China

Whilst large companies are reducing the number of staff they send to construction sites, thousands of small Chinese entrepreneurs are seeking new opportunities on the continent. However, logistics costs, instability and infrastructure shortages often negate the benefits of cheap labour.

In an investigative book titled "Let There Be Light”, psychologist Liang Hong sheds light on the emotional suffering of a generation struggling under intense pressures, pushed from a very young age, to succeed in both their studies and lives. This often manifests itself as a disorder that, in many cases, leads to dropping out of school.

Initiatives to protect snow leopards were cited by the UN as exemplary cases at the Yerevan Biodiversity Conference. According to the Global Progress Report, the world’s largest restoration area is in China, covering 127.4 million hectares. Significant projects are also underway in Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

Two bishops from mainland China, including the president of the Patriotic Association, Bishop Li Shan, took part in a symposium in Rome. In a video message, Pope Leo XIV said that, in a world torn by conflict, we must safeguard communion. For the Bishop of Beijing, the goal is not “to build a different kind of Catholicism.”

With 10 more years in prison, Joshua Wong – Demosisto’s former young leader who spearheaded the Umbrella Revolution – will remain behind bars until he is 40. His "crime"? Simply fighting for the very right that we are celebrating elsewhere, in the wake of the recent elections in Israel, Serbia, and the United States.

Two of the five detainees have been released under an amnesty, but remain in an immigration detention centre. Beijing is demanding their return, whilst human rights organisations and the Thai opposition are calling on Bangkok to halt the process, as the men face the risk of persecution.

Artificial intelligence is accelerating the creation of typefaces, slashing both time and costs. Yet, it also raises new questions regarding the future of graphic designers and copyright.

The practice of wearing a costume depicting a character from manga, video games or films is now widespread amongst young Chinese people. And it often happens that they find themselves in front of churches to take their photos. An AsiaNews source living in China describes the reactions of the Christian community.

New Delhi’s tug-of-war with Beijing is unfolding amid protests by ethnic Adi opposed to a hydropower project on the Siang River, India’s response to China's Medog mega-dam. Recent protests have also been accompanied by arson attacks and damages, forcing New Delhi to deploy security forces.

Some opinion polls suggest that the outgoing mayor, Chiang Wan-an – long regarded as the rising star of the party closest to Beijing – is struggling. Running against him in the 29 November election is Puma Shen, one of the politicians most hardline towards the People’s Republic. It is a neck-and-neck race that will have repercussions beyond the local government sphere.

Anthropic has documented the use of Claude to track Catholic and Tibetan Buddhist leaders, Christians in Taiwan, and the Falun Gong. A religious affairs intelligence unit that once employed many teams has been reduced to a single office, yet this is enough to produce thousands of investigations per month.

The first brain-computer interface (BCI) auditory brainstem implant has been approved. China wants to challenge US leadership in a multi-billion-dollar market, with BCIs identified as one of the key sectors of the future. However, unresolved concerns remain regarding bioethics and the protection of personal data.