Antara, Jakarta – Some 16 native Papuans suffered arrow wounds in a tribal clash erupting in Jayawijaya District's area, Papua, on Thursday and Friday, but a public hospital's local doctors offered timely life-saving treatment, a police officer stated.

Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has said that the central government supports his decision to reimpose full large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in the capital, despite several Cabinet members criticizing the move in the past few days.

Jakarta – The enforcement of total Large Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB, partial lockdown) in Jakarta will be an obstacle for plans by the 212 Alumni Brotherhood (PA 212) and affiliated groups to hold joint screenings (nobar) of the film "The Betrayal of the 30 September Movement/Indonesian Communist Party" (G30S/PKI).

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Indonesian capital reported the highest one-day rise of coronavirus cases on Sunday with 1,380 new cases to take its total to 54,220, as the city is embracing new restriction policy that will oblige all infected persons to quarantine at government-appointed facilities.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Two-day torrential rain led to flooding in Merbau district of North Labuhan Batu regency, North Sumatra, on Sunday, causing damage to public facilities and forcing hundreds of residents from their homes.

According to the North Labuhan Batu Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), the floods prompted around 600 families to seek shelter.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Indonesia reached the second-highest rise on Saturday with more provinces on Sumatra Island reporting a three-digit daily total and new transmissions in Jakarta spiraling beyond control.

Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie, Jakarta – A recent study by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has found that 82 percent of candidates in the December regional elections are receiving funding from sponsors to run for office and urged the country to take extra measures to prevent graft.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) has confirmed the deaths of five more doctors due to COVID-19, bringing the total count to 114 while also urging the government to provide better protection to medical workers fighting in the frontline of the ongoing pandemic.

Kiki Siregar, Jakarta – Professor Bambang Hero Saharjo had just arrived at a court to testify as an expert witness in an environmental crime case when he received a phone call.

The unknown caller tried to intimidate him and Prof Saharjo immediately ended the call. He then switched off his phone.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will take drastic steps, including detaining those who refuse to practise safe distancing and wear masks, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has told The Sunday Times.

"We will deploy police and soldiers to enforce discipline. People must be penalised," he said by telephone.

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) is urging National Police Chief Idham Azis to cancel the plan by the Covid-19 Task Force to employ preman (street thugs, petty criminals) to enforcing health protocols in markets.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Japanese automaker Daihatsu described in a simple chart how the two-month social restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak have sent national car sales into a free fall, as Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced a plan to re-impose restrictions starting on Monday.

Galih Gumelar, Jakarta – The number of sole candidates running in Indonesia's regional elections has steadily increased in the past five years, election data has shown, leading to growing concerns that the upcoming polls might ruin the electoral system.

Jakarta – The Agency for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BP2MI) has thwarted an illegal dispatch of potential Indonesian migrant workers to Cambodia.

Winda Liviya NG, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced on Wednesday night that he was pulling the emergency brake on the "new normal" and by Sept. 14, barring no unforeseen changes, the capital would be back to full large-scale social restrictions (PSBB).

Jakarta – A Rohingya refugee in Aceh died of a respiratory illness on Friday, only a day after two other refugees died of similar causes.

Lhokseumawe city public relations head Marzuki said the refugee, a 19-year-old named Senowara, was admitted to Cut Meutia General Hospital (RSUCM) in North Aceh after complaining of high fever and breathing difficulties.

Jakarta – The West Java administration has offered Jakarta health authorities to transfer COVID-19 patients to hospitals in the province once the capital's healthcare system is overwhelmed due to a spike in confirmed cases.

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said he had conveyed his offer to his Jakarta counterpart, Anies Baswedan, during a recent virtual meeting.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja in Jakarta and Arlina Arshad – Jakarta residents are despondent, angry, anxious and pessimistic about the future.

This follows the announcement that the city of more 10 million will have to endure tighter restrictions for the second time from tomorrow as Covid-19 cases rise inexorably.

Jakarta – The Jakarta Administration has decided to impose a full-scale PSBB social restrictions starting on Monday, September 14, in a bid to flatten the rising COVID-19 infection cases in the capital.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – Indonesia expects a long road to full economic recovery after Jakarta brought back strict social restrictions measures amid a continued rise in the number of coronavirus cases.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) has urged the Jakarta administration to extend the length of its partial lockdown, also known as large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), from the usual two weeks to three weeks.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – The Press Council has released the survey results on the 2020 Press Freedom Index (IKP) in 34 provinces throughout Indonesia.

In general, the survey results showed a 1.56 point improvement in comparison with 2019. Nationally the 2020 Press Freedom Index stood at 75.27 and is included in the category of "sufficiently free" (cukup bebas).

Eisya A. Eloksari, Jakarta – Indonesia should focus on tackling the COVID-19 health crisis rather than on economic recovery, said the head of the economic recovery task force, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, emphasizing that the country should not solely rely on the vaccine as a solution to the current pandemic, as a vaccine could take years to fully develop.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – Indonesia's tax office and its Australian counterpart have joined hands to exchange information as part of the latest efforts to fight tax avoidance, the Taxation Directorate General announced on Wednesday.

Nezar Patria and Budi Sutrisno, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has called on the Jakarta administration to thoroughly assess its plan to reimpose a partial COVID-19 lockdown on the city as the nation struggles to balance the demands of public health and the economy.

Jakarta – The Agency for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BP2MI) has repatriated 52 workers who were stranded without pay in Saudi Arabia, an official said on Thursday.

