MIDDLE EAST 

• Construction starts on new $136m Dubai university campus
  Foundation stone laid at new campus of Rochester Institute of Technology – Dubai, to accommodate 4,000 students
• Sobha boss reveals plan for 'iconic' 60-storey tower in Dubai
  PNC Menon says construction of Sheikh Zayed Road HQ project is set to start this summer
• Adnoc unit awards design contract for new oil refinery
  Adnoc Refining says Wood Group picked for refinery project with capacity of 600,000 barrels of crude oil per day
• Plans revealed to boost Dubai's manufacturing ambitions
  Dubai Industrial Park has signed a long-term agreement with Lootah Real Estate Development to establish Senaeyat
• Emaar denies it plans to accept digital currency payments
  Dubai real estate giant responds to reports and blogs circulated online citing an alleged Emaar circular to real estate brokers
• Abu Dhabi plans to build underwater training centre
  Thales Group and Atlas Elektroniks said project aims to help combat submarine attacks
• Drake & Scull appoints new execs to oversee ongoing restructuring
  The loss-making engineering and construction services contractor continues its rebuilding process to return DSI to profitability
• Saudi construction giant sees 245% jump in 2018 net profit
  Jabal Omar Development Company says profit rise due to start of off-plan residential sales in Makkah mega project
• Dubai's RTA opens main bridge leading to Expo 2020 site
  RTA chief Mattar Al Tayer says he is delighted with the progress in projects related to the hosting of Expo 2020 in Dubai
• Dubai's Emaar sees 2018 net profit rise 30% to nearly $2bn
  Revenue in 2018 increased by 37% over 2017, says Dubai-based developer

AUSTRALIA

• 'We have many questions': Opal Tower residents face long wait for building repairs
  The owners corporation behind the Opal Tower says it has “many questions” to be answered before it approves repair work for the damaged building, meaning residents could be in temporary accommodation…
• Hundreds still homeless as report finds Opal Tower beams 'burst' under pressure
  With 259 units of the 392-unit apartment complex still empty following its evacuation, the NSW Government releases its final report into the Opal Tower cracks, finding that more work needs to be done….
• 'The industry is falling apart': New cladding alert pushes crisis into the suburbs
  Thousands more properties could now be caught up in Australia’s cladding crisis, as authorities issue an alert warning against the use of another nine types of the material, including cladding commonl…
• 'The tampon in the sky': What's the story with the tower on Mount Wellington?
  At 130 metres tall, the transmission tower perched atop kunanyi/Mount Wellington watches over the Hobart CBD from the mountain’s summit. Over the years, the state’s tallest structure has been a source…
• When your home is a fire risk but you can’t afford to fix it
  

  There are hundreds of buildings around Australia covered in combustible cladding, but fixing the problem is expensive and the only government scheme is yet to hand out a single loan.

• France assures Australia of no delays to new submarines
  As Australia and France signed the deal, concerns were raised about whether the French company contracted to build the submarines could deliver them on time. But France’s Armed Forces Minister Florenc…
• How a tourism boom is driving the construction of dozens of new hotels
  

  A falling Australian dollar is contributing to a surge in tourism that, in turn, is leading to the biggest hotel building boom in decades.

• Melbourne apartment buildings to be re-checked for flammable cladding in wake of tower fire
  

  Thirty Melbourne buildings will be reassessed for fire safety after a burning cigarette sparked a six-storey blaze in combustible cladding on a high-rise apartment building.

• Be 'happy you've got a job' business group tells workers wanting pay rises
  Small and big businesses say they are struggling, especially those in the construction and retail sectors, putting in doubt the Reserve Bank’s hope that workers will start getting bigger pay rises….
• Melbourne apartment tower damaged in cladding fire posed 'moderate risk', audit found
  

  A Melbourne CBD apartment complex damaged in a combustible cladding fire which has left hundreds of residents blocked from their homes was deemed a “moderate risk” building in an audit.

INTERNATIONAL

• Investigation finds multiple problems in evacuated Sydney tower
  Design and construction issues contributed to the structural problems that forced December’s evacuation of a new 36-storey Australian tower block, an investigation has found.Design and construction is…
• Flatiron picked for Californian rail project
  Hochtief subsidiary Flatiron Construction is the apparent low bidder for a new rail line in San Bernardino County in the US state of California.Hochtief subsidiary Flatiron Construction is the apparen…
• TBM assembly starts for Melbourne tunnel
  Assembly has begun of the first of two 15.6m-diameter tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that will be used in construction of the West Gate Tunnel in Sydney, Australia.Assembly has begun of the first of tw…
• Concept unveiled for Pittsburgh airport upgrade
  The design concept has been revealed for a new terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport in the USA.The design concept has been revealed for a new terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport in th…
• Hochtief reports 29% surge in profit
  Hochtief’s results for 2018 include a 29% increase in nominal net profit to €541m (£488m).Hochtief’s results for 2018 include a 29% increase in nominal net profit to €541m (£488m).Read Full Article: T…
• Christchurch regains normal planning powers following earthquake rebuild
  The process of rebuilding Christchurch in New Zealand has reached a major milestone with the return of planning powers to the city council eight years after the 2011 earthquake.The process of rebuildi…
• Thousands of French pupils to get work experience at Vinci
  Vinci is working with the French government to introduce a scheme that will give a week’s work experience and careers advice to 5,000 school students a year.Vinci is working with the French government…
• UK-India team to develop wheelchair-accessible maps of Delhi
  Researchers in the UK and India are using sensors to develop maps of wheelchair-accessible routes in Delhi and identify where upgrades are needed.Researchers in the UK and India are using sensors to d…
• EU steps up support for Georgian road construction
  Some 23,000 person-years of employment are set to be created during construction of a Georgia highway project that has secured EU funding.Some 23,000 person-years of employment are set to be created d…
• Hong Kong extends scope of rail project inquiry
  The recent discovery of additional construction problems on Hong Kong’s Shatin to Central Link project has prompted the government to expand the scope of an inquiry that is under way.The recent discov…