The National

With a beaming smile, Noah Larkin savoured every moment of his big day at the Burj Khalifa as he was given the rare opportunity to go up to the tower's 154th floor - 30 storeys higher than the public observation deck. "I loved it, it was awesome," said the boy from Orlando, Florida.

The majority of those losses came from writing down the value of a contract to construct the interiors of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Depa is involved in a dispute over variations made to the order and delays, but it did not identify the company with which it was in negotiations. An executive said last year it was not Emaar Properties, the developer of the tower.

A turbulent quarter for the Middle East saw UAE stocks falling, but a strong rally this month limited the losses for Dubai's listed companies as traders started to see the emirate as a clear beneficiary of the region's troubles.

A man dubbed the 'French Spider-Man' today described reaching the top of the world's tallest building as "an amazing sight and an amazing feeling". Alain Robert took six hours, 14 minutes and 55 seconds to scramble to the top of the Burj Khalifa, completing the feat at the top of the antenna at 12.07am today.

Launched two weeks ago, the service connects five destinations within the 500acre development that includes the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa, but some bus drivers are struggling to navigate through tight spots designed for cars. The shuttle service is made up of three bright red 25-seater buses.

The lights of the Burj Khalifa will go out and cities across the nation will be plunged into darkness this evening as the UAE's landmark buildings join the Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House and New York's Times Square in observing the biggest climate change awareness event in the world.

The French “spider-man” Alain Robert will climb the Burj Khalifa on Monday after the building’s owner gave him the go-ahead. The 48-year-old, who has made his name free climbing other towers around the world, has agreed to wear a safety harness to satisfy a condition set by Emaar, the owner and builder of the tower.

The Missoni hotel, reflecting the designs of the Italian fashion house, has bold colours and striped and floral patterns throughout. Missoni, along with Versace, Armani and Bulgari, is part of a trend that has emerged in recent years for fashion names to move into hospitality.

The event, which took place at the Armani hotel in the Burj Khalifa two weeks ago, was so successful that Unicef doubled the initial estimates of what could be done with the money. The organisers now plan to run an annual fund-raiser that focuses on a different element of the reconstruction and rebuilding effort in Pakistan.

The climber Alain Robert has scaled more than 120 buildings, most of them with only his bare hands. But a year after stating his ambition to climb the Burj Khalifa shortly after its opening, the "French Spider-Man" has yet to achieve his most coveted goal.