India.

He was received by the Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita at the airport in New Delhi.

President Prabowo, who is in India from January 23-26, will also be the Chief Guest for India’s 76th Republic Day celebrations.

The Ministry of External Affairs said that the visit will further strengthen the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

“A warm welcome to President Prabowo Subianto @prabowo of Indonesia as he arrives in New Delhi on his first State Visit to India. Received by MoS @PmargheritaBJP at the airport. President @prabowo will be the Chief Guest for India’s 76th Republic Day celebrations. This visit will further strengthen the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated in a post on X.

A warm welcome to President Prabowo Subianto @prabowo of Indonesia as he arrives in New Delhi on his first State Visit to India. Received by MoS @PmargheritaBJP at the airport.

President @prabowo will be the Chief Guest for ’s 76th Republic Day celebrations.

This visit will… pic.twitter.com/OEeXLOengC

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) January 23, 2025

Before departing, President Prabowo shared the details of his visit on X, and said the visit is aimed to strengthen strategic cooperation in areas such as security, maritime, and digital technology development.

He also informed that he will depart for Malaysia after his Indonesia visit.

“Today, I depart for New Delhi, India, to attend the 76th Republic Day celebrations of India. During my visit, I will meet with the President and Prime Minister of India to strengthen strategic cooperation in areas such as security, maritime, and digital technology development,” the Indonesian President stated.

“After completing my agenda in India, I will continue my trip to Malaysia at the invitation of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Close cooperation with friendly countries has always been our priority to build a stronger and more prosperous region together,” he added.

 During his visit, President Subianto is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, the MEA stated.

On Friday, he will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Taj Mahal Hotel at 4:00 pm.

On January 25, President Prabowo will participate in a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 10:00 am, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at Rajghat.

He will later hold a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House at 12:00 pm, which will include the exchange of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and press statements.
In the evening, he will meet with India’s Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Taj Mahal Hotel at 4:00 pm. At 7:00 pm, he will meet President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

On January 26, President Prabowo will attend the Republic Day Parade as the Chief Guest. Later in the afternoon, he will attend the “At Home” Reception hosted by President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. At 5:30 pm, he will depart for Indonesia.

Notably, with President Subianto as Chief Guest at this year’s Republic Day, a 352-member marching and band contingent from the country will be participating in the Parade on the Kartvya Path in the national capital.

This will be the first time that an Indonesian marching and band contingent will participate in a national day parade abroad.

Several MoUs and announcements are likely to be concluded and the third CEO Forum will be held on the sidelines.

President Prabowo will be the fourth Indonesian President to attend India’s Republic Day celebrations.

PM Modi paid an official visit to Indonesia in 2018. During the visit, India-Indonesia bilateral ties were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and a shared vision of India-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific was also adopted.

PM Modi also met President Prabowo on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November last year. This was the first meeting between the two leaders.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A woman and child look on at volcanic ash rising into the air during the eruption of Mount Ibu, as seen from Duono Village in West Halmahera, North Maluku province, on January 15, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AFP

A volcano in eastern Indonesia has erupted at least a thousand times this month, according to an official report on Sunday, as efforts are under way to evacuate thousands of villagers.

Mount Ibu, on the remote island of Halmahera, sent a column of smoke up to 4 km into the sky in an eruption on January 15.

Indonesian officials called for the evacuation of 3,000 people living in six nearby villages.

It was one of 1,079 eruptions by the volcano recorded since January 1 by Indonesia’s Geological Agency, sending columns of ash reaching between 0.3 km and 4 km above its peak, according to the agency’s data.

The latest big eruption occurred on Sunday at 1:15 a.m. local time. “The ash was grey, with moderate to thick intensity, drifting southwest. A loud rumbling sound was heard all the way to Mount Ibu Observation Post,” the agency said.

It added that the volcano had erupted 17 times on Sunday alone.

The local authorities had only managed to evacuate 517 residents as of Sunday, pledging to persuade those who remained to stay in safe shelters. Many have refused to evacuate, arguing that they were used to the situation and were in the harvest season.

“There might be economic considerations, as many residents are in the middle of harvesting crops. However, we will continue to educate the community and encourage them to evacuate,” said Adietya Yuni Nurtono, Ternate district military commander in charge of a safe shelter.

