• Sat-11-2024
Maldives Pursues Innovative Debt-for-Nature Swap to Save Reefs (November 21, 2024, Dev Discourse)

The Maldives is working on a debt-for-nature swap to preserve coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass. This initiative involves valuing natural assets, collaborating with The Nature Conservancy, and addressing challenges related to its high external debt and foreign currency reserves.

  • Sat-11-2024
The ‘north Cyprus trap’: migrant students lured with false promises (October 20, 2024, Financial Times) (Subscription required)

Northern Cyprus, which split from the Republic of Cyprus after Turkey invaded and occupied the region in 1974, has become a focus for entrepreneurs seeking to profit from selling higher education. In recent years there has been a surge in new projects, with the region now hosting 23 universities in an area smaller than the English county of Hampshire, with several more under construction. Most of them are privately owned.

  • Sat-11-2024
Cambodia’s new visa-free entry for 11 countries explained (November 11, 2024, Money Control)

Cambodia’s new visa-free entry policy, starting in October 2024, makes it easier for travelers from 11 countries to explore the nation’s incredible culture, history, and landscapes. From the iconic Angkor Wat to serene beaches and charming towns, Cambodia is ready to welcome more visitors than ever before.

  • Sat-11-2024
As Russia struggles in Ukraine, North Korea benefits (October 25, 2024, The Interpreter)

North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs make it one of the world’s most sanctioned countries. But with the war in Ukraine, Russia has risen to the top position. As North Korea and Russia are mostly cut off from the Western-led world economy, a “solidarity of the excluded” has conveniently brought both countries closer, each with their own national agendas.

  • Sat-11-2024
China’s aging population fuels ‘silver economy’ boom, but profits can prove elusive (November 29, 2024, Associated Press)

Many older Chinese are looking beyond traditional nursing homes, afraid of abandonment by their families and quality issues. That’s driving a boom in universities, home care services, and communities catering to older adults. Though some providers struggle to turn a profit, they persist because they see promise in the growing market.

  • Sat-11-2024
China’s Local Governments Hold Back Wages in Desperate Scrape for Cash (November 29, 2024, Wall Street Journal) (Subscription required)

In Shanwei, a city on China’s southeastern coast, dozens of medical staff took over the hall of a public hospital last month to demand wages and bonuses that hadn’t been paid. Wearing white coats and scrubs, some held up pieces of paper that read, “We need to eat.” A few weeks earlier, retired city employees of Yichun in northeastern China gathered to protest months of missing pension payouts.

  • Sat-11-2024
HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge becomes 'golden channel' for trade, connectivity (October 23, 2024, Global Times)

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge marked its sixth anniversary of operation on Wednesday, with the total import and export value of goods moving through the Zhuhai port of the bridge having reached 942.7 billion yuan ($132.2 billion), according to customs data.

  • Sat-11-2024
'Every family has different challenges': Why China’s latest policies to raise birth rate could fall short (November 16, 2024, Channel News Asia)

Births in China have been at their lowest and the country is also on track to record its lowest number of new marriages, according to official data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Nov 1. From picturesque marriage registration sites, financial rewards, to more unorthodox tactics. China unveiled new family planning policies but young Chinese say they have other priorities.

  • Sat-11-2024
A model for China's ecological development: Refreshing Guiyang, turning lush mountains and lucid waters into invaluable assets (October 28, 2024, The Manila Times)

Upholding ecological development, Guiyang has gradually formed a new development pattern of green industries that features ecology + culture + tourism, while constantly improving its environment.

  • Sat-11-2024
How China is poised to dominate the ‘electric donkey’ industry (November 8, 2024, SEMAFOR)

In Washington, Brussels, and elsewhere, Western policymakers have been laser-focused on the threat to automotive jobs from Chinese carmakers, whose hybrids and battery-powered vehicles are racing ahead of competitors from the US and Europe. Meanwhile, Chinese companies have been strengthening another, lower-profile EV sector in their home market — and now they are looking to extend that dominance worldwide.