AFP Chinese household debt has risen at an “alarming” pace as property values have soared, analysts say, raising the risk that a real estate downturn could send shockwaves through the world’s second largest economy. Loose credit and changing habits have rapidly transformed the country’s famously loan-averse consumers into enthusiastic borrowers. Skyrocketing real estate prices in major Chinese cities in …

  AFP An International Olympic Committee (IOC) official said on Sunday that detailed options for moving some Tokyo 2020 venues will be presented this week at a key four-party meeting. Tokyo is eyeing ways to save money after warnings that skyrocketing costs could hit an eye-watering $30 billion — four times the initial estimate and almost triple that of the …

  AFP Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s shock decision to scrap most of India’s curr- ency was hailed by some as a masterstroke against endemic corruption, but signs are emerging that it may hit the economy hard. The sweeping overnight abolition of all high-value notes was supposed to bring billions in so-called “black”, or undeclared, money back into the formal system. …