SYDNEY: Australian home loans fell the most in nearly eight years in January, hit by the scaling back of government grants to buyers and higher mortgage rates, suggesting past increases in interest rates were starting to bite, according to a Reuters report on March 10.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Puduraya bus terminal will be closed temporarily for four months from March 19.

UDA Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Jaafar Abu Hassan said the closure was to allow for works that would upgrade the terminal and provide more comfort to travellers.

KUALA LUMPUR: The proposed injection of assets into Al-Aqar KPJ Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) enables KPJ Healthcare Bhd to expand its hospitals network without pressuring its balance sheet.

DUBAI: Dubai’s Land Department is expected to announce a new regulatory framework for offshore companies investing in the country’s real estate freehold market, Gulf News reported on March 9.

This move is aimed at improving transparency. The department has since halted transactions of offshore companies due to lack of clarity for February.

HONG KONG: Thanks to ample liquidity and a helping hand from mainland financial institutions, Hong Kong's office market has recovered from the global financial crisis better than other main financial centres around the world, says property consultancy CB Richard Ellis (CBRE).

HONG KONG: Home sales here show no sign of abating despite the government's message that it will closely monitor the booming real estate sector and mounting calls for building to start again on subsidised flats for the needy.

KUALA LUMPUR: A party linked to Ho Hup Construction Co Bhd’s deputy executive chairman Datuk Vincent Lye has filed for an injunction to block an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) scheduled for March 17, said a source.

The application for the injunction will be heard on Monday (March 15), two days before the meeting.

KUALA LUMPUR: Gamuda Bhd-WCT Bhd’s joint venture (JV) in Qatar has been served with a request for arbitration by Bahrain Asphalt Establishment B S C (Closed) (BAE) following a claim totalling QAR109.27 million (RM101.06 million).

LONDON: The UK capital’s Chester Square retained the top spot for a second year in an annual list of the most expensive UK addresses as luxury property prices recovered from the housing slump, property researcher Mouseprice said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Kulim (Malaysia) Bhd and KPJ Healthcare Bhd, subsdiaries of Johor Corp (JCorp), had proposed to divest their properties to to Al-'Aqar KPJ Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), according to separate announcements on March 9.

Kulim will divest its Menara Ansar in Johor Bahru, to Al-'Aqar KPJ Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) for RM105 million.