New Events
North Africa + West Asia = Middle East (570m)
Why Gulf migrants are turning to evangelical Christianity: Pentecostalism is quietly thriving, with pastors saying churches are helping low-paid workers in crisis. “In some Gulf states, migrants make up the majority of the population.” Guardian
Divorce rates in the Arab world are increasing: 48% of marriages in Kuwait, 40% Egypt, 37% Jordan, 37% Qatar. Jerusalem Post
After 5 years of terror, a town in Libya finds justice frustratingly elusive: “Tarhuna is still searching for bodies.” NYT $
Iraq protests
Iraq’s worst crisis in years is escalating. CNN
Rival Shia blocks take to the streets, raising fears of more unrest. Guardian
What’s behind the storming of Iraq’s parliament? RNS
… for nearly 10 months, Iraq has been unable to form a new government
… the lingering impasse has immobilized the already fragile state
Iran: Lake Urmia, once the largest saltwater lake in the Middle East, has lost 95% of its volume and is on the verge of drying up completely. Middle East Eye
8 of Iraq’s 18 provincial governments suspend work due to extreme heat, reaching 50C (122 F). MEM
Yemen’s warring parties renew truce for two months. Al-Monitor
East Africa (520m)
Ethiopia: Attacks on health centers in Afar have left only 22% functional. @VOA
Kenya is known for stability, but drought and rising prices are fueling insecurity. CNN
Somalia: thirst, hunger driving people to perilous journeys on foot to safety. Reliefweb
More than 90% of Somalia in drought conditions, over 900k displaced. UN
West + Middle Africa (600m)
Mali and Burkina Faso: did the coups halt jihadist attacks? [No.] BBC
South + Central Asia (2b)
Taliban killings of former members of the Afghan military and rights groups have spiked in recent months, as they crack down on perceived regime opponents. FP
Long read: Inside Afghanistan’s secret schools for girls. Vice
Bangladesh: Rising polygamy the cost of being a woman in Rohingya camps. Straits Times
Hunting for water in flood-prone Bangladesh’s drought-ridden hills: for 1.6 million in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, warming climate means half lack regular access to water during the summer. 3rd order effects: girls spend more time collecting water, less in school; fewer crops, less income; higher expenses as bottled water must be bought. New Humanitarian
India faces wider coal shortages, worsening power outage risks. Reuters
India’s wait for water: in 2019, Modi launched a program to bring tap water to every Indian home by 2024. Millions have benefited, but millions are still waiting to get their connection. Not only does it address the issue, it also gives glimpses of what life is like in three different provinces of India. BBC Video
In Sri Lanka, the military still runs the show. Foreign Policy
Eastern Asia (1.6b)
China is pushing for a baby boom. It’s getting a baby bust. “Over the past year, the government has launched an unprecedented drive to push couples to have more kids… so far, the measures appear to be having almost no effect. Birth and marriage rates have plunged to record lows, threatening to trigger a demographic crisis… the population may begin shrinkingj as early as this year.” Sixth Tone
“Is the door slowly opening?” A short blog post from Joann P that identifies a couple data points. China Source
“For America’s next generation of China experts, the challenges go beyond language and country access” argues that the ability to enter China is very limited, and will impact peoples’ ability to understand China: “It has become a challenge to understand China without the prism of face-to-face interactions.” SCMP
China’s city dwellers endure ‘extreme commutes’: over 14 million city dwellers had to endure an extreme commute of 60 minutes each way. (How can the church be put into an urban commute?) Sixth Tone
Rising temperatures in Qinghai have led to the melting of 6,000 of Tibet’s 48,571 glaciers, leading to an increase in lake size and floods. Sixth Tone Video
In Japan, ties between politics and religion run deep: especially with the Unification Church. Japan Times
South Korea recorded its first-ever decline in population in 2021. Korea Herald
… fewer births, an aging society, and falling numbers of foreigners due to Covid.
Southeast Asia (700m)
Southeast Asia’s sinking megacities: Bangkok, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City battle an existential threat: fighting the encroaching sea while struggling to provide sufficient clean water to their populations. Diplomat
Malaysia’s population growth to slow this year: foreigners, accounting for over 7% of the population, are estimated to drop to 2.4 million this year. Straits Times
Myanmar’s junta extends the state of emergency by six months. Diplomat
Burmese general warns that criticism of Buddhism will be punished by law. ICC
Thailand tourist arrivals reach 1 million in a month for first time in 2 years. Straits Times
Americas+Europe+Pacific
Somali refugees are leaving Arizona in large numbers: “heading for Minnesota where she, like virtually all Somalis, has family.” Link
As Europe grapples with a scorching summer & skyrocketing energy prices, Spain becomes the latest government to ban setting air-conditioning below 27 C (80 F). The Verge
Russia’s population decline hits record rate. Moscow Times
… population declining for decades, but the rate of decline almost doubled since 2021.
Ukraine:
Ukraine wants to extend shipping safe passage deal beyond grain. Reuters