Construction on the Kolkata Museum of Modern Art (KMOMA) has started in the city Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), India, reported artmediaagency.com. Unlike New Delhi and Mumbai, the city of Kolkata has no modern art museum, despite its traditional status as a center of art and culture. That is about to change - and in a big way - as the city prepares to build the largest museum of modern art in Asia, to be completed in 2015. According to business-standard.com, Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron has designed the Kolkata Museum of Modern Art, which will cost US$ 90.5 million to build and, at over 70 thousand square meters. Located in New Town, Rajarhat, in east Kolkata, the nine-story institution will feature 44 galleries, an auditorium, a library, and an amphitheater with a capacity for 1.500 people. The institution will build a permanent collection of both Asian and Western art. It will also include an academic wing and studios for visiting artists. Stores and restaurants will be developed alongside the museum. The museum is funded through a private-public partnership, with the West Bengal government providing US$ 30.2 million and the central government contributing US$ 33.1 million. The remaining funds will be raised from the private sector.

As reported by Spiegel.de, Egypt has given the nod to plans for a gigantic bridge across the Red Sea. It would provide the first direct road link between Arab North Africa and the Middle East -- but the project could upset Israel and Jordan. Egypt and Saudi Arabia hope to construct a giant bridge spanning the Gulf of Aqaba for road and rail traffic. Officials at Egypt's Ministry of Transportation have confirmed to SPIEGEL that the project, under discussion since 1988, has finally been approved. Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has reportedly put General Abdul Aziz, the chairman of the Arab Road Association, in charge of overseeing the project's implementation. The Gulf of Aqaba runs along the eastern edge of the Sinai Peninsula. Plans call for the 32 kilometer bridge to cross the narrow Strait of Tiran from Ras Nasrani, near the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, to Ras Hamid in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Parts of the bridge would be suspended. For the Arabs, the massive construction project would be a triumph. For the first time since 1948, when the modern state of Israel was founded, Arab states in North Africa would have a direct road link with fellow Arab states in the Middle East without having to cross Israeli territory. It would also reduce dependence on sometimes perilous ferry crossings over the Red Sea and Arab ports on the Mediterranean. Planners believe that tolls paid by millions of Muslim pilgrims on their way to holy sites in Saudi Arabia could make up for the roughly US$ 5 billion the bridge is expected to cost. They also believe the bridge will significantly increase the number of pilgrims. Five years ago, then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak abruptly put the monster project on ice shortly before construction began in response to security concerns voiced by neighboring Israel. This area of the Red Sea is highly important to Israel and Jordan as it provides them with access to the Indian Ocean.

Waterfront City, the flagship project to line the Joseph Khoury Marina stretch, was launched on July 13, in a breathtaking ceremony on-site, reported Zawya.com. The project, as was confirmed, will include residential, commercial and leisure facilities, to unfold in multiple phases over the next few years. Phase One of Waterfront City was launched, which will include 7 unique buildings, an uplifted promenade with cafes, restaurants and a retail zone. The project, located on the Mediterranean Sea, approximately 15 kilometer north of Beirut, is a product of a strong joint collaboration between Ste Joseph G. Khoury et Fils Holding and regional developer Majid Al Futtaim Properties. Architectural design belonged to ERGA Group, and SB Architects (from the United States). Covering a total area of over 193.6 thousand square meters, Waterfront City will serve as an unparalleled development in Lebanon, in terms of scale and offerings. With over 5 thousand luxurious residential units of varying sizes, catering to all the modern demands of the Lebanese buyer; a full-fledged commercial district, complete with a grand international shopping mall and numerous dining and entertainment options, along with a renowned hotel chain. The master-plans of the development have shown that it will be built around the famous Marina Club, offering residents an exclusive and calm lifestyle away from the city. A newly developed health club, gym and year round swimming pool will also be available to the residents to enhance the lifestyle offering and ensure convenience for active residents.

As reported by press-center of Ministry of Territorial Administration RA, third class irrigation channels Akhlatyan and Goris and pumping station Vorotan-2 were put into operation in Syunik region on July 15. All restoration works were funded by "Millennium Challenge Account - Armenia." To restore the channels Akhlatyan and Goris were invested US$ 82 thousand and US$ 328 thousand respectively. It should be noted, that this two channels together can irrigate about 160 hectares of agriculture lands. The restoration budget of pumping station Vorotan-2 was about US$ 2. 228 million. According to the press-center of Ministry, "Millennium Challenge Account - Armenia" has already provided about US$ 2. 7 million to reconstruct irrigation infrastructure in Syunik region.

As reported by london2012.com, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced the completion of its fifth venue, the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), on the 2012 London Olympic Park. The new centre will form part of the Main Media Complex, a 24-hour media hub which also includes the Main Press Centre (MPC). The complex will cater for over 20,000 broadcasters, photographers and print journalists, bringing the Games to an estimated four billion people across the world. The complex will also have a catering village and a multi-storey car park connects the two main venues together via a structure which includes a conference room for up to 700 people. The broadcasting centre has been designed by Allies and Morrison to be as flexible as possible to accommodate a range of potential tenants and uses after the games. The steel frame of the IBC is 275 meters long, 104 meters wide, 21 meters tall and big enough to house five jumbo jets. After the Games, the IBC has been designed to accommodate a range of potential tenants with hopes that major technology companies will move in.