Asia - South China Morning Post

When Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was laid to rest in Tehran earlier this month, Indonesia, home to more Muslims than any other nation on Earth, decided to send only its ambassador – at first.

The decision raised questions not only about Jakarta’s non-aligned foreign policy but also the tensions at the heart of President Prabowo Subianto’s prized “good-neighbour” diplomacy.

One former Indonesian ambassador called the minimal initial presence “a slap in the face” for Iran and asked whether Washington...

Kenneth Jeyaretnam, secretary general of the Reform Party (RP), has died, his wife said on Sunday. He was 67 years old.

Jeyaretnam died in his sleep, surrounded by family, on Saturday, said Amanda Jeyaretnam in a post on her husband’s social media.

“He was my beloved husband and a loving and devoted father to his son, Jared. He filled our lives with joy and wonder and we miss him so much,” she said.

She added that funeral details for a small family service were currently being finalised and a...

India is stepping up engagement with Indo-Pacific middle powers as uncertainty grows over the future of US security commitments in Asia, with analysts saying New Delhi is building a web of partnerships that allows countries with different strategic interests to cooperate without joining a formal alliance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on a six-day diplomatic tour of the Indo-Pacific from July 6 to 11, visiting Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, and signing a raft of agreements to boost...

A long-discussed plan for an Asean power grid is gaining steam, according to investors and Indonesian policymakers gathered in Bali, as surging demand from AI and data centres, as well as the region’s energy transition, fuels optimism over the initiative.

On Friday, representatives from sovereign wealth funds, institutional capital and family principals converged on the St Regis Bali Resort for the Nusa Dua Forum, organised by the South China Morning Post with Danantara Indonesia as partner.

The...

Asia’s only dedicated exorcism centre – designed to train not only Philippine priests but clergy from across the region – sits just off a busy thoroughfare in Metro Manila.

Inside, neatly made-up rooms for visiting priests line warmly lit halls that lead to a chapel where the 400-year-old ritual takes place.

Holy relics employed in the proceedings line one wall, another features a one-way mirror that allows family members and novice exorcists to observe.

The Michael Centre for Spiritual...

Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency has opened an investigation into losses tied to state pension fund Kumpulan Wang Persaraan Diperbadankan’s investment in failed Indonesian agritech start-up eFishery.

A team was formed on Friday to “study and examine the issue thoroughly,” Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Commissioner Abdul Halim Aman said in a statement on Saturday.

“The investigation will be conducted fairly, transparently and impartially based on existing legal provisions,” Abdul...

Indonesia’s Danantara must outlive political administrations to prove its worth to investors and most importantly to the people, according to the sovereign wealth fund’s chief investment officer.

Pandu Sjahrir said the fund was focused on the demutualisation of Jakarta’s stock market and to support the establishment of the first financial centre in Bali to boost investor confidence.

“Investment is almost everything for us. Confidence is the name of the game, and we have to create long-term...

On a clear summer morning at Mount Fuji’s fifth-station trailhead, the crowds look more beach ready than alpine prepared with canvas slip-ons, bare legs and lightweight jackets.

Above them, Japan’s most famous peak rises to 3,776 metres (12,389 feet) and into sub-zero temperatures, even in July.

For Tatsuo Nanai, a veteran climber and until recently secretary general of the Fuji‑san Club, the scene has become a source of dread.

Japan’s official climbing season has only just begun, but he says he...

Authorities in India’s capital Delhi moved social activist Sonam Wangchuk to hospital against his will on Saturday, after his condition worsened on the 21st day of a hunger strike launched to demand the resignation of the federal education minister.

Wangchuk, 59, had been fasting since June 28 in solidarity with India’s youth Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan step down ‌over exam paper leaks in May that affected millions of students.

Wangchuk’s...

India’s first privately built orbital rocket took its maiden flight on Saturday, its company said, marking a significant step for the South Asian giant as it eyes a bigger slice of the global space economy.

The Vikram-1 rocket, built by Skyroot Aerospace and designed to carry small satellites into low-Earth orbit, took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota amid loud cheers.

“Hello space, we have arrived!” Skyroot Aerospace said on social media. “Vikram-1’s Test Flight-1 has...