Jakarta – The government has required residents to register at a health facility before paying for the COVID-19 vaccine or receiving it for free.

Jakarta – The Supreme Court has accepted a case review filed by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) over its dealings with former party stalwart Fahri Hamzah, who sued over his dismissal.

With the ruling in the bag, the PKS is no longer obliged to pay compensation to the tune of Rp 30 billion (US$2.129 million), as demanded in an appeal filed by Fahri.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign debt rose to US$413.4 billion in October driven by higher borrowings by the private sector and the government, Bank Indonesia (BI) announced Tuesday.

Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman, Jakarta – Indonesia's abundant nickel reserves and the Job Creation Law may help the country attract investment from American electric automaker Tesla, an expert has stated.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia has recorded more than 90,000 new cases of coronavirus in the first half of the month in another confirmation that the country is currently in its worst period of the outbreak.

Newly cases have been spiking at unprecedented rate in major hotspots as daily death toll continues to hit three-digit figures for three consecutive weeks.

Jakarta – Authorities in East Java have prepped 2,400 staff for the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Jakarta – As COVID-19 case figures keep rising, hospitals need to restructure their health services to help curb virus infection and survive the pandemic.

On Sunday, Indonesia logged another day of more than 6,000 new cases, contributing to a cumulative 617,820 confirmed cases, which includes 505,836 recoveries and 18,819 fatalities.

The police have offered an updated chronology of events related to the killing of six Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) members on Dec. 7, which came after authorities conducted a crime scene reconstruction based on available evidence.

The Bogor Police will close the route leading to Puncak, West Java, in the latest attempt to hinder year-end vacationers from crowding the popular mountainous tourist destination.

Dicky Pranata, who heads Bogor Police's Traffic Unit, said that the Gadog Highway in Ciawi, Bogor regency will be closed for 12 hours on New Year's Eve, from Dec. 31 at 6pm to Jan. 1 at 6am.

Jakarta – Sleman regency is one of five regencies/cities in Yogyakarta with red zone status in all of its subdistricts.

Therefore, the regental administration has prepared some measures to prevent COVID-19 case spikes following the year-end holidays, especially as most of its tourist destinations are open during the upcoming long weekend.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – More than 2,000 Covid-19 patients have died since December 1 as Indonesia is entering the worst period of the outbreak halfway through the month. At this point last month, there were 1,279 coronavirus-related deaths.

Jakarta – The government has raised its target of providing the Covid-19 vaccine for free to 53.5 million people from just 32 million people earlier, Widodo Muktiyo, the director-general of information and public communication Communication and Information technology Ministry said on Monday.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has called on the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to resolve past cases of human rights abuses in the country and show concrete progress in related settlement efforts.

Jokowi said the AGO held a critical role in resolving past human rights violations.

Arya Dipa, Bandung – West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil has said that the province will ban crowd-pulling New Year's Eve celebrations in public spaces indoors and outdoors, saying they pose a risk of COVID-19 transmission.

He added, however, that he did not prohibit family or personal gatherings on the New Year's Eve, saying that such events were unavoidable.

Jakarta – As Indonesia continues its struggle to control the COVID-19 pandemic, many regions have come up with creative ways to curb the spread of the disease, including various punishments for those caught violating health protocols.

The Jakarta Post has compiled a list of unique measures imposed by regional administrations across the country.

Central Java

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has summoned Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Fadil Imran and state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga president director Subakti Syukur over the fatal shooting of six members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) in an encounter between the group and Jakarta Police officers last week.

Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman, Jakarta – The government is preparing to reopen Bali to international tourism, but the plan hinges on the island's COVID-19 situation, a ministry spokesman has said.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – Indonesian vigilante group Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) has enticed ex-members of disbanded Muslim hardline group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) to join them, and conducted army-like training for young recruits.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – Retail sales in Indonesia dropped significantly in October and are expected to drop further in November in another sign that the nation's economic recovery is losing steam as people's purchasing power remains sluggish as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Jakarta – Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Fadil Imran says the force will be transparent and provide facts to support an investigation by the National Commission on Humans Rights (Komnas HAM) into the fatal shooting of six Islam Defenders Front (FPI) members by police officers.

Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – Indonesia's anti-terror police squad Densus 88 has arrested Zulkarnaen, also known as Aris Sumarsono, a senior member of the Jamaah Islamiyah, or JI, a terrorist group responsible for the 2002 Bali Bombing, at his hideout in East Lampung, Lampung last week, a police spokesman said in a statement over the weekend.

Jayanty Nada Shofa & Natasha Christy Wahyuni, Jakarta – Foreign Affairs Ministry's spokesman Teuku Faizasyah denies Israeli media claims of Indonesia seeking to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel.

Jakarta – Many pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Indonesia are reportedly ill-prepared to handle the COVID-19 pandemic as the number of confirmed cases at the facilities has been rising.

Indonesian police have arrested a man believed to be the military leader of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah network who has eluded capture since 2003, and is suspected of being involved in the 2002 Bali bombings, authorities said Saturday.

Jakarta – The government will prioritize Java and Bali islands for the first round of vaccination programs due to their high number of COVID-19 cases.

"Out of the 10 provinces with the most confirmed cases, most of them are in Java and Bali islands," national vaccination program spokeswoman Siti Nadia Tarmizi said on Wednesday as quoted by tempo.co.

Jakarta – As COVID-19 cases in Tasikmalaya, West Java increase, Tasikmalaya acting mayor M. Yusuf has said the administration is turning a hotel in the city into a COVID-19 emergency hospital.

"We are almost done with preparations and will probably start operating tomorrow or the day after," Yusuf said as quoted by kompas.com on Friday.

