Real estate prices in Saudi Arabia edged up 1% in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the same period a year ago, according to the latest data released by the General Authority for Statistics. 

The GASTAT report noted that the increase in real estate prices was driven by the rise in the prices of residential properties by 1.6 percent and commercial real estate by 0.1 percent. 

“Given the heavy weight of the residential sector prices, it had a significant impact on the increase in this general index,” said the report. 

It added that the decline in the agricultural sector contributed to reducing the rate of increase in the real estate index by 0.4 percent. 

The report further noted that the prices of apartments increased by 2.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, while the prices of residential buildings and villas decreased by 0.9 percent and 0.3 percent respectively. 

In the first quarter, house prices were stable and did not record any relative change. 

Whereas real estate prices in the commercial sector increased by 0.1 percent, driven by the increase in the prices of commercial plots of land and commercial centers prices by 0.1 percent. 

The Real Estate Price Index is a statistical tool for measuring the relative change in real estate prices in Saud Arabia. It is based on a dataset of real estate transactions that are available in the Ministry of Justice, according to GASTAT. 

Compared to the fourth quarter of 2022, the general real estate index dropped by 0.1 percent affected by the decrease in the prices of the residential sector by 0.2 percent. 

The report added that the prices of residential buildings decreased by 0.9 percent in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the previous quarter, while the prices of villas and apartments dropped by 2 percent and 0.1 percent respectively during the same time. 

South Korea Ministry of Environment on has at issued a fine dust advisory at “caution,” the second-lowest of the four levels.

That’s one level higher than the advisory that was previously issued at “attention.”

Fine dust advisories are issued when yellow dust levels remain above 150 micrograms for more than two hours.

The fine dust particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, also referred to as PM10, reached the highest level seen this year.

The average hourly concentration of fine dust reached 277 micrograms per cubic meter across the country at 1 PM, surpassing the previous high of 125 micrograms per cubic meter in January.

As of 2 PM on Wednesday, yellow dust levels reached 227 micrograms per cubic meter in Seoul, 267 in Gyeonggi-do Province, and 220 in Busan.

“You can see a yellow hue in the sky and it’s almost difficult to breathe due to how much dust is in the air. People are currently being advised to stay indoors and for those who have to go outside, masks are a must.”

The skyline is also currently obscured by the fine dust.

The National Institute of Environmental Research is forecasting that the fine dust level will remain at “very bad” levels on Thursday as well.

This is when fine dust concentrations reach 151 micrograms or above.

The northwest winds carried the yellow dust from Inner Mongolia which quickly spread to 18 regions in China, such as Shanghai and Tianjin.

On Monday and Tuesday, the yellow dust swept across China and it became difficult for even cars to pass due to the sand piling up on streets.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo during a press briefing on Tuesday called on relevant ministries to make sure measures are put in place to protect people in the country.

He also called on the people to check that windows are closed properly, and to refrain from any outdoor activities. Elderly citizens, especially, are asked to stay indoors.

An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 jolted parts of the Bay Area on Tuesday evening, but no casualties or damage has been reported as yet from the Cobb fire and rescue authorities.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake struck the Cobb area at around 10:39pm (Pacific Daylight Time) nearly six miles away from Cobb in Lake County.

The first quake was followed by a magnitude 2.5 seism about two miles north of the first quake site, also in The Geysers, 10 miles south of Cobb, which is the world’s largest geothermal field, having many geothermal power plants.

Meanwhile, scores of other small earthquakes were also recorded in the area late Tuesday.

Cobb is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, California, US, located 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Whispering Pines, at an elevation of 2,631 feet.

The tremblor was felt in Oakland, Lakeport, Santa Rosa and Cotati.

Earlier, Morgan Hill and Gilroy, two cities located in the southern part of Santa Clara County, were hit by a preliminary 3.0 magnitude earthquake early on Tuesday, USGS said.

The USGS said the epicentre of the earthquake was situated about 7.5 miles east-northeast of Morgan Hill and around 14 miles south-southeast of San Jose.

The quake struck at around 1:30 pm local time with a depth of approximately 3.7 miles.

High pollution levels in Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai and surrounding provinces are keeping tourists away and alarming locals, with the government on Monday, April 10, urging residents to avoid outdoor activities.

For several weeks last month the city was at the top of air quality information platform IQAir’s global chart on poor air quality, ahead of Lahore, Pakistan and New Delhi, India.

Chiang Mai, known for its scenic mountainous views, temples and chic cafés, received 10.8 million visitors in pre-pandemic 2019, but hotel bookings in the city have dropped to 45% occupancy, the Thai Hotel Association Northern Chapter president Phunut Thanalaopanich told Reuters on Monday.

That is far short of the 80% to 90% expected ahead of this week’s Thai New Year holidays, known as Songkran.

“It (has) impacted my business … people aren’t coming, (they) can’t see the view,” said Sunat Insao, 53, who sells orange juice.

Addressing the deteriorating air quality in the north, Thailand’s health ministry urged the public to avoid outdoor activities and wear masks that can filter particles.

Chang Mai, Thailand’s third-biggest city, reached 289 on IQAir’s air quality index (AQI) index in March, which measures the level of inhalable fine particles in the air.

On Monday it had eased to 171, but was still 19 times over the World Health Organization’s recommended level.

“You can feel (the dust) in your face … I clean my face, I see the pad and I was like, ‘this is really, really dirty,’” said Fernanda Gonzalez, 27, who was visiting from Mexico.

Authorities have blamed a combination of forest fires and crop burning in Thailand and its neighboring countries.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said last week he was coordinating with Laos and Myanmar to reduce hot spots in the border area to curb transboundary haze.

Chiang Mai resident Pathsharasakon Po, 36, said she was concerned about allergies, or even cancer.

“It’s getting worse and worse year by year,” Pathsharasakon said.