Asia - South China Morning Post

The student suspected of detonating blasts that injured dozens of people at a mosque in Indonesia’s capital last week was motivated by vengeance and inspired by attacks carried out by white supremacists and neo-Nazis, police said on Tuesday.

The blasts, which hit a mosque at a school complex in the capital Jakarta’s Kelapa Gading area during Friday prayers, left 96 people injured.

Police said on Tuesday that seven home-made explosives had been found by Indonesian authorities in and around the...

Singapore is leading the AI race in Southeast Asia, a region emerging as an artificial intelligence hotspot as start-ups draw significant investments and major players seek expansion, according to an industry report.

Some 680 AI start-ups attracted more than US$2.3 billion of investments across Southeast Asia in the 12 months to June, accounting for 32 per cent of private funding in the region, research from Google, Singapore’s state investor Temasek and management consultancy Bain & Company...

What first appeared to be an act of vandalism by a Chinese tourist at a Unesco-listed heritage site in Malaysia has turned out to be a sanctioned artistic collaboration that has nonetheless sparked a fierce public debate over cultural preservation and creative freedom.

The controversy began when a tourist, known as “Shi Shi” on the Chinese social media platform RedNote, uploaded a video of herself painting a panda on a well-known street mural at Chew Jetty in Penang’s George Town on October 15,...

The Bali police are asking consulates to support them in making foreign tourists toe the line on the Indonesian holiday island.

“Bali is a global destination. Security is our shared responsibility to ensure tourism continues to operate smoothly and benefit all parties,” Bali police chief Daniel Adityajaya said at a meeting in Denpasar with 24 consulates on the island, the Bali Sun reported on Friday.

Representatives from all the major consulates – including Australia, China, Japan, the US and...

A suicide bomber struck outside the gates of a district court in Islamabad on Tuesday, detonating his explosives next to a police car and killing 12 people, Pakistan’s interior minister said, the latest in an uptick in violence across the country.

Witnesses described scenes of mayhem in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, which also wounded 27 people. The blast was heard several kilometres away and came at a busy time of day when the area outside the court is typically crowded with...

Indonesia’s move to name Suharto a national hero has revived debate over the country’s uneasy relationship with authoritarianism and whether the legacy of a brutal yet transformative ruler should be celebrated.

President Prabowo Subianto, Suharto’s former son-in-law, conferred the honour on Monday, drawing sharp criticism from historians, academics and human rights organisations, who argue the move sanitises one of Southeast Asia’s most repressive regimes.

But the muted public reaction also...

A potential visit by US President Donald Trump to India could provide the impetus to conclude trade talks between New Delhi and Washington, analysts say, amid doubts about his commitment to the Indo-Pacific due to uncertainty over a proposed Quad security summit in the Indian capital.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that his talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were “going great” and that a visit to Delhi could take place next year, though he declined to specify a...

A YouTube livestream recently drew attention after a host promoted the sale of puppies in real time, saying, “We only have four dogs left. You’ll be surprised at how cheap they are, prices are completely down. Anyone looking to raise a Samoyed? Take them home for a low price.”

Viewers quickly flooded the chat with comments such as “Do you have smaller dogs?” and “Show us the bichon!” The replay of the broadcast has since garnered over 20,000 views.

During the stream, the host continued to...

Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, secured her party’s nomination by vowing to “work like a horse”. Since taking office on October 21, she has kept her word – but her relentless workload is raising questions about her health.

Takaichi arrived at her office at 3am on Friday to prepare for her first parliamentary debate, a budget committee hearing that was due to convene at 9am. Even by Japan’s workaholic standards, such an early start raised eyebrows.

“My jaw dropped when I...

The southern Thailand coastal province of Trang boasts lush islands and an emerald cave but has long been overshadowed by neighbouring foreign tourist hotspots Phuket and Krabi.

The government, as part of an effort to stimulate the economy, wants to change that by providing tax incentives to jump-start domestic travel, particularly to second-tier provinces.

Sagging foreign visitors to Thailand is compounding woes caused by US tariffs and a relatively high baht. To offset some of the softness,...