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
From July 13 to 15, the southern regions of South Korea are expected to experience torrential rainfall, with some areas receiving over 150 mm of precipitation.
The heavy rain is caused by a tropical low, intensified by extreme heatwaves, colliding with cold air from the northwest—resulting in the formation of powerful rain clouds. The Yeongnam region, in particular, may see localized downpours exceeding 50 mm per hour.
Experts warn that monsoon-like showers, similar to Southeast Asian squalls, may persist even after the official end of the monsoon season. Authorities are urging the public to prepare for sudden flooding and intense rainfall.
Kuban Abdymen, Centralasianlight, Kyrgyzstan
Kazakhstan has emerged as one of the European Union’s top three oil suppliers—alongside the United States and Norway—amid the ongoing withdrawal of Russian firms from the EU market, according to Eurostat data cited by CentralasianLIGHT.
In the first quarter of 2025, Kazakhstan accounted for 12.7% of the EU’s monthly oil imports, up from 11% in 2024. Between January and March, the country exported 4.4 million tons of crude oil to Europe—an increase of 300,000 tons year-over-year—with the export value reaching approximately €2.54 billion.
Notably, these exports are largely handled not by Kazakh state-owned enterprises, but by Western companies, including Chevron, which operates Kazakhstan’s three largest oil projects. In 2024, nearly 27 million tons of Chevron-managed crude were transported via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium to Russia’s port of Novorossiysk.
While tanker shipments to Europe—particularly through Croatia—have been on the rise, pipeline deliveries to Germany via the Druzhba route remain limited, accounting for just 10% of Kazakhstan’s total oil exports to the EU.
Following the EU’s embargo on Russian oil in December 2022, Kazakhstan’s similarly graded crude has increasingly filled the supply gap, especially in markets formerly dominated by Russia’s Urals blend.
Pooneh Nedai, Shokaran magazine, Iran
The Iranian Junior Freestyle Wrestling Team was crowned Asian champion in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, after winning 4 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze medal.
Gold medals were claimed by Ebrahim Elahi (70 kg), Mohammadmahdi Mamivand (74 kg), Abolfazl Rahmani (86 kg), and Erfan Alizadeh (97 kg). Abolfazl Shamsipour (79 kg) and Toheed Nouri (92 kg) earned silver medals, while Arshia Hadadi (57 kg) secured the bronze.
Iran topped the team standings with 179 points, followed by India with 157 points and Kazakhstan with 133.
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