The 10 safest cities in the world in 2025: A global safety snapshot (April 4, 2025, Middle East Economy)
In 2025, Abu Dhabi was ranked first on the world’s safest cities list for the 9th consecutive year, reflecting the emirate’s efforts to develop pioneering security plans, strategies and initiatives. With a safety index of 88.4, Abu Dhabi emerges as the safest city in the world.
Would Taiwan’s youth fight a war against mainland China? It depends how they are asked (March 23, 2025, South China Morning Post)
As Taipei ramps up rhetoric towards Beijing, youth opinions about military service differ from surveys to interviews.
Dress Codes Tighten For Women In Turkmenistan, Where The State Tells You What To Wear (March 16, 2025, Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty)
After unmarried Turkmen women learned they needed to wear yellow head scarves to work in Ashgabat, their bosses shrugged when queried. The order came "from above," the women were told.
‘I’ve seen people stop their cars to pick up litter’: how one city cleaned up its streets (April 4, 2025, The Guardian)
This is what usually happens in India: a politician wakes up and launches a cleanliness “drive” with fanfare. They ostentatiously start sweeping a street and speak solemnly about civic duty while the media take photos. The next day it’s over and things go back to how they were before. But not in Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
Asia leads rise in clean-energy research (March 19, 2025, Nature) (Subscription required)
Global research output in the Nature Index related to affordable and clean energy has rapidly increased in the past few years, but not in every region. Countries and territories in Asia Pacific, for instance, doubled their share from 2019 to 2023, but output in the rest of the world remained static.
Kim Jong-un is launching a crackdown on North Korea’s drinking culture (February 24, 2025, The Conversation)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently chaired a meeting of the Korean Worker’s Party Secretariat, the body responsible for prescribing correct behaviour and ensuring it’s adhered to by party members. This meeting was convened to address various shortcomings in discipline (tangnaegyuryurŭl ranp'ok) – including binge drinking by some party officials.
China to seek out life in the solar system as NASA faces cuts, commercial players expand ambitions (April 9, 2025, Space News)
China has unveiled a long-term planetary exploration roadmap for planetary habitability and the search for extraterrestrial life. The roadmap outlines a series of upcoming and proposed missions targeting key destinations across the solar system.
Transgenderism a fundamental human right? Hong Kong public disagrees, survey finds (January 7, 2025, The Gospel Herald)
Research reveals that respondents from various backgrounds prioritize personal safety and fairness when it comes to transgender issues. When laws involve moral judgments, most respondents believe courts should not make the decisions.
Hong Kong efficiency sets global standard despite misperceptions (April 4, 2025, Dimsum Daily)
In the relentless rhythm of Hong Kong’s streets, a recent critique from a Japan-based vlogger has sparked introspection. The accusation? That Hong Kongers are the “meanest” in East Asia, overly driven by financial ambition. Yet this superficial assessment overlooks the bedrock of the city’s identity.
China’s Gen Z Embraces AI (April 2, 2025, Sixth Tone)
A new survey found that 95% of Gen Z respondents used AI for work or study — and almost half used it to meet their emotional needs.
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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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