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
The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks a new era for Asian football, as the expanded 48-team format allows a record nine AFC nations to participate. South Korea is joined by Japan, Iran, Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Jordan, with Uzbekistan and Jordan reaching the World Cup finals for the first time in their history — underscoring the growing competitiveness of Asian football.
South Korea’s head coach Hong Myung-bo is experiencing his seventh World Cup overall — four as a player and three as a coach or assistant coach. After years of criticism stemming from the 2014 World Cup and controversy surrounding his appointment, Hong earned a valuable opening victory against the Czech Republic.
Norila Daud, Malaysia World News, Malaysia
The Malaysian Men in Nursing Association (MMN) has opposed a proposal to recruit up to 15,000 Indonesian nurses to address manpower shortages in Malaysia’s healthcare sector.
The association said thousands of Malaysian nursing graduates are still awaiting placements in government hospitals and clinics and should be prioritised before foreign healthcare workers are brought into the system.
In a statement on Friday, June 12, MMN said any large-scale recruitment of Indonesian nurses should only proceed after a comprehensive study of its impact on employment opportunities, patient safety, and the long-term sustainability of Malaysia’s healthcare workforce. “After careful consideration from various perspectives, we believe there needs to be a thorough study of the proposal before Indonesian nurses are brought in to address the local nursing shortage. Priority should be given to recruiting and placing local graduates first before turning to foreign healthcare workers,” MMN said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page.
The association said it did not support open recruitment of Indonesian nurses without a comprehensive study of the implications for Malaysia’s healthcare workforce, warning that such a move could undermine efforts to place locally trained graduates.
Earlier this week, Indonesia’s Ambassador to Malaysia, Iman Hascarya Kusumo, said Indonesia is prepared to supply up to 15,000 nurses to Malaysia if required, noting that Indonesia produces around 65,000 nursing graduates annually. He said discussions were underway on aligning professional standards and qualifications between the two countries. The Health Ministry has previously acknowledged a nursing shortage, with Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad saying last year that public healthcare facilities were facing about 14,000 nursing vacancies nationwide despite various recruitment initiatives.
The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) had earlier rejected the idea of placing Indonesian nurses in government hospitals, arguing that many local nursing graduates were still waiting for permanent or contract appointments, with some reportedly waiting up to eight months for placement.
Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News Online, Cambodia
Cambodia and Switzerland have discussed progress in bilateral cooperation and explored opportunities to strengthen ties in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), including joint curriculum development.
During a meeting on the sidelines of the 114th International Labour Conference between Cambodia’s Minister of Labor and Vocational Training (MLVT) Heng Sour and Switzerland’s Deputy Director-General of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs Jérôme Cosandey, Heng Sour expressed deep gratitude and appreciation for the achievements of bilateral cooperation through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) — a key development partner for Cambodia, particularly in inclusive development, skills development, labour market integration, and long-term institutional strengthening.
Heng Sour described the Decent Employment and Employment for Youth Programme in Cambodia as a vital initiative helping to increase youth employability, strengthen links between TVET training and industry, and promote sustainable employment opportunities.
He added that Cambodia’s TVET reform and workforce transformation efforts are focused on skills upgrading, digital skills development, strengthening industry participation, and expanding access to TVET programmes to 1.5 million young people from poor and vulnerable families.
Kuban Abdymen, Centralasianlight, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is moving to liquidate 50 legal entities suspected by Western partners of involvement in transactions carrying high sanctions risks, according to Bakyt Sydykov, Minister of Economy and Commerce and Special Presidential Representative for Sanctions Policy.
Sydykov said that since 2023, Kyrgyzstan has intensified dialogue with the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom on compliance with international sanctions regimes and efforts to prevent their circumvention through third countries. In this context, authorities are strengthening transparency in the financial system and expanding regulatory oversight in sensitive sectors.
He noted that particular attention is being given to virtual assets and cryptocurrency markets, which, while offering new economic opportunities, also create risks linked to money laundering, illicit financing, and sanctions evasion.
To address these challenges, Kyrgyzstan has established a National Agency on Virtual Assets and Blockchain Technologies and is updating legislation in line with FATF standards, while also deploying advanced blockchain monitoring tools. The government said it will continue cooperation with international partners on financial security and regulatory compliance.
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