The National

Shares of Arabtec, builder of the Burj Khalifa world's tallest tower in Dubai, have surged this year on speculation investors are accumulating the stock on bets the company will benefit from regional infrastructure spending. Aabar Investments, the Abu Dhabi government company which owns stakes in Daimler and UniCredit, raised its ownership in Arabtec to 5.28 per cent this week.

The Metropolitan Hotel in Dubai is to be knocked down to make way for a Las Vegas-inspired luxury hotel project. The US$1.33 billion (Dh4.8bn) development on Sheikh Zayed Road is to include three luxury hotels with a total of 1,616 rooms and a theatre big enough to seat more than 1,000, Al Habtoor Group announced yesterday.

Alia Saeed Mohammed and Betlhem Belayneh Deslagn will be to looking to build on their success at the Arab Games when the compete in the 10,000 metres at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon later this month. A 3km Fun Run is also being staged during the Dubai Marathon event, which get underway from outside The Pavilion Downtown Dubai, opposite the Burj Khalifa.

"The Burj Khalifa is a global icon and I think many runners would love to say they have taken part in a race that takes place in the shadow of such an international symbol," said Ahmed Al Kamali, president of the UAE Athletic Federation, IAAF council member and general co-ordinator of the region's first IAAF Gold Label race.

Superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo's visit to Dubai Mall was cancelled today without explanation, leaving fans angry and disappointed. The player is due to visit a special needs centre tomorrow. In the evening, he will help to present an auction in aid of Save the Children at the Dh5,000-a-ticket Audi Football Night gala dinner at the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa.

On a bright autumn day in Milan last month, Giorgio Armani spent hours walking around a hotel, meticulously inspecting every last detail. The first Armani hotel opened last year in the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, in Dubai. But Mr Armani says he feels much more of an "emotional" connection with the Milan property.

A Picasso painting, a date with the film star Scarlett Johansson and a private yoga class with the actor Alec Baldwin will be auctioned for charity tomorrow. The auction will be held at the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa as part of the Dubai International Film Festival to raise funds for projects led by Oxfam GB and Dubai Cares in areas including Yemen and the Palestinian territories.

But although Tom Cruise's antics on the Burj Khalifa might - quite understandably - be the headline grabbers, the Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol shoot in Dubai didn't simply revolve around one, rather impressively reckless Hollywood A-lister.

The highlight of the fourth sequel of the Mission Impossible franchise is a breathtaking stunt by Cruise atop the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. The actor will attend the premiere of the film at the Dubai International Film Festival tomorrow night.

In the 23 months since it opened, the world's tallest building has been a magnet for base jumpers and free climbers. Now, an extreme balancing artist wants to perform a death-defying handstand on its summit. Eskil Ronningsbakken, a former circus performer from Norway, has asked the owners of the Burj Khalifa for permission to perform the stunt, which he hopes to be "contrary to all physical laws".