Antara, Jakarta – The National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) has named West Sumatra gubernatorial candidate Mulyadi as a suspect in a case pertaining to violation of campaigning schedules for the upcoming regional elections.

Antara, Jakarta – As many as 313 flood victims from Tanjung Selamat village, Sunggal sub-district, Deli Serdang district, North Sumatra, are currently lodged at two command posts set up in the area.

Most of them are residents of De Flamboyan housing complex in Tanjung Selamat village, Sunggal sub-district head Ismail said on Saturday.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded 6,089 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday to bring the total number of cases to 575,796, as the struggle to contain the outbreak continues amid surging cases in major hotspots.

Jakarta – Karawang in West Java has seen a recent surge of asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers that brought several referral hospitals and isolation facilities to full capacity.

Meanwhile, dozens of asymptomatic patients were reportedly self-isolating in their respective homes under the supervision of community health centers (Puskesmas).

Fana Suparman, Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – Social Affairs Minister Juliari Peter Batubara has turned himself in on Sunday after the anti-corruption agency named him as a suspect in a graft case related to the government's Covid-19 social aid program.

Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Jakarta – The head of the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network's (SAFEnet) Association of Victims of the Transactions Law (UU ITE) sub-division, Muhammad Arsyad, says that ITE law lies in wait for 99 percent of internet users in Indonesia.

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has launched the SDG7 road map for Indonesia to help the country accomplish its sustainable energy goals amid the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Budi Sutrisno, Jakarta – With waste management problems continuing to mount globally, Indonesia, as one of the world's largest waste producers, has a key role to play in developing comprehensive waste treatment solutions that involve all stakeholders nationwide.

Medan, Indonesia – Torrential rains in Indonesia's third largest city caused four rivers to overflow, flooding thousands of homes and killing at least five people, officials said Friday.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Banten – Hotels just outside Jakarta are doing brisk business, with their meeting rooms mostly booked for the past few months by civil servants, who incidentally are flouting government regulations on social distancing.

Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – Chairman of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Benny Wenda, requested President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to end the martial law status in West Papua.

"The President must end martial law period in West Papua and discuss the issue," Benny said in a written statement on Friday, December 4, 2020.

Jakarta – The coal downstream project could lead to the state losing money. It is more expensive than importing LPG.

James Massola – When Indonesia clocked up more than 8369 coronavirus cases on Thursday, there was a collective intake of breath among COVID-19 watchers across the region.

Banda Aceh – the Aceh Ulema Consultative Council (MPU) – an assembly of religious leaders in Aceh – have issued a sticker prohibiting people from playing online gambling and the game Player Unknown's Battle Grounds (PUBG). The stickers will be put up on all coffee shops (warkop) and cafes in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.

Jakarta – As countries begin taking the leap by approving the use of candidate vaccines to fight the pandemic, the Indonesian government issued on Friday a decree to allow for the use of vaccines currently being developed by certain drugmakers.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The coronavirus outbreak is entering the worst period in Indonesia more than nine months after first infection cases were confirmed, with the surge in newly cases hitting a new level and daily death toll exceeding 100 in the last two weeks.

Dina Afrianty, Mahalli and Slamet Thohari – Indonesia had made considerable progress in introducing policies that promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in public life in the past decade. The newly adopted omnibus Law on Job Creation, however, is a huge step backwards.

Johannes Nugroho – Indonesia's new Omnibus Law has attracted a great deal of commentary. As a piece of legislation meant to make investing in the country easier, its provisions, including changes to labour rights and environmental protection, were controversial enough to spark mass protests.

Ian Lloyd Neubauer, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia – Graffiti as a bona fide art form in Indonesia can be traced to the early 1990s when hip-hop, break dancing and elements of the urban American protest movement were assimilated by local youth.

Aja Styles – The Australian Indonesian Business Council has written to Murdoch University's vice chancellor calling for the reconsideration of a decision to axe its Indonesian language studies, as the course was "crucial to the future prosperity of Western Australia".

Jakarta – The Presidential Staff Office says it regrets the raising of the Morning Star flag – which is identified with Papuan independence – at the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Melbourne, Australia, on Tuesday December 1.

Jakarta – The environment and forestry minister issues permits for the use of protected forests for the food estates project. This endangers the future.

Budiarti Utami Putri, Jakarta – The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo asked the government through the Foreign Affairs Minister to summon the British Ambassador over the declaration of the West Papua provisional government by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) leader Benny Wenda.

Jakarta – The government should not allow schools in high-risk COVID-19 areas to reopen for in-class learning, Network for Education Watch Indonesia (JPPI) has said.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has detained former commissioner of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), Rizal Djalil, for alleged bribery in relation to a potable water treatment system (SPAM) project at the Public Works and Housing Ministry for the 2017-2018 budget year.

Hotman Siregar, Jakarta – Pondok Ranggon Public Cemetery, a burial ground in East Jakarta reserved for the Covid-19 victims, has run out of space and resorted to stacking the victims' bodies in existing tombs, as the number of pandemic deaths continues to rise in the capital.

Francisca Christy Rosana, Jakarta – Senior economist from the University of Indonesia, Faisal Basri, criticized the way President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo handled the coronavirus pandemic. He assessed that ministers responsible for the Covid-19 issue were busy with investment.

