The future of jobs is a challenge for many parts of the world as young people find a way to learn and thrive during a pandemic, and as the global economy heads towards a possible recession. In Hong Kong, a youth employment scheme is trying to match college graduates to new opportunities, and broaden their horizons in the Greater Bay Area — an economic zone led by Hong Kong, Macau and Gangzhou. This story by our Host James Chau.

Laos has leapfrogged into the modern age with a high-speed railway that connects the capital, Vientiane, to the border town of Boten, and into the heart of Yunnan, a Chinese province known for its rich heritage. The country is a former kingdom in Southeast Asia, sprinkled with temples and monasteries, and blessed by the Mekong River that connect s it peop le to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and China. Our Host James Chau tells the story of how innovation is connecting people.

Cities around the globe are racing to reach no-carbon status. China aims to reach this goal by 2060, and larger cities like Shenzhen, Beijing, and Guangzhou are leading the way to become the first no-carbon metropolises. But at the end of last year, a small city in northeastern China became the nation’s first to reach this achievement. Our Nature Contributor, Kyle Obermann, explores how China’s cities, large and small, are paving the way for a better future.