France’s top administrative court has overturned a town burkini ban amid shock and anger worldwide after some Muslim women were ordered to remove body-concealing garments on French Riviera beaches. The ruling by the Council of State Friday specifically concerns a ban in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet, but the binding ... Read More »
Blending art, architecture and design, mosaic tile is one of the oldest forms of wall and floor covering. Using the tiny squares known as tesserae, Ancient Greeks and Romans created detailed stories and intricate geometric patterns, and mosaic art embellishes ceilings, walls and floors from Byzantium to Barcelona. Today, artists ... Read More »
France’s top administrative court overturned a burkini ban in a Mediterranean town, in a decision Friday that should set legal precedent regarding a swimsuit crackdown that has divided the country and provoked shock around the world. The ruling by the Council of State on Friday specifically concerns a ban on ... Read More »
Amber Heard has demanded that Johnny Depp double the amount that is paid to charity following their divorce settlement. She recently pledged to donate the $7m (£5.3m) settlement to two charities for abused women and ill children. But he has begun to donate the money directly in her name, instead ... Read More »
A larger-than-expected employment gain in July could boost the recovery in prices for luxury U.S. homes. Stock market volatility caused a drop in luxury values in the first quarter of this year, but prices recovered slightly in the second quarter, rising 0.8 percent annually, according to Redfin, a real estate ... Read More »
Homebuilder stocks gained Monday as builders showed more confidence in the market for new homes in August. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) rose more than 1 percent at its high, led by shares of Toll Brothers, CalAtlantic and Taylor Morrison, which all gained about 2 percent. The National Association ... Read More »
A shortage of existing homes for sale is boosting the market for newly-built homes, and fueling confidence among builders right along with it. A monthly reading of builder sentiment rose two points to 60 in August; anything above 50 is considered positive on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo ... Read More »
Mortgage apps down 4% lastweek Wednesday, 17 Aug 2016 | 7:32 AM ET|01:04 Even with mortgage interest rates sitting near record lows, mortgage applications failed to make any gains last week. Total application volume decreased 4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week from the previous week, according to ... Read More »
Five years after the housing recovery began, 5.9 million borrowers still owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. The so-called negative equity rate in the U.S. is falling, now at 12 percent of all mortgaged homeowners, according to Zillow, down from more than 14 percent a year ... Read More »
The push toward urban living is pushing the envelope for real estate developers, forcing them to become more creative with the space they have. That means squeezing taller buildings into slimmer spaces, multiplying the housing stock with micro-units and taking living space over the top — literally. Roof decks are ... Read More »
AMMAN — Donor countries have pledged close to $100 million to help Jordan enroll all Syrian refugee children in the kingdom in schools next month. In the previous school year, 145,000 Syrian children in Jordan attended school, while 91,000 didn’t, in part because of overcrowding. Jordan is now adding a ... Read More »
New York City’s Department of Education on Monday recommended renewing its contract with Pearson PLC, a six-year deal worth up to $13.4 million in which the education company would continue providing entrance exams for the city’s specialized high schools. Every year about 30,000 eighth-graders take the admissions test in the ... Read More »
