Bloomberg One consequence of Brexit could be that more London properties end up in foreign hands. That’s the ironic product of Britain’s decision to exit the European Union — an outcome predicated in part on a desire to reduce immigration to the UK. Investors pulling money from UK property funds out of fear that real estate values will fall ...
Read More »Work on 2018 World Cup venue halted over dispute
Saint Petersburg / AFP A dispute with local authorities has frozen building work on one of the venues for the 2018 World Cup in Russia’s second city Saint Petersburg, the firm overseeing the construction said this week. Inzhtransstroy-SPB, which is building the new ultra-modern 68,000-seat stadium, said in a statement that local authorities owed it one billion rubles ($16 ...
Read More »Standard Life, Legal & General join the property-fund sales rush
Bloomberg Standard Life Investments and Legal & General Group Plc have joined the list of UK real estate fund managers offering buildings for sale after the UK’s vote to leave the European Union sparked an increase in redemptions. The asset managers are working with brokers to sell London office buildings, joining Henderson Global Investors and Aberdeen Asset Management Plc ...
Read More »Red flag signalling 2007 housing bust is fluttering again
Bloomberg Almost nine years after the housing-market bust helped trigger the most recent recession, RealtyTrac senior vice president Daren Blomquist sees the industry waving a red flag. The same fervent speculation that abetted the housing bubble is showing up in the bloated share of foreclosures snapped up by third-party investors at auction — a record 31 percent in June, ...
Read More »Daily dozen with Pokémon Go
Bloomberg A four-mile walk home wasn’t a normal part of Peter Morency’s routine before Pokémon Go entered his life. But on Wednesday evening the 25-year-old Tufts University administrative assistant ditched the Boston-area bus and caught a virtual bestiary—Drowzee, Bellsprout, Poliwag, Clefairy, and Charmander, all characters from Nintendo Co. Ltd.’s blockbuster mobile game—during a leisurely two-hour stroll. Millions of Pokémon ...
Read More »Myanmar’s fast food swerves to home style
Yangon / DPA In a Yangon shopping mall, Wai Hin tucks into a lunchtime burger. “I like such foods and places,” he says, sitting in the cool air of the South Korean Lotteria franchise in Junction Square mall, one of the largest buildings in the former Myanmar capital. “It’s quiet, well-decorated and air-conditioned,” and well worth the relative expense, ...
Read More »Hit the high road with advanced technology
Relaxnews As summer vacations get underway, we focus on high-tech gear that is both practical and compact for keeping your luggage under the weight limit. The Jabra Sport Pace wireless earbud headphones will bring music to your ears for total freedom when working out or enjoying recreational activities. Although primarily designed for training and workouts, these headphones are a ...
Read More »Now, Twitter to stream US college sports
Relaxnews Twitter recently announced a deal to stream US college sports matches, boosting its live television offerings as it tries to lure more users and revenue. Twitter will be the top streaming partner for PAC-12 Plus, a broadband network of live events produced by the dozen universities in the conference, according to the organisation. At least 150 games are ...
Read More »Oculus boosts Rift VR gear availability
AFP Facebook has made its latest move against competitor Snapchat, capitalising on the popularity of its ‘selfie’ filters and launching a similar offering of the same as it continues to enhance its Live platform. Oculus announced it is ramping up availability of its Rift virtual reality gear and planning a major conference in October for developers making software for ...
Read More »Kids’ smartwatches built to locate children via GPS
Relaxnews .Just over 30 million smartwatches were sold worldwide in 2015, according to research from Gartner, a figure that’s expected to more than double in two years to reach 66.7 million in 2017. The symbolic 50-million mark is likely to be passed in 2016. The smartwatch market now includes a growing number of models aimed at children, with varying ...
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