How higher education is funded across the South Caucasus region?
Georgia has unveiled a new funding model for public universities, highlighting the different ways higher education is financed across the South Caucas...
China’s resale home prices fell at an accelerated pace in June, deepening concerns about the country’s ailing property market and underscoring the limited impact of recent government support measures, a private survey showed on Tuesday.
According to the China Index Academy, one of the country’s top real estate research firms, resale home prices declined by 0.75% in June, compared to a 0.71% drop in May. On a year-on-year basis, prices fell 7.26%, marking a slight deepening of the 7.24% annual decline recorded in the previous month.
The data reflects persistent structural weaknesses in the sector, which has remained under pressure since 2021 when regulators moved to curb excessive borrowing by property developers. The resulting liquidity crisis among major firms led to a wave of unfinished housing projects, sharp declines in sales, and a rise in defaults.
New home prices, meanwhile, increased at a slower rate in June, rising by just 0.19% after a 0.30% gain in May, the survey showed.
“The real estate market is still in the process of adjustment... a market stabilisation and recovery still require further policy efforts,” the China Index Academy said in its report.
Despite interest rate cuts and incentives for homebuyers, confidence remains weak among consumers wary of incomplete projects and volatile pricing. In addition, an oversupply of housing in certain cities has further diluted the impact of stimulus efforts.
A recent report from Goldman Sachs projected that new home demand in China may drop to fewer than 5 million units annually—down significantly from the peak of 20 million units in 2017.
In response, Chinese officials have pledged further action. At a cabinet meeting last month, senior leaders committed to optimizing policies to boost housing demand, improve supply mechanisms, and stabilize the broader real estate market.
Still, the latest figures suggest that more aggressive and targeted measures may be needed to reverse the downturn in a sector long considered a pillar of China’s economy.
A tourist aircraft crashed near Peru's UNESCO-listed Nazca Lines on Saturday (1 August), killing all 13 people on board, authorities said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said Tehran is not currently involved in direct talks with Washington about reopening the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran were to begin on Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said late on Saturday he would hold off on a fresh attack on Iran as long as a deal could be reached quickly to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Two firefighting helicopters collided while battling a major wildfire in Greece on Sunday, killing two crew members as emergency services continued efforts to contain fires fuelled by extreme heat and dry conditions across Europe.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said wildfires that swept across France were now under control. Authorities warned that risks remained as Greece and Spain continued battling active blazes across parts of Europe.
Pakistan and Uzbekistan are stepping up efforts to streamline trade between South and Central Asia through a new customs partnership focused on digital connectivity and artificial intelligence.
A suicide bomber killed at least 17 people and injured 35 others outside a police station in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday evening, officials said. The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in Kabal, a town in the Swat Valley near the Afghan border.
Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan has appointed Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister on Sunday by decree after the previous government resigned following the first session of the newly elected National Assembly.
The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian and economic crises are leaving more people vulnerable to human trafficking, with returnees, women, children and indebted families facing the greatest risks.
Apple Pay has launched in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, expanding digital payment services across Central Asia and supporting the region's shift towards cashless transactions.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
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