SURABAYA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia began testing a homegrown Covid-19 vaccine on humans Wednesday after getting the green light from the drug regulator as the country faces a rising wave of virus cases. Research on the “Merah Putih” (“Red White”) vaccine — named after the colours of the Indonesian national flag — is led by Airlangga University and Biotis Pharmaceutical Indonesia. The project has suffered delays since starting in 2020, but authorities are now hoping […]
Tag: Indonesia
Indonesia bus crash kills 13, injures dozens
SOLO, Indonesia (AFP) — At least 13 people were killed and dozens more injured after a tour bus carrying factory workers to a beach holiday crashed on Indonesia’s Java island, according to police. The bus and its 47 passengers were headed from Sukoharjo in Central Java to a family gathering in neighbouring Yogyakarta province when the driver lost control going downhill, officers said late Sunday. “Witnesses we questioned said they saw the driver panicking as […]
Indonesia jails poachers over killing of 5 Sumatran elephants
ACEH JAYA, Indonesia (AFP) — Nearly a dozen poachers were jailed by an Indonesian court Thursday over the 2020 killing of five critically endangered Sumatran elephants and the illegal trade of their lucrative tusks, as the Southeast Asian archipelago’s battle with wildlife crime continues. Rampant deforestation has reduced the elephants’ habitat and brought them into increasing conflict with humans, while their ivory tusks are prized in the illegal wildlife trade. Authorities found the dead elephants […]
At least 19 dead after clash, fire at club in Indonesia’s West Papua
SORONG, Indonesia (AFP) — At least 19 people were killed in a clash at a nightclub in the town of Sorong in Indonesia’s West Papua province, police said Tuesday, with most dying after the venue caught fire. One victim was stabbed and 18 more died in the blaze at the Double O nightclub, officials said. “The clash broke out last night (Monday) at 11 pm. It was a prolonged conflict from a clash on […]
At least 18 dead after clash, fire at club in Indonesia’s West Papua
SORONG, Indonesia (AFP) — At least 18 people were killed during clashes between two groups at a night club in the town of Sorong in Indonesia’s West Papua province, police said Tuesday, with most dying after the venue caught fire. “The clash broke out last night (Monday) at 11 pm. It was a prolonged conflict from a clash on Saturday,” Sorong police chief Ary Nyoto Setiawan said in a statement. One victim was stabbed and […]
6.6-magnitude quake strikes off Indonesia’s Java island
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Java island on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said, as buildings were reported shaking in the capital Jakarta. The quake hit to the island’s southwest and at a depth of 37 kilometres (23 miles) at 0905 GMT, the USGS said. No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, but the tremor was felt in the […]
24,000 evacuated, two dead in Indonesian floods
LHOK, SUKON, Indonesia (AFP) — About 24,000 people have been evacuated and two children killed in floods on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, officials said Tuesday, with environmental campaigners blaming deforestation for worsening the disaster. Torrential rains have hammered the island for days, causing rivers to burst their banks and sending water levels surging in residential areas, the national disaster agency said. “We experience flooding at least five to eight times a year — but (this) is […]
7.3 magnitude quake strikes off Indonesian coast: USGS
A powerful 7.3 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Maluku province in the early hours of Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of tsunami warnings, nor casualties or damage. The offshore quake took place around 3:25 am local time (1825 GMT Wednesday) and hit at a depth of 166 kilometers (103 miles), about 120 kilometers northeast of the town of Lospalos. Indonesia experiences frequent […]
Indonesian volcano erupts again, spewing ash cloud
Indonesia’s mount Semeru erupted twice Thursday, belching a massive column of ash into the sky followed by a flow of lava that sent hundreds of rescuers fleeing in panic. The highest mountain on the island of Java erupted earlier this month, killing at least 48 and leaving a dozen people missing. Rescuers were digging through the mud and volcanic debris when ash — which reached 4.5 kilometres from the peak — and lava flow from […]
Death toll in Malaysian boat accident rises to 18
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — The death toll from a boat accident off Malaysia rose to 18 Thursday after a search and rescue team found the bodies of seven more Indonesian migrants on the shore. The vessel, which was carrying about 50 Indonesians seeking to enter neighbouring Malaysia illegally, capsized Wednesday in stormy weather off the southern state of Johor. Soldiers on patrol found 11 victims on the shore in the hours after the […]
‘Forgotten’ animals rescued after Indonesia volcano eruption
by Haeril HALIM LUMAJANG, Indonesia (AFP) — As rescuers comb the ash-covered landscape looking for people after Indonesia’s Mount Semeru erupted earlier this month, volunteers are searching for even more vulnerable survivors: cats, cows and other animals. The disaster killed 48 people, according to the latest toll, and rescuers are still seeking bodies in the mud and rubble. As deadly ash destroyed villages in East Java’s Lumajang district, at least 767 cows also died, while […]
Death toll in Malaysian boat accident rises to 16
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — The death toll from a boat accident off Malaysia rose to 16 Thursday after a search and rescue team found the bodies of five more Indonesian migrants on the shore. The vessel, which was carrying about 50 Indonesians seeking to enter neighboring Malaysia illegally, capsized Wednesday in stormy weather off the southern state of Johor. Soldiers on patrol found 11 bodies on the shore in the hours after the accident, […]





