Global IT outage shows dangers of cashless society, campaigners say (July 20, 2024, The Guardian)
Supermarkets, banks, pubs, cafes, train stations and airports were all hit by the failure of Microsoft systems on Friday, leaving many unable to accept electronic payments. The impact was especially severe for businesses that no longer accept cash.
What other ASEAN members can learn from Vietnam’s renewable boom (July 12, 2024, East Asia Forum)
Southeast Asia's energy transition is critical for global emissions reduction, but progress is behind schedule, with the region needing significant policy changes to meet net zero targets. Vietnam's recent solar and wind expansion, which saw it produce 13 per cent of its electricity from these sources in 2023, can serve as a guide for ASEAN. Vietnam's experience highlights that attractive pricing incentives, no local content requirements, policy certainty and a sound policy narrative are key to invigorating renewable uptake.
For Ukrainians, war of survival is also a battle to defend their identity (July 19, 2024, The Christian Science Monitor)
Ukraine is now in the third year of a war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has maintained that a Ukraine and Ukrainian culture independent of “Mother Russia” do not exist. In response, Ukrainians and their cultural institutions are redoubling efforts to bring to light aspects of national heritage, from art to literature and song.
In Kyrgyzstan, an ‘unprecedented crackdown’ on free press raises alarm (July 18, 2024, Al Jazeera)
But an apparent crackdown continues. In early July, Akyn Askat Zhetigen, a local folk poet and singer, continuing the old Kyrgyz tradition of oral socio-political commentary, was sentenced to three years in prison for criticising the government on social media.
The Killer Stalking Sri Lanka’s Men (July 8, 2024, The New York Times)
Something odd has been happening to young men in the sultry farming and fishing communities of Sri Lanka. Since the 1990s, men in their 30s and 40s have been turning up at hospitals with late-stage kidney failure, needing dialysis or even transplants. In some communities, as many as one in five young men is affected.
Hikmat Hajiyev: Azerbaijan has repeatedly been a victim of disinformation (July 21, 2024, AzerNews)
As the official said disinformation is not a new phenomenon. Hajiyev noted that information is a very powerful tool. "But how it is used is a big question. The most dangerous thing is that disinformation has turned into manipulation and psychological warfare against the people of Azerbaijan," he added.
Why Tunis Should Be Your Art, Beach And Sunshine Break In 2024 (March 12, 2024, Forbes)
Explore Tunis, Tunisia's dynamic capital in North Africa, where cultural fusion thrives. Wander through the fascinating Arab Medina, alongside European-inspired facades. And on the outskirts is the charming seaside town of Sidi Bou Said, another must visit.
Brides Too Soon: The Rising Trend of Early Marriages in Uzbekistan (July 18, 2024, The Diplomat)
In recent years, Uzbekistan has witnessed a troubling resurgence in early marriages, a practice that disproportionately harms young girls.
Pakistan’s Presbyterians Have United. Reconciling Will Take Time (July 19, 2024, Christianity Today) (Subscription required)
On March 25 of this year, a group of Pakistani Presbyterian church leaders gathered in one of their homes. There, the 20 or so people decided to bring their factions together after years of contentious division. There were no contracts or legal documents to mark this momentous decision. “We just talked and trusted each other,” said Reuben Qamar, the leader, or moderator, of one faction.
Azerbaijan Is a Top Violator of Religious Freedom. Accountability Is a Must | Opinion (July 12, 2024, Newsweek)
Despite these documented crimes, no international mission, including UNESCO, has access to Nagorno-Karabakh. Behind this criminal scene and tragedies, we record the profound immorality of the international community when, just after the genocide of my people, it was decided to hold the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP29) in oil-rich, authoritarian, and genocidal Azerbaijan in 2024.
Prefab paradise? How China-made homes could solve Australia’s housing crisis (July 21, 2024, South China Morning Post)
While tourism, resources and education usually dominate trade between Asia and Australia, a surprising new trade has been flourishing under the radar in recent years – the booming business of prefabricated “prefab” housing and building materials.
We must not mistake China’s success on green energy for a global one (July 21, 2024, Financial Times)
Looking at global renewables growth rates is hugely misleading. There is not one single energy transition but a series of regional transitions of widely varying form, pace and scope. The outsized materiality of one — China’s — means global figures veil more than they reveal. They currently look impressive because, and only because, China’s do.
How China swerved worst of global tech meltdown (July 21, 2024, BBC)
Over recent years, government organisations, businesses and infrastructure operators have increasingly been replacing foreign IT systems with domestic ones. Some analysts like to call this parallel network the "splinternet".
They used to work for China’s biggest companies. Now they’re doing manual labor (July 20, 2024, CNN)
China’s notorious “996” work culture – the practice of working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week that is common among the country’s tech companies, startups and other private businesses – has been a push factor for many employees who call it quits.
China Good Samaritans – landslip hero, delivery mercy man, long-distance rubbish mission (July 21, 2024, South China Morning Post)
We all need a helping hand in life, and when it comes, it feels all the more welcome when the act of generosity is from a stranger. Here, the Post rounds up the best Good Samaritan stories to come out of China recently.
China–US research collaborations are in decline — this is bad news for everyone (July 19, 2024, Springer Nature)
China’s scientific collaboration with other countries has declined since the pandemic, driven by falling partnerships with the United States, an analysis shows. Scientists have been warning that political tensions between China and the United States, combined with the pandemic, have affected research collaborations between the two countries. But it takes time for evidence of this sort of decline to accumulate in research databases.
China braces for twin tropical cyclones after deadly flash floods (July 21, 2024, Channel News Asia)
Two tropical cyclones will bring gales and heavy rain to China's eastern seaboard this week, with the first expected to make landfall on Sunday (Jul 21), after deadly flash floods struck the country's interior over the weekend.
How Hong Kong Immigrants and UK Churches Are Working Together (July 16, ChinaSource)
In 2021, the UK government offered a new visa for British Nationals (Overseas) residing in the former colony of Hong Kong. This, along with an ever-tightening political environment in Hong Kong, opened the door to an influx of people from the territory moving to Great Britain. The arrival of so many new immigrants in a short period of time has presented both local and Chinese churches in the UK with some unique opportunities and challenges. Zipporah, a student at Singapore Bible College, conducted research into this situation for a class on mission research.
Chengdu: Opportunities and Challenges (July 15, 2024, China Partnership)
In this second portion of this series, several Chengdu house church pastors talked about how their city and their churches have changed in the past five years. While this period has been challenging, these pastors still see God at work in their communities. Most said the city and their churches were rocked by the Covid era, but that Chengdu is still a spiritually hungry place. Many pastors said they continue to experience growth and are seeing many unbelievers seek out their churches.
Moses in the Wilderness: On the Run (July 11, 2024, China Partnership)
In the post-pandemic era, sometimes it seems all of China is on the run. Modern Chinese have a lot in common with biblical Moses, who also lived a life on the run. God’s people may sometimes worry that God has forgotten them, but Moses’s story shows that God often uses wilderness seasons and a life on the run.