Editor's choice: top real estate headlines worldwide

This week's top property news at a glance:

Billionaires’ superyachts anchor in Thames as 1% visit Olympics - BLOOMBERG
The Ilona white ship owned by Westfield Group Chairman Frank Lowy is one of the superyachts lined up on the Thames River for the Olympic Games in London alongside Britain’s biggest warship and more than a dozen tall ships and cruise liners. Lowy’s connection to the Games extends beyond the arrival of his yacht. Visitors to the Olympic Park will funnel through the Westfield Stratford City mall which opened in time for the Games and is Europe’s largest urban shopping centre.

Poland Sees Real-Estate Market Boom - WALL STREET JOURNAL
Robust economic growth and increased market transparency has attracted a bevy of notable foreign investors including AXA, Allianz and Peakside Capital. Cushman & Wakefield expects investment volume to drop slightly this year to EUR 2.25 bn from EUR 2.58 bn following a drop-off in Q2 but this is due to Eurozone issues and not a specifically Polish problem.

Sorgente eyes London trophy buildings - FINANCIAL TIMES
Sorgente, the Italian real estate company, has opened talks with institutional investors about raising the capital for trophy buildings in London and is preparing to launch a £400 mln fund .

Unlikely Gadfly Buzzes Tower's IPO - WALL STREET JOURNAL
A small activitist shareholder of the Empire State Building is blocking a plan to IPO the iconic New York tower. The plan to create the Empire State Realty Trust is being led by the Malkin family and is scheduled to include 17 other Malkin properties and raise up to $1 bn from an initial public offering within the next year.

Blackstone in no hurry to sell office portfolio - REUTERS
Blackstone Group LP is in no rush to sell its US office portfolio, the head of the private equity firm’s real estate unit said this week ahead of the group's Q2 earnings presentation. The office buildings include those Blackstone bought in a series of public-to-private takeovers in 2006 and 2007 of CarrAmerica, Equity Office Properties and Trizec Properties. Those properties were purchased by the funds Blackstone Real Estate Partners V and VI. Blackstone is on track to raise its latest real estate fund, Blackstone Real Estate Partners VII, with more than $12 bn committed to the $13 bn cap fund.