Jakarta – An image depicting a text message reportedly sent by a senior high school teacher in East Jakarta has gone viral on social media for what many consider its discriminatory content.

Yudha Baskoro – Bali is among the hardest hit by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has put global travels to a halt since March.

Mardika Parama, Jakarta – The Transportation Ministry has allocated Rp 20 billion (US$1.36 million) to fund a subsidized land transport program focused on the outermost regions of Riau Islands and Papua to push down the price disparity in staple goods.

Tri Indah Oktavianti, Jakarta – High-ranking officials in Jakarta have called on schools and teachers to give additional courses to students to prevent them from joining protests against the controversial Job Creation Law.

Made Anthony Iswara, Jakarta – Business consultancy owner John, 55, who is from the United States but has been running his business in Indonesia for the past 10 years, has said he would consider employing foreign workers if his business grows. However, he said that employing foreigners in Indonesia was a relatively unattractive option given its high cost barriers.

Egi Adyatama, Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – Citing the latest finding from pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia, the Indonesian National Police HQ (Mabes Polri) on Monday strongly denies police personnel have been cracking down on those with different opinions.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has sought to defend the passing of the highly controversial Job Creation Law, arguing the law is necessary to make Indonesia more economically competitive amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – Civil liberties in the world's third largest democracy are in jeopardy, according to the latest study by pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia, amid public concerns over the government's authoritarian posturing in response to criticisms over its policymaking methods in recent months.

Jakarta – Police have arrested Muslim preacher Sugi Nur Raharja, better known as Gus Nur, and named him as a suspect of a hate speech case for allegedly insulting the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's largest Muslim organization.

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – At least 56 journalists experienced violence or intimidation, allegedly perpetrated by members of the police, during nationwide protests against the Job Creation Law, according to the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).

Jakarta – The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the economy, resulting in increased unemployment rates.

Data released by the Manpower Ministry in April showed that over 1.2 million workers from 74,439 companies in both the formal and informal sectors had either been told to stay home or laid off.

Belseran Christ, Ambon – Three activists in Maluku were sentenced to up to three years in prison after having been convicted of treason on Friday for raising the flag of the South Maluku Republic (RMS) separatist movement in April.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Newly cases of coronavirus in Indonesia have been trending down in the past two weeks, with 3,222 new cases on Monday, the lowest daily total since Sept. 14, to take the country's total to 392,934.

However, daily numbers are typically lower on Mondays due to reduced laboratory capacity in the weekend.

Alexandre Pelletier – After Indonesia's democratic transition of 1998, dozens of small yet vocal Islamist groups sprung up throughout the world's most populous Muslim majority country.

Michael Taylor (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Offering affordable healthcare to villagers and indigenous communities living near forests could help reduce illegal logging and fight climate change, researchers said on Monday.

Mardika Parama, Jakarta – The Transportation Ministry has agreed to provide the aviation industry with a stimulus package worth Rp 216.5 billion (US$14.75 million) as part of a plan that includes a passenger service charge exemption and a subsidy aimed at cutting costs and boosting demand throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jakarta – Health clubs have cautiously restarted operations to keep themselves up and running.

Despite another period of social restrictions that will be imposed until Nov. 8 in Jakarta, gyms have reopened their doors to health enthusiasts.

Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta – The Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) has warned the public to avoid Mount Sinabung in Karo regency, North Sumatra, and has evacuated nearby settlements as the volcano spews hot ash.

Jakarta – Workers united under the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) have planned to continue staging protests against the controversial Job Creation Law until Nov. 10, longer than what was previously predicted by the government.

KSPI president Said Iqbal assured the public that the planned rallies would be nonviolent in nature.

Dian Septiari, Jakarta – Amid the increasingly aggressive rivalry between the United States and China, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's planned visit to Jakarta next week may further consolidate efforts to antagonize Beijing and test Indonesia's free and active foreign policy.

Jakarta – Eka Mulyana, a member of the mitigation team for the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), has said the association has recorded a growing number of COVID-19 fatalities among healthcare workers over the last since months since the pandemic began.

As of Sunday, the IDI has seen a total of 253 lives of healthcare workers taken by the coronavirus.

Fana Suparman & Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Renowned stockbroker Benny Tjokrosaputro was sentenced to life by the Jakarta Anticorruption Court on Monday evening for his role in a major graft scandal in state insurer Jiwasraya that rang the alarm of the country's financial system in the wake of the case.

Junaidi Hanafiah, Banda Aceh, Indonesia – Conservationists are calling for a Sumatran rhino habitat at the northern tip of the Indonesian island to be fully protected from planned road-construction projects.

Jakarta – Regions across the archipelago are gearing to welcome tourists for a long weekend at the end of the month while keeping the coronavirus at bay.

Thanks to public holidays, many people will have five days off, from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, and not all will stay at home.

Jakarta – A survey conducted by Indikator Politik Indonesia has shown that most respondents want regional leader candidates who have violated COVID-19 health protocols to be disqualified from the December elections.

The survey was conducted from Sept. 24 to 30, involving 1,200 respondents from across the nation.

Nina Loasana, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo swore in 12 new ambassadors at the State Palace on Monday under strict health protocols.

