Syrian refugees find home and hope in Egypt (December 26, 2024, The Statesman)
According to the International Organisation for Migration, Egypt is home to 9 million migrants and refugees, including 1.5 million Syrians…”Egypt gave me a chance to rebuild my life. I was able to live like any other Egyptian, with no restrictions, and for that, I am eternally grateful…”
Morocco proposes family law reforms to improve women's rights (December 24, 2024, Reuters)
Morocco aims to grant women more rights over child custody and guardianship as well as a veto over polygamous marriage, in the first review of its family code in 20 years.
3,300-year-old mummy shows Black Death plague struck Egypt way before Europe (December 24, 2024, Yahoo!News)
Researchers analyzed an Egyptian mummy from a museum in Turin, Italy, to discover that the individual died 3,290 years ago of one of the most terrifying diseases in human history: the bubonic plague.
Over 40 Odisha Workers Stranded and Harassed in Maldives, Plea for Help Goes Viral (December 23, 2024, Deccan Chronicles)
Over 40 youths from Odisha, who travelled to the Maldives six months ago seeking better employment opportunities with a private company, are now reportedly stranded in dire conditions, with no pay and poor working circumstances. In a video appeal, the stranded workers have requested urgent intervention from the government to rescue them.
EU officials fight human-smuggling from Vietnam (December 23, 2024, Info Migrants)
People-smuggling from Vietnam to the European Union has emerged as a focus issue in recent years. Authorities have cracked down on trafficking rings, but victims often remain silent.
Insights from the Field: Podcast explores the contribution of the Bahá’ís of Uzbekistan to society (December 21, 2024, Bahá’í World News Service)
The Bahá’í Faith has been present in what is now Uzbekistan since the 19th century, when it was part of the same broader region as Ashgabat (in present-day Turkmenistan), where the first Bahá’í House of Worship was constructed under the guidance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Around this temple emerged schools for both girls and boys, inspired by the Bahá’í principle of equality between women and men.
The artist creating mind-bending images of an alternate Hong Kong through AI (January 2, 2025, CNN)
Many of her images are set in an AI-exaggerated version of the Kowloon Walled City — a former Qing dynasty fortress that became the most densely populated place on Earth. Refugees fleeing from mainland China during the Chinese civil war, flooded into then-British ruled Hong Kong and had made the enclave their home.
How a Mao-era system creates second-class citizens in modern China (December 27, 2024, Financial Times)
China’s hukou system, which in effect treats people with rural household registrations as second-class citizens, has long been seen as deeply socially regressive. But recent anaemic growth is putting increasing scrutiny on the system’s cost to the world’s second-largest economy.
Messi mess, Olympics and movies: Here’s what Hongkongers Googled in 2024 (December 26, 2024, Hong Kong Free Press)
Lionel Messi, the closure of gym chain Physical, Donald Trump and box office hit “The Last Dance” were among the most Googled people and events in Hong Kong in 2024, according to the search engine’s year-end report.
What is neijuan, and why is China worried about it? (December 24, 2024, The Guardian)
The buzzword – which went viral after a student was filmed working on his laptop while riding his bicycle – reflects a mix of competitiveness and hopelessness amid China’s slowing economy.