By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia reported on Friday 407 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number to 5,923 and surpassing the Philippines as the country with the highest number of infections in Southeast Asia.Slideshow The announcement came a day after an Indonesian official said the number of cases could reach 106,000 by July and follows criticism that a low rate of testing has hidden the extent of the spread of the virus.Indonesia has accelerated testing and Achmad Yurianto, a health ministry official, said on Friday 42,000 tests had been performed, up about three-fold in two...…By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia reported on Friday 407 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number to 5,923 and surpassing the Philippines as the country with the highest number of infections in Southeast Asia.Slideshow The announcement came a day after an Indonesian official said the number of cases could reach 106,000 by July and follows criticism that a low rate of testing has hidden the extent of the spread of the virus.Indonesia has accelerated testing and Achmad Yurianto, a health ministry official, said on Friday 42,000 tests had been performed, up about three-fold in two...WW…

By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has been hospitalized in Jakarta after he contracted coronavirus, a government official said on Saturday, the most high-profile case so far to be confirmed in the Southeast Asian country.Slideshow Earlier on Saturday, Jakarta’s governor said the city will close all schools for at least two weeks to curb the spread of coronavirus, as the first cases were also reported in other parts of the archipelago.Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, reported on Saturday 27 more coronavirus cases, bringing the total...…By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has been hospitalized in Jakarta after he contracted coronavirus, a government official said on Saturday, the most high-profile case so far to be confirmed in the Southeast Asian country.Slideshow Earlier on Saturday, Jakarta’s governor said the city will close all schools for at least two weeks to curb the spread of coronavirus, as the first cases were also reported in other parts of the archipelago.Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, reported on Saturday 27 more coronavirus cases, bringing the total...WW…

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comBANYUWANGI, April 24 (Reuters) - A missing Indonesian submarine carrying 53 people is believed to have sunk in the Bali Sea after search teams found debris floating around the vessel's last location, a navy official said."With the evidence we found believed to be from the submarine, we have now moved from the 'sub missing' phase to ‘sub sunk'", Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono told reporters, according to Indonesian media Tempo.The exact location of the 44-year-old submarine was unknown but its presence had been detected, he...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comBANYUWANGI, April 24 (Reuters) - A missing Indonesian submarine carrying 53 people is believed to have sunk in the Bali Sea after search teams found debris floating around the vessel's last location, a navy official said."With the evidence we found believed to be from the submarine, we have now moved from the 'sub missing' phase to ‘sub sunk'", Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono told reporters, according to Indonesian media Tempo.The exact location of the 44-year-old submarine was unknown but its presence had been detected, he...WW…

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJAKARTA, April 24 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian leaders said they had agreed on a plan with Myanmar's junta chief on Saturday to end the crisis in the violence-hit nation, but he did not explicitly respond to demands to halt the killing of civilian protesters."It's beyond our expectation," Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told reporters after the leaders' meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that was also attended by Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing."We tried not to accuse his side too much because...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJAKARTA, April 24 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian leaders said they had agreed on a plan with Myanmar's junta chief on Saturday to end the crisis in the violence-hit nation, but he did not explicitly respond to demands to halt the killing of civilian protesters."It's beyond our expectation," Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told reporters after the leaders' meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that was also attended by Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing."We tried not to accuse his side too much because...WW…

By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers believed to be members of an Islamist militant group attacked a Catholic church in the Indonesian city of Makassar on Sunday on the first day of the Easter Holy Week, wounding 19 people, police said.The mass was finishing when the attackers detonated at least one device outside the church. The two suspects were the only fatalities.Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the bombers were both believed to belong to the Islamic State-inspired Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which is suspected of suicide attacks on churches and a police post that killed...…By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers believed to be members of an Islamist militant group attacked a Catholic church in the Indonesian city of Makassar on Sunday on the first day of the Easter Holy Week, wounding 19 people, police said.The mass was finishing when the attackers detonated at least one device outside the church. The two suspects were the only fatalities.Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the bombers were both believed to belong to the Islamic State-inspired Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which is suspected of suicide attacks on churches and a police post that killed...WW…

