HONG KONG: New mortgage loans approved in Hong Kong in November rose 203.8% from a year earlier, but fell 11.1% from October for a fifth consecutive month-on-month decline, figures from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) showed, according to Reuters on Dec 29.

Month-on-month figures are not seasonally adjusted.

KUALA LUMPUR: PLB-KH Bina Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PLB Engineering Bhd, has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Datuk Ong Cho Hoon to acquire four parcels of agricultural lands in Penang for a total cash consideration of RM3.78 million.

KUALA LUMPUR: Indah Paper Industries Sdn Bhd (IPISB) is acquiring a plot of land in Klang, Selangor, measuring 263,930 sq ft for RM7 million, parent company Minho (M) Bhd said in a filing to Bursa Malaysia on Dec 29.

KUALA LUMPUR: Majuperak Holdings Bhd has entered into a conditional sale and purchase agreement with Alliance Contract Manufacturing Sdn Bhd to dispose two pieces of land in Penang for RM6.38 million and RM6.62 million respectively in cash.

KUALA LUMPUR: TH Properties Sdn Bhd, which is promoting sustainable development, is collaborating with Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) to research cost-efficient and building materials.

LONDON: The streets in London’s Kensington and Chelsea district have the most expensive U.K. properties with sterling’s slide helping to lure buyers to an area where the average cost of a house exceeds 1 million pounds ($1.6 million).

KUALA LUMPUR: Signature Landmark Property Sdn Bhd will be launching the first phase of its mixed development project Aranda Nova (pictured), located just beside Equatorial Hotel in Brinchang, Cameron Highlands, in 1Q2010.

LONDON: UK house prices will decline next year as rising unemployment and concern about the government's fiscal squeeze limit demand, Hometrack said.

IPOH: Residents staying in flats and housing estates in the city here have been asked to form residents' associations to maintain the cleanliness and security of their respective areas.

Ipoh Mayor Datuk Roshidi Hashim said on Dec 28 residents' associations were capable of motivating residents to conserve the environment, maintain cleanliness and nurture civic consciousness.

KUALA LUMPUR: BHS Industries Bhd (BHS) is acquiring four tracts measuring about 828, 946 sq ft for a total of RM2.29 million today, according to a Bursa Malaysia filing on Dec 28.