Amin Saikal on the United States’ Many Mistakes in Afghanistan – The Diplomat

In response to Bashar al-Assad being granted asylum in Russia, European governments began closing their doors to Syrian refugees. Germany and Austria froze more than 50,000 asylum applications, signaling a shift in their approach. The move comes as a direct result of Assad finding refuge in Moscow, leading to a reevaluation of refugee acceptance policies in Europe. Full Article

Tiffany Bloomquist, Asia-Pacific and Japan Head of Startups at AWS, discussed the company's commitment to supporting startups through initiatives like Activate Credits, which help startups experiment and disrupt industries. AWS assists startups in their go-to-market strategies and international expansion, offering platforms and tools like the marketplace and partner programs. Activities like the Unicorn Tank competition and collaboration with investors help create awareness in the startup community. Southeast Asian companies are focusing on building culturally aware...

Israel accuses UNRWA staff of involvement in a Hamas attack, leading to a war in Gaza. UN has fired nine staff members and confirmed Hamas commander had an UNRWA job. Amid destruction in Gaza, with millions facing hunger and death, calls for ceasefire and humanitarian aid intensify. Full Article

Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the need for broader use of Mandarin in China's border regions, sparking concerns about the impact on ethnic minority languages and cultures. Xi called for the comprehensive popularization of Mandarin and national textbooks in these regions to enhance recognition of Chinese culture and the Communist Party. This push for Mandarin assimilation has led to protests in Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang, where minority groups fear the erosion of their native...

Cambodia and Thailand have a long-standing maritime border dispute dating back to 1973, with negotiations stalled due to political instability in Bangkok. Under the Pheu Thai-led government, there were hopes of resuming talks to unlock oil and gas reserves in the Gulf of Thailand. However, confusion and opposition within the Thai government have hindered progress, leading to a lack of policy clarity and potential nationalist backlash that threatens bilateral relations. Full Article

Liquid biopsy, a minimally invasive procedure, is gaining popularity for cancer detection through screening for biomarkers like cell-free DNA (cfDNA) using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Twist Bioscience has developed the Twist cfDNA Library Preparation Kit to address challenges in sequencing cfDNA, offering higher yields, better coverage, and more sensitive detection of low-frequency variants. The kit has shown significant improvements in performance, especially for detecting circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and has been well-received by clinicians and researchers...