The new envoys' inauguration was stipulated in Presidential Decree No.106/P/2020 issued on Oct. 16.

Yunindita Prasidya and Norman Harsono, Jakarta – The government has reaffirmed its plans to issue a presidential regulation (Perpres) on renewable energy this year as it seeks to boost the development of clean energy and reach its energy mix target.

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – As many as 36 percent of respondents say that Indonesia has become less democratic according to the results of a national survey by Indonesian Political Indicator (IPI) conducted between September 24 and 30.

Jakarta – The Transportation Ministry has ordered random checks on vehicles heading out of Jakarta to ensure every public transportation operator, including buses and private car users, adhere to health protocols.

The extra preparation is made ahead of the extended public holiday from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 to prevent a major increase in COVID-19 cases.

Pasepa Katia – West Papua, a Melanesian island bordering Papua New Guinea in the Pacific, has struggled for decades to achieve independence.

Jakarta – Members of the North Sumatra COVID-19 task force were attacked by an unidentified group while conducting a raid to enforce the mandatory face-mask policy in a suspected gambling den in Labuhan Deli district, Deli Serdang regency, early on Thursday.

Jakarta – The public has been encouraged not to leave town for the upcoming long weekend on Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the safest ways to spend the holiday is taking a virtual tour from the comfort of your own home.

Jakarta – The Aceh Ulema Council (MPU) has demanded that players of the highly popular online game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) and other games depicting violence be subjected to public flogging.

Ardila Syakriah, Jakarta – In May, two months after Indonesia reported its first COVID-19 cases in Greater Jakarta, more than 1000 kilometers away, a doctor was tending to an unconscious 50-year-old woman with a swollen belly. Her skin and eyes were turning yellow due to liver failure.

Antara, Jakarta – The North Jakarta District Court scheduled the first trial of PT Freeport Indonesia security officer Ivan Sambom, alias Indius Sambom, who is accused of involvement in an armed criminal group in Papua on October 27.

Jakarta – The grand imam of Jakarta's Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Umar, said santri (students of Islamic boarding schools) had to play an active role in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

He pointed to the role of santri in Indonesia's struggle for independence as an example.

Jakarta – The national COVID-19 task force has urged the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and the country's top soccer leagues, Liga 1 and Liga 2, to weigh the risks of virus transmission prior to restarting competition.

The leagues are currently on hold due to the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the country.

Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie, Jakarta – More than 100 inmates at Kerobokan Prison in Badung regency, Bali, tested positive for COVID-19 as of Saturday.

Of the 106 infected prisoners, 84 are men. All of them are currently being isolated in the Kuta block of the penitentiary.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia has added 102,704 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the beginning of the month, bringing the total number of cases to 389,712. The country has been averaging 4,108 cases since Oct. 1, but the weekly trend is slightly declining.

Jakarta – Some regional leaders in Central Java are deliberately refraining from conducting COVID-19 tracking and testing in order to maintain the "green zone" status of their areas, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has said.

Jakarta – Candidates in the upcoming regional elections found to be violating COVID-19 health protocols during their campaigns will be subject to various sanctions, including three-day bans on holding campaign events, the West Java Elections Supervisory Agency has warned.

Alya Nurbaiti, Jakarta – Regional administrations are considering issuing bylaws as a legal avenue to sanction people who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said he had instructed his staff to review the legal aspects of such a bylaw.

Alya Nurbaiti, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has signed a government regulation that requires regional administrations to have a disability service unit (ULD) on manpower that provides support for the employment of people with disabilities.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – More than 100 tons of carp and tilapia in Lake Toba, Samosir regency, North Sumatra were found dead on Thursday, possibly due to extreme weather, local officials have said.

Samosir Agriculture and Fisheries Agency head Viktor Sitinjak said the losses had set the local administration back at least Rp 2 billion (US$135,663).

Ardila Syakriah, Jakarta – Indonesia's doctors have warned the government not to rush its COVID-19 vaccination programs and patiently wait instead for the results of ongoing trials to be published, as the state pushes for the emergency use authorization of vaccine candidates currently being developed in China.

Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie, Jakarta – The Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) is planning to stage more protests against the recently passed Job Creation Law, or omnibus law, throughout November if President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo decides to sign the law.

Nina Loasana, Jakarta – The State Secretariat has completed the review of the Job Creation Law handed over by the House of Representatives and it is ready to be signed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, an official has said.

Jon Afrizal, Jambi – The police sealed a coal mining area in Hajran village in Batang Hari regency, Jambi, on Thursday over a dispute between coal miner PT Kurnia Alam Investama (KAI) and mining service company PT Pelabuhan Universal Sumatra (PUS).

Jakarta – Indonesia's workers will stage further mass protests across the country if President Joko Widodo signs new jobs measures into law next week, the head of the main labour group said on Saturday.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The total number of coronavirus cases in Jakarta passed the 100,000 mark on Saturday as newly cases have been spiraling beyond control since late August.

Latest report from the Health Ministry shows that the grim milestone is reached after another 1,062 new infections in the capital, taking its total to 100,220, including 2,146 deaths.