Indonesia jails hardline cleric over virus lies

Indonesian police fired tear gas and water cannon at supporters of a hardline Muslim cleric jailed yesterday for spreading false information about Covid-19 after he held rallies that drew thousands. Rizieq Shihab, 55, was handed a four-year jail term for claiming in a viral video that he was healthy, despite knowing that test results showed he may have been infected with the virus. Thursday's ruling comes after the same court in May sentenced Shihab to eight months' jail for holding sermons and other gatherings that drew tens of thousands of followers, breaking virus restrictions in one of Asia's worst-hit nations.