Brunei introduces long-term pass for foreigners (March 6, 2025, The Scoop)
The government has introduced a new policy to support long-term stays for foreign nationals with established ties to Brunei through family, business or investment interests.
China FTA won’t benefit Maldives, hope India steps in to help avert debt default—ex-president Nasheed (March 19, 2025, The Print)
The free trade agreement (FTA) with China has “no benefit” for the Malé, as the island archipelago has little exports to Beijing. Nasheed also hopes that India would be able to step in, and have “proper conversations” with Maldives, which is dealing with a massive debt crisis, to help it understand the steps necessary to prevent a default.
Laos to send soldiers to teach at schools amid teacher shortage (February 21, 2025, Radio Free Asia)
Faced with a nationwide teacher shortage, the Lao government is turning to the military to solve the problem by training soldiers to teach classes. The shortage is a result of the country’s struggling economy --
Gen Z unlikely savior of Japan’s economy through ‘oshikatsu’ (February 9, 2025, The Asahi Shimbun)
“Oshikatsu,” the term for celebrity-obsessed fans who spend lavishly on merchandise devoted to their idols in the film and entertainment worlds. Could it be that Gen Z holds the key to Japan’s partial economic recovery?
How Saudi Arabia is making the construction industry greener and more sustainable (January 25, 2025, Arab News)
Saudi Arabia is embracing sustainability as a core element of its Vision 2030 economic reform agenda, driving transformative practices across whole industries. Red Sea Global, SCG International, VEKR Environmental Services, and SABIC are setting the standard for sustainable construction.
After War, Leftover Bombs Kill. Trump Froze Funding for Cleaning Them Up. (February 5, 2025, Mother Jones)
Most years, the United States spends millions of dollars cleaning up explosives left behind by previous wars. On January 25, funding was put on hold, effective immediately. The freeze on federal funding would last for “90 days” as a review took place. But there is a problem with suddenly defunding landmine and bomb clearance programs: It means more people could step on unexploded weapons and die.
Armenia’s IVF strategy for the next generation of fighters (March 22, 2025, News.AZ International)
In post-war Armenia, state-backed IVF programmes for mothers of fallen soldiers are part of a growing militarised culture. With little psychological support and rising rhetoric of revenge, the country is preparing for future wars — starting with childbirth.
Sustaining a ‘super-aged’ society (March 12, 2025, Nature)
If asked to name a country with a super-aged society, many people would understandably mention Japan. Japan has a higher proportion of over-65s than most countries. But as well as a threat, the rapidly ageing society in Japan has presented an opportunity for scientists seeking to slow the symptoms of ageing and improve the final decades of life.
Why maids keep dying in Saudi Arabia (March 18, 2025, Deccan Herald)
While the departure terminal hums with anticipation, the arrivals area is where hope meets grim reality. Hollow-cheeked women return, often ground down by unpaid wages, beatings, starvation, and sexual assault. Some are broke. Others are in coffins.
12 new breakthroughs in the fight against cancer (February 27, 2025, World Economic Forum)
Cancer is one of the world’s biggest killers, with around 10 million deaths per year due to the disease. There is some good news, however. Medical advances are accelerating the battle against cancer. Here are 12 recent developments.
The most innovative companies in Asia-Pacific for 2025 (March 18, 2025, Fast Company)
Fast Company’s 2025 list of the 10 Most Innovative Companies in Asia-Pacific includes DeepSeek, Baidu, Honor, Xiaomi, and more.
Opinion | China’s economic successes are reshaping the Western media narrative (March 23, 2025, South China Morning Post) (Subscription required)
The annual “two sessions” in Beijing, a crucial window into China’s policy priorities and economic trajectory, continue to draw significant Western media scrutiny. However, a subtle yet perceptible shift appears to be under way – a tempering of harsh criticism alongside a sustained analytical focus.
Cryptocurrency scams highlight Hong Kong’s vulnerability to fraud (March 23, 2025, Dimsum Daily)
In an era where digital connectivity has revolutionised the way we live, work, and interact, it has also given rise to a dark and sophisticated underworld of scams. These schemes, often orchestrated by global networks, have become increasingly complex, targeting vulnerable and gullible individuals with alarming precision.
Asia’s Animation Revolution Drives Upbeat Outlook (March 20, 2025, Variety)
The animation industry in Asia has expanded significantly in recent years and has a key role to play in boosting the entertainment sector in coming years.
Opinion | Why banning ‘space oil’ isn’t enough to save Hong Kong’s youth (March 23, 2025, South China Morning Post)
Teenagers in Hong Kong have found a new way to escape the gravity of their everyday lives. Their drug of choice? A synthetic narcotic they’ve nicknamed “space oil.”
‘I started to cry seeing the baby taken away’ (February 28, 2025, Radio Free Asia)
A Lao surrogate for Chinese parents gives rare insight into an illegal industry that continues to thrive. With its proximity to China, steep rates of poverty and high levels of corruption, the country has become the latest in Southeast Asia to attract those seeking commercial surrogates.
Guilin: To Pray Well, We Need to Know Our City (March 17, 2025, China Partnership)
Last year, our church participated in a training that really emphasized prayer walking. Now, we’ve started to practice prayer walking. Before walking, we did a training. I started by asking people if they loved Guilin. But when I asked our congregation if they knew who the mayor or the Party Secretary were, no one knew. This shows how unengaged we are. I shared some Scriptures about why it’s important to pray for our city, then sent people out in pairs to pray in different parts of the city.
Human Tapestry (March 17, 2025, ChinaSource)
Art has the unique ability to reflect the human heart, surface difficult life questions buried beneath the busyness of everyday life, and build bridges between communities. This is especially significant in China, where increasing restrictions make it harder to attract people to churches. In such a landscape, creative arts with a kingdom perspective offer an effective, subtle, yet powerful way to introduce gospel values and foster meaningful connections.
A Journey of Faith (March 14, 2025, Chinese Church Voices)
I had never seriously questioned why I went to church or why my mother was so committed to it. Once, I asked her how she became a Christian. She said it was through my grandparents’ influence. Then I wondered: how did my grandparents, uneducated farmers from a rural village, come to believe in Jesus? Perhaps we are part of the fruit of missionaries sent by God to China long ago.
My Neighbors Aren’t Ninevites (February 14, 2025, Christianity Today) (Subscription required)
The Book of Jonah offers a clarion call for peacemaking between believers from Hong Kong and China. Chinese churches in Britain are currently experiencing explosive growth. Yet this positive perception of Chinese church growth in Britain is a fragile bubble that could pop at any time, as divisions between Hong Kongers and mainland Chinese believers persist.