SEOUL: Housing prices across South Korea rose 0.2 percent in March from the previous month, marking a 12th consecutive monthly gain but slowing after a 0.3 percent gain in February, the country's top mortgage lender said on Thursday April 1.

SHANGHAI: Hang Lung Properties announced March 31 it achieved HK$2.222 billion and HK$1.833 billion in rental income and gross profit respectively in the second half last year, an increase of 9 per cent year-on-year.

SHANGHAI: Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc opened its 1,000th hotel around the globe along East China's Qiandao Lake on Wednesday, March 31. 

Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort signals Starwood's ambitious expansion plan in the Chinese market.

Starwood now has 54 hotels operating in China with another 70 hotels under development or construction in the country.

KUALA LUMPUR: Ho Hup Construction Co Bhd may have to resort to bringing Malton Bhd to court if it is not able to renegotiate a fairer deal in their joint development agreement (JDA) involving a 60-acre plot of land in Bukit Jalil.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) is allocating up to RM380 million to acquire more premium properties around Kuala Lumpur to add to its landbank following a rights issue earlier this year, said its CEO Mohamed Razeek Hussain yesterday.

HONG KONG: Li Ka-shing failed to answer the one question on everyone’s lips on Wednesday: Is it a good time to buy property?The property magnate was talkative and smiling at the results announcement for his flagship companies Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Hutchison Whampoa, but stayed guarded in his answers and warned of rising construction costs.

HONG KONG: Cheung Kong (Holdings) (SEHK: 0001) has cut prices and lowered the required down payment to lure buyers to Festival City in Tai Wai amid concerns the development is not selling as well as expected, property agents say.

HONG KONG: Singapore-listed Fortune Real Estate Investment Trust (Fortune Reit) has regulatory approval to list by introduction in Hong Kong after agreeing to adopt precautionary measures to maintain stable trading in two markets.

MELBOURNE (Australia): S P Setia Bhd's wholly-owned subsidiary, Setia International Ltd, is expected to build student apartments near the University of Melbourne and RMIT University, Australian Financial Review reported.

TIKRIT, IRAQ: Saddam Hussein made his palaces a desert paradise, but now his hometown is seeking foreign investors to turn the late dictator's playground into a tourist mecca.

Local officials see the 76 abandoned Saddam villas sprawled across hundreds of hectares (acres) as a potential gold mine for Tikrit's cash-strapped Salahuddin province.