ALOR GAJAH: Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung has urged local authorities (LA) to adopt a transparent and systematic approach in the maintenance of public infrastructural facilities.

He made the call, following findings in the Auditor-General's Report which showed their failure in carrying out maintenance of public infrastructure.

SHANGHAI: China will "unswervingly" maintain its property curbs for the rest of this year as it fine-tunes macroeconomic policy, China's State Council, or Cabinet, said last Saturday, Oct 29.

WASHINGTON: Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's regulator last Saturday, Oct 29 rejected criticism he was obstructing a housing recovery by taking too narrow a view of his mission to protect the financial health of the two massive, taxpayer-supported mortgage firms.

LONDON: The fall in house prices in England and Wales accelerated in October as consumers become increasingly worried about the outlook for the economy and shy away from buying homes, property data firm Hometrack said.

KUALA LUMPUR: EcoFirst Consolidated Bhd has finally got its motor running after seven years of being in the red.

The Main Market-listed company, which has just turned around with a net profit of RM8.67 million for its financial year ended May 31 (FY11), is poised to chart a new chapter of growth, said group CEO and executive director Datuk Tiong Kwing Hee.

KUALA LUMPUR: The property market outlook for Indonesia is bright, according to Hermawan Wijaya, a director of PT Bumi Serpong Damai Tbk (BSD). The developer is listed on the Jakarta Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of 16.1 trillion rupiah (RM5.63 billion).

It was on an early Friday morning that The Edge visited S P Setia Bhd’s KL Eco City office in Mid Valley City to interview president and CEO Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin. Despite a business engagement that had kept him up late the previous night, an energetic Liew blew into the office like a gust of wind.

Strong demand for properties, especially landed homes, spurred the Malaysian property market after a slowdown in the aftermath of the 2008/09 global financial crisis. Local developers rode the “hot” market to achieve good sales at their launches.