The push for green buildings has been gaining momentum over the years. In Malaysia, green consciousness is slowly taking root, with more consumers looking to buy green homes or lease energy-efficient offices while property developers are building more green products.

KUALA LUMPUR/NEW YORK CITY (Jan 6): With Thursday's announcement of the proposed expansion of the Resorts World New York (RWNY), Malaysia's Genting Group appears to have won the support of New York governor Andrew Cuomo to build the largest convention centre in the US, a project that may come with a full-fledged casino licence.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 6): Tenders for the beautification portion of the River of Life (RoL) programme, potentially worth up to RM1 billion, could be called in the second half (2H) of this year upon completion of the project's master plan.

SEREMBAN (Jan 6): The Ministry of Housing and Local Government has targeted to revive 35 abandoned housing projects throughout the country by this year.

PUTRAJAYA (Jan 6): Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd are currently in the midst of discussions with banks to provide financing for M+S Pte Ltd development projects in Singapore.

KUALA LUMPUR/LONDON (Jan 6): The residential property market in the Prime Central London (PCL) area will remain bullish in 2012, spurred by demand from foreign investors looking for a safe haven amidst uncertain global market conditions, said UK real estate agents and property consultants.

BEIJING (Jan 6): China Vanke, the country's largest developer by revenue, said year-on-year (y-o-y) sales fell 30% in December, a fifth consecutive month of decline as government measures to calm housing inflation take effect.

NEW YORK (Jan 6): The United States will remain the top choice of most global commercial real estate investors in 2012, but the country has lost ground to Brazil which ranked No 2 this year, according to a survey released last Sunday.

HONG KONG (Jan 6): The government has listed 25 sites for reclamation that may be used to create the landbank recently proposed by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen. They include options for man-made islands.

DUBAI (Jan 5): Real estate specialist Cluttons Dubai is predicting a brisk start to 2012 for the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) real estate market. However despite the positive signs, it noted that the overall situation in Europe and US cannot be ignored, and advises general caution over the potential knock-on effects in the region in respect of debt financing and general liquidity levels.