BEIJING: China’s housing ministry said it will curb credit for some home purchases to reduce speculation and rein in surging prices.

The nation will “further restrict credit for the purchase of second homes and curb speculative housing investments”, Minister Jiang Weixin said in a statement on the ministry’s website on Jan 6 after an annual work meeting. He didn’t elaborate.

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Heritage Hotel Sdn Bhd (PHH) will embark on the RM100 million gross development value project on the 3.47 acre state owned land along Farquhar Street, once conversion of the land from leasehold to freehold is completed.

DUBAI: The world’s tallest hotel opened in Dubai on Jan 6, continuing a record-setting week for the emirate that started with the inauguration of highest skyscraper.

KUALA LUMPUR: Investors following recent developments in Ho Hup Construction Co Bhd would be wondering whether the company’s share is really worth its current trading price of almost RM2, or four times higher compared to a month ago.

KUALA LUMPUR:  Danish architectural firm BIG (Bjarke Ingles Group) in collaboration with a group of consultants including Fuglark Architects, Lemming & Eriksson, Samal Johannesen, Martin Leo and KJ Elrad, have won a competition to design the Faroe Islands Education Centre recently.

BEIJING: China's central bank said on Jan 6 it will pay particularly close attention to the property market in 2010 while managing inflationary expectations, according to a Reuters report.

KUALA LUMPUR: The construction sector is expected to peak between the third and fourth quarter of this year on the anticipation of a full rollout of three mega projects, says HwangDBS Vickers Research.

SYDNEY: Approvals to build new homes in Australia jumped a surprisingly strong 5.9% in November, further evidence of a construction boom that will increasingly foster growth.But Wednesday's data failed to sway market expectations which remain evenly split over whether the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) would raise rates again next month, with investors awaiting key job and inflation data due l

KUALA LUMPUR:  The 1 Mont’ Kiara retail mall, slated for opening in the second half of 2010, will see gourmet food supermarket Village Grocer as its main tenant, taking up 25,000 sq ft of space.

KUALA LUMPUR: Strategic Development Sdn Bhd (SDSB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prinsiptek Corp Bhd (PCB) has entered into a into a conditional sale and purchase agreement with investment holding company, Creme De La Creme Couture Sdn Bhd for the proposed disposal of a 99-year leasehold land at Taman Selaseh, Gombak on Dec 31, 2009, PCB announced Jan 5.