Jakarta – The Justice and Human Rights Ministry is donating 46,614 food packages for pandemic-affected communities across the archipelago.

Benjamin Brimelow – Tensions continue to rise in the Indo-Pacific, where China's economic growth and military modernization have drawn the attention and concern of politicians and defense officials in the region and around the world.

Luke Hunt – Timor-Leste is emerging as an unlikely regional diplomatic player amid a renewed push to gain membership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) when Cambodia takes over the bloc's rotating chair next year.

Muhammad Beni Saputra – Indonesia's illegal gold mining problems reveal deeper issues with local level corruption and economic inequality. In Sumatra, gold miners have complained about inconsistencies in the police's tough security measures to eradicate mining.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – Indonesia needs to invest US$312 billion to reach its target for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, according to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

The figure is based on the estimated contribution stated in the reworked nationally determined contribution (NDC), Indonesia's pledge made under the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Medan – Indonesia's Mount Sinabung erupted on Wednesday, spewing a massive column of smoke and ash into the sky.

The eruption of the volcano in North Sumatra province lasted about 12 minutes, a local geological agency said.

"The volcanic material reached 4,500 metres into the air," the head of the agency's Sinabung monitoring post, Armen Putra, told AFP.

A couple who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine are facing banishment from a Bali village, and are seeking legal action over the alleged rights violation.

Fery Wahyudi Satria Wibawa and his wife were recently told to leave Gulingan Village in Badung Regency as village elders demanded that all residents have the COVID-19 vaccine certificate.

Egi Adyatama, Maudey K. Setyakusuma (Intern), Jakarta – Violent acts against a Papuan was again caught on camera, on Wednesday, July 28. This time, two police officers caught on camera assaulting a resident in the back of a truck by hitting the victim's head twice.

Lani Diana Wijaya, Jakarta – Acting Secretary of the Jakarta Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) Augustinus clarified that there was no injection of the third dose of Covid-19 vaccine using Moderna in the DRPD Building.

Antara, Mega Safitri, Jakarta – Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology Director, Amin Subandrio, stated that the Covid-19 Delta Plus variant (B.1.617.2.1 or AY.1) had been in Indonesia since three weeks ago. The said more dangerous variant was discovered in Jambi and Mamuju, as quoted from Kompas, July 28.

Indonesia – Some residents of an Indonesian island where a world-class luxury resort and motor-racing circuit is being constructed with China-linked money say they have been threatened in connection with the project or have not received fair compensation for their land.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) has again created controversy over a plan to provide special three-star hotel facilities for lawmakers, staff members and civil servants who have contracted Covid-19 and are self-isolating.

Yamin Kogoya – Shocking video footage showing a brutal and inhumane assault on a deaf Papuan teenager named Steven has emerged from the Merauke region of Papua and sparked outrage.

This assault occurred on Monday, July 26, 2021, around Jalan Raya Mandala, Merauke (Jubi, July 27).

TAPOL strongly condemns the conduct of two airforce personnel who severely beat a disabled man, Steven Yadohamang, in Merauke, West Papua province, on 27 July 2021. The incident, which has been widely shared on social media, shows the two personnel beating up a man and crushing his body into the ground and stamping on his head.

Heru Andriyanto & Maria Fatima Bona, Jakarta – Indonesia has been enduring its worst period yet of the Covid-19 pandemic with the highest monthly death toll and steepest rise in newly cases attributed to the Delta variant throughout July.

Natasia Christy Wahyuni, Jakarta – The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry predicts that the world is moving toward a new norm in which vaccine passports will become a globally accepted solution to reopening of global travels, primarily in the tourism sector.

Victor Mambor, Jayapura – Two air force military police have reportedly racially tortured an 18-year-old Papuan in Merauke on Monday, July 26, 2021. The victim, named Steven, has a speech disability but was mistaken as being drunk and the soldiers blatantly slammed him and stepped on his head.

A street seller in West Jakarta may have had the shock of his life after finding out that COVID-19 patients were among his recent customers.

As the dust settles on the outrage surrounding a proposal for a dedicated COVID-19 hospital for members of the House of Representatives (DPR), the people's representatives have shown once again that they're all for exclusivity with the passing of a new rule allowing for lawmakers with COVID-19 to opt for an all-inclusive hotel quarantine package.

Sydney Allen – Indonesia is facing a "COVID-19 tsunami" that is affecting families throughout the archipelago. While all of Southeast Asia has seen an uptick of cases in recent weeks, Indonesia has seen the sharpest spike and is widely regarded as the current global epicenter.

Chris Barrett, Singapore – The Australian government is working with Qantas to organise a flight for expats stranded in Indonesia, with nearly 800 registered as wanting to return home from a country that is now the global epicentre of the virus.

Damon Evans – Santos, which operates the Bayu-Undan field offshore East Timor, said today that production from its Phase 3C infill drilling program has started with the first well producing a better than expected outcome.

Ronna Nirmala, Jakarta – The Indonesian Air Force fired two commanders in the troubled Papua region on Wednesday after a widely shared video showing military police roughing up a deaf Papuan man caused a public outcry and drew condemnation from the president's office.

Jakarta – The actions of an air force (TNI-AU) military police officer who stepped on the head of a Papuan civilian has been slammed by human rights organisations.

The incident occurred in Merauke on the afternoon of July 16 when two air force officers were arresting a civilian who was allegedly intoxicated – according to the air force's version of events.

