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Dubai-based real estate giant Emaar Properties said on Sunday it posted an 82 percent surge in net profits in the first half of 2012 as retail and hospitality grew, costs fell and a write-off was not repeated.

Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower and perhaps the poshest address in the Gulf, is fast acquiring a distinct Indian identity. Indians now own more than a hundred of 900 apartments in Dubai's 828-metre skyscraper, a sign of the growing financial power of the community in the West Asia. "Indians have bought between 100 and 150 apartments since its completion in 2010," an executive of project developer Emaar Properties said on condition of anonymity.

Nasdaq Dubai, the region’s international exchange, welcomed on Thursday listing of a 
$500 million sukuk on its market by Emaar Properties, the Dubai-based global property developer. The listing is the first by Emaar on Nasdaq Dubai and constitutes the second drawdown under the company’s recently updated $2 billion Trust Certificate Issuance Programme.

The Address Hotels + Resorts, the five-star premium hotel brand of Emaar Hospitality Group, has announced the launch of special Iftar and Suhour buffets for the month of Ramadan. The Address Downtown Dubai, The Address Dubai Mall, Dubai Marina and The Palace – The Old Town; are offering an unprecedented experience that suits the spirit of the Holy Month, a statement from a hotel official said.

Emaar Hospitality Group, the hospitality and leisure subsidiary of global property developer Emaar Properties, has acquired the management of Al Manzil and Qamardeen hotels, two key hospitality assets of Emaar, located in Downtown Dubai. The two hotels were earlier managed by Southern Sun Hotel Group.

The Burj Khalifa—currently the tallest building in the world and a landmark on the Dubai skyline—was lauded for its luxury apartments and deluxe amenities when it opened in 2010. Investors called the building "distressed" back in February, bringing to mind other super-ambitious real estate projects that have failed in the emirate in recent years.

President Barack Obama ventured onto the hallowed ground of the World Trade Center site Thursday, getting a firsthand look at the skyscraper being built to replace the twin towers destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The Ara Gallery and At the Top, Burj Khalifa have announced “Art At the Top,” a competition giving one artist the chance to have his or her artwork displayed on a featured wall in At the Top, Burj Khalifa. The competition began on Monday with a call to Emirati artists around the UAE to submit their portfolios. The deadline for portfolio submission is on July 15.

Facebook Inc. launched its first office in the Arab world Wednesday, aiming to drum up new advertising business from Dubai as investors fret over its struggling share price. The online meet-up site and other social networking tools were instrumental in connecting activists during the wave of protests and revolutions that reverberated across the region last year.

Guinness World Records has officially recognized TAMEER's Princess Tower as the world's tallest residential building, towering over the Dubai Marina skyline at 414m from base to tip.