KOTOR, Montenegro: Slightly smaller than Connecticut, the Balkan state of Montenegro is a good place to view the clear waters of the Adriatic, charming medieval cities such as Kotor, and a financial crash in suspended animation.

BEIJING: China's rules on forced demolition of homes are under attack after a Beijing man set fire to himself to protest confiscation of his home and as prominent law professors urged reforms, newspapers reported on Dec 17.

TOKYO: Rents for first-class offices in Tokyo will likely bottom out in the first half of 2010 and foreign investors have already begun hunting investment opportunities in the city's property market, a report said.

VANCOUVER: When Bob Stark bid on a loft apartment in a trendy Vancouver neighborhood in June this year, he wasn't expecting competition.

House prices in the traditionally expensive West Coast city had dipped because of the recession and a friend had recently bought a house nearby for a good price.

KUALA LUMPUR: Ho Hup Construction Company Bhd has disposed of a tract of freehold land in Bukit Jalil for RM7.64 million.

Bukit Jalil Development Sdn Bhd, its 70%-owned subsidiary, had on Dec 16 entered into a conditional sale and purchase agreement with Action Master Sdn Bhd for the proposed disposal of a parcel of freehold land measuring approximately 13,398 sq m.

KUALA LUMPUR: Iskandar Malaysia will be the location of an integrated media production studio facility known as Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios (PIMS) costing RM400 million.

Khazanah Nasional Bhd, via its wholly owned subsidiary Beserah Ventures Sdn Bhd, and Pinewood Shepperton Plc of the United Kingdom have entered into definitive agreements to develop the facility.

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor state government has directed four municipalities in Selangor to make written requests to the Public Works Department to declassify the “Hazardous Map”: A report which indicates the level of landslide risk in residential areas in the respective municipalities.

KUALA LUMPUR: KPJ Healthcare Bhd, a hospital management group linked to the listed Al-Aqar KPJ REIT on Dec 16 announced plans to acquire a plot of freehold land in Muar, Johor, for RM22 million in cash.

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) expects to generate about RM300 million revenue from the sales of its properties in Shah Alam next year.

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor State Development Corp (PKNS) plans to develop more than 20 acres of land in Shah Alam over the next three to four years.

Its development controller for Northern Region, Noraida Mohd Yusof said PKNS will be focusing on high-end projects.