Jakarta:

A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted on Saturday, spewing hot lava and releasing a column of smoke and ash four kilometres (3.1 miles) into the air, an official said.

Mount Ibu, on Halmahera island in North Maluku province, erupted at 7:45 pm central Indonesia time (1145 GMT), sending a tall flaming column soaring into the sky.

“The lava was spotted two kilometres away from the eruption centre,” Geological Agency head Muhammad Wafid said in a statement.

Images from the volcano monitoring post showed a bright red column of flame and thick, dark smoke billowing high above the volcano crater.

The volcano is currently still on the second highest alert level. 

There has been no new evacuation order, but visitors and villagers have been told to vacate a zone four to 5.5 kilometres from the peak. 

The agency also urged people to wear face masks and protective goggles in case of volcanic ash rain.

Ibu is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, erupting more than 2,000 times last year. 

More than 700,000 people lived on Halmahera island as of 2022, according to official figures. 

Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”. 

Last year, Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times, forcing thousands of residents of nearby islands to evacuate.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Plastic waste piled outside an illegal recycling factory in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, Malaysia October 14, 2018. Picture taken October 14, 2018.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Malaysia’s trade ministry said it has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on imports of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, originating or exported from China and Indonesia.

The anti-dumping duties range from 6.33% to 37.44% and took effect on January 7, 2025, the trade ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday.

Brasilia:

Brazil on Monday announced that Indonesia had become a full member of BRICS, a bloc of developing economies increasingly seen as a counterweight to the West.

Brazil’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Southeast Asia’s most populous country “shares with the other members the will to reform the institutions of global governance and contribute positively to cooperation within the Global South.”

Brazil, which holds the rotating presidency of the grouping in 2025, said Indonesia’s bid to join the bloc had been approved during a summit in 2023 in Johannesburg.

BRICS was created in 2009 by founding members Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa joined the following year.

Last year, the grouping expanded with Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates becoming full members.

During its presidency, Brazil aims to boost cooperation between countries of the “Global South” and reform multilateral institutions.

One of the objectives, according to the government of left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is the “development of means of payment” to facilitate trade between member countries.

During the last BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia in November 2024, member nations discussed boosting non-dollar transactions and strengthening local currencies.

This raised the ire of US President-elect Donald Trump, who threatened the group’s members with “100 percent tariffs” if they undercut the US dollar.

This year’s BRICS summit will take place in Rio de Janeiro in July.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Tipping Point: How is climate change affecting rice production?

| Video Credit:
The Hindu

Rice feeds billions of people across the globe. It is the staple food for more than half of the world’s population, and millions depend on it for their livelihood.

However, climate change is disrupting how crops are produced and consumed, and rice too is not untouched. In our main story today, we’ll explore how rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and aggravated extreme weather events are threatening rice. 

In our extreme weather event section this week, we take a look at an important study published last week by the World Weather Attribution and Climate Central.

Indonesia’s target to phase out coal plants in 15 years is our story of climate hope this week. 

Script and presentation: Priyali Prakash

Videography and editing: Zeeshan Akhtar

Two decades after a catastrophic tsunami destroyed her village, Tria Asnani still cries when she recalls how she lost her mother while trying to escape the giant waves.

Ms. Asnani, now a school teacher, was only 17 at the time. Her father, who was a fisherman, never returned home from sea. She doesn’t know how she survived. “I cannot swim. I could only rely on dhikr (Islamic prayer).”

On Dec 26, 2004, a powerful 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people across a dozen countries, reaching as far as East Africa.

But Indonesia’s Aceh province, located closest to the earthquake’s epicentre and with 18 of 23 districts and cities located in the coastal line in the Northern side of Sumatra, bore the brunt of the disaster with more than half of the total death toll reported.

The worst-hit areas were in Aceh Besar and Banda Aceh, according to the Aceh Disaster Management Agency.

Ms. Asnani’s Lampuuk village lies in a fishermen’s community in Aceh Besar, known for its white sandy beaches and turquoise waters. However, on that day, it was among the hardest hit, with waves more than 30 meters (98 feet) high which changed the coastline in Aceh and led to land subsidence after the earthquake.

Buildings by the coast were flattened to the ground except for Rahmatullah Mosque, 500 meters (1,600 feet) from the shore, and about one km (0.6 miles) from Ms. Asnani’s house. The photo of the place of worship, left pretty much unscathed, later became iconic.

