IN THE autumn of 2010, when he was Japan’s finance minister, Yoshihiko Noda decried it as “strange” that China had bought up as much as ¥2.3 trillion (then $25.5 billion) in Japanese government bonds while its own debt was off-limits to outsiders. Now prime minister, Mr Noda is redressing the balance. At a summit in Beijing on December 25th the two countries announced an agreement to let Japan buy Chinese sovereign debt. No sum or timetable was disclosed, though Japanese news media reported the amount will reach $10 billion once China approves Japan’s application.
Property developers have been ones to gain from government scheme aimed at buyers on low incomes, claims thinktank
Thousands of homeowners may have overpaid for new flats bought using government shared equity schemes, according to a report.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) claims that government interventions in the housing market "make another lost decade of market stagnation more likely".
Under the HomeBuy Direct scheme, the government and a housing developer jointly fund a loan of 30% of the cost of a property,...
Councils are not cooperating with measures intended to make it easier to convert offices into homes, say surveyors
The government is facing calls to make it easier to turn unused offices into homes. Chartered surveyors Cluttons reckons local authorities are making it difficult to create residential properties.
Cluttons said the chancellor, George Osborne, had pledged to allow owners of offices to transform unwanted space into homes without applying for consent from local councils but councils are resisting the measures.
Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone – and not forgetting Brian Paddick – will be fighting it out over a number of key issues
Transport
Boris Johnson's 2008 transport manifesto was either a reactionary populist muddle or proof of his excellent listening skills, according to taste. He has honoured prominent pledges to abolish Ken Livingstone's extension of the capital's congestion charging zone, purge articulated "bendy" buses, introduce a bespoke new London bus and install a cycle hire scheme (below). However...
There are many reasons why Brazil is a prime location for those looking to invest in property overseas, it has been claimed.
Tim Morgan, partner at Emerging Real Estate, highlighted the growing number of tourists visiting the nation as just one of the factors helping boost Brazil's real estate sector.
He explained there is increasing demand for holiday homes for rent, with new-build properties designed for this sector providing "a low level market entry point" for investors.
Meanwhile, Mr Morgan pointed to the good weather, relatively...
