The 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Lombok - one of the more popular holiday islands in Indonesia - on Sunday 29 July 2018 and killed 17 people was apparently only a harbinger of things to come. Exactly one week later, on Sunday 5 August 2018, a more powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the same island. This time it killed at least 91 people and damaged thousands of buildings. The number of casualties is likely to rise further in the hours or days ahead.

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The number of traffic accidents and casualties declined drastically during this year's Eid al-Fitr holiday, the celebrations that mark the end of the Ramadan month. Traditionally, tens of millions of people travel from the urban areas back to their places of origin to spend a couple of days with their families (a tradition known as mudik in Indonesia). This exodus at the start of the holiday (and inflow at the end of the holiday) usually leads to many casualties, primarily because people become tired after driving for many hours.

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It is feared that at least 192 people have drowned when a ferry sank in Lake Toba in North Sumatra on Monday (18/06). Based on the latest data from Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), 192 people are now still missing, while three bodies have been recovered and 18 people have been rescued. It is possible that the list of missing people will rise further in the days ahead.

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At least 100 people were killed in a 6.4-magnitude (undersea) earthquake in Aceh (Sumatra) at 05:03 am local time on Wednesday morning (07/12). Besides casualties, local media report that numerous houses and buildings have been destroyed. The epicenter of the quake was centered about ten kilometers north of Reuleut (northern Aceh) and is believed to occurred at a depth of 17.2 kilometers. There is no potential for a tsunami according to Indonesia's Climate, Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

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The ongoing forest fires on parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, brought about by people's slash-and-burn practices to clear land for palm oil and paper industries, are now labelled a crime against humanity by global media while Indonesia has turned into the world's largest daily carbon dioxide emissions surpassing China and the USA. The severe haze that has been plaguing parts of Southeast Asia brings health problems, economic costs and bad publicity amid a time when most countries are teaming up to combat global warming.

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Today, exactly ten years ago, Indonesia and 13 other countries were struck by a devastating tsunami resulting in the deaths of 230,000 people and displacement of 1.7 million people. In Aceh (the northern tip on the island of Sumatra), the main point of impact in Indonesia, more than 167,000 people died as a result of the tsunami (caused by a submarine earthquake in the Indian Ocean). According to the World Bank, Aceh is now better prepared to face such a natural disaster after a long reconstruction period.

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The Idul Fitri celebrations (also known as Lebaran) in Indonesia appear to take place in a safe and orderly manner. Idul Fitri is an important religious holiday for Muslims as it stresses the importance of unity for the Islamic community, and marks the end of the holy fasting month (Ramadan). Business comes to a near stand-still in Indonesia during these days, and Jakarta, the political and economic center of Indonesia, has become empty after millions of people went back to their hometowns ahead of Idul Fitri (this is known as the annual mudik tradition).

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On Thursday (19/06), Malaysian rescuers intensified the search for 26 missing Indonesians after their wooden boat had capsized during a storm on Wednesday (18/06) while making the journey from Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) to Indonesia (Aceh, Sumatra). Nine people have died, while 26 persons remain missing. At least 62 people have survived the disaster. Reportedly, the boat, carrying mostly illegal Indonesian workers who returned to Indonesia to participate in the Ramadan and Idul Fitri festivities, was overloaded.

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According to Indonesia's police department, heavy traffic caused by the Idul Fitri celebrations resulted in the deaths of more than 471 people as well as 740 seriously injured people in over 2000 traffic accidents. Most accidents are caused by drivers that fall asleep during the journey. Idul Fitri marks the end of the holy fasting month (Ramadan) and is one of the major national holidays in Indonesia. This year Idul Fitri fell on Thursday 8 August and, as usual, is accompanied by the tradition that Indonesians travel back to their places of birth.

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The severe oil spill in the Balikpapan Bay (East Kalimantan) could lead to sanctions for Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina. Arcandra Tahar, Deputy Minister of Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said his ministry is joining forces with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to investigate the oil spill case. Five fishermen were killed by toxic smoke, while it is feared that severe damage has been done to marine live and the ecosystem in the area.

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After the Mount Sinabung volcano (located in North Sumatra) has been erupting continously since September 2013 leading to 17 casualties and tens of thousands of evacuees, another Indonesian volcano - Mount Kelud (in East Java) - erupted around 22:50 West Indonesian Time on Thursday evening (13/02). Only hours prior to the eruption, the alert status of Mount Kelud was raised by the National Volcanology Agency. There have been six confirmed deaths. Volcanic ash and rocks have been thrown over a wide distance.

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