Anup Kaphle

The surprise winner in the U.S.-China tech war? Vietnam’s chip industry Vietnamese chip component suppliers are responding to growing market demands for products with no Chinese link.

The surprise winner in the U.S.-China tech war? Vietnam’s chip industry restofworld.org/2025/vietnam...

Reporting by @lamle52.bsky.social from Ho Chi Minh City —

Why Big Tech is threatened by a global push for data sovereignty Countries are forcing tech giants to store citizen data locally, challenging the standard business model of harvesting data abroad while keeping profits at home.

Why Big Tech is threatened by a global push for data sovereignty

By @tarykuh.bsky.social restofworld.org/2025/big-tec...

Dangerous mines: A death at the bottom of the EV supply chain In Zimbabwe, the EV rush has brought a surge of Chinese investment into lithium mines. But many locals feel left out — and some have turned to stealing.

The rush for EVs has brought a surge of Chinese investment into Zimbabwe's lithium mines. But many locals say it has also brought danger and doom.

Our latest feature is from Bikita, home to the largest lithium deposit in Zimbabwe.

restofworld.org/2025/zimbabw...

Chinese students are using AI to beat AI detectors As Chinese universities crack down on AI use, some students report false positives — and a booming industry of work-around tools is emerging.

Students in China are using AI tools to outsmart the tests meant to detect AI-generated content

restofworld.org/2025/ai-dete...

Out of space: Picturing the big, crowded business of satellite internet Space-based internet is remaking Earth’s orbit — and fueling a gold rush.

Despite the billions in investment, and the thousands of satellites zipping around, it is still hard to really picture the satellite internet industry. @khadijaalam.bsky.social gathered data to help visualize this rapidly growing business for @restofworld.org.

restofworld.org/2025/satelli...

The people who clean up your TikTok feed are starting to fight back Content moderators say they’re exposed to graphic violence, psychological trauma, and union-busting tactics, and now a larger movement is brewing.

The people who clean up your TikTok feed are starting to fight back

Reporting by @kayagenc.bsky.social from Istanbul — restofworld.org/2025/tiktok-...

Hey, can you reply to my very urgent meme in the #issues channel?

India wants its own EV market, but needs China to get there Despite tensions with China, India is avoiding U.S.-style restrictions, hoping for a bridge to domestic innovation.

Despite tensions with China, India is avoiding U.S.-style restrictions on Chinese EV technology, hoping for a bridge to domestic innovation
restofworld.org/2025/india-e...

The Trump admin keeps detaining and prosecuting elected officials who get in his way A timeline of authoritarianism.

Judge Hannah Dugan, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Rep. LaMonica McIver, Sen. Alex Padilla, and now Brad Lander.

The Trump administration keeps detaining and prosecuting elected officials who get in its way.

This is the timeline of authoritarianism.

Samsung is desperate to compete on chips. Workers say it comes at a cost. Scarred by long hours, low pay, and a hostile work culture, many chip workers are leaving for competitors, including American companies.

Scarred by long hours, low pay, and a hostile work culture, many chip workers for Samsung are leaving for competitors, including American companies.

Michelle Kim's reporting from Seoul for @restofworld.org

restofworld.org/2025/samsung...

A New York Times headline, 30 years ago

Protesters Take Over New York’s Fifth Avenue Rain didn’t stop thousands of protesters from coming out in New York’s midtown Manhattan. Demonstrators held American flags and signs that said “No Kings” and “I Prefer My Ice Crushed.” Police said they closed about a mile of Fifth Avenue to traffic for the protest. The owner of a store selling umb

Rain didn’t stop thousands of protesters from coming out in New York’s midtown Manhattan. Demonstrators held American flags and signs that said “No Kings” and “I Prefer My Ice Crushed.” https://on.wsj.com/4jQQpaK

US scrambles to bring back VOA’s Persian service amid Iran-Israel conflict President Donald Trump ordered the service to shut down in March.

Employees of Voice of America’s Persian-language service who were sidelined by the Trump administration have been hastily called back to duty as Iran and Israel exchange missile strikes in a high-stakes Middle East conflict.

www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

Charted Territory This is a soft launch. Actually, it’s a silent one, until now. This week, we quietly rolled out individual pages for every one of the hundreds of charts we’ve published over the last five years.

We just launched a chart archive at @restofworld.org . Every chart we’ve published now has its own page, making the data easier to find, share, and reuse. A small project with a big footprint. restofworld.org/inside/chart...

Transsion wheels into Africa’s EV market with same playbook that conquered mobile phones The Chinese company behind 50% of Africa’s smartphone sales now wants to dominate its roads.