Fanny Potkin and Tabita Diela, Singapore and Jakarta – BRI Life, the insurance arm of state-owned lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), said on Tuesday it was investigating claims that the personal details of over two million of its customers had been advertised for sale by unidentified hackers.

Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – The Environment and Forestry Ministry (KLHK) recorded 18,460 tons of hazardous and toxic medical waste from the Covid-19 handling in all healthcare facilities, emergency hospitals, isolation and quarantine centers, detection tests, and vaccinations.

Antara, Jakarta – The Environment and Forestry Ministry (KLHK) said 59 percent of rivers in Indonesia are still severely polluted. The sources of river water pollution include industrial waste, such as oil, gas, and mining, as well as domestic or household waste and livestock waste.

Egi Adyatama, Maudey K. Setyakusuma, Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) strongly condemns the actions of two members of the Indonesian Air Force who abused a resident of Merauke, Papua. The victim, who is known to have special needs, was being pinned as well as stepped on his head.

Antara, Jakarta – There has been an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases outside of Java, in contrast with the declining trend in infections seen on the island, according to the Indonesian Doctor's Association.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Contributor), Yogyakarta – Reduced people's mobility during the public activity restrictions dubbed PPKM Level 4 was not in line with the slowing trend in the daily Covid-19 cases in Yogyakarta.

Friski Riana, Jakarta – The Papuan advocacy team member Michael Himan urged President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to apologize for a brutal act committed by the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) members against a Papuan. "We urge President Joko Widowo as the supreme military commander to immediately issue an apology," Michael said in his statement on Tuesday, July 27.

Benjamin Mateus – Indonesia is now experiencing more than 1,500 deaths from COVID-19 each day on a seven-day average and has become the epicenter of the pandemic in Asia and globally.

Jakarta – Indonesian prosecutors on Wednesday recommended a sentence of 11 years' imprisonment for former social affairs minister Juliari Peter Batubara who stands trial for allegedly taking illegal payment in government's assistance program intended for low-income families during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jakarta – Family members of Aceh's late entrepreneur Akidi Tio came under spotlight after they donated Rp 2 trillion (US$138 million) for COVID-19 mitigation efforts in South Sumatra.

The donation was handed over symbolically on Monday by Akidi's family doctor, Hardi Darmawan, to South Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Eko Indra Heri.

Basten Gokkon, Jakarta – Indonesia has once again enforced a full ban on the use of a group of seine and trawl nets that threaten the sustainability of the country's fish stocks.

Kate Lamb and Agustinus Costa, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has apologised for the actions of two air force officers it said used "excessive force" to pin down the head of a deaf, indigenous Papuan man after a video of the incident was shared online, drawing widespread condemnation.

Dewi Loveard in Jakarta and Nicola Smith – Like many young children, Vino, 10, is afraid of the dark. Normally his pregnant mother would comfort him until he drifts to sleep, but last week she and his father suddenly died, snatched in the prime of life by the Covid-19 wave ravaging Indonesia.

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – The July 27, 1996 riots – also known as Kudatuli – was one of the most important incidents during the era of the New Order regime of former president Suharto.

The government doesn't seem to appreciate the jokes and memes in expense of the eyebrow-raising 20-minute dine-in time limit, justifying its enforcement on the fact that other countries have done it before.

Siswo Mulyartono – Last month, there were at least three major conflicts involving houses of worship across Indonesia.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Dili Archdiocese in Timor-Leste is to work closely with international Christian humanitarian and development organization World Vision in assisting families in rural areas to prevent violence against children.

Konradus Epa, Jakarta – Indonesia's top medical body has criticized a government policy of allowing Covid-19 patients to self-isolate at home, saying more than 2,000 have died because of a lack of medical supervision.

Jakarta – The already dire situation in Indonesia's Covid-19 outbreak got worse on Tuesday with a new record in the highest number of daily deaths, which exceeded the 2,000 mark for the first time since the pandemic started.

Lenny Tristia Tambun, Shannon Chai Tjokrorahardjo, Jakarta – The Indonesian government aims to vaccinate over 200 million citizens to get rid of Covid-19, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo tweeted on Tuesday.

Indonesia has administered around 64 million doses of vaccine in the last six months, with 18.7 million people fully vaccinated to date.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – Most of Java, the most-populous island in Indonesia, has reported an improvement in the Covid-19 situation.

Adam Prireza, M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan on Tuesday appreciated the Jakarta Metro Police after successfully revealing an alleged illegal oxygen tank import scheme. He said that such disgraceful acts amidst a pressing Covid-19 crisis are crimes against humanity.

Francisca Christy Rosana, Jakarta – In Indonesia, 10,865 passengers were barred from boarding long-distance trains for not bringing Covid-19 vaccination cards. The data was compiled by PT Kereta Api Indonesia, the state railway company, during the emergency movements curb's implementation between July 3 and 25.

Putu Indah S, Nabil Ihsan – For GH, a sexual violence survivor, the trauma of further harassment after reporting the assault has been unimaginably intense.

Rifki Nurfajri, Jakarta – National COVID-19 task force chief Ganip Warsito has called on people to self-isolate at government-run isolation centers where they could have access to better services, including medical treatment, compared to self-isolating at home.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Netherlands has moved up ranks to become the third-largest source of foreign investment for Indonesia in the second quarter of the year.