A deal by China’s Anbang Insurance Group Co to purchase a landmark Southern California hotel near a major naval base from Blackstone Group LP was called off following opposition from US national security officials, according to people with knowledge of the decision. Blackstone ended the sale of the Hotel del Coronado near San Diego, worth an estimated US$1 billion, after concerns were raised by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the sale process was private. The interagency body, led by the Treasury Department, reviews acquisitions of American businesses by non-US entities for national-security risks. Anbang suffers second setback in overseas push as offer for US insurer put on hold; The iconic Victorian era hotel, where the 1959 Billy Wilder comedy Some Like It Hot starring Marylin Monroe was filmed, is one of the most valuable of the 16 luxury properties that were part of Strategic Hotels & Resorts, a real estate investment trust that Blackstone acquired last December for about US$6 billion.

The firm agreed in March to sell Strategic to Anbang for US$6.5 billion, and the Beijing-based company completed the purchase of 15 hotels last month, according to people with knowledge of the transaction. The remaining hotel is located on a peninsula that’s also home to the Naval Base Coronado. The base comprises eight installations that lie on either side of the hotel, including an air station, amphibious base, landing fields, radio receiving facility and warfare training centre. It’s one of the main training grounds for the Navy SEALs special forces. The sale’s termination delays Blackstone’s ability to cash out of its Strategic purchase at a profit. The Hotel del Coronado has an assessed value of US$588 million, though its market price is far higher. Representatives for Blackstone and Anbang declined to comment on the deal. Whitney Smith, a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, also declined to comment. CFIUS reviews are confidential. Anbang chairman’s close ties to China’s insurance regulator under strain amid setbacks on overseas deals

China’s growth into the world’s second-largest economy has spurred massive overseas investment and sparked tensions and concerns over cyber-espionage. Royal Philips NV in January cancelled the US$2.8 billion sale of its lighting-components unit to a group led by GO Scale Capital of China because of opposition from CFIUS. Anbang has been on a two-year spree for foreign assets. The insurer’s aggressive style of deal making and opaque ownership structure have raised concerns among regulators and investors. hanging egg chair europeDays after reaching the agreement to buy Strategic, the company launched a bidding war for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide before walking away three weeks later, leaving Starwood to be acquired by Marriott International last month. crazy creek chair ukCompleting the purchase of most of the Strategic portfolio helped to restore Anbang’s deal-making credibility.chairs for sale zimbabwe

With the Strategic purchase, Anbang owns properties including New York’s JW Marriott Essex House, the Westin St Francis in San Francisco, InterContinental Chicago, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Fairmont Chicago, Four Seasons in Washington and Ritz-Carlton resorts in Laguna Niguel and Half Moon Bay, California. Anbang set a record for a single US hotel acquisition with its February 2015 purchase of New York’s Waldorf Astoria for US$1.95 billion, a deal that CFIUS cleared. buy upholstered swivel chairsPresident Barack Obama bypassed the Waldorf when he visited New York the following September amid concern over cyberspying, breaking a tradition of presidential stays going back to the 1930s.dining chairs for sale edinburgh Anbang to convert Waldorf hotel into condo complexwood rocking chair cushions

CFIUS objections are seen as de facto outcomes and reviews rarely reach the point of the president stepping in to block a deal. One exception was when Obama, in 2012, stopped a Chinese-owned company from building wind farms near a US Navy base in Oregon. He ordered Ralls Corp to remove all property and installations from its sites and divest all of its interest in the wind-farm project, which was near a facility where the Navy conducts training for bombing and electronic combat manoeuvres and develops drones. Before 2012, the last transaction blocked on national-security grounds was in 1990, when President George H.W. Bush rejected the proposed acquisition of MAMCO Manufacturing Inc, a maker of motors and generators based in Washington state, by China National Aero-Technology and Export Corporation.Modern homes aren't well-known for being spacious - unless you have a few million pounds to splash out on a grand property. With tiny spare bedrooms, box cloakrooms and lounges merging into kitchens, space is at a premium in the majority of affordable properties.

So it's important to make the most of what you have. And a new infographic reveals how to do just that - with 14 furniture-arranging tricks to make your home feel bigger. First, plan your layout, according to the information by Amara. 'Think about where your furniture will go before you start with the heavy lifting. It'll save you time, effort and energy.' Then for step one, homeowners should consider the function of the room - how will it be used and by how many people? This, apparently, will help you to prioritise your furniture. When planning a social area, chairs should be no more than 8ft apart to help conversations to flow. For the second step, focus your room. 'Find a focal point of the room, such as a fireplace, large window or TV. Arrange furniture around this feature to give the room structure.' The infographic advises that if you plan to watch TV in the room, the ideal distance between the set and the seating is three times the size of the screen.

So, if you have a 40-inch set, your chair should be 120inches away. For step three, prioritise large pieces - think where the biggest piece of furniture (such as beds and sofas) will fit into the room, then plan around these. It adds: 'In bedrooms, allow at least 24 inches between the side of the bed and a wall, and at least 36 inches between the bed and a swinging door.' For the fourth step, think about layout. It says: 'A symmetrical layout will give rooms a formal feel, whereas asymmetrical arrangements will give a more causal feeling. This is particularly relevant for dining rooms.' The infographic then advises, in dining rooms, leaving at least 48 inches between each edge of the table and the nearest wall or piece of furniture. Or if traffic doesn't pass behind the chairs or one side of the table, 36 inches should suffice. Step five – is all about how to keep traffic moving. 'Think where traffic will flow. This is especially important in a room with two doors.

'Keep paths clear of obstacles and direct traffic around seating - not through it.' The infographic also advises leaving 30 to 48 inches of width for major traffic routes. Step six is all about comfort. Make sure coffee tables and lamps are all within reach of sitting areas. Coffee tables should be around 14 to 18 inches from a sofa to provide leg room. The second part of the infographic focusing on how homeowners can create space. In step seven, it advises positioning furniture about three inches from the wall, as it creates the illusion a wall is further away than it really is. For step eight, add stripes to elongate a room. 'Try a striped rug or sofa, and for best results, make sure lines align lengthways with the room.' Reflecting the room is step nine, with the use of mirrors advised to give the impression of extending the room - face it lengthways for optimal effect. Opting for glass tables and Lucite chairs will give the room an airy feel, advises step 10.