![Swiss Tourist Sentenced to Prison for Disrespecting Bali’s Day of Silence on Social Media[]A Swiss tourist has been sentenced to imprisonment for violations during Bali’s sacred Nyepi holiday.Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, 26, a construction worker from Switzerland, was found guilty of breaking Indonesian law by posting a provocative video to his Instagram story about the Day of Silence, known locally as Nyepi, on March 19.During this 24-hour period, locals and tourists alike are required to remain in their homes or hotels, keep lights dim and minimize noise, and are urged to perform quiet meditation.According to court documents, Mr. Zgraggen arrived in Bali on Feb. 10 for vacation. Before the Day of Silence in March, hotel staff had explained the relevant restrictions.Prosecutors said Mr. Zgraggen became frustrated that he could not freely leave the hotel to find food and “displayed his anger” on social media, according to an online copy of his indictment. One video showed Mr. Zgraggen walking in the dark with a caption that said it was “pretty peaceful outside,” followed by an expletive about the rules around the religious holiday.After receiving thousands of negative comments, Mr. Zgraggen took down the posts. But the videos were screen-recorded and widely reposted to other popular accounts, drawing criticism from Balinese residents who found his actions disrespectful. After the posts went viral, Mr. Zgraggen re-uploaded the video with the caption “they want smoke,” slang for a fight or argument, according to the indictment. That post, too, received widespread criticism.Then, prosecutors said, Mr. Zgraggen reached out to a senator in the Indonesian Regional Representative Council to apologize.When he arrived at the senator’s residence, he was arrested by the Bali police’s cybercrime unit and charged with disseminating hate speech based on religion through electronic information, the police said in a news release. Mr. Zgraggen’s trial began in June, and on Aug. 20 he was sentenced to a year in detention.The office for the chief district court judge in Denpasar, Bali’s capital, and the public affairs division of the Indonesian National Police did not respond to requests for comment.While tourists can face consequences for venturing outside during Nyepi, violations are often resolved without prosecution.Also on March 19, another tourist was detained by officers while walking with luggage along a road in Bali, the police said in a news release. The traveler said he had been forced to walk from his villa after his stay ended, as no vehicles were operating. Police and local security officers known as pecalang, who enforce local customs, helped the man find temporary accommodation.](https://i0.wp.com/static01.nyt.com/images/2026/08/21/multimedia/21trav-bali-silence-02-tlkb/21trav-bali-silence-02-tlkb-facebookJumbo.jpg?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1 "Swiss Tourist Sentenced to Prison for Disrespecting Bali’s Day of Silence on Social Media[]A Swiss tourist has been sentenced to imprisonment for violations during Bali’s sacred Nyepi holiday.Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, 26, a construction worker from Switzerland, was found guilty of breaking Indonesian law by posting a provocative video to his Instagram story about the Day of Silence, known locally as Nyepi, on March 19.During this 24-hour period, locals and tourists alike are required to remain in their homes or hotels, keep lights dim and minimize noise, and are urged to perform quiet meditation.According to court documents, Mr. Zgraggen arrived in Bali on Feb. 10 for vacation. Before the Day of Silence in March, hotel staff had explained the relevant restrictions.Prosecutors said Mr. Zgraggen became frustrated that he could not freely leave the hotel to find food and “displayed his anger” on social media, according to an online copy of his indictment. One video showed Mr. Zgraggen walking in the dark with a caption that said it was “pretty peaceful outside,” followed by an expletive about the rules around the religious holiday.After receiving thousands of negative comments, Mr. Zgraggen took down the posts. But the videos were screen-recorded and widely reposted to other popular accounts, drawing criticism from Balinese residents who found his actions disrespectful. After the posts went viral, Mr. Zgraggen re-uploaded the video with the caption “they want smoke,” slang for a fight or argument, according to the indictment. That post, too, received widespread criticism.Then, prosecutors said, Mr. Zgraggen reached out to a senator in the Indonesian Regional Representative Council to apologize.When he arrived at the senator’s residence, he was arrested by the Bali police’s cybercrime unit and charged with disseminating hate speech based on religion through electronic information, the police said in a news release. Mr. Zgraggen’s trial began in June, and on Aug. 20 he was sentenced to a year in detention.The office for the chief district court judge in Denpasar, Bali’s capital, and the public affairs division of the Indonesian National Police did not respond to requests for comment.While tourists can face consequences for venturing outside during Nyepi, violations are often resolved without prosecution.Also on March 19, another tourist was detained by officers while walking with luggage along a road in Bali, the police said in a news release. The traveler said he had been forced to walk from his villa after his stay ended, as no vehicles were operating. Police and local security officers known as pecalang, who enforce local customs, helped the man find temporary accommodation.")
