HO CHI MINH CITY: Private investment has been a key factor in Ho Chi Minh City's development in recent years, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

Vietnamese and international investors have made larger improvements in the city's transport infrastructure, housing, clean water supplies and waste management, according to experts and municipal departments.

WUHAN: Construction on what will be the world's third tallest building started Wednesday, Dec 8 in central China's Wuhan City, capital of Hubei Province, a spokesman for the developer said Thursday.

The skyscraper will be 606 metres tall when construction finishes in five years.

KUALA LUMPUR: S P Setia Bhd has set itself a RM3 billion sales target for 2011, president and CEO Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin said at a press conference on Thursday, Dec 9. The group achieved RM2.31 billion of sales in FY2010.

KUALA LUMPUR: Paramount Corp Bhd announced a windfall for its shareholders with the declaration of a special dividend of 40 sen per share.

The company said on Wednesday, Dec 8 the dividend would go ex on Dec 21 and the entitlement date would be Dec 23

BEIJING: Direct commercial property transaction volume in Asia-Pacific reached US$18.2 billion (RM57.33 billion) in the third quarter, up 14 percent from three months earlier, led by Singapore, Australia and China, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) said on Wednesday, Dec 8.

BEIJING: China's property prices will probably edge down in 2011 as authorities remain committed to squeezing speculators out of the market, mainly via monetary tightening steps, a top government think tank said on Wednesday, Dec 8.

KUALA LUMPUR: Shangri-La Hotels (Malaysia) Bhd (SHMB) has struck an informal agreement with Khazanah Nasional Bhd to jointly develop a 5 star resort in Langkawi.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bina Puri Holdings Bhd has secured foreign contracts worth about RM38.19 million, bringing the group's current book order to RM3.16 billion.

Bina Puri (Thailand) Ltd had on Nov 12 won the 175 million baht (RM18.28 million) contract to construct the "warehouse building and ancillary facilities at Ladkrabang Industrial Estate, Bangkok", it said on Wednesday, Dec 8.

KUALA LUMPUR: Only a small number of buildings in the city are without security features, especially to deal with fire emergency, Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Fire and Rescue Department director Othman Abdullah said.

He said the affected buildings were mostly old shops and flat units and shop houses which had been renovated into entertainment centres.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia My Second Home Programme is gaining popularity among Japanese retirees, with the number of participants increasing every year.

Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Masahiko Horie said about 1,500 Japanese retirees had opted for the programme.