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
Despite record-breaking heat, more young Korean couples are choosing to marry in August, largely for financial reasons. According to the Korea Consumer Agency, average wedding costs during the off-season months of January, February, July and August stand at about 19.54 million won, roughly 2 million won less than during peak seasons. Wedding venues have also become harder to book after many closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, while marriages are increasing again.
Housing pressures are another factor. With soaring home prices and tighter limits on mortgages and housing subscriptions, many couples in their 30s see marriage as a way to combine income and assets to buy a home. August weddings therefore reflect more than seasonal preference: they reveal the economic pressures facing young Koreans trying to reduce wedding expenses while securing housing and building assets.
Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News Online, Cambodia
Cambodian and US military commanders have met to discuss preparations for a joint military exercise.
During a meeting in Phnom Penh on August 7, US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen T. Koehler confirmed to General Vong Pisen, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), that the US will resume the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise with Cambodia in 2027. CARAT is an annual bilateral exercise conducted by the US Navy with Asean countries, including Cambodia, which began in 2010 but was temporarily suspended from 2017 along with the Angkor Guard exercise.
Koehler said the US Pacific Fleet would also continue to strengthen cooperation in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and participation in SEACAT exercises to contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the region, Vong Pisen was quoted as saying. Both sides noted progress in Cambodia-US military relations, particularly between the two navies through exchange visits, personnel training, military ship port calls, and preparations for joint exercises.
Vong Pisen also briefed the US delegation on the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, reaffirming Cambodia’s position of resolving the issue peacefully based on international law and its rejection of any change to the border by military force.
Bhanu Ranjan Chakraborty, Asia Journalist Association, Bangladesh
Sixteen people were killed in road accidents in two districts of Bangladesh on August 7. At least 24 others were injured. Nine died in Sylhet and seven in Bogura.
Nine people were killed in a head-on collision between two buses at around 7:30am in the Dayamir area of Osmaninagar on the Dhaka–Sylhet highway. Police said at least 24 passengers from both buses were injured.
Separately, at least seven people were killed when a passenger bus lost control and ran over a group of day labourers on the Bogura–Naogaon highway early the same morning.
Shakil Yamin Kanga, APNEC, Pakistan
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7, under which an attack on any one of the three countries will be deemed an attack on all three.
Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the pact at the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence held at Al-Safa Palace. According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the agreement aims to strengthen collective defence capabilities against any aggression.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sharif met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Makkah. Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and other members of the Pakistani delegation were present. The two sides discussed the regional situation and ways to further strengthen their partnership.
Sharif and Field Marshal Munir had arrived in Saudi Arabia on August 6 at the invitation of the Saudi Crown Prince. They performed Umrah and offered prayers at the Holy Kaaba before the summit.
Kuban Abdymen, Centralasianlight, Kyrgyzstan
Kazakhstan and Romania’s foreign ministers have condemned drone attacks on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium amid rising European energy security risks.
During a telephone conversation, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev and Romania’s Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu condemned any actions threatening the operation of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). The two sides highlighted the strategic role of the CPC in ensuring the stable export of Kazakhstan’s oil to international markets, including Europe.
The dialogue between Astana and Bucharest reflects the expanding energy partnership between the two countries, with Romania serving as an important logistics and refining hub in the region, while Kazakhstan remains one of the key energy suppliers for European markets. It is the first time since the war in Ukraine began that an EU member state has condemned such attacks, though without naming the origin of the drones.
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