In South Tangerang, Bawaslu also discovered that voters had scribbled satirical messages on the ballots. On one ballot, a voter wrote “ALL OF YOU ARE CORRUPT” above the photo of candidate pair Benjamin Davnie and Pilar Saga.

The arrests of Edhy and Juliari came as controversies within the KPK eroded public trust in the institution. These included an ethics violation by the commission’s new chairman, Firli Bahuri, and a restrictive new law that stripped the agency of some of its power to investigate graft cases.

Regions that participated in Wednesday's simultaneous elections could see a surge in COVID-19 cases, says a scientist, citing a study on 15 developed countries that estimated the true number of infections were 6.2 times more than the reported figures.

COVID-19 testing capacity in Indonesia has slightly increased on a weekly basis as the country aims to reach 267,000 people per week to get tested as targeted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The bodies of the six Islam Defenders Front (FPI) members who were killed on Monday in an alleged shootout with police were buried on Wednesday, while the group continues to call for transparency in uncovering what really happened during the fatal incident.

Indonesia's big task is to improve waste-collection, especially in rural and remote areas.

The National Police have taken over an investigation into the fatal shooting of six members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) in an altercation between the group and Jakarta Police officers.

The city’s quarantine facility can hold 60 people.

Despite the pall that hung over the elections, the contest looks more and more likely to be a success for two members of President Jokowi’s family.

The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry's Hiu Macan Tutul 02 patrol boat captured Malaysian-flagged fishing vessel KF 5152 caught illegally fishing in the Indonesian part of the Strait of Malacca on Sunday.

In addition to extension, Dicky also suggested the city’s administration had to continue conducting tracing and tests, followed by isolation and self quarantine. 

The association argued that reopening schools would put teachers at risk of catching COVID-19.

According to Honesti, 568 out of 1.2 million vials had been set aside for a quality check conducted by Bio Farma and the Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM).

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has urged people voting in the simultaneous regional elections to adhere to health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during polling.

The nation's top court has issued a binding decision that reduces the sentence of Fahmi Darmawansyah by six months for bribing the warden of Sukamiskin prison, where he is serving a prior sentence for corruption.

Further discussion is needed regarding the reopening of schools to decide on the right steps so as not to further spread the coronavirus, an expert has said.

Tri Teguh Pujianto, a 31-year-old former police brigadier was fired in 2018 after 10 years on the job, after police in a different town apprehended him and his partner on Valentine's Day when they were saying goodbyes at his partner's workplace.

A total of 1,762 traders in traditional markets across the country have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent months, with 68 of the traders succumbing to the coronavirus disease, according to data from the Indonesian Traditional Market Traders Association (IKAPPI).

Experts have said that while the attack in Sigi was likely carried out by the East Indonesia Mujahiddin (MIT) terrorist group, police investigators should dig deeper into the group’s motives, which could have been to attract local support for their cause and to recruit new fighters.

A recent report about the killing of Yeremia titled “Grief from Hitadipa”, written by a team formed by Papua Governor Lukas Enembe about three weeks after the incident occurred in September, stated that Intan Jaya had entered its latest period of conflicts.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has formed a fact-finding team to investigate a clash between the Jakarta Police and the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) that occurred on Monday morning and resulted in the deaths of six men affiliated with the hardline group.

The arrival of the first batch of China's CoronaVac vaccine in Indonesia, a country struggling to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, has brought as much caution as it has hope, with medical workers – the priority group for vaccination – still questioning its efficacy and safety.

Hundreds of polling station officers across 12 regencies and cities in South Sulawesi have shown reactive results after taking COVID-19 rapid tests ahead of the simultaneous regional elections, which fall on Wednesday. 

“Ideally, we would like voters to take the test, too, but we have no capacity to do so. Therefore, we will only test election officials."

The KPU has reiterated the proper procedures for voters with COVID-19 and election workers, even as the countdown to the 2020 regional elections winds down.

Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said on Monday that based on the halal requirement, the Indonesian Ulema (MUI) had finished its study on the Sinovac vaccine and would issue a fatwa soon.

Twenty-one Indonesian seafarers stranded in Peru for three months were repatriated over the weekend, the Indonesian Embassy in Lima has announced, with 77 more to return in the coming week.

A combination of natural and human intervention has helped keep two villages in Jambi safe from peatland fires this year, but villagers are still worried that they will not be enough to fight potential fires, especially with funds being diverted to the COVID-19 emergency.

The government must check the readiness of each school throughout the country before embarking on the controversial school reopening plan amid the recent spike in new COVID-19 cases, the Association for Education and Teachers (P2G) has said.

National COVID-19 task force chief Doni Monardol has advised the public to remain at home during the year-end holidays due to potential extreme weather in the next two to three weeks.