Tag Archives: exclusive
Fifa happy with progress of UAE stadia
Fifa officials are happy that the UAE will be ready to stage an international football tournament in October 2013.The sport's governing body has visited the six venues that are set to be used in the Fifa Under-17 World Cup UAE 2013 and they confirmed the six-day inspection went well.Games will be held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah and Sharjah between October 17th and November 8th.Fifa also ran the rule over 30 different training venues across the Arab country to check they are up to scratch.”The objective of these inspections is to assess how well the venues are making headway with their facilities in preparation to host the tournament in October,” a representative of the organisation remarked.”There has definitely been progress since our last visit to the UAE, but there is still work to be done before the venues are 100 per cent ready.”Director of the tournament Mohammed Abdulla bin Bdoua was quoted by Emirates 24/7 as saying this international competition will be the largest football event ever to take place in the UAE.The youth tournament was first introduced in 1985 and it is held every two years.UAE officials will be desperate to put on a good show and a successful competition could lead to bigger and better things in the future.The Middle East is not traditionally renowned for being a footballing hotbed, but there is no doubt that the game is growing in stature in this part of the world.Qatar will stage the 2022 Fifa World Cup and the UAE's Pro League is becoming more popular, with top players like Ghana's Asamoah Gyan and former Barcelona, Porto, Inter, Chelsea and Besiktas winger Ricardo Quaresma both currently plying their trade in Dubai.There is no question that Dubai's facilities are top notch too, as a number of professional clubs – including Swansea City, Sunderland, Queens Park Rangers, Borussia Monchengladbach and Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala – have held training camps in the city so far this season. Continue reading
Emirates to develop 5 towers in Dubai
Emirates Airline – one of the fastest-growing carriers in the world – has unveiled plans to build five new residential towers in the Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) free zone, which will be used to house hundreds of the company's employees.The firm has expanded significantly in recent years and now has more than 62,000 staff across 50 business units around the world.Bosses at the airline confirmed the organisation was planning to create another 2,700 jobs this year and this has heightened the need for new facilities.Emirates has signed an agreement with the DSO – which is owned by the Dubai government – and work to construct the 25-storey skyscrapers will commence in the third quarter of 2013.The airline's executive vice president Ali Mubarak Al Soori said the firm was keen to build within the DSO because of its excellent facilities and infrastructure.Mr Al Soori added that the deal cements Emirates' strong relationship with the technology park.”We are keen to build upon the synergy we share with DSO and continue to look at developing residential towers that provide our cabin crew with an ideal housing environment,” he remarked.Once the buildings are up and running they should be able to accommodate 2,000 of the company's employees at any one time.There is no doubt that the huge success of Emirates has been a major factor behind the rise of Dubai International Airport.The facility was recently confirmed as the second-busiest on earth and aviation experts are widely tipping the airport to overthrow London's Heathrow at the top of the standings within the next few years.Emirates has also become a world leader when it comes to adopting double-decker A380 aeroplanes.These huge planes are revolutionising air travel and figures released in February showed that a staggering 14 million passengers have completed a journey on an Emirates A380.This is very impressive, as the company did not add the vessels to its fleet until August 2008. Continue reading
Anticipation builds ahead of Happy Mondays gig
One of the most highly anticipated gigs of the year will take place at the Dubai Tennis Stadium tomorrow night (April 26th), as the original line-up of Manchester indie band the Happy Mondays finally get back together.The group epitomised the “Madchester” era of the late 1980s and early 1990s with their alternative rock/dance vibe and now they are set to bring their unique sound to the Middle East.There have been various versions of the Happy Mondays since they split up in 1993, but frontman Shaun Ryder has now convinced his brother Paul, Mark Day, Paul Davis, Gary Whelan, Mark 'Bez' Berry and Rowetta Satchell to join forces once again.In an interview with tabloid!, Ryder – who has appeared on numerous TV shows such as I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! – said the group are still sounding very good 20 years on, which bodes well for the band's Gulf-based fans.The band were famous for their controversial ways, but Ryder insists they have calmed down and this has made touring far less stressful.”To be really honest with you, it's a lot easier now than it was the first time round,” he was quoted as saying.”We are not young lads with drama. It's just a lot more enjoyable. Now we're all 50-year-old blokes – it's only Bez who's still 21 years old in his head.”This will be the Happy Mondays' sole appearance in the Middle East and the show is likely to be a very memorable one.Ryder admitted that the group came under increasing pressure to reunite after the Stone Roses reformed towards the end of 2011.Like the Mondays, the Stone Roses were keen to entertain their fans in Dubai and they put on a scintillating performance in the city in February.This all goes to show that the emirate is capable of attracting the very biggest and best names in the music industry. Continue reading