Agency head Benny Rhamdani said the agency arranged the repatriation of the workers after news of their situation went viral on social media. They returned to Indonesia on Thursday evening.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja and Jeffrey Hutton in Jakarta – Regions that share a border with Jakarta are set to follow the capital city in reimposing strict restrictions, locally termed as PSBB, next week to deal with surging coronavirus infections.

Jakarta – A key Indonesian parliamentary committee on Friday reached an agreement with the government to expand the 2021 budget deficit to 5.7% of gross domestic product, from 5.5% initially proposed by President Joko Widodo, the committee chairman said.

Jakarta – The government is currently preparing personnel from various institutions to jointly carry out an operation to ensure the implementation of the mask-wearing protocol in subdistricts and villages across Indonesia amid the current spike of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Arya Dipa, Bandung – The team overseeing the clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate in Bandung, West Java, announced that a volunteer receiving an injection in the trial had tested positive for the disease.

Dyaning Pangestika, Jakarta – Civil servants (ASN) are often put in unfavorable situations that may cost them while staying neutral during elections, reveals Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) head Abhan.

Ramadani Saputra and Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie, Jakarta – Doctors have asked the public to stop accusing medical workers of profiting off the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak on social media.

Muhammad Alkaff, an internist at Persahabatan General Hospital (RSUP) in East Jakarta, urged the public to spare doctors and other medical workers from such accusations and hate speech.

John West – Ben Bland paints an insightful and intriguing portrait of Indonesia's leader in his new book, Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the struggle to remake Indonesia. Jokowi, as the president is known, is a fascinating personality – a man who leapt from being a furniture maker to city mayor (of Solo and Jakarta) and then on to lead Indonesia.

Kiki Siregar, Jakarta – In July, credit analyst Budi Wardiman went back to work in his office in Jakarta, after having worked from home for almost three months due to a partial lockdown that was imposed in the capital to break the chain of COVID-19 infection.

With Jakarta set to return to another phase of strict Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) next week, malls throughout the capital are collectively urging the capital's government to hold back on enforcing the policy as they fear for negative impacts on business continuity.

Bill Brown – When Timor-Leste (formerly known as East Timor) finally gained independence and peace in 2002 it had paid a heavy price of huge casualties and destruction, and they needed help.

Then, a small farming community in south-east Australia mobilised to help the East Timorese rebuild their country and build a new nation.

Concerns are mounting that Jakarta will soon run out of hospital beds amid huge spikes in new COVID-19 cases lately. No facility would illustrate that possibility better than the Wisma Atlet COVID-19 Emergency Hospital in Kemayoran, which illuminated Central Jakarta with the lights in all of its rooms switched on as seen in a recent viral photo.

Muhammad Hendartyo, Jakarta – The Home Affairs Ministry announced 72 candidates for the 2020 Regional Head Election (Pilkada) had received a strong warning for violating health protocols against Covid-19. They were one governor, 35 regents, five mayors, 36 deputy regents, and five deputy mayors.

Jakarta – Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) deputy chairman Muhyiddin Junaidi has advised Muslims to pray at home as COVID-19 cases in the nation have shown several spikes over the past few months.

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD says that almost 92 percent of candidate regional heads spread across all of Indonesia are funded by cukong (business tycoons).

On average, said Mahfud, after being elected these candidate regional heads will reciprocate with policies which benefit the cukong.

Jakarta – The police have arrested a man in Riau who claims to have killed Metro TV editor Yodi Prabowo, 26, whose death was previously declared a suicide. Yodi's body was found on a roadside in South Jakarta in July.

Jakarta Police general crimes director Sr. Comr. Tubagus Ade Hidayat said the police arrested the man after receiving a report from Metro TV.

Jakarta – Leaders of Jakarta's satellite cities are still undecided on whether they should follow the capital city in reimposing stricter COVID-19 restrictions that will take effect on Monday.

Jakarta – Shopping malls in Jakarta will likely cease operation for a second time when large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) are reinstated in the capital on Monday, an official has said.

Alya Nurbaiti and Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta – As of Friday 109 doctors had died of COVID-19 in the country, Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) spokesperson Halik Malik has said.

Arlina Arshad – Tough restrictions will be reimposed in Jakarta from Monday, a move analysts have said is necessary but may be too little, too late as the number of Covid-19 cases in the Indonesian capital surges to a record high, pushing the healthcare system to the brink.

It's the question on everyone's mind recently: what's been driving Bali's increasing COVID-19 cases?

With speculations abound, Deputy Governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati has now offered a likely explanation: local transmissions have escalated from household clusters and traditional ceremonies.

Basten Gokkon, Jakarta – Newly published research has linked the spread of oil palm and rubber plantations across a wetland area of Indonesia's Sumatra Island to worsening floods in the region.

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – House of Representatives members are calling for an immediate evaluation of the government's COVID-19 mitigation efforts following a travel ban imposed against Indonesia by 59 countries over coronavirus concerns.

Mardika Parama, Jakarta – A consortium of state-owned and private firms, PT Jogjasolo Marga Makmur, signed a toll road concession agreement (PPJT) with the government on Wednesday to build and operate a Surakarta-Yogyakarta-New Yogyakarta International Airport (NYIA) toll road.

Jakarta – The Lubuklinggau, South Sumatra, chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has urged authorities to dig up deceased COVID-19 patients buried at a cemetery in the area because they are not oriented toward the qibla – the direction of the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia.