Tag Archives: exclusive
The First Team’s football star Owen announces retirement
The First Group’s sporting ambassador Michael Owen reveals he’ll step down from professional football at the end of the season Dubai, UAE: English footballing hero and First Team member, Michael Owen, has recently announced he is to retire from professional football. The 33 year old former Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid striker who currently plays for Stoke City, will hang up his football boots at the end of this season. “It is with an immense amount of pride that I am announcing my intention to retire from Professional Football at the end of this season,” said Owen in a statement. “Having progressed through the ranks at Liverpool to make my first team debut at 17, before embarking upon spells at Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, not to mention representing my country on 89 occasions, I now feel it is the right time to bring the curtain down on my career.” BBC Sports Personality and European footballer of the year, Owen first played for the senior England team in 1998, becoming England’s youngest player and goalscorer at that time. He is also the only player to have scored in four major tournaments for England and is the country’s tenth most-capped player and fourth leading goalscorer behind Sir Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker and Jimmy Greaves. “Michael has had an outstanding career and we wish him every success for his future,” commented Danny Lubert, co-founder and joint chairman of The First Group. “It is a real honour to have such a sporting legend on board with us and we are delighted to confirm that he will continue to be a part of The First Team.” As well as being a brand ambassador for The First Group, Owen is a property owner at The Diamond and The Bridge in Dubai Sports City. He is part of a host of sporting celebrities on The First Team; including fellow footballers Nwankwo Kanu and Andriy Shevchenko, Russian Tennis star, Svetlana Kutznetsova and a Rugby player, Bryan Habana. Continue reading
Tech free zones report sharp upturn in demand
Leaders of two of Dubai's leading technology business parks have confirmed the demand for tenancies in the area is spiralling upwards.Dubai Internet City (DIC) and Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ) reported growth of 15 per cent in 2012, with 160 companies signing up for office space in one of the two clusters throughout the year.Some of the world's most recognisable technology firms increased their presence in the Middle East in the last 12 months and it is no shock to learn that DIC and DOZ chiefs are very optimistic about the future.”2012 was a particularly strong year for our cluster. Not only did we welcome some of the industry's biggest players such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Interglobe, we also saw the expansion of existing partners,” commented Malek Al Malek, managing director of both free zones.Mr Al Malek added that he was particularly keen to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have moved into the parks to flourish.”The support and nurturing of SMEs and entrepreneurs has also been a key area of focus for us in 2012 and will continue to be in 2013,” he continued.Dubai has quickly emerged as an important global hub when it comes to technology.A number of high-profile exhibitions and conferences held by leading organisations such as Gartner have been staged in the emirate in recent years and the Middle East is a market that technology providers can no longer afford to ignore.Last month, senior figures at the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority revealed that the park brought in profits of AED 165.4 million last year, which was a 26 per cent improvement on 2011.Chairman of the park Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum said there had been a “strategic effort” to attract the biggest and best multinational corporations to the Gulf.All told, 711 companies operate from the Dubai Silicon Oasis and this number is expected to rise sharply in the coming years. Continue reading
World-class gold refinery to be built in Dubai
Dubai's status as an international investment hub will be enhanced when a world-class gold refinery is built in the city in the next year.Leaders of Kaloti Group – one of the largest and most respected precious metal traders on the planet – have announced that the facility will be erected in the Jumeirah Lakes Towers Free Zone.The project is due to be finished in 2014 and it will be one of the largest refineries in the world.There is huge demand for Kaloti's products at the moment and the new refinery will enable the firm to triple its output.Munir Kaloti, chairman of Kaloti Group, confirmed that the complex will be specially built with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind and the company is committed to raising awareness of responsible mining issues.It will also be the first refinery to implement Green Building Standards, which have been brought in by the Dubai Municipality.”This represents a major investment in expanding and upgrading our refining facilities. This will be a state of the art refinery to rival the best in the world,” he remarked.”It will strengthen our ability to meet the growing international demand for our products as well as give us capacity for growth in the years ahead.”Dubai is renowned for being a playground for the rich and famous and it is home to some of the most exclusive jewellery boutiques on earth.With this in mind, it really is no surprise to see precious metal traders increasing their presence in this part of the Gulf.The emirate has also emerged as a diamond trading hotspot in the past few years, as stones worth US$39 billion (AED 143.25 billion) changed hands in the city in 2011, the National recently reported.Ahmed bin Sulayem, the executive chairman of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, told the news provider that the emirate has struck up partnerships with major diamond trading centres, including Antwerp, Mumbai and New York. Continue reading
