In Southeast Asia’s climate battle, AI could prove a double-edged sword (May 24, 2025, South China Morning Post) (Subscription required)
For Southeast Asia, AI’s potential transcends its economic benefits. As a region vulnerable to the impacts of climate change – with nearly 700 natural disasters recorded by the Asean Disaster Information Network in the first five months of 2025 alone – the predictive power of AI has been touted as a strategic tool against the impact of global warming.
Infertility: The unseen battle of Bangladeshi women (April 7, 2025, Asia News Network - The Daily Star)
In Bangladesh, where motherhood is deeply woven into a woman’s identity, infertility is more than just a medical condition — it is a deeply entrenched social stigma.
“Vietnam” the new tiger of “Asia” (May 20, 2025, Money and Banking Online)
Vietnam is seen as having potential due to several factors, such as rapid economic growth, strong foreign investment, increased integration into global supply chains, and demographic advantages with a young workforce that is helping the economy to expand.
Emergency reserves, high prices, rationing. How did Japan’s rice crisis get this far? (May 23, 2025, The Associated Press)
Rice is essential to Japanese culture, tradition and politics. People take pride in the oval-shaped sticky Japonica grain, which is still a staple even though total consumption has fallen over the decades. But since last summer, prices have soared as supplies have fallen short of demand. Consumers are frustrated and wondering where’s the rice?
Logistics reimagined: More young people in Singapore are drawn to tech-related roles in the field (May 26, 2025, The Straits Times)
Gone are the days when logistics was seen as an unglamorous, manual labour-intensive field. As many bigger logistics firms undergo digital transformation in recent years, they also become increasingly attractive to young professionals looking for opportunities to flex their skills in analytics, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in the sector.
Chasing the elusive brain gain dream (May 25, 2025, Cyprus Mail)
Cyprus has launched its much-heralded new campaign to lure back skilled professionals from the diaspora, with generous tax breaks, digital tools, a growing number of tech jobs and a real tug at the heart strings. But will it do the trick?
Why is Southeast Asia turning to nuclear power? (April 1, 2025, Deutsche Welle)
Governments across Southeast Asia are eyeing nuclear energy to fuel rapid growth while also meeting ambitious climate goals. But critics say they should instead be focusing on exploiting abundant renewable sources.
Kazakhstan’s coastline communities grapple with a receding Caspian Sea (March 22, 2025, Equal Times)
The Caspian Sea – bordered by Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan – spans an area roughly equivalent to the size of Germany. However, it has been steadily shrinking since 1995, with water levels dropping by over two metres. The repercussions are dire for biodiversity and for coastal communities, which are losing their livelihoods and contending with increasingly difficult living conditions.
Christian warns 'none of us are safe' after father 'illegally' locked up and churches destroyed in 'ethnic cleansing' (May 16, 2025, MSN - GB News)
Ruben Vardanyan, one of the country's richest men, is facing 42 charges in what his son David calls a "kangaroo trial" with "several undefined due process violations."
UAE Accused of Expanding Religious Crackdown Under Pretext of Countering Extremism (April 21, 2025, Watan Serb)
Rights groups and citizens warn that Abu Dhabi’s increasing restrictions on mosques and religious activities aim to suppress religious freedom and control public Islamic expression.
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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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