NEWS

The ZM Breakfast team of Fletch, Vaughan and Megan have visited the famed Burj Khalifa during their week-long tour of Dubai - but it proved a tough ask for one of the presenters.

Giorgio Armani, the man behind one of the world’s biggest fashion chains, is in talks with advisers over funding to build his first hotel in Britain. He opened his first hotel in Dubai in collaboration with Emaar Properties in April last year and has a hotel in Milan. The two companies are working together on possible expansion in Paris, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai.

Eager crowds may catch their final glimpses of Tom Cruise this week as filming outside the Burj Khalifa for Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol wraps up. The Hollywood star has been dangling off the world's tallest tower this week, reprising his role as Ethan Hunt in the fourth instalment of the spy thrillers. On Saturday, he dropped down to the observation tower on the 124th floor to the shock - and delight - of tourists inside.

Breakfast in the clouds So, you won’t technically be ‘in the clouds’ but you get pretty close. Break your fast at At.mosphere in Burj Khalifa this weekend with their new...

The Al Rostamani Group subsidiary’s work on the project will allow Emaar Properties to strengthen the power network at its Downtown Dubai development as demand increases due to the wave of recently-announced projects such as the Emaar Residences Sky View and the Emaar The Address The BLVD towers.

The Burj Khalifa may have set another record yesterday when Afif Hanna, a five-day-old boy, visited the 124th floor. Afif’s parents, Amjad Hanna and Maram Haddad, said they took him to visit the observation deck of the world’s tallest building because it represented the sky-high ambitions they had for their first child. “If he can achieve the highest point in the world in five days, hopefully he can achieve much more,” said Mr Hanna. “I want him to be a big man.”

Emaar Properties saw strong demand for a $500 million seven-year Islamic bond, or sukuk, priced on Thursday, arranging banks said, in the latest sign that investor confidence in Dubai is returning as state-owned firms repay their debts. Orders worth $4.65 billion were placed for the sukuk from 185 individual investors, according to statistics provided by the lead banks.

Burj Khalifa has 900 studio, one-, two-, three- and four- bedroom apartments, while the Armani Residences has 144 fully furnished private apartments. It offers luxurious recreational and leisure facilities including four swimming pools, an exclusive residents’ lounge, health and wellness facilities. At mosphere, the world’s highest fine dining restaurant at Level 122 and At the Top, the world’s highest observatory deck with an outdoor terrace on Level 124 are the other attractions.

When the world’s tallest building was officially opened on Monday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, had an 828-metre surprise up his sleeve.

The mood is grim at the Address Hotel in Downtown Dubai. Overlooking the iconic Burj Khalifa, the hotel has become a vantage point for viewing the spectacular dancing fountain that comes to life several times a day. But as we wait for the arrival of two of the UAE’s most senior government leaders, smiles are hard to come by and the music from the fountains is being drowned out by talk of a second global recession.