Danielle Bowling . Articles Rant on Mud sticks on builders in the UK, Bulgaria flounders in red tape and war-themed art becomes a "joke" in Lebanon. Global round up A 10-metre LED "beacon" to shine in Swansea, Venus Towers hits big money in Beirut and architects in Scotland face another tough year, in today's international news. New home sales enjoy three and a half year high The number of new homes sold in Australia sky-rocketed in August, making up for a flat mid-2009. Rant on Israeli architects rail against "anti-academic" decision, political egos balloon in Russia and why "iconic" architecture undermines citizens, in today's news digest. Developer defends 'unsustainable' choice A Darwin developer is defending its decision to choose aesthetics over sustainability on its new suburb project. Planning laws "hindering" competition in retail A new federal government policy statement has declared that planning laws "a barrier" to new supermarkets.