The fastest-growing countries for software development, according to GitHub (February 5, 2024, Rest of World)
Year over year, the data shows Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Pakistan had the fastest-growing developer population.
With Starlink and Satellite Launches, Mongolia’s Digital Transformation Reaches a Milestone (March 6, 2024, The Diplomat)
Mongolia’s digital transformation is inevitable. Currently, only 23.8 percent of Mongolian territory – less then a quarter – is covered by telecommunications services, including access to high-speed internet. Another 40 percent of the territory is sparsely populated by nomadic people with no access to the internet.
North Korean women are now the breadwinners – and shifting this deeply patriarchal society towards a matriarchy (Mach 7, 2024, The Conversation)
With this shift, it became a whole new lexicon that was derogatory around men, because the economic power had shifted. Women are the breadwinners in a very tight economic times, and men were another mouth to feed.
Update: how is the war in Ukraine affecting global food prices? (February 3, 2024, Economics Observatory)
It is projected that almost 600 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030 if the war is sustained, with Africa – home to some of the world’s poorest and most hungry populations – hit the hardest. This is around 23 million more people than if the war in Ukraine had not happened.
Sri Lanka cultivates sustainable fashion for an economic revival (March 5, 2024, Nikkei Asia) (Subscription Required)
Hosting an International Climate Change Forum last November, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe spoke of plans to transition to a clean economy and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
BBC Analysis: Morocco Faces Severe Drought as Al Massira Reservoir Dries Up (April 12, 2024, Morocco World News)
Morocco has been experiencing six consecutive years of drought, exacerbated by climate change, which has led to record temperatures and increased evaporation. This has threatened water supplies across the country and has had a significant impact on agriculture and the economy.
End of the Line? Saudi Arabia ‘forced to scale back’ plans for desert megacity (April 10, 2024, The Guardian)
Dreamed up as a linear city that would eventually be home to about 9 million people on a footprint of just 13 sq miles, the Line is part of a wider Neom project.
Brunei firm pitches 1,600 km high-speed rail linking Indonesia, Malaysia (April 1, 2024, Nikkei Asia) (Subscription Required)
A Brunei-based infrastructure company has announced a proposal for the first high-speed railway on the island of Borneo that would connect Brunei with its two larger neighbors, Indonesia and Malaysia, including the former's future capital city.
Soaring coffee prices are already having an impact - FT (April 1, 2024, UNN)
Extreme temperatures and droughts in Southeast Asia, home to the world's second and third largest coffee bean producers, have led to lower yields…It is noted that now is a particularly bad time for coffee-related businesses…
For China’s Factories, the Paris Olympics Have Already Started (April 9, 2024, Sixth Tone)
Merchants in Yiwu — a city in eastern China famous for its massive wholesale goods markets — are reporting a surge in orders from France, with local factories rushing to churn out everything from tricolored inflatable thunder sticks to novelty Eiffel Tower ornaments.
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Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio
Blessing Asia
In October-2022 more than 500 Christian leaders from across Asia gathered in Thailand for the Asia 2022 Congress, sponsored by the Lausanne Movement and various partnering organizations. I had the opportunity to participate in the Congress virtually and was mightily blessed. From Bible exposition to K-pop worship, and through seminars and workshops, the participants were encouraged by the stories of what God is doing in countries all over Asia. Clearly, God is on the move.
A beautiful vision was portrayed in a video of the popular worship song The Blessing, featuring singers from all over Asia. Here it is:
Many of the sessions have already been posted on their website and to their YouTube channel.
One that I found particularly helpful considering all that is going on in China was a presentation titled Church and State Relationship in Asia Today. You can see the video here.
I encourage you to spend some time on their website; there are fantastic resources for understanding God’s work in Asia today.
Original link: https://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/blog-entries/blessing-asia/
Image credit: Andrea Brucker, via Unsplash
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