AJA Newsbites is a curated roundup of major news and developments from across Asia, brought to you by members of Asia Journalist Association (AJA)
Lee Sang-ki, THE AsiaN, Korea
British travel magazine Time Out has ranked Jongno 3-ga in central Seoul as the world’s coolest neighborhood for 2026, the first Korean district to claim the top spot. It previously ranked third in 2021.
The area blends traditional hanok houses in Ikseon-dong, artisan workshops and cafés along Seosulla-gil beside Jongmyo Shrine’s historic walls, and lively nighttime street-food stalls. Preserving historic buildings rather than demolishing them, alongside pedestrian-friendly improvements, helped transform the district into an international attraction. Foreign visitors’ card spending in Ikseon-dong and Seosulla-gil surged nearly nineteenfold, from 2.09 billion won in the first half of 2022 to 39.27 billion won in the first half of 2026. However, growing popularity has brought rising rents, noise and waste, threatening the neighborhood’s distinctive character.
Norila Daud, Malaysia World News, Malaysia
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has strongly condemned the attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport which claimed innocent lives and injured hundreds of others.
Through his Facebook post on October 11, Anwar expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for a speedy recovery. “There is no justification for attacks on civilians and public infrastructure. Endangering the lives of innocent people will only exacerbate the suffering caused by this conflict and bring its effects to places that should not be affected,” he said.
Anwar said Malaysia stood firm with Saudi Arabia and its people during the ongoing conflict and hoped that diplomatic efforts would prevent the situation from escalating. “Malaysia stands firm in solidarity with the government of Saudi Arabia and its people at this critical time. We remain steadfast in the hope that diplomacy and sanity will overcome the situation before this conflict spreads more widely,” he said.
In a statement on October 11 as reported by Bernama, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said 12 people were killed, while 309 others were injured in an attack at King Khalid International Airport on October 10. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has been repeatedly targeted by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group in recent weeks.
Those killed consisted of four Saudi Arabians, two Bangladeshis and one each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan.
Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News Online, Cambodia
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet left his country on October 11 to begin a diplomatic tour that includes visiting Türkiye on October 16 at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to strengthen long-standing diplomatic ties established in 1959.
The tour, running from October 12 to 17, also includes attending the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Azerbaijan, and an official working visit to Kazakhstan.
According to a press release issued by Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on October 10, the visit to Türkiye aims to provide fresh momentum to strengthening and expanding close relations and cooperation between the two countries.
Cambodia and Türkiye established formal diplomatic relations on November 7, 1959, and both countries aim to boost bilateral trade to a volume of $1 billion in the near future. During the discussions, both leaders will exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Bhanu Ranjan Chakraborty, Asia Journalist Association, Bangladesh
Two Bangladeshi nationals were killed in an attack by Houthi rebels at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Four other injured Bangladeshis are currently undergoing treatment in the ICU of a hospital in Riyadh. Shama Obaed Islam, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, disclosed this information.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 11, the State Minister stated that the Bangladesh mission is working closely with the Saudi government to identify the victims. Expressing concern over the loss of Bangladeshi lives, she added that the government is working to provide necessary assistance to the affected families.
Meanwhile, approximately 3,000 passengers of eight flights in Dhaka are facing difficulties due to the temporary suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The Civil Aviation Authority announced this in a press release.
Shakil Yamin Kanga, APNEC, Pakistan
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan spoke on the telephone with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on October 10. Both leaders reiterated the fraternal relations and long-standing friendship between the two countries and agreed on the need to transform political harmony into a robust economic, investment, and trade partnership.
Reiterating Pakistan’s deep and strategic partnership with Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister stated that relations between the two countries are based on mutual trust and strong support on matters of vital national interest. The Prime Minister added that the people of Pakistan hold President Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan in the highest regard.
Azerbaijan is set to host the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku on October 15.
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