By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers believed to be members of an Islamist militant group attacked a Catholic church in the Indonesian city of Makassar on Sunday on the first day of the Easter Holy Week, wounding 19 people, police said.The mass was finishing when the attackers detonated at least one device outside the church. The two suspects were the only fatalities.Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the bombers were both believed to belong to the Islamic State-inspired Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which is suspected of suicide attacks on churches and a police post that killed...…By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers believed to be members of an Islamist militant group attacked a Catholic church in the Indonesian city of Makassar on Sunday on the first day of the Easter Holy Week, wounding 19 people, police said.The mass was finishing when the attackers detonated at least one device outside the church. The two suspects were the only fatalities.Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the bombers were both believed to belong to the Islamic State-inspired Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which is suspected of suicide attacks on churches and a police post that killed...WW…

By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - A powerful earthquake killed at least 42 people and injured hundreds on Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi on Friday, trapping several under rubble and unleashing dozens of aftershocks as authorities warned of more quakes that could trigger a tsunami.Thousands of frightened residents fled their homes for higher ground when the magnitude 6.2-quake struck 6 km (4 miles) northeast of the town of Majene, at a depth of just 10 km, shortly before 1.30 a.m.The quake and aftershocks damaged more than 300 homes and two hotels, as well as flattening a hospital and the office of a...…By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - A powerful earthquake killed at least 42 people and injured hundreds on Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi on Friday, trapping several under rubble and unleashing dozens of aftershocks as authorities warned of more quakes that could trigger a tsunami.Thousands of frightened residents fled their homes for higher ground when the magnitude 6.2-quake struck 6 km (4 miles) northeast of the town of Majene, at a depth of just 10 km, shortly before 1.30 a.m.The quake and aftershocks damaged more than 300 homes and two hotels, as well as flattening a hospital and the office of a...WW…

By JAKARTA (Reuters) - A gay Indonesian policeman dismissed from the force because of his sexual orientation has lost his legal fight to be reinstated, after a Central Java court rejected his lawsuit, his lawyers said on Thursday.Tri Teguh Pujianto, a 31-year-old former police brigadier, was fired in 2018 after 10 years in the job, after police from a different town apprehended he and his partner on Valentine’s Day when they were saying their goodbyes at his partner’s workplace.Teguh’s lawyers from the non-governmental group Community Legal Aid Institute in a statement said the local...…By JAKARTA (Reuters) - A gay Indonesian policeman dismissed from the force because of his sexual orientation has lost his legal fight to be reinstated, after a Central Java court rejected his lawsuit, his lawyers said on Thursday.Tri Teguh Pujianto, a 31-year-old former police brigadier, was fired in 2018 after 10 years in the job, after police from a different town apprehended he and his partner on Valentine’s Day when they were saying their goodbyes at his partner’s workplace.Teguh’s lawyers from the non-governmental group Community Legal Aid Institute in a statement said the local...WW…

By JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia will release radical cleric and alleged mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings Abu Bakar Bashir from prison later this week, its government said on Monday, upon completion of his jail term.Bashir, 82, who was among Indonesia’s most notorious extremists, is considered the spiritual leader of the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) network. He was jailed in 2011 for his links to militant training camps in Aceh province.Bashir will be released on Friday “in accordance with the expiration date and the end of his term,” Rika Aprianti, spokeswoman of the...…By JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia will release radical cleric and alleged mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings Abu Bakar Bashir from prison later this week, its government said on Monday, upon completion of his jail term.Bashir, 82, who was among Indonesia’s most notorious extremists, is considered the spiritual leader of the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) network. He was jailed in 2011 for his links to militant training camps in Aceh province.Bashir will be released on Friday “in accordance with the expiration date and the end of his term,” Rika Aprianti, spokeswoman of the...WW…