Hard Numbers: Chinese cities lift home-buying restrictions, Humanitarian aid ship sets sail, Car gun theft triples, Opposition wins in North Macedonia, Malaysia introduces orangutan diplomacy

May 09, 2024

XIÁN, CHINA- In the photos, people visit the scenic place of the city wall of Xi'an in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, northwest China, on March 4, 2020.

Liu Xiaoming / Xinhua / Latin America News Agency

230 million: On Thursday, officials in Hangzhou and Xi’an, cities with a combined population of more than 25 million people, lifted all restrictions on buying new homes. The moves are part of a push by many Chinese cities to bolster the country’s sagging property market. The announcements drew more than230 million views on the social media site Weibo.

1: Thefirst ship moving humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza departed Thursday for a floating platform built by the US military. On arrival, the cargo will be transferred to smaller US vessels that will then bring it ashore.

3: A new report finds the rate of guns stolen from cars in the United States hastripled over the past decade. In 2022, the last year for which stats are available, about 112,000 guns were reported stolen in the US, and just over half were taken from automobiles, most of them parked outside people’s homes.

58: Following an election earlier this week in North Macedonia, the opposition VRMO will control58 of the 120 seats in Parliament and the presidency. As a result, party officials say they can form a coalition government with like-minded allies to defy demands from Bulgaria’s government to recognize rights for the country’s Bulgarian minority in its constitution. Bulgaria can block North Macedonia’s bid to join the European Union, which requires unanimous approval of all members.

2: Malaysia’s government announced a plan to send rare orangutans, majestic primates only found in the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra, as gifts to zoos in countries that buy its palm oil. Malaysia isthe world’s second-largest producer of palm oil, a product found in more than half of supermarket packaged products. The EU said last year it wouldphase out the import of palm oil as a biofuel because its production encourages deforestation in some of the last regions where orangutans live wild.

Now the real work begins

Democratic nominee for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani getsures on stage after winning the 2025 New York City mayoral race, at an election night rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, USA, on November 4, 2025.

REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City yesterday following a social-media-first campaign that was laser-focused on affordability. His real challenge, though, has only just begun.

Hard Numbers: Chinese cities lift home-buying restrictions, Humanitarian aid ship sets sail, Car gun theft triples, Opposition wins in North Macedonia, Malaysia introduces orangutan diplomacy

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Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City yesterday following a social-media-first campaign that was laser-focused on affordability. His real challenge, though, has only just begun.

Hard Numbers: Chinese cities lift home-buying restrictions, Humanitarian aid ship sets sail, Car gun theft triples, Opposition wins in North Macedonia, Malaysia introduces orangutan diplomacy

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

These days, US farmers aren’t just worried about the weather jeopardizing their harvests. They’re keeping a close eye on geopolitical storms as well.

As AI begins to understand us better than we understand ourselves, who will decide how it shapes our world? Ian Bremmer cautions, "The winner or the winners are going to determine in large part what society looks like, what the motivating ideologies are."

The United States is #winning. But while the short-term picture looks strong, the United States is systematically trading long-term strategic advantages for more immediate tactical gains, with the accumulating costs hiding in plain sight.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

Let no one drain your peace #PUPPETREGIME

Beneath steady wage growth, the labor market is shifting. New data from Bank of America points to weaker job growth and widening income gaps that could reshape recovery trends. Subscribe to Bank of America Institute for the full view of the US job market.

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City yesterday following a social-media-first campaign that was laser-focused on affordability. His real challenge, though, has only just begun.