Covid-19 cases spike in villages goes on undetected. People suspected to have contracted the virus chose not to take swab tests. Local governments are scrambling to trace them, while residents of customary villages prefer not to rely on the government.

South Sumatra Police Chief Insp. Gen. Eko Indra Heri admitted his negligence of too quickly believing a promised donation of Rp2 trillion from the family of Akidi Tio. Intended to help Covid-19 mitigation efforts, the inheritance is allegedly fictitious. The donator, Heryanti, has only Rp3.2 million in her bank account.

Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu became the first Indonesian women’s doubles badminton players to win an Olympics gold medal. They further contribute to the growing list of Olympics gold medalists from the Jaya Raya Badminton Association in Bintaro, Jakarta.

There are not many strong and consistent thinkers and art philosophy writers who are also stalwart artists. Writing and painting go hand in hand complementing each other and adding colors to Goenawan Mohamad’s busy days. 

By S. Malela Mahargasari

Progress in the development of ‘Red-and-White’ vaccine at Airlangga University and the Eijkman Molecular Biology Institute is accelerating. It can begin production in the first quarter of next year at the soonest.

Readers write letters on how to obtain electronic KTP or e-KTP, AirAsia’s ticket refund, to questioning the emergency PPKM policy in the Covid-19 pandemic period.

Galvanized by alarming spikes in numbers of positive cases and deaths resulting from the Delta variant of Covid-19, Bio Farma is accelerating the production of Covid-19 vaccines. Yet, vaccine stocks remain stagnant with uneven distribution in many regions. With a production capacity of up to 6 million doses per week or 250 million doses a year, Bio Farma’s CEO Honesti Basyir hopes that the company can fulfill the country’s vaccine need.

Cartoon: Yuyun Nurrachman

The government is planning an initial public offering of Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE). This is an effort to bring about better corporate governance of the energy business.

Given this atmosphere, it is understandable why Toeti Heraty entered the field of philosophy and paid particular attention to the person as subject and their world. Her thesis was titled Aku dalam Budaya (I in Culture).

THE Hindus prepare offerings and sacrificial animals to the sea during the Aci Pakelem Hulu-Teben ring Panca Segara ceremony in Kuta, Badung, Bali, Saturday, August 7. The ritual, which is held simultaneously by the Bali provincial government at five locations, is carried out to beg for the end of the Covid-19 pandemic so that people can return to normal life and to keep away various disasters and calamities. ANTARA/Fikri Yusuf

SOUTHEAST Asia has faced numerous human rights violations and abuses, ranging from the worst crimes against the Rohingya and other religious and ethnic minorities in Myanmar to extra-judicial killings in the Philippines under President Duterte’s administration. Many enforced disappearances have also occurred across the region, along with violence against human rights and democracy defenders, attacks on freedom of religion and belief, freedom of expression, and some other incidents. 

It does not mean the region has no institution that addresses human rights issues. Since 2009, member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have had the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights or AICHR. But critics said this body has been ineffective and ‌incapable of protecting human rights in the region. 

To commemorate the International Human Rights Day on December 10, TEMPO TALKS presents Yuyun Wahyuningrum, the representative of Indonesia to AICHR who will explain about human rights problems in the region and how her organization addresses the issue on TEMPO TALKS