Amazon is preparing a roughly sixfold expansion of its Prime Air drone delivery network, targeting nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of 2026 as retailers and delivery companies race to make last-mile shipping faster and cheaper.
The rollout would dramatically widen Prime Air’s footprint from 11 current delivery sites across 10 metro areas, giving Amazon a larger test of whether autonomous aircraft can become a meaningful part of its logistics network. Amazon plans to expand next into the Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland, Syracuse, and Boise metropolitan areas, with additional communities expected later this year.
An Amazon drone makes a delivery in Papillion, Neb., on July 30, 2026. (Joseph Ciembroniewicz/Omaha World-Herald via Getty Images)
The push comes as rivals make their own moves into drone delivery. Walmart has expanded service through partners, including Alphabet-owned Wing and Zipline, while DoorDash recently received federal approval to operate its own commercial drone delivery network. Uber also announced a partnership with Zipline this week.
Amazon says Prime Air has already delivered hundreds of thousands of packages this year. “Customers already turn to Amazon for fast Same- and Next-Day Delivery, and Prime Air provides them an even speedier option when they need it,” Prime Air Vice President David Carbon said.
Prime Air can carry most packages weighing 5 pounds or less and roughly the size of a large shoebox, making more than 60% of the products customers purchase most frequently eligible for drone delivery. Orders can arrive in as little as 30 minutes, though Amazon says most reach customers about an hour after checkout. Prime members receive free drone delivery on orders of $50 or more and pay $2.99 on smaller orders, while non-Prime customers pay $4.99.
The expansion adds another front to Amazon’s broader effort to shrink delivery times as retailers increasingly compete over speed and convenience.
Prime members receive free drone delivery on orders of $50 or more and pay $2.99 on smaller orders. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
Drone delivery, however, remains a small part of the broader delivery market and faces challenges ranging from federal aviation requirements and weather to noise, safety, and the economics of competing with traditional vans and drivers. Amazon holds Federal Aviation Administration Part 135 certification for Prime Air and says its drones use an autonomous “detect-and-avoid” system to monitor surrounding airspace and identify obstacles without requiring a person to watch a live video feed.
For Amazon, the expansion will test whether drone delivery can move from a limited service into a practical, scalable piece of its last-mile network.
Also Read
- Swiss Tourist Sentenced to Prison for Disrespecting Bali’s Day of Silence on Social Media[]A Swiss tourist has been sentenced to imprisonment for violations during Bali’s sacred Nyepi holiday.Luzian Andrin Zgraggen, 26, a construction worker from Switzerland, was found guilty of breaking Indonesian law by posting a provocative video to his Instagram story about the Day of Silence, known locally as Nyepi, on March 19.During this 24-hour period, locals and tourists alike are required to remain in their homes or hotels, keep lights dim and minimize noise, and are urged to perform quiet meditation.According to court documents, Mr. Zgraggen arrived in Bali on Feb. 10 for vacation. Before the Day of Silence in March, hotel staff had explained the relevant restrictions.Prosecutors said Mr. Zgraggen became frustrated that he could not freely leave the hotel to find food and “displayed his anger” on social media, according to an online copy of his indictment. One video showed Mr. Zgraggen walking in the dark with a caption that said it was “pretty peaceful outside,” followed by an expletive about the rules around the religious holiday.After receiving thousands of negative comments, Mr. Zgraggen took down the posts. But the videos were screen-recorded and widely reposted to other popular accounts, drawing criticism from Balinese residents who found his actions disrespectful. After the posts went viral, Mr. Zgraggen re-uploaded the video with the caption “they want smoke,” slang for a fight or argument, according to the indictment. That post, too, received widespread criticism.Then, prosecutors said, Mr. Zgraggen reached out to a senator in the Indonesian Regional Representative Council to apologize.When he arrived at the senator’s residence, he was arrested by the Bali police’s cybercrime unit and charged with disseminating hate speech based on religion through electronic information, the police said in a news release. Mr. Zgraggen’s trial began in June, and on Aug. 20 he was sentenced to a year in detention.The office for the chief district court judge in Denpasar, Bali’s capital, and the public affairs division of the Indonesian National Police did not respond to requests for comment.While tourists can face consequences for venturing outside during Nyepi, violations are often resolved without prosecution.Also on March 19, another tourist was detained by officers while walking with luggage along a road in Bali, the police said in a news release. The traveler said he had been forced to walk from his villa after his stay ended, as no vehicles were operating. Police and local security officers known as pecalang, who enforce local customs, helped the man find temporary accommodation.
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