A Malaysian court on Tuesday ordered jailed former prime minister Najib Razak to pay US$1.3 billion to a former unit of scandal-tainted state fund 1MDB, state media reported.

Indonesia and Japan reaffirmed their shared commitment to playing a greater role in maintaining global peace and stability, as President Prabowo Subianto and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reiterated the need to de-escalate the war in the Middle East.

The vessels included the corvette Gromkiy, the submarine Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the ocean tug Andrey Stepanov, according to the Russian embassy in Jakarta.  

Australia in December banned under-16s from a raft of the world's most popular social media sites, citing the need to protect young minds from "predatory algorithms" filled with sex and violence.

After more than a year in office, President Prabowo Subianto made his maiden official visit to Japan, one of Indonesia’s largest investors and strategic partners, amid the war in the Middle East that has impacted both countries in the energy and economic sectors.

Air China restarted direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang on Monday after a six-year hiatus, another sign isolated North Korea is gradually opening up following the resumption of train services between the capitals.

The Philippines and China have resumed high-level talks this week over the disputed South China Sea, exploring preliminary steps toward oil and gas cooperation while addressing energy and fertilizer supply issues amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, the Philippine foreign ministry said.

At least 77 people were killed in the anti-corruption youth uprising on Sept. 8 and 9, 2025, which began over a brief social media ban, but tapped into longstanding fury over economic hardship.

During the private meeting, both leaders agreed to intensify diplomatic efforts to ease tension in the Middle East, while underlining the importance of global supply chain continuity, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

A cyclone off Australia triggered outages at two of the world's largest LNG plants, energy giant Chevron said Friday as Middle East turmoil stoked soaring demand for the fuel.

Iran is letting Malaysian tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz after talks with Iranian, Turkish and other regional leaders, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday.

President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to visit Tokyo and Seoul early next week for bilateral meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the invitation of Indonesia’s two strategic partners in East Asia.

During the meeting, both leaders are expected to ‘intensify diplomatic efforts’ to ease tensions in the Middle East and ensure the continuity of global trade and supply chains that are critical for Indonesia and Malaysia.

KF-21 is a symbol of South Korea’s transformation from a buyer of foreign arms to a developer of advanced weapons.

Hundreds of staff at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation began a one-day strike on Wednesday, the first walkout in 20 years, over pay and working conditions, disrupting live news coverage at the public broadcaster.

Kim's remarks targeting Seoul come despite repeated overtures by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, a dovish leader who took office in June, for dialogue without preconditions.

Previous talks collapsed in 2023 largely over disagreements on EU quotas for meat imports and protections for the agricultural sector.

Deliveries of delayed F-16V fighter jets for Taiwan will begin this year with production at "full capacity", the island's defense ministry said after senior defense officials visited the United States.

The cost of petrol rose more than 20 percent in Vietnam on Friday after the government announced an overnight hike amid fears of oil and gas shortages caused by the Middle East war.

Myanmar's parliament will start the process to elect a new president on March 30, officials said on Friday, a vote many analysts expect will be won by the head of the junta that seized power in a coup in 2021.

Protesters heckled and booed Prime Minister Anthony ​Albanese on Friday during a visit to Australia's largest mosque for Idul Fitri prayers, voicing anger over his stance on ally Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sailed smoothly past a potential clash with Donald Trump over Iran on Thursday, though the US president whipped up a bit of a storm about Pearl Harbor.

Trump had been set to travel to Beijing from March 31 to April 2 for the first trip there of his 14-month-old second term. The trip will now take place in "about five or six weeks," Trump said. The White House did not specify a date.

Crowds gathered outside as family members sought news of their loved ones, including Baryalai Amiri, a 38-year-old mechanic, whose brother was admitted as a patient about 25 days ago.

An alliance of leading media in Asia, the Asia News Network, has announced that applications are now open for its 2026-2028 journalism fellowship program that aims at building a Malay news network.

Trump's trip, his first to China in his second term, is aimed at sealing a trade war truce the two leaders shook hands on when they met in South Korea in October.

The election has been dominated by Balendra Shah, the former mayor of ​Kathmandu, the capital, whose rap music critical of the establishment gained him near-rockstar-like fame on social media.

Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin announced a plan for Indonesia and Australia to develop trilateral security cooperation agreements involving Papua New Guinea and Japan, as well as a defense training facility in North Maluku.

South Korea's transport ministry cut construction costs and approved improper airport safety structures for more than two decades, the state auditor said in a report on aviation safety management after a Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people.

Thailand and Vietnam have encouraged public employees to work from home and take up other energy-saving measures as the Middle East war disrupted oil supplies and sent fuel prices swinging.