Indonesia's capital opened mosques Friday for the first time in nearly three months, as the megacity loosens a partial lockdown despite coronavirus cases mounting in the world's biggest Muslim majority nation.Churches and other houses of worship also resumed service after Jakarta's governor Thursday announced an easing of restrictions, with shuttered offices, restaurants, shopping malls and tourist attractions slated to start operations in the coming weeks.Mosques have remained

Indonesians are turning to smugglers and bogus travel documents to get around bans on an annual end-of-Ramadan exodus that could send coronavirus cases skyrocketing in the world's biggest Muslim majority nation.Thousands are using any trick in the book to reach their hometowns in time for celebrations at the end of Islam's holy fasting month, a festival known as Eid ul-Fitr."It is a critical moment," said Doni Monardo, head of Indonesia's COVID-19 mitigation task forc

Gravedigger Junaidi Hakim shouts "hurry up" as he summons his weary colleagues in a never-ending race to bury novel coronavirus victims at a Jakarta cemetery.The team switches quickly from digging fresh graves to burying the bodies - aiming to get the task done in under 10 minutes to lessen the chance of getting infected themselves."The most worrying part is when we're unloading a coffin because we have to touch it," said 42-year-old Hakim, a father of four."We f

The Indonesian government’s plan to relocate the country’s capital from Java to Borneo has hit a wall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with a top official saying they would “evaluate it or something” after the crisis passes.President Joko Widodo announced last August a US$33 billion project to build a new capital city in East Kalimantan province, citing worsening traffic, land subsidence, flooding and a host of other problems in Jakarta.But the government’s current focus on handling the COVID-19 o

Soldiers and police hit the streets of Indonesia's capital Jakarta Friday to enforce its toughest virus measures yet as infections surge and critics warn of a looming public-health disaster.Violators face heavy fines and up to a year in jail for breaking the new rules, which include a ban on gatherings of more than five people, limiting restaurants to online delivery orders and reducing public transport.Motorbike taxis seen everywhere in the megacity of 30 million were banned from pickin

Indonesia's capital Jakarta has launched a special police unit to guard the burials of coronavirus victims over concerns that scared residents could try to block funerals, authorities said Monday.The move comes days after angry mobs in several cities on Sulawesi island and in Central Java blocked streets to prevent ambulances from transporting victims of the deadly illness to local cemeteries.Launched at the weekend, the 120-strong Jakarta team will watch over victims' bodies as the

An Indonesian official is facing possible sanctions Thursday after she warned women they could get pregnant by swimming in a pool where a man with "strong sperm" had ejaculated.Sitti Hikmawatty, a child protection commission member, drew controversy and online ridicule after her unscientific comments to a major media outlet last week."In a swimming pool, there's a certain kind of sperm that is very strong," Hikmawatty told Tribunnews.com during a video interview about

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2019 recognised burnout as a diagnosable condition, which was entered into the international classification of diseases (IDC-11).

Indonesia said Wednesday it has cut ties with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as it accused the global conservation group of overstepping its mandate in the country and unfairly criticising efforts to extinguish out-of-control forest fires last year.The Southeast Asian nation said it had sent a letter to the WWF’s domestic office last week terminating a cooperation agreement that stretched back to 1998.The agreement involved joint work in the area of wildlife conservation and forestry, i

Jakarta's governor has been hit with a lawsuit filed by residents of the sprawling city after torrential rain sparked floods and landslides that killed dozens and left thousands homeless, a lawyer said Tuesday.More than 200 flood victims are seeking a total of IDR43 billion (US$3 million) in compensation in the class action, which was filed Monday in Jakarta district court.The suit claims Governor Anies Baswedan was responsible for failing to provide the megacity with a proper early-warn