News

The main Paris business district of La Defense is getting a makeover with new buildings, a more people-friendlier orientation and additional residential housing. The business district, which is the largest such designated area in Europe, was created in the late 1950s as a center for modern businesses and to keep the new skyscrapers from altering […]

The World Tourism Organization (WTO) released its figures for the first quarter of 2009 and, not surprisingly, the numbers are down from last year. Tourism dropped 7.7 percent for the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same period in 2007. For all of 2009, the organization is predicting a drop of 2-3 percent worldwide.

The United States Federal Reserve expects the US economy to improve in coming months, according to new reports from the central bank. After the Fed’s last meeting at the end of April, policymakers declined to take any new steps to help the economy. The Fed launched a US$1.2 trillion effort in March to purchase government

Lending for UK mortgages declined by approximately £1 billion in April, 2009 when compared to the previous month, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Total lending for April was estimated at £10.4 billion, which is nine percent less than March’s £11.4 billion.   While the council noted that the figures were affected due to

Work is beginning on the new GlennconnerBeach project that is being constructed on the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia. The new development is under the direction of Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner. Once a regular fixture in British society, Lord Glenconner has had other successful development projects. Most notably, he turned the private Caribbean island of

The second home market in Italy is doing better than many others, according to a recently released report from Italian estate agents association FIAIP. The report looks at the market in the second half of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 and covers the top 20 resort areas in the country.   Property values have

Châteaux de La Jarthe is set on 120 hectares, or 297 acres, in the Dordogne region of France, not far from Perigueux. The former refuge of the Order of the Knights Templar is on the market for some 5.5 million euros, according to the listing, and is an ideal place to host guests or create

As Taiwan prepares to host the 2009 World Games in July, the Main Stadium in Kaohsiung has a unique feature that will provide for the area long after the games have finished. The roof has 14,155 square meters of solar panels that will provide enough electricity to keep the stadium lit and power the two

A  British Kayak Coach is attracting visitors to the Turkish coast with a new way to see the stunning coastline. Anyone who wants to get a different perspective on the beautiful coastline of Turkey can now experience it from a kayak, courtesy of English expat Dean Livesey. His company Seven Capes is based in Fethiye

Authorities in Dubai are getting set to review all pending development projects. A new law gives authority to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) and the Dubai Land Department to cancel projects that do not start construction within six months of approval from the government. Currently there are 27 projects that are being considered for