World’s tallest building in Dubai moves closer to completion as exterior cladding work ends

September 29th, 2009 DUBAI - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and US defence authorities held a meeting here to review the arrangements for the upcoming Dubai Airshow Nov 15-19, WAM news agency reported Tuesday. The 11th Dubai Airshow is the foremost aerospace event in the Middle East and is the fastest growing airshow in the world, the report said.

September 22nd, 2009 DUBAI - A record 97,527 passengers used the Dubai Metro on the first day of Eid holidays Sunday, WAM news agency reported Tuesday citing statistics released by the Dubai Road Transport Authority (RTA) Rail Agency. Aysha Al Busmait, director of RTA's Customer Service Centres Department, said the "Musanada Team" (Support) formed by the department was available at the metro stations and has been providing support and guidance to the public in the use of metro services.

August 25th, 2009 DUBAI - Despite the worst recession in modern history, the world's tallest tower, Burj Dubai, continues to retain its reputation as one of the most expensive addresses in Dubai, according to Middle East property experts. Apartment prices in the tower are stabilising, experts say, with a two-bedroom apartment on the 57th floor available for one million pounds, Sky News reports.

August 16th, 2009 DUBAI - An eight-storey building under construction in central Dubai collapsed Sunday, a media report said. It was not initially clear if there were any victims, although a number of nearby parked cars were destroyed.

August 12th, 2009 70-ton column is largest installed at WTC towerNEW YORK — Builders of the tallest office tower under construction at ground zero have set a 70-ton piece of steel into place — the largest column installed yet at the building. Three more columns are set to go up Thursday, and 24 by the fall at One World Trade Center, also known as the Freedom Tower.

July 24th, 2009 DUBAI - The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has launched a campaign to encourage customers to use modern communications technology and e-payment solutions, WAM news agency reported Friday. Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority said that DEWA has taken measures to facilitate the use of e-payment solutions by using state of the art computers to help customers register with the e-payment service.

July 13th, 2009 DUBAI - The next edition of the Dubai Airshow, considered as the fastest growing airshow in the world, will feature some top brands in the aerospace industry this time, the organisers have said. Airbus with the EADS group will join the Dubai-based international airline Emirates during the biennial show, for which a new exhibition area has been developed to accommodate the unprecedented number of participants and visitors, WAM news agency reported.

July 13th, 2009 Dubai: World's tallest tower to open this yearDUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Middle Eastern developer building the world's tallest skyscraper vowed Monday to complete the tower by year's end, though the exact date remains uncertain. Completing the spindly structure, visible for miles around, would give Emaar Properties and its hometown, Dubai, a significant public relations boost at a time when both are reeling from a severe property slump exacerbated by the global recession.

July 6th, 2009 DUBAI - The Dubai Airshow 2009 will be held Nov 15-19 this year, WAM news agency reported Monday. The event, organised by the government of Dubai in collaboration with the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is a major aerospace event in the Middle East.

June 30th, 2009 S&P cuts ratings of 3 Dubai-run entitiesCAIRO — A leading international ratings service said Tuesday it had cut its credit rating of three Dubai government-backed entities, voicing concerns about the emirate's willingness to continue backing some companies in the one-time Arab boomtown hard hit by the global recession. Standard & Poor's Ratings Service said it downgraded the ratings for port operator DP World, the Jebel Ali Free Zone and Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority, all of which had been on credit watch with negative implications since the end of April.

June 28th, 2009 Emaar to merge with rivals in DubaiCAIRO — The Dubai developer behind the world's tallest building plans to merge with three rivals owned by the sheikdom's ruler, in a consolidation aimed at better coping with a global meltdown fueled weakness in the one-time Arab boomtown's real estate sector. In a statement posted Sunday on the Dubai Financial Market's Web site, Emaar Properties PJSC said its proposed merger with Dubai Holding subsidiaries Dubai Properties LLC, Samar Dubai LLC and Tatweer LLC would create a company with an asset base of 194 billion dirhams ($52.8 billion) and a debt of 13.4 billion dirhams, or roughly 7 percent of the total assets.

June 14th, 2009 Saudi's Kingdom Holding reaches for the skyCAIRO — The Saudi investment firm run by a Saudi billionaire with a big Citigroup stake is pressing ahead with plans to build the world's tallest building despite the global meltdown. The announcement comes as the OPEC powerhouse nation taps cash surpluses from crude oil's record rally last year to offset the effects of the global recession.

April 14th, 2009 DUBAI - The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday claimed that it had the world's first cloned camel. Injaz, born in Dubai, is a female.

January 10th, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistan's dope-tainted fast bowler Mohammad Asif faces further trouble as the charge of possessing an illegal substance while in transit at the Dubai airport has been proved against him, television reports here said Sunday. Quoting unnamed government officials in Dubai, the reports said Asif has been proved guilty of carrying 0.24 gram of opium and will never be allowed to enter the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

December 23rd, 2008 PURI - Santa Claus is usually identified with snow, but artist Sudarsan Patnaik Wednesday claimed to have created the world's tallest sand replica of Father Christmas on the Puri beach in the state. 'The colourful sculpture of Santa Claus that I have created with the help of 15 of my students is 25 feet high - the tallest sand image in the world, so far as I know,' Patnaik told IANS.