Jakarta – Firebrand Muslim cleric Rizieq Syihab wore an orange vest as he walked out of the Jakarta Police's interrogation room just after midnight on Sunday, a confirmation that he was detained right after the interrogation.

Jakarta – Controversial Islamic cleric and leader of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) Rizieq Shihab was arrested on Saturday after undergoing questioning in a case pertaining to the alleged breaching of COVID-19 restrictions by staging several mass gatherings.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The number of coronavirus-related deaths in Indonesia has been rising steadily in the last three weeks, during which 100 or more people died of the virus every day.

The previous longest run of three-digit daily deaths was 12 days.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Newly coronavirus cases in West Java have been spreading at the speed matching that of worst-hit Jakarta since the beginning of the month while several other hotspots also see an upturn.

Indonesia recorded 6,388 new cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of positive cases to 611,631, according to the Health Ministry data.

Irfan Kamil, Jakarta – The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy has released its human rights performance index for the first year of the second term of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, who were inaugurated on October 20, 2019.

Robert Leslie – In a wild animal market in Indonesia's North Sulawesi province, bats are still on the menu.

Many of them are caught by hunters in forests using nets and hooks. Once at the market, their wings are removed, their fur scorched off using a blow torch, and they're then skewered ready for cooking.

Jakarta – The spread of the coronavirus is becoming increasingly worrying. The government needs to immediately show seriousness in putting right its mistaken policies in order to bring the pandemic under control.

Jakarta – The deliberation of the Draft Law on the Eradication of Sexual Violence (RUU PKS) is still the subject of a polemic. Some parties, including for example the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) believe the law will be able to push down the level of sexual violence and protect victims.

Kevin Knodell – On a rainy November day outside of Wahiawa at the 25th Infantry Division's Lightning Academy, a platoon of U.S. Army Cavalry scouts trained with Indonesian paratroopers in the jungle.

Richard C. Paddock, Bangkok – It has been 59 years since separatists in the Indonesian territory of West Papua raised their red, white and blue flag and declared independence. The region has been in conflict ever since.

Jakarta – Rizieq Syihab, the self-proclaimed supreme leader of hardline group Islamic Defenders Front, or FPI, arrived at the Jakarta Police headquarters for a questioning on Saturday after he was named a criminal suspect over allegation of violation to the health protocol during the coronavirus pandemic.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A 30-year-old mother in North Sumatra has allegedly killed her three toddlers because she could not bear the economic burden of caring for them.

The woman and her husband lived with their parents, their three toddler sons and another older child in Banua Sibohou, Namohalu Esiwa district, North Nias regency.

Jakarta – The chairman of the South Tangerang General Elections Commission (KPU South Tangerang), Bambang Dwitoro, died from COVID-19 on Saturday after a week of hospital treatment and shortly after the region took part in the 2020 regional elections.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The Pematang Siantar Police in North Sumatra have named four men as suspects for bathing a deceased body of a female patient suspected to have contracted COVID-19 in Djasamen Saragih regional hospital (RSUD), following a report from her husband over alleged mishandling and sharia violation.

Jakarta – Nearly a week after the fatal incident that killed six of his supporters, Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab voluntarily went to the Jakarta Police headquarters on Saturday to fulfill a police summons for questioning in a case in which he has been named a suspect for allegedly violating COVID-19 health protocols.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A number of incumbents in the North Sumatra regional elections are losing to challengers who have strong support from many political parties, quick counts have shown.

Medan acting mayor Akhyar Nasution has made fewer gains than Bobby Nasution, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son-in-law, according to various pollsters.

Jakarta – Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Fadil Imran has questioned the public's reactions to recent criminal acts and crowd gatherings amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which he says can claim lives.

His comment comes amid the brouhaha over the deaths of six Islam Defenders Front (FPI) members in a case related to health protocol violations.

Jakarta – The Bali provincial administration will allow hotels, restaurants and tourists destinations to hold the upcoming New Year's Eve celebration under COVID-19 health protocols in a bid to revive the famed resort island's tourism sector.

There have not been any restrictions issued by the administration, Bali Tourism Agency head Putu Astawa said.

Jakarta – Supreme Court justice Dudu Duswara Machmudin died on Thursday evening at Sentosa Asih Hospital in Bandung, West Java, after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 69.

His death was confirmed by Supreme Court spokesman Andi Samsan Nganro on Thursday, kompas.com reported.

Mathias Hariyadi, Jakarta – In Indonesia, the urgent need to fight COVID-19 is facing certain uncertainties, most notably the logistical problem of distributing the vaccine across the country's 6,000 inhabited islands (out of a total of 17,000) and the doubts about the effectiveness of the vaccine produced by China's Sinovac Biotech.

Jakarta – The Supreme Court has rejected a case review petition filed by the Jakarta administration contesting a ruling issued by the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) over the reclamation permit of islet G, part of the controversial reclamation project off of Jakarta Bay.

A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Jakarta – The families of six slain Islam Defenders Front (FPI) supporters have spoken up about their deceased family members to lawmakers following their deaths at the hands of the police in an alleged altercation on Monday amid the police's move to name the group's controversial leader a suspect of COVID-19 health protocol breach.

Nina A. Loasana, Jakarta – Unwanted pregnancies have risen amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the back of restricted access to contraceptive services, women's rights activists revealed in a discussion on Thursday.

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) has highlighted the weakness of the legal framework for women who fall victim to violence.

ICJR researcher Maidina Rahmawati said that in the current context the existing legal framework needs to be reformed to provide better guarantees for women victims of violence.