Bahrain successfully launches first locally developed satellite (March 15, 2025, Arab News)
The project, spearheaded by the National Space Science Agency, marks a milestone for Bahrain’s space ambitions. The 3U CubeSat is the first satellite in the region to integrate artificial intelligence for onboard image processing.
Faintings, blackouts and violence: Iraq’s scorching emergency – in pictures (April 15, 2025, The Guardian)
The country’s average temperature has risen by 0.48C a decade from 2000. Last August, photographer Susan Schulman visited Baghdad and Amarah, to capture the impact of extreme weather on everyday lives
Why would Trump put Bhutan, a tiny nation that prioritizes happiness, on his ‘red list?’ (March 18, 2025, The Independent UK)
The 11 countries included on the red list are mostly unsurprising — they are countries where diplomatic relations have been strained for decades, or countries that Trump already included under his previous travel ban. More confusing, however, is the inclusion of Bhutan.
Discovery of a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age settlement in Morocco rewrites history (March 30, 2025, The Conversation)
A new archaeological discovery at Kach Kouch in Morocco challenges the long-held belief that the Maghreb (north-west Africa) was an empty land before the arrival of the Phoenicians from the Middle East in around 800 BCE. It reveals a much richer and more complex history than previously thought.
List of 10 Hardest Countries to Get Citizenship in the World (April 30, 2025, Jagran Josh)
Here is a list of the top 10 hardest countries to get citizenship in the world. The difficulty in obtaining citizenship is determined by residency requirements, language proficiency, and cultural and religious factors.
Portable internet helps Asia scam centres bypass blackouts (April 25, 2025, The Straits Time)
In February, the Thai and Myanmar authorities worked together to turn off electricity and the internet in an unprecedented operation to free thousands of trafficking victims forced to work in cyber-scam centres in Myanmar. It succeeded, and some 7,000 people from 29 countries were released. But trafficking experts question how significant the blackouts were, and will be, if satellite internet technology such as Starlink, China’s SpaceSail or the French-German Eutelsat becomes abundant in the region.
'Industrial-Scale' Asian Scam Centers Expand Globally (April 24, 2025, Dark Reading)
Asian crime syndicates are running cyber scam centers at a hyperscale, earning tens of billions of dollars and expanding into new markets westward. The convergence of cybercrime, financial fraud, and organized crime poses a significant threat, especially where these syndicates excel at operating under the radar.
Hong Kong flesh-eating infections hit 143 in 2024 following Strep surge (May 4, 2025, Dimsum Daily Hong Kong)
GAS infections, caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, are typically spread via respiratory droplets or direct contact. While often mild, invasive strains can trigger life-threatening complications, including toxic shock and bloodstream infections. The CHP noted a parallel rise in scarlet fever cases, another GAS-linked illness, with 682 reports between January and March 2024 alone—30% of last year’s total.
'Rabbits sometimes make mistakes or grow lazy. That's when the tortoise seizes its chance': Chinese scientists make nuclear power breakthrough using abandoned US research (April 29, 2025, Live Science)
Scientists in China have refuelled a thorium reactor on the fly for the first time. The breakthrough is paving the way for working reactors that are significantly safer than conventional alternatives.
For Europe, Hong Kong holds a key to China research networks (April 23, 2025, University World News)
Hong Kong, which boasts a highly competitive higher education system, adherence to global research standards and a distinctive cultural identity, shaped by its colonial history and Chinese heritage, has the potential to become a strategic mediator for European Union-China higher education cooperation.
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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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