Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The National Covid-19 Task Force warned on Monday about possible increase in imported coronavirus cases carried by umrah pilgrims and returning migrant workers.

Budi Sutrisno and Fadli, Jakarta and Batam – The National Police's counterterrorism squad, Densus 88, has arrested dozens of people across Indonesia in recent months amid concerns about intensifying terrorist propaganda during the coronavirus pandemic.

Fajar Pebrianto, Jakarta – Former finance minister Chatib Basri said global investors were starting to consider environmental issues and avoid investing in projects considered detrimental to nature.

"It is getting difficult to get financing," said Chatib in a virtual discussion of Katadata on Monday, November 9, 2020.

Jakarta – The National Police collected nearly Rp 5 billion (US$351,729) in fines from violators of the government's COVID-19 health protocols between Sept. 14 and Nov. 5.

Jakarta – The Depok city administration in West Java is seeking healthcare workers to treat COVID-19 patients at the University of Indonesia's Makara isolation hospital.

Tangguh Chairil – One year after securing a new title as defence minister of Southeast Asia's largest economy, Prabowo Subianto was finally able to visit America again in October.

Linda Rae Bennett and Setiyani Marta Dewi – A key criticism of the Indonesian government's response to Covid-19 is that it has failed to ensure that emergency financial support reaches the most vulnerable communities, especially those already below the poverty line before the pandemic struck.

Indonesia's military has denied that a West Papuan teenager died as a result of a raid by its officers.

Trouble began with a traffic incident in Sentani. A soldier from Infantry Battalion 751 had been involved in the incident, had his motorbike confiscated by two residents from Soloitma dormitory.

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) condemns the recent murder of West Papuan Rapinus Tigau, a Catholic Catechist in the diocese of Timika, by the Indonesian military. He was killed October 26, 2020, by members of Nemangkawi Task Force (Satgas Nemangkawi), a joint Indonesian military-police force in Papua.

By Max Lane

Executive Summary

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has congratulated United States president-elect Joe Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris on their recent electoral victory.

Jakarta – Indonesia's top soccer leagues, Liga 1 and Liga 2, are still on hold after being halted and restarted two times as the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of slowing down.

Jakarta – The Jakarta administration may allow couples to hold their wedding receptions at multifunction halls starting next week.

The capital had banned public wedding receptions as part of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), allowing only small wedding ceremonies at religious affairs offices (KUA), civil registry offices or the couple's home.

Jakarta – Some Greater Jakarta residents still believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is "a conspiracy formulated by the global elites", scholars from the University of Indonesia (UI) have revealed.

Tri Indah Oktavianti, Jakarta – The Jakarta administration has extended the transitional period of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) for another 14 days starting Monday until Nov. 22, as efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the capital continue.

Budi Sutrisno, Jakarta – Immunization is the key to achieving herd immunity and curb the spread of COVID-19 once health experts successfully develop a COVID-19 vaccine, the Executive Office of the President (KSP) has said.

Jakarta – The Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) recommends that the government mobilize and assign resources to carry out the so-called 3T of testing, tracing and treatment (isolation) down to the community health center (Puskesmas) level.

Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman, Jakarta – The number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) using online platforms for their business has risen to around 10.2 million as the COVID-19 pandemic speeds up digitalization, a minister has said.

Jakarta – The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted established workplace cultures, with many companies requiring their employees to work from home via various digital platforms to comply with government rules.

Jakarta – A groups of national figures officially declared the rebirth of the Masumi Party coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the party which was first established in 1945.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is set to award the title of national hero posthumously to six Indonesian figures on Heroes Day, which falls on Nov. 10, Social Affairs Minister Juliari Batubara has said.

"There are six national hero awardees this year," Juliari said on Friday, as quoted by Antara.

Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – Three hundred fifty-seven inmates in the Pekanbaru Class II A Correction Center have tested positive for COVID-19, making it the latest COVID-19 cluster in Riau.

The positive cases were revealed following swab tests conducted at the facility on Oct. 26, when 1,502 inmates were tested.

Alya Nurbaiti and Benny Mawel, Jakarta and Jayapura – Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers reportedly attacked and arrested civilians at a dormitory and nearby houses in Jayapura after a traffic accident and a quarrel between two dorm inhabitants and a soldier.

Alya Nurbaiti, Jakarta – Lawyer Fredrich Yunadi has filed a lawsuit against former House of Representatives speaker and graft convict Setya Novanto and his wife, Deisti Astriani, seeking trillions of rupiah in allegedly unpaid legal fees and other damages for his services in the high-profile e-ID graft case.

Alya Nurbaiti, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is set to help the United Kingdom's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) probe corruption allegedly committed by Canada-based airplane manufacturer Bombardier Inc. in a deal with national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia.

Jakarta – More than a dozen military and police personnel have been discharged for having a sexual orientation seen as deviant. This is a violation of the Constitution.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded 4,262 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Saturday, the highest daily rise in more than two weeks, to take the country's total to 433,836, according to the latest Health Ministry data.

Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie, Jakarta – The government plans to establish an independent team to work on problems in the Job Creation Law amid moves from labor unions to file a judicial challenge against the controversial law.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – PT Bumi Resources, Indonesia's top coal miner by output, has been saved by the bell as its subsidiary has secured a 10-year permit extension over a concession in South Kalimantan.

Tri Indah Oktavianti, Jakarta – Activists, influencers and a cosmetic brand have urged the government to immediately approve the sexual violence eradication bill through an online petition launched on Thursday.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – One person died while another one went missing after two fishing boats collided in the waters of Pangkalan Brandan in Langkat regency, North Sumatra.

The incident took place at around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Langkat Police spokesperson Yasir Rahman said.

Jakarta – The Jakarta Police will ramp up patrols around convenience stores and shopping centers following the burning of French products by an Islamic group that also called for a boycott in response to French President Emmanuel Macron's recent statements on Islam.

Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and Media Wahyudi Askar – It has been a rough first year for Indonesia's President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

The former businessman was re-elected as president of Southeast Asia's largest economy last year, but just a few months into his second term he had to deal with COVID-19 pandemic.

James Massola and Karuni Rompies – Indonesia has recorded fewer than 4000 daily coronavirus cases per day for an entire week, the first time since September 18.

In the past week, daily cases have ranged from 3565 to 2618 – the lowest daily infection rate since August 27 – while the daily death toll has fallen below 100 on several occasions.

Jakarta – The national COVID-19 task force has implored the public to adhere to health protocols to prevent a second wave of infections in Indonesia.

The task force's spokesperson, Wiku Adisasmito, noted that a number of countries were currently experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 and that some of them had reimposed lockdowns.

Riska Rahman, Jakarta – The Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) has joined forces with the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ministry to expand the social protection program to small businesses.

Jakarta – An Indonesian epidemiologist has said that the COVID-19 contact tracing efforts in the nation's capital is still far below the recommended standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).

"Ideally, according to the WHO standard, it should be 1 to 25," epidemiologist Dicky Budiman from Griffith University, Australia, told kompas.com on Thursday.

Jakarta – The government has cooperated with various Islamic organizations to support the future nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program, which it seeks to begin in November or December, amid uncertainty over the vaccine's halal status.

Jakarta – A former student of Airlangga University (Unair) accused of sexually assaulting multiple victims after tricking them into helping him for academic "research" is facing multiple charges at the Surabaya District Court in East Java.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military is strongly suspected of being behind the death of Pastor Yeremia Zanambani. This only moves Papua further away from Indonesia.

Jakarta – Badrudin, a resident of Cihara district in Lebak regency, Banten, was arrested by police on Monday for uploading to his Facebook account a video showing difficult road access in and out of his village.

The video showed a pregnant woman who was purportedly about to give birth being carried by around half a dozen local residents using a makeshift stretcher.

News Desk, Jakarta – National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) chairman Suharso Monoarfa has been reported to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for allegedly accepting a gratuity.

The KPK's acting spokesman, Ali Fikri, confirmed that the KPK had received the report on Thursday.

Jakarta – Authorities have started evacuating hundreds of residents living in disaster-prone areas around Mount Merapi in Magelang, Central Java, following the warning of a potential eruption of the volcano in the near future.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Embassy in Saudi Arabia has said that the government never prevented Rizieq Shihab, the controversial leader of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), from returning to Indonesia.

The firebrand cleric recently announced that he would arrive in Indonesia on Nov. 10 after roughly three years of self exile in the Islamic Kingdom.

Jakarta – The police have named a 44-year-old man who owns a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Banyumas, Central Java, a suspect for sexually abusing an 11-year-old student.

According to the police, the perpetrator admitted he had molested the child victim several times.

Tsarina Maharani, Jakarta – A report by the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) shows that there are an increasing number of violations against the right to freedom of religion and belief every year.

Komnas HAM Chairperson Ahmad Taufan Damanik predicts that that actual number of cases that occurred on the ground is more than the reports received by Komnas HAM.

Yulia Savitri, Palembang – The Palembang administration in South Sumatra has kicked off the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in an effort to reduce water pollution in the region, particularly along its famous but heavily polluted Musi River.

Francisca Christy Rosana, Jakarta – An economist with the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef), Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara, on Thursday said that Indonesian palm oil businesses should be wary of the possibility of Joe Biden winning the United States election as he said the Democrat candidate will focus on environmentally friendly-economy.

The National Police (Polri) says it is looking into a widely circulated video showing a man in police uniform throwing a kitten into a ditch with force, which has sparked outrage throughout the country.

Police in East Jakarta say they are looking into allegations of religious discrimination in a public high school after a teacher allegedly drummed up support for Muslim candidates over their non-Muslim counterparts in the school's student union (OSIS) elections.