A simple app that asks users to check in reached the top of China’s App Store in January 2026. Its popularity has drawn attention to many young people who live alone and wider social changes.
Photo by Sixteen Miles Out, Unsplash
After an August 2024 political upheaval in Bangladesh, India sharply limited visas for Bangladeshi citizens, citing security concerns and anti-India sentiment. The fall in visitors has damaged Kolkata businesses and India’s medical tourism from Bangladesh.
Researchers say climate shocks, pests and diseases are increasing crop losses across Africa. Erratic rainfall, flooding and biological threats reduce yields, lower incomes and affect national food supplies and global commodity markets.
A new study finds that falling fertility in the United States helped narrow the gender pay gap. Researchers estimate that about eight percent of the gap’s improvement came because women had fewer children, and they offer policy suggestions.
After the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, Nepal expanded cement production with large investments, especially from Chinese firms. By 2019 it became self-sufficient and started exports to India in July 2022, while social and environmental problems grew.
Armed groups now control almost half of Virunga National Park and divert USD 30 million a year, say authorities. The government created the Kivu‑Kinshasa Green Corridor on 15 January 2025 to protect forests and boost green jobs.