At the previous count, Indonesia’s capital was 33rd on the list of the world’s most populous cities. Now, it has replaced longstanding first-place Tokyo and stands clear at the top with a total population of 42 million. The reason for the swift rise? The United Nations has revised how it tallies up urban populations. While it previously relied on official statistics, the UN now uses more consistent metrics, which, in Jakarta’s case, incorporate high-density neighbourhoods, many of them informal

Four weeks after deadly floods devastated parts of Indonesia’s North Sumatra, residents of Aek Ngadol village gathered for Christmas mass amid the wreckage, saying the celebration helped lift their spirits despite the destruction. | Al Jazeera English