VIDEO: Inspiring Testimony of an Iranian Christian Woman | Naghmeh Panahi (February 24, 2024, Back to Jerusalem)
Naghmeh was born and raised in the Middle East until she was nine years old when her family moved to the United States. In 2001 Naghmeh returned to Iran as a young adult and lived there for many years experiencing the oppression and violence women are subjected to everyday in the Middle East. In 2012, her husband Saeed Abedini was arrested while visiting Iran.
Türkiye incursion targets PKK, spares Iraqi Christians (July 17, 2024, Mission Network News)
Türkiye’s latest incursion in northern Iraq “neutralized” at least 11 members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK. The incursion is part of a more comprehensive operation aimed at removing PKK forces from strategic locations by November 2024.
As Georgia presses on with ‘Russia-style’ laws, its citizens describe a country on the brink (July 21, 2024, The Associated Press)
The “foreign influence” law requires media, civil society groups and nonprofit organizations to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. It also subjects them to intense state scrutiny and imposes steep fines for noncompliance.
Why Tunisia Lost Faith in Democracy (July 18, 2024, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
Today, Tunisia is on the verge of an economic meltdown. Yet many Tunisians no longer support the political framework of a democracy. They have lost faith that a democratic system is preferable, much less needed, for achieving economic prosperity.
All eyes on poll date in Sri Lanka amid concern over Bill (July 19, 2024, The Hindu)
While constitutional experts noted the gazette had no implication on the coming presidential election, government critics and lawyers question the timing of the gazette.
Border Dispute No More: Are Bishkek and Dushanbe Ready to Make Peace? (June 24, 2024, The Times of Central Asia)
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have long been restless neighbors from Tashkent and Astana’s point of view. In many respects, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan forced the current rapprochement of the Central Asian republics, as expressed on the outer perimeter in the C5+1 format, where the region strives to put forward a consolidated position. After all, investment does not come to problematic areas.
Nguyen Phu Trong, who led Vietnam’s outreach and crackdowns, dies at 80 (July 19, 2024, The Washington Post)
On the world stage, Mr. Trong was seen as an artful practitioner of Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy” — called so for bending in different directions — as the country navigated ties with its most important economic partners, China and the United States, while also building bonds with nations such as India and Russia.
Tribal leaders in Iraq call for action to “stop Turkey’s crimes against humanity (July 18, 2024, ANF News)
Turkey's systematic attacks on people and nature in the Kurdistan Region continue. Villages and cities are being evacuated, burnt down and people's safety of lives is being jeopardised. The local population is forced to leave their homes and the region is being turned into a military zone.
Scandalous Shawarma Plot: Enormous Currency Smuggling Operation to Kuwait (July 13, 2024, Arab Times Kuwait)
Authorities at Cairo International Airport intercepted a peculiar smuggling attempt involving over a million pounds concealed within shawarma meals, destined for Kuwait. The incident, which gained attention on social media platforms, unfolded as airport security detained an Egyptian passenger during routine checks before a flight to Kuwait.
Personal income tax in Oman: Will other Gulf countries follow suit? (July 7, 2024, The National News)
The proposed tax targets high-income earners, with citizens taxed on net global income above $1 million and foreign nationals on Oman-sourced income above $100,000.
The Last Mile (July 12, 2024, ChinaSource)
It is crucial to remember that the purpose of Bible engagement surpasses mere reading: its essence lies in understanding the divine revelations within its pages, which leads to transformative life experiences and a deeper connection with God.
Chinese Upbringing and US Culture (July 10, 2024, ChinaSource)
Because I grew up in China and because this environment is nearly completely non-Christian, I was accustomed to being in a room where most views opposed my own. As a Christian, my faith has never been defined by my surroundings. I am able to befriend people who hold completely different beliefs than mine, but I’m still strong in my own faith.
Will Nepal’s new coalition government tip the scales of India-China rivalry? (July 21, 2024, South China Morning Post)
Nepal will continue its delicate balancing act between India and China, according to observers, after political manoeuvrings saw a new government coalition formed and a new prime minister sworn in this week.
China and Russia Are Breaking the World Into Pieces (July 21, 2024, Bloomberg)
From Ukraine to Gaza to the South China Sea, the world is littered with crises. International cooperation is paralyzed by diplomatic rivalry; techno-optimism has given way to a pervasive techno-anxiety . The sole superpower is limping toward an election with fateful consequences, as its rivals feverishly arm themselves for wars present and, perhaps, future. Each of these challenges, in turn, is symptomatic of a deeper historic shift underway.
Taiwan’s military drills turn serious as China threat escalates (July 21, 2024, Financial Times)
Taiwan’s armed forces will use combat exercises next week to rigorously test its warfighting capabilities for the first time, in a radical departure from decades of scripted performances as the military steels itself against the growing threat from China.
A trip to Shanghai’s AI mega-conference showed me that China’s developers are still playing catch-up to Silicon Valley (July 14, 2024, Fortune) (Subscription required)
The critical problem is that China’s LLMs are limited to using data within the Great Firewall. As investment bank Goldman Sachs noted late last year, “LLM performance improves with scale—more parameters, more and better training data, more training runs and more computation.” There is simply less information in the isolated Chinese-language internet compared to an open internet with sources in many different languages.
Semiconductor analyst theorizes that China might want to destroy TSMC instead of capturing it — Chinese invasion of Taiwan would destroy supply chains, cripple South Korean chipmakers (July 6, 2024, Yahoo News)
"What if China is not deterred by potentially mined TSMC factories and ASML kill switches? What if the reunification plan is based on eradicating the TSMC factories and the Semiconductor supply chain in Taiwan and beyond?"
China Offers 5-Year Mainland Travel Permit to Non-Chinese Hong Kong and Macao Permanent Residents (July 3, 2024, China Briefing)
China’s National Immigration Administration announced the introduction of a five-year multi-entry travel permit for foreign permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao, aiming to streamline travel to the Chinese mainland, fostering economic integration and enhancing global connectivity within the Greater Bay Area. Such travel permits can be applied starting from July 10, 2024.
China rocked by cooking oil contamination scandal (July 11, 2024, BBC)
The Chinese government says it will investigate allegations that fuel tankers have been used to transport cooking oil after carrying toxic chemicals without being cleaned properly between loads. The controversy has spread online as social media users express concerns about potential food contamination.
China stabbing attacks raise concerns of growing social tensions (July 7, 2024, Financial Times)
In an acknowledgment of the potential racial motivation for the Suzhou attack, major Chinese internet platforms banned hate speech against Japan. But the tragedy was just the latest in a series of recent violent incidents hinting at rising social tensions, said analysts.