AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, real estate briefs
Dec 27, 2012 (Menafn - AME Info - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --HLG'S 2013 ORDER BACKLOG SEEN AT 11BN: Khalaf Al Habtoor, the chairman of Al Habtoor Group has said the construction joint venture in which he's minority shareholder, Al Habtoor Leighton Group expects its order backlog in 2013 to be at least Dhs40bn (11b), Bloomberg has reported. The Dubai-based construction firm controlled by Australia's biggest construction company, Leighton Holdings, is seeing increased demand for building across the Middle East, Al Habtoor said. "They have started seeing an increase in the number of contracts," he said. "They have some in Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Iraq."
175 BUILDINGS DEMOLISHED IN AL AIN FOR VIOLATIONS: The municipality of Al Ain has said 175 buildings and structures have been demolished in the city for violating construction regulations, public safety and the city's appearance, Gulf News has reported. The structures were built in violation of construction rules and regulations in abandoned, illegal parking lots and that they were mostly factories polluting the environment, said Shaleyah Al Shamsi, head of the civic body's supervisory committee.
BAN TO BE LIFTED ON CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL IMPORTS TO GAZA: Palestinian officials have said that Israel is to begin allowing materials for private construction into Gaza, easing its blockade under the terms of a truce deal, AFP has reported. The decision will allow private companies and individuals to import construction materials that were previously restricted exclusively to international aid groups under the terms of Israel's blockade. "From Sunday, up to 20 trucks will bring in gravel for the commercial sector daily, except on Friday and Saturday... through the Kerem Shalom crossing in south-east Gaza," Palestinian official Raed Fattuh told the news service. "This is the first time Israel will allow the import of gravel for the private sector since the blockade began in mid-2007."
INTER-GCC REAL ESTATE OWNERSHIP SURGED 51.5 percent LAST YEAR: According to data by the GCC Secretariat General Information Centre-Statistical Department, the number of nationals and national corporate bodies of the GCC countries who bought up real estates in another GCC member, other than their home country, increased by 51.1 percent in 2011 to 16,107, Wam has reported. This takes the total such inter-GCC real estate ownerships to 93,767 by the end of 2011, compared with 77,804 by the end of the previous years. The UAE came first among GCC nations in terms of attracting nationals of other GCC nationals with 10,873 registered contracts (67.5 percent), followed by Oman with 3,364 registered contracts representing a 20.9 percent share, and Bahrain in third place with 1,189 contracts, the data showed.
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