Dmitry Filippov SPECIAL TO EMIRATES BUSINESS Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on May 6 was met with positive reactions from both countries and gave grounds for cautious optimism regarding going forward with the peace treaty negotiations and making progress on the Northern Territories dispute. As I wrote of Abe’s visit: [T]he ...

  Bloomberg One of the biggest winners from an Indonesian tax amnesty may turn out to be the shares of real-estate developers, as funds get channeled into investments in the nation’s houses and apartments. Bank Indonesia estimates about 560 trillion rupiah ($42 billion) of undeclared income will be repatriated as a result of the reprieve. In a country where less ...

  BLOOMBERG Vancouver’s mayor is considering a tax on empty homes to help boost supply and damp prices in North America’s hottest residential market. Owners need to be prodded to live in the properties they buy or rent them out as the city faces an acute housing shortage, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said in an interview. “We’re looking at new ...