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.

KUALA LUMPUR: Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore’s first integrated resort (IR), will begin its phased opening from Jan 20, 2010, the company said in a press statement released Jan 5.

IPOH: Land owners in Perak can check on the status of their property via the short messaging service (SMS) offered by the State Land and Mines Office (PTG), Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said on Jan 5.

He said they would have to type PTGPK CUKAI LAND TITLE NUMBER and send to 32244.

KUALA LUMPUR: Tower Real Estate Investment Trust (Tower REIT)’s revaluation of its properties -- Menara HLA, HP Towers and Menara ING -- has resulted in aggregate revaluation surplus of RM5,769,745, Tower REIT announced Jan 5.

MELBOURNE: An Australian company has been awarded the contract to clean every window on the world's tallest building -- Dubai's Burj Khalifa.

The company, Cox Gomyl, will use muscle-power and machines to keep the windows on the building clean.

The Burj Khalifa, which was officially opened on Jan 4, stands at 828m high and has 200 storeys.

SEOUL: South Korean banks are expected to continue to rein in household lending in the first quarter in line with government efforts to control the property market, the central bank said on Jan 5.

SYDNEY: Sales of new homes in Australia rose only slightly in November as gains for detached houses were offset by a lack of finance for multi-unit projects, an industry survey showed on Jan 5.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) said sales rose 0.3% in November, following a 6% drop in October. Sales of detached houses increased by 0.8% while unit sales dropped 4.9%.