The Standard Gauge Railway, built from 2013 to 2019, connects the Kenyan port of Mombasa to its capital Nairobi, and on to the lake town of Naivasha, but China refused further lending before it could be extended to Uganda as planned.

Ramadan this year was welcomed by the Chinese New Year and seen off by Nyepi, (Day of Silence), which marks the New Year in the Balinese Hindu calendar.

Prabowo spent the eve of Idul Fitri, also known as malam takbiran, in the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan, where he had arrived the day before from Jakarta.

The heat has been toppling records this week and was set to continue into the weekend across western cities and expanding eastward.

The waiver will bring some 140 million barrels of oil to global markets and help relieve pressure on energy supply, United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent posted on X.

Former BNI sub-branch head in Aek Nabara offered the church a fictitious investment product, promising a yield of 8 percent per annum.

Indonesia has turned into a net importer of crude oil and fuels since early 2000s as output declined while demand kept rising, leaving Southeast Asia’s largest economy vulnerable to global price shocks. 

President Donald Trump said Friday that he was considering "winding down" military operations against Iran, as the United States temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil shipments to stem a global supply crisis.

If the US continues to view NATO and its Pacific alliances through a purely transactional lens, it risks hollowing out the very institutions that have underpinned global stability for eight decades.

The Iran crisis makes clear that a restoration spearheaded by middle powers is crucial for steering geopolitics away from a world governed by power alone. 

Drivers are reminded to pay attention to traffic ahead and take a rest when they feel tired or sleepy.

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.

President Prabowo Subianto has said that the acid attack against activist Andrie Yunus was a “barbaric, terror act” that must be thoroughly investigated, pledging to personally ensure that those who masterminded the assault are brought to justice.

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.

The government has declared that Idul Fitri will fall on Saturday, following an isbat (moon sighting confirmation) meeting on Thursday night.

K-pop megastars BTS released a new album Friday billed as reflecting the maturing boy band's Korean roots and identity, as buzz built ahead of their open-air comeback concert in the heart of Seoul.

The government is holding subsidized fuel prices steady through year-end as global oil price tops US$100 a barrel, with Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa saying the state will absorb the shock rather than pass it on to consumers.

Israel launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran on Friday, a day after President Donald Trump told it not to repeat its strikes on Iranian natural gas infrastructure, which sharply escalated the US-Israeli war on Iran.

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.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that Washington might lift sanctions on Iranian oil that is already being shipped, as energy prices soar due to the war in the Middle East.

Last year, China sent Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand roughly a fifth of their fertilizer imports and that figure stood at a third for Malaysia and New Zealand, according to International Trade Centre data. For India, it was around 16 percent, according to its trade data.

Six major international powers said Thursday they were ready "to contribute to" ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, though three stressed that any initiative would take place post-ceasefire.

Quasi-opposition chairwoman underlined Jakarta’s free and active, non-aligned foreign policy amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Michael, an Indonesian of Chinese descent born in Kudus, Central Java, in 1939, jointly owned the Djarum Group with his brother Robert Budi Hartono, both sons of Djarum founder Oei Wie Gwan. Their father established the company in 1951 with just 10 employees, and it grew into one of the world’s largest clove cigarette firms with tens of thousands of workers.

China's show of willingness to work with the region of more than 700 million people would be welcome relief to Southeast Asian oil importers after an order by Beijing earlier this month to ban Chinese exports of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel.

The National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) has projected that the peak of this year’s homecoming mudik (exodus) traffic flow has taken place two days ahead of Idul Fitri.