Hundreds stranded as parts of India's Tamil Nadu flooded after heavy rain (December 19, 2023, Channel News Asia)
CHENNAI: Heavy rain has paralysed several parts of India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, inundating roads, affecting train services, and leaving authorities scrambling to rescue those stranded. The deluge occurred while the state was still recovering from the damage caused by Cyclone Michaung, which lashed the coast this month, killing at least 13 people.
Confessions from a Chinese censorship worker (October 16, 2023, Global Voices)
A censorship worker dubbed Blowfish Princess (河豚公主) from a major Chinese social media platform has recently revealed details of her everyday work in an interview with prominent Twitter whistle-blower Teacher Li on YouTube. Below is an English excerpt of the interview published on Global Voices with Teacher Li’s permission.
Glacial lake bursts in India leaving 100 missing and 19 dead (October 6, 2023, CNN)
A “sudden cloudburst” over Lhonak Lake, in the northern part of the state, sent fast-moving torrents of water surging down the Teesta River in Sikkim’s Lachen valley, raising water levels 15-20 feet higher than normal, the Indian Army said in a statement. A cloudburst is a very sudden and destructive rainstorm.
India-China feud keeps international planes out of Nepal airport (October 4, 2023, BBC)
But a hoped-for surge in tourist numbers has failed to materialise, blamed in part on tensions between Nepal's giant neighbours India and China. Lumbini saw close to a million visitors in 2022, according to the Lumbini Development Trust - and it was this number the government was betting on when it spent $76m (£61m) to build the Gautam Buddha International Airport, which opened in May last year.
India's BJP, the world's biggest party, plots election drive of epic scale (September 25, 2023, Reuters)
Indian activist Partha Chaudhury is on a war footing as he strides out of the ruling BJP's regional headquarters in Kolkata armed with passion and pages of voter lists. "We need to meet each and every BJP supporter, and all of this has to be done in less than 300 days," the 39-year-old tells a group of fellow activists advancing into the north of Kolkata, the teeming riverfront capital of West Bengal that's home to about 15 million people.
In India, Hindutva Schools Are Indoctrinating Poor Children (September 19, 2023, The Diplomat)
In rural India, private schools run by the Ekal Foundation provide access to education – but force children to imbibe divisive teachings that preach Hindu superiority.
India racing to contain deadly Nipah virus outbreak as hundreds are tested in Kerala state (September 14, 2023, Yahoo! News)
India racing to contain deadly Nipah virus outbreak as hundreds are tested in Kerala state (September 14, 2023, Yahoo! News) Health officials in India are racing Thursday to contain an outbreak of the Nipah virus, which has already killed two and carries a fatality rate the World Health Organization says is as high as 75%. Around 800 people have been tested over the last few days in the country’s southern Kerala state, with two adults and a child placed in a hospital after receiving a positive diagnosis, according to Reuters.
India shows an impressive 7.8% economic growth in April-June quarter (August 31, 2023, AP)
India’s economy registered impressive growth of 7.8% in the first quarter of the current financial year (April-June), attributed to good performance by the agriculture and financial sectors, according to official data released on Thursday. The World Bank says India is one of the fastest-growing economies of the world and is poised to continue on this path.
Extremists Are Destroying Indian Christians’ Homes and Shattering Their Lives (July 24, 2023, Christianity Today)
More than two months after the violence began in Manipur, at least 1,000 families are sheltering in Delhi, says L. Kamzamang, a pastor working with internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Manipur.
Christians in Northwest India Want a Political Party to Speak for Them (July 17, 2023, Christianity Today) (subscription required)
As the number of Christians has grown in Punjab, a northern Indian state bordering Pakistan, they’ve faced increased scrutiny, criticism, and false accusations, not to mention insulting public statements about Jesus. Christians have existed in Punjab for nearly 200 years, but Pentecostal ministries with an emphasis on signs and wonders have drawn new crowds, new converts—and a new need for political representation.
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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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