Andita Rahma, Jakarta – The National Police's counterterrorism detachment unit Densus 88 announced Friday the arrests of 32 suspected terrorists affiliated with the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) group throughout 2020.

National Police (Polri) spokesman, Insp. Gen. Argo Yuwono said the dozens of suspected terrorists were linked to the group as financiers.

Antara, Jakarta – The All-Indonesia Workers Union Confederation (KSPSI) and Indika Foundation are channelling 5000 sacks of rice weighing five kilograms each to workers who have been laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rice is distributed to workers in Bekasi, Karawang, Jakarta, Bandung, Subang, Sumedang, Purwakarta and other industrial areas.

Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – The chairman of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Benny Wenda, said he is ready to discuss with President Joko Jokowi Widodo over Papua and West Papua issues. Benny recently declared himself as the interim president of the provisional government of West Papua.

Herlambang P Wiratraman – The pandemic has justified governments around the world restricting certain rights. These include the imposition of quarantine or isolation, which limits freedom of movement, and intrusions on privacy in the name of "contact tracing".

Agustinus Beo Da Costa, Stanley Widianto, Jakarta – Dr Sardjono Utomo, a senior Indonesian doctor, admitted himself to his local hospital in East Java late Tuesday afternoon.

Bilveer Singh – On November 10, the firebrand Islamic preacher Rizieq Shihab returned to Indonesia from exile in Saudi Arabia to a hero's welcome. Rizieq has long been a fixture of Islamist politics in Indonesia.

Indonesia's National Police have arrested a man believed to be behind one of the hugely controversial viral videos showing the Islamic sacred adhan (call to prayer) being modified to include a war cry.

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi has summoned the British Ambassador in Jakarta, Owen Jenkins, regarding the declaration of an independent Papua on 1stDecember 2020 that was echoed by the Chairman of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Benny Wenda.

Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has revealed that around 45 percent or 665 candidates running in the December 7 election of regional heads are businesspeople or have a background in the private sector.This total is in addition to incumbent regional heads running in the election that also have business backgrounds.

Andita Rahma, Fajar Pebrianto, Jakarta – The National Police (Polri) on Friday said it would continue to uphold Indonesia's anti-cannabis law despite the World Health Organization (WHO)'s recommendations to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as they acknowledged the drug's medical tactility.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and the University of Indonesia (UI) have joined the national team for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The two organizations are now allowed to research COVID-19 candidate vaccines to help the country develop and produce one in the future – to be called the Merah Putih vaccine.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – The government is considering several ways to collect the Rp 773.8 billion (US$54.86 million) loan made by oil and gas company Lapindo Brantas Inc. and subsidiary PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya in the aftermath of the 2006 mudflow disaster in Sidoarjo, East Java.

Jakarta – Amid the government's robust campaign on the coronavirus health protocols, a survey conducted between Oct. 28 and Nov. 1 indicated a declining trend in the public compliance rate with the face mask and physical distancing policies.

Lucie Godeau, Jakarta – Every year, pounding rains wash away mountains of plastic waste from the streets of Jakarta, with some of it ending up as far away as Bali's beaches. So scientists are turning to satellites to trace the rubbish and figure out how to tackle the problem.

Indonesia allows more waste to enter the ocean than any other country apart from China.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Daily death toll in the Indonesian coronavirus outbreak has exceeded 100 in the last 13 days, the longest run since the outbreak began as newly confirmed cases continue to surge.

The country reported 124 more Covid deaths on Friday, bringing the total death toll to 17,479. The previous record was a span of 12 days from Sept. 14 through 25.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – British alcoholic beverage company Diageo focuses on responsible drinking campaigns while the House of Representatives weighs in on deliberating the alcohol ban.

Jakarta – The fissure in relations between the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organisation (TPNPB-OPM) and the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) began to sharpen in 2017.

Heru Andriyanto, Lenny Tristia Tambun, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo claimed Thursday government response in the coronavirus pandemic has produced results as the country beats the global average in terms of recovery rate and the proportion of active cases, despite recent record-breaking daily numbers of newly cases.

Jakarta – Amid the significant spike in COVID-19 cases across the country, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has threatened regional administrations with a "stern warning" if the rise in infections continued unabated.

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – Indonesia reported on Thursday afternoon the highest daily COVID-19 surge the country has yet seen with 8,369 new cases, shattering all previous single-day records by a few thousand.

The latest spike brings the total nationwide tally to 557,877 confirmed cases, 17,355 of which have ended deadly, while 462,553 patients have recovered.

Jakarta – Indramayu, Purwakarta, Karawang, West Bandung, Bandung city and Banjar, all in West Java, have been categorized as COVID-19 high-risk red zones since Nov. 23.

Meanwhile, 19 areas in the province have been classified as at medium risk of COVID-19 infection, or orange zones.

Imam B, Rahmad Nasution, Jakarta – Responding to the recent developments in Papua and West Papua, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), Azis Syamsuddin, has urged the government, military, and police to maintain state authority and safety in the region.

Lani Diana Wijaya, Jakarta – Jakarta provincial government recorded a total of 9,085 burials based on the COVID-19 protocol from March 4 until December 2, 2020.

The city's official page corona.jakarta.go.id noted the rise in the funeral trend since the end of March 2020. The rate fluctuated from June until mid-August and jumped again from August's end until September.