Two weak currencies, two different stories: Indonesia and Korea SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - Crisis-era exchange rates and relentless foreign stock selling have become familiar headaches for policymakers in both Indonesia and South Korea. At first glance, the two economies appear to face the same challenge. A closer look tells a different story. The Indonesian rupiah's slide to record-low territory has revived memories of past currency crises, putting renewed pressure on Jakarta as investors question whether the country's external buffers ar June 30, 2026

Europe's sweltering heatwave signals climate extremes in Asia and elsewhere SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - Europe is in the grip of another sweltering heatwave. Across the continent, from Denmark and Germany to Switzerland and France, temperatures have surged to record or near-record levels. At least 94 million people across Europe have been exposed to extreme heat of 35 degrees Celsius or higher, while more than 350 million people, roughly two-thirds of the continent's population, are living in areas where temperatures have exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, accordi June 30, 2026

Kazakhstan and Georgia seal strategic Eurasian partnership SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - Kazakhstan and Georgia signed a strategic partnership in Astana on Monday (local time), tying together a trade route and an oil pipeline that have taken on new weight as Russia's war in Ukraine closes off traditional routes and the war in Iran chokes the Strait of Hormuz. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze signed a Joint Statement along with memoranda on culture, tourism, and digital development, accordin June 30, 2026

Uzbekistan, Georgia set $1 billion trade target SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid an official visit to Georgia as the two countries pledged to more than triple bilateral trade, from $267.6 million in 2025 to $1 billion. The target is ambitious given where the relationship currently stands. Trade between the two countries tripled between 2017 and 2025, climbing from $89 million, but the flows remain heavily skewed. In 2025, Georgia exported $190.4 million worth of goods to Uzbekistan, mo June 29, 2026

Tajikistan-led UN resolution establishes international peace through 2036 SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - The U.N. General Assembly has adopted a resolution proclaiming 2027 - 2036 as the International Decade of Strengthening of Peace for Future Generations, following an initiative introduced by Tajikistan, the country's embassy in Seoul said Monday. The resolution, adopted on June 25, calls for greater international efforts to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation while encouraging cooperation across generations to ensure that the interests of future g June 29, 2026

Tungsten race puts Kazakhstan between US and China SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - Last November, at a summit in Washington where President Donald Trump hosted the leaders of all five Central Asian nations, the United States signed a deal giving an American company development rights to what independent feasibility studies describe as the world's largest known undeveloped tungsten resource. The host country was Kazakhstan. The metal was tungsten. The company is Kaz Resources, a newly formed American firm backed by up to $1.6 billion in June 29, 2026

Fresh hostilities in Strait of Hormuz raise doubts over shaky Iran deal SEOUL, June 28 (AJP) - Concerns over the safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz have heightened again after Washington launched fresh airstrikes against Iranian military targets in response to drone attacks on vessels, exposing the fragility of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Washington and Tehran as the two sides pursue follow-up talks. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces carried out retaliatory strikes against Iranian military targets on Friday after June 28, 2026

U.S., Iran clash nine days after MOU, testing fragile Hormuz truce SEOUL, June 27 (AJP) - The United States and Iran exchanged military strikes just nine days after signing a memorandum of understanding to end their war, putting the fragile agreement under its first major test. U.S. Central Command said Friday it carried out airstrikes against Iran in response to a drone attack a day earlier on the Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. aircraft reportedly struck Iranian missile and drone storage fa June 27, 2026

More ships run by Korean carriers exit Strait of Hormuz, 3 remain SEOUL, June 27 (AJP) - Two more South Korean-operated ships stranded inside the Strait of Hormuz have passed through the waterway and resumed normal navigation, Seoul’s Oceans Ministry said Saturday. Both vessels were carrying a total of four South Korean crew members, the ministry said. Neither ship is bound for South Korea. Their departure leaves three South Korean-operated vessels inside the strait, including the HMM Namu, which is undergoing repairs at a port in Dubai a June 27, 2026

Kazakhstan and China target $100bn in trade SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - More than eight in every 10 containers shipped overland from China to Europe pass through Kazakhstan. That single statistic, more than any diplomatic formula, explains why the two countries spent this week in Urumqi pressing to deepen a commercial relationship already generating record numbers. On the sidelines of the 9th China-Eurasia Expo on Thursday (local time), Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin met June 26, 2026