Where Drugs Often Merit Death, Singapore Ministries Offer New Life (March 24, 2023, Christianity Today) (subscription required)
More than 70 percent of the country’s inmates are jailed for drug-related offenses. Christian groups seek to help them reenter society.
These 3 Japanese Christian Women Changed Their Country (March 24, 2023, Christianity Today) (subscription required)
The Christian faith that the Jesuits shared offered unprecedented opportunities for women to discover and embody new social roles and positions. The Protestants also represented this newfound reality as women comprised about two-thirds of the missionaries sent to Japan from 1859 to 1882, according to Japanese historian Rui Kohiyama.
'Bangkok Document' discerns new pathways for the church in Asia after continental synod (March 21, 2023, National Catholic Reporter)
Churches in Asia need to play an active role in addressing pressing realities including migrants, refugees, indigenous peoples, climate change, family issues, women and youth, Asian bishops said in their continental synod document.
Heart of the Matter: Tight regulation makes a bank run unlikely in Singapore, experts say (March 25, 2023, Channel News Asia)
This time last year, few would have heard of Silicon Valley Bank. But the recent collapse of the US bank has raised the spectre of the Lehman Brothers meltdown, sparking fears of a banking crisis.
Traveling to Asia for work? This city is its most expensive business destination (March 21, 2023, CNBC)
Hong Kong has been named the most expensive location in Asia for business travelers — for the second year in a row, according to a new report.
Southeast Asia’s Post-Pandemic Tourism Revival (March 21, 2023, The Diplomat)
Regional tourism is finally rebounding from the impacts of COVID-19. Will Southeast Asian government do things differently this time around?
Iftar ban for public servants in Indonesia sparks backlash (March 24, 2023, Jakarta Post, via Asia News Network)
A presidential ban on iftar gatherings for civil servants during the holy month of Ramadan, on the pretext of preventing the spread of COVID-19 nearly three months after all pandemic curbs were lifted, has sparked backlash from several Islamist political parties.
Earthquake Destroyed Around 665 Houses in Several Provinces of Afghanistan: OCHA (March 23, 2023, Khaama Press)
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that the earthquake damaged and destroyed around 665 houses across Badakhshan, Bamyan, Panjshir, Parwan, Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar, Samangan, and Takhar Provinces.
Japan to Give 30,000-Yen Aid to Low-Income Households (March 22, 2023, The Japan News)
The government decided on Wednesday to provide low-income households with ¥30,000 in aid as part of additional measures to combat surging prices. At a meeting of its task force to fight the persistent inflation and secure wage growth, the government also decided to distribute ¥50,000 per child to low-income child-rearing households.
Scarred for life: the Himalayan towns sinking into oblivion (March 20, 2023, The Guardian)
The construction of vast dams and a network of roads and railways have taken a heavy toll on the state of Uttarakhand, with buildings in Joshimath and other settlements collapsing and residents blaming government indifference.
Uyghur Christian Released After 15-Year Sentence (March 15, 2023, China Aid)
Alimujiang Yimiti, also known as Alim, converted from Islam to Christianity in 1995 and served as a house church pastor to Uyghurs in Kashgar, Xinjiang. His work in Xinjiang painted a target on his back, as the Chinese government began to scrutinize Uyghurs in the
New Era and New Roles: Changes and Issues for Chinese Ministries in a New Context (March 13, 2023, ChinaSource Quarterly)
The gap between the first and second decades is so great that it made us feel like we were sitting on the banks of the rivers in Babylon reminiscing about Zion (Psalm 137:1). This article explores the changes that have occurred in Chinese society and the Chinese church during the New Era. From this, we can think about what God is doing through these changes. Finally, we explore the roles overseas workers can play in the churches in China.
China’s ChatGPT Rival Needs to Watch Its Words (March 21, 2023, Wired)
“Baidu is going to face a tension between making a useful chatbot and making one that conforms to Chinese speech controls,” says Matt Sheehan, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who studies China’s AI industry. “I'm skeptical they'll be able to create a general-purpose chatbot that users can’t trick into spitting out speech that's unacceptable in China.”
How to Read Xi’s Muscular Message on China’s Global Role (March 17, 2023, Council on Foreign Relations)
Xi Jinping used the annual legislative session to lock in his tenure as president and reinforce China’s assertive foreign policy and the reemergence of its economy. area. In 2007, authorities initially accused Alim of using his business to “infiltrate” Christian ideology into Kashgar.
Heart vs Surface-level Reconciliation (March 13, 2023, ChinaSource Blog)
As I interviewed Chinese Christians in China, I discovered that reconciliation, like conflict, is conceptualized slightly differently around the world.
Being a Family in China’s New Era (March 10, 2023, ChinaSource Quarterly)
Based on an interview with a couple who are the parents of school-age children in Beijing, we learn not only of the changes they have faced but also of their responses to those changes and how they hope Christians outside of China will pray for them and the church in China.
China's economy shows gradual recovery after COVID reopening (March 15, 2023, Reuters)
China's abandonment of COVID-19 controls late in 2022 has reinvigorated an $18 trillion economy that has suffered one of its lowest growth rates in nearly half a century, with analysts expecting momentum to improve further in coming months.
Hangzhou Plans Easing ‘Hukou’ Restrictions to Attract Talent (March 15, 2023, Sixth Tone)
Those working in the city of 12 million people will be eligible to apply for the household registration permit, known as the hukou, in the downtown area if they hold a college degree and are under the age of 35, according to a draft regulation released by the local public security bureau Monday.
‘It Is Especially Scary to See Students’ (March 13, 2023, China File)
As in many other aspects of public life in China under Xi Jinping, the space for independent inquiry and discussion within the academy has shrunk significantly in recent years. The Xi administration has released a slew of guidelines and communiques cementing the Party’s control over the classroom
China Facilitates Iran-Saudi Arabia Détente (March 14, 2023, China Digital Times)
In a surprise deal facilitated by China on Friday, Iran and Saudi Arabia announced that they would resume their diplomatic relations. The deal is a breakthrough for the two Middle Eastern rivals, who will reopen their embassies for the first time in seven years and implement cooperation agreements signed two decades ago. For China, it is an opportunity to showcase a growing presence in international conflict resolution and advance its vision of a global order not led by the U.S.