MIDDLE EAST 

• AccorHotels, Marriott and Hilton lead with biggest expansion plans in the Middle East
  New report shows Middle East’s hotel construction pipeline set another cyclical high in the third quarter of 2018
• Revealed: Tonino Lamborghini Residences Dubai to add 8,000 homes
  Oriental Pearls, a Chinese real estate developer operating in the UAE, unveils Meydan residential project
• Nakheel reveals progress on $182m Dubai beachfront resort
  Dubai developer says all accommodation floors almost complete and roofing work under way at first all-inclusive 4-star resort
• Construction milestone hit on $3.3bn Abu Dhabi alumina refinery
  Emirates Global Aluminium completes commissioning of first major section of its alumina refinery at Al Taweelah in Abu Dhabi
• Auction of Bahrain's stalled Amwaj Gateway postponed again
  Auction of Amwaj Gateway will open with a starting bid of $46.5m, more than 50% below its initial price in 2017
• First phase of Saudi Arabia's new energy park to attract $1.6bn in investment
  King Salman Energy Park is expected to create as many as 100,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2035
• Solidere's $60bn Al-Zorah development in Ajman to take 15 more years
  The Al-Zorah development has downsized the number of residents it aims to accommodate from 200,000 to 50,000
• Dubai's Meydan One on track for early 2020 launch
  Sixty percent of structural work has been completed at Meydan One which will include a 1km ski slope and world’s largest dancing water fountain
• Makkah developer struggles to lure investors amid slowdown
  Makkah-based Jabal Omar Development Co’s stock has lost about 40% this year as slowdown hits real estate market
• Former Damac exec hired to drive Samana expansion in Dubai
  Samana Developers has appointed former Damac vice-president Alan James Gammon as general manager

AUSTRALIA

• Projects in limbo as another SA builder goes under
  As the nation’s housing market downturn continues, South Australia’s peak body for home building is pushing for greater security for the industry amid the collapse of two local businesses in the past…
• Former exec faces jail for cooking the books at one of Australia's biggest construction firms
  

  The former chief financial officer of construction giant Leighton Holdings, Peter Gregg, is facing up to four years in jail after being found guilty of falsifying the company’s books.

• 'My whole salary goes to the mortgage': Credit crackdown puts heat on home buyers
  

  Buyers of off-the-plan apartments have been caught in a double whammy of stricter borrowing rules and falling property prices.

• Safety guidelines regularly ignored by workers at time of INPEX death, report finds
  

  A coroner’s report into the death of an INPEX worker last year finds guidelines around the wearing of safety harnesses at the scene were regularly ignored.

• At the end of the day
• Field Station 8
• New era in conservation as purpose-built field station opens
  

  A new research station will monitor threatened species in the West Australian wilderness.

• Red Moort Reserve
• Michael Tichbon Field Station
• Field Station 7

INTERNATIONAL

• Laing O’Rourke signs contract for Australian shipyard
  The chairman of Laing O’Rourke Australia has signed the contract for a new submarine construction yard in Osborne, South Australia.The chairman of Laing O’Rourke Australia has signed the contract for…
• British Columbia makes decision on $225m bridge replacement
  A single structure is to replace the RW Bruhn Bridge in British Columbia, Canada, instead of an option that involved two crossings.A single structure is to replace the RW Bruhn Bridge in British Colum…
• NCC to build Norway’s first BREEAM-certified swimming centre
  NCE has won a contract worth SEK330m (£28m) to build a swimming centre in Norway.NCE has won a contract worth SEK330m (£28m) to build a swimming centre in Norway.Read Full Article: The Construction In…
• Skanska picked for Norwegian apartment complex
  Skanska Norway has won the construction contract for a complex of 176 apartments in Lillestrøm.Skanska Norway has won the construction contract for a complex of 176 apartments in Lillestrøm.Read Full…
• Moscow launches ‘living lab’ for smart technologies
  Moscow is testing almost 30 new ‘smart’ technologies under a pilot scheme in a district that is already home to some 8,000 people.Moscow is testing almost 30 new ‘smart’ technologies under a pilot sch…
• Fluor JV lands $2.1bn Chicago rail scheme
  A joint venture of Fluor and Walsh Construction has been named as preferred bidder for a US$2.1bn (£1.6bn) rail upgrade project in Chicago, USA.A joint venture of Fluor and Walsh Construction has been…
• Eurovia completes purchase of Salini’s US paving business
  Salini Impregilo’s US subsidiary has completed the US$555m (£425m) sale of its Plants & Paving Division to Vinci’s Eurovia.Salini Impregilo’s US subsidiary has completed the US$555m (£425m) sale of it…
• Melbourne rail project draws international interest
  The ‘world’s best’ are lining up to deliver the AU$5bn (£2.9bn) Melbourne Airport Rail Link in Australia, according to the project’s client.The ‘world’s best’ are lining up to deliver the AU$5bn (£2.9…
• Designs unveiled for Cairo’s new commercial hub
  The designs have been unveiled for a 23km2 commercial zone in Cairo’s New Administrative Capital, which is being built 45km east of the city’s downtown.The designs have been unveiled for a 23km2 comme…
• USA awards US$1.5bn for transport projects
  The USA’s Department of Transportation (DoT) has announced that 91 projects are to receive a share of US$1.5bn (£1.15bn) in grants.The USA’s Department of Transportation (DoT) has announced that 91 pr…