After the disastrous event, thousands, including Ms. Asnani, had to relocate to start afresh. She moved with her uncle to another region in Aceh to continue her studies. After she got married, she returned in 2007 to her parents’ house which was rebuilt with assistance from the Turkish government and lived there for 10 years.

Many international donors and organizations poured in money to help rebuild the affected areas that lost schools, hospitals and basic infrastructure, made stronger than before the tsunami hit.

Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center at Syiah Kuala University in Aceh recorded more than 1,400 wrecked schools and about 150,000 students had their education process disrupted by the destructive waves in a report published in 2019.

Three “escape buildings” were also constructed in a relatively safer area to accommodate thousands of people if an earthquake and tsunami strike.

Across the province, memories of the tsunami can be felt almost everywhere.

The Aceh Tsunami Museum in Banda Aceh houses photos of the aftermath and vehicle debris, serving as a constant reminder of what was lost that day. Local authorities have also turned a former floating diesel-powered power plant barge that washed about 6 km (about 4 miles) inland by the tsunami into another memorial place.

Both places have become the most popular tourist destinations in the area.

But development never stops and 20 years after the tsunami the Aceh coast is brimming with residential housing, cafes and restaurants, as well as tourism support facilities, while the hills in some areas from which people are currently being mined for sand and stone.

Fazli, the head of Preparedness in Aceh Disaster Management Agency, said that the government initially stipulated that there should be no activity up to one km (0.6 miles) from the coast. Over time, many displaced fishermen returned to their original coastal homes, drawn by their livelihoods and ties to the sea, despite having received housing elsewhere.

He also said the agency has “provided the Acehnese people with information” to deal with a potential tsunami. “People already know what to do,” said Fazli, who, like other Indonesians, uses a single name.

Siti Ikramatoun, a sociologist in Banda Aceh, said that despite years of recovery and rebuilding, the people of Aceh must stay vigilant.

“If people experienced (the tsunami), they may have an instinct to anticipate it. But those who do not have the experience, they won’t get what to do,” Ikramatoun said.

Various communities in Aceh commemorate the tsunami yearly along with the government and local authorities.

In Banda Aceh, art communities in early December spread disaster awareness through theatrical or musical performances that can be easier for people to follow and target all groups, including those born after the tsunami.

Muslina, 43, a civil servant, took her youngest son to the Aceh Tsunami Museum to watch one of the shows. She lost relatives and loved ones 20 years ago and she wants to make sure she always remembers them.

“Earlier my son asked me if there might be another tsunami when he grows up,” she said. “I told him I do not know. Only God knows, but if there is a strong earthquake and the seawater recedes, we run, run, run to find higher ground.”

Sydney, Australia:

The five remaining members of the Australian “Bali Nine” drug ring say they are “relieved and happy” over their return home after 19 years in jail in Indonesia.

The men — the last behind bars among nine Australian smugglers who were jailed in Indonesia in 2005 — flew into Darwin on Sunday under a secretive deal between the two countries.

“The five men are relieved and happy to be back in Australia,” said a statement released on behalf of the men, their families and their lawyers.

“They look forward, in time, to reintegrating back into and contributing to society,” said the statement received Monday.

Indonesian police arrested nine Australians in 2005, convicting them of attempting to smuggle more than eight kilograms (18 pounds) of heroin off the holiday island of Bali.

The case drew global attention to Indonesia’s unforgiving drug laws, with two of the gang executed by firing squad, while the others served hefty prison sentences.

The released men — Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen, and Michael Czugaj — said they were “immensely grateful” to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for allowing them to return home.

Support from friends, family, lawyers and government officials had been “essential and invaluable”, they said.

The men now need “time and support” for their welfare, the statement said, asking media and the community to make allowance for this.

Australia has not released details of the agreement with Indonesia that allowed their release.

Australian public broadcaster ABC said the men did not have to serve further prison time but had agreed voluntarily to continue their rehabilitation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Sunday he had thanked Indonesia’s president for his “compassion” in allowing the men’s return.

“These Australians spent more than 19 years in prison in Indonesia. It was time for them to come home,” he said.

Muslim-majority Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers.

Accused “Bali Nine” ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed by firing squad in 2015 despite repeated pleas from the Australian government, which recalled its ambassador at the time.

Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died of cancer in 2018, months before Renae Lawrence was released after her sentence was commuted.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)