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.

Speaking to reporters following a meeting in Riyadh of foreign ministers from the region, Prince Faisal said that Iran "tries to pressure its neighbours" with attacks.

Official warnings ahead of Nowruz in Iran have been explicit: Dissent will be treated not as protest but as insurrection. 

Asia spot LNG prices have doubled to three-year highs in the second major supply shock in four years, as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has all but stopped and No. 2 global exporter Qatar has halted shipments. 

An internal military justice investigation of the alleged perpetrators clouds transparency and risks perpetuating impunity, civil society groups have said.

The cost of the subsidised RON95 transport fuel, available for all Malaysian citizens, will be kept at 1.99 ringgit per litre, with the government expected to spend over 3 billion ringgit ($763.36 million) per month to fund its fuel subsidy bill, the ministry said in a statement late Wednesday.