Transsion built a smartphone empire in Africa. Now it wants to do the same with EVs.

Read @tarykuh.bsky.social's reporting from Lagos for @restofworld.org —

restofworld.org/2025/transsi...

Big news at Rest of World today.

We're seeking a new publisher — a rare opportunity for someone with the vision to take the reins of an international newsroom and help reshape it for its next phase of growth.

Here's a note from Sophie and a link to the new role:

restofworld.org/inside/we-ar...

Workers describe abusive treatment in Taiwan’s semiconductor factories A record number of people are leaving the Philippines to work in Taiwanese factories, where they face long shifts, low pay, and unequal treatment.

A record number of people are leaving the Philippines to work in Taiwanese semiconductor factories, where they face long shifts, low pay, unequal treatment and the threat of deportation, report Hsiuwen Liu and @michaelbeltran.bsky.social for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/filipin...

China’s New Trade Negotiator Is Ready to Play Hardball He Lifeng, Beijing’s economic gatekeeper, has a clear mandate from Xi Jinping: China won’t be catering to the U.S.

Trade negotiator He Lifeng, Beijing’s economic gatekeeper, has a clear mandate from Xi Jinping: China won’t be catering to the U.S.

VC money is fueling a global boom in worker surveillance tech A funding surge has given rise to technologies to track, analyze and manage workers — often in countries with little regulation.

Your next boss might be an app

restofworld.org/2025/employe... — by @gayathriv.bsky.social

China is gaining ground in the global race to develop AI agents A new wave of startups promise to automate everyday tasks — from app development to travel planning — better than chatbots.

Chinese companies are gaining ground in the global race to develop the next generation of AI — not just chatbots, but autonomous agents designed to handle complex tasks with minimal human input.

Read today's new story from @kinlinglo.bsky.social: restofworld.org/2025/china-a...

Business Insider recommended nonexistent books to staff as it leans into AI Some titles on the list included books with extremely garbled titles and fake authors.

I do feel like "is what's on the computer actually real life" is quickly becoming the organizing question of our time www.semafor.com/article/06/0...

Homicide rates: NY 4.5, FL 7.2
Life expectancy: NY 79, FL 76.1
Uninsured rate: NY 4.8, FL 10.7

Good morning, NYC. We have some very exciting news to share.

Taiwan’s chip plants run on migrant workers. Job brokers run their lives In Taiwan’s AI-fueled chip boom, brokers control everything from paychecks to dorm beds, leaving workers feeling trapped and exploited.

Migrant workers provide much of the labor for Taiwan’s AI-fueled chip boom. For these workers who work long hours in tough conditions, brokers control everything from paychecks to meals to dorm beds. @michaelbeltran.bsky.social and Hsiuwen Liu report @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/taiwan-...

Nepal to offer free visas to attract foreign students New umbrella law to regulate higher education, ensure quality and uniformity.

Nepal says it will offer free visas to foreign students for higher education and grant parents or guardians multiple-entry visas

kathmandupost.com/national/202...

‘They Make People Too Scared’: Chinese Students Reckon With U.S. Visa Bans

"Even if China doesn’t do anything, it would make their image, their reputation, their soft-power initiatives, more appealing."

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/w...

Marco Rubio said no one has died due to U.S. aid cuts. This mom disagrees Mariam Mohammed says her younger son died when she could not get treatment for him at a U.S.-funded clinic that had temporarily closed. Researchers say that are many thousands of cases like his.

Mariam Mohammed says her younger son died when she could not get treatment for him at a U.S.-funded clinic that had temporarily closed. Researchers say that are many thousands of cases like his.

The Radical Courage of Noor Abdalla How the wife of Mahmoud Khalil has navigated becoming a new mother while fighting for her husband’s freedom.

How Noor Abdalla, the wife of Mahmoud Khalil, has navigated becoming a new mother while fighting for her husband’s freedom.

Three Years in Product: What I Built I joined Rest of World in 2022 as one of the two front-end developers. Three years, one redesign, and many rounds of confetti later, I’m wrapping up—and reflecting on the projects I’m most proud of.

Before she left, Lily wrote this reflection on her time at @restofworld.org - what she built, and what she learned. restofworld.org/inside/three...

The math tutor and the missing $533 million From Dubai, the enigmatic founder of Byju’s recounts how he made his empire — and vows to rebuild it.

BYJU’s was one of the world’s top ed-tech companies — until it was rocked by staggering allegations of fraud.

Can its enigmatic founder rebuild his empire?

Read our latest feature, by @yudhijit.bsky.social —

restofworld.org/2025/byjus-o...