tagged w/ Raw Intel
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Italian designer Giorgio Armani opened his first hotel at the world's tallest tower in Dubai on Tuesday (April 27), giving a boost to the Gulf Arab emirate's bid to recover from a debt crisis.
The designer brought his trademark minimalist style to a city famous for excess, with the Armani Hotel Dubai designed with an understated palette of cream and earth colours.
Armani -- whose business is worth around 2.4 billion USD a year in sales -- partnered with Emaar Properties, the Arab world's largest listed developer, in 2005 to develop a series of hotels, resorts and residences in key cities around the world.
From man-made islands shaped like palm trees to an indoor ski slope in the desert, Dubai has marketed itself as the city of bling, putting itself on the map with a bigger is better policy.
A standard room in the hotel, which does not have a single picture on its walls, will cost 4,000 dirhams (1,089USD) a night, while the best suite has a price tag of 40,000 dirhams.
A table at the Prive lounge, which is home to the world's largest LCD screen, will cost at least 3,000 dirhams a visit, as guests can feast their eyes on Armani shows and videos.
The 160-room Armani hotel occupies six floors in the Burj Khalifa tower, which opened on January 4, in addition to eight floors dedicated to 144 Armani luxurious residences.
The two parties declined to reveal the cost of the hotel.
Dubai, one of seven members comprising the United Arab Emirates and the Arab world's trade and tourism hub, saw the sharpest drop in hotel revenues in the Middle East for 2009, hit by the global financial crisis.
The heavily indebted emirate generates around 19 percent of its gross domestic product from tourism and its economy has suffered as people tightened budgets after the crisis.
Dubai's construction boom started when it first allowed foreigners to buy into its property market in 2002. Luxury resorts, hotels, serviced apartments and holiday villas mushroomed, drawing nearly 7 million tourists in 2007.
The Middle East, despite being hit by the global downturn, has shown some resilience over the past year with revenue dropping less than other regions, industry figures showed.
Dubai's hotel market is closest to the bottom of the cycle and is showing signs of recovery with beach hotels leading the way and showing positive growth, a recent report by real estate service company Jones Lang LaSalle said.Italian designer Giorgio Armani opened his first hotel at the world's tallest... more
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A major 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck near the Mexico-California border on April 4, killing at least one person.
The relatively shallow quake was centered in a lightly populated area in northeastern Baja California near the city of Mexicali on the U.S. border, knocking out power in chunks of the city and cutting off most phone communications.
The U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS, originally measured the quake as 6.9 but later raised it to 7.2, a magnitude that can cause serious damage to urban areas. It also revised the depth of the quake to 6.2 miles (10 km) from 20 miles.A major 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck near the Mexico-California border on April 4,... more
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Nine people were missing in the aftermath of flash flooding that struck the Şavşat district of Artvin province on Wednesday afternoon. The flooding followed about two hours of heavy rains that caused the Tigrat River to overflow into the Yenimahalle district, resulting in the destruction of two bridges and submerging a mill and a barn. Local authorities said that nine people were reported missing. Two people reportedly died in a mudslide in the Black Sea province of Ordu.Nine people were missing in the aftermath of flash flooding that struck the... more
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All 168 passengers and crew have died in a Caspian Airlines plane crash in northern Iran. The wreckage was spread over a large area in a field in Jannatabad village, Qazvin province, about 75 miles (120km) north-west of Tehran. The Tupolev plane was flying from the Iranian capital to Yerevan in Armenia, with mostly Iranian passengers. The cause of the crash, which happened soon after take-off, was unknown. One witness said it plummeted from the sky. The flight crashed 16 minutes after its take-off from the International Imam Khomeini Airport. No problems were reported before take-off.All 168 passengers and crew have died in a Caspian Airlines plane crash in northern... more
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Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday she is resigning from office at the end of the month.Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday she is resigning from office at the end of... more
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The Los Angeles Fire Department has released the 911 call placed from Michael Jackson's home by an unknown caller on Thursday 6/26/09. Jackson, 50, was pronounced dead later that day after arriving at the hospital.The Los Angeles Fire Department has released the 911 call placed from Michael... more
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A huge blast has partially demolished a hotel in Pakistan, killing at least 11 people and injuring dozens.
For more news video by Current TV visit http://current.com/A huge blast has partially demolished a hotel in Pakistan, killing at least 11 people... more
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Iran launched a missile with a range of around 2,000 km (1,200 miles), and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the Islamic state could send any attacker "to hell."
For more news video by Current TV visit http://current.com/Iran launched a missile with a range of around 2,000 km (1,200 miles), and President... more
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Northern Brazil has been struck with some very harsh floods killing up to 30 people and displacing 200,000 people from their homes.
For more news video by Current TV visit http://current.com/Northern Brazil has been struck with some very harsh floods killing up to 30 people... more
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British lawmakers called for a full criminal investigation into the policing of protests against the Group of 20 summit after a video recording showed an officer pushing a man to the ground shortly before he died of a heart attack.
This footage was obtained by the Guardian.co.uk.British lawmakers called for a full criminal investigation into the policing of... more
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G-20 protesters clashed with riot police in downtown London on Wednesday, breaking into the heavily guarded Royal Bank of Scotland and smashing its windows.G-20 protesters clashed with riot police in downtown London on Wednesday, breaking... more
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A FedEx cargo aircraft crashed on landing at Tokyo's Narita airport in strong winds, bursting into flames and killing two pilots on board.A FedEx cargo aircraft crashed on landing at Tokyo's Narita airport in strong... more
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An underwater volcano erupts near the capital of Tonga in the South Pacific, spewing steam, smoke and ash into the sky.An underwater volcano erupts near the capital of Tonga in the South Pacific, spewing... more
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A man broke into Revision3 COO David Prager's home and instead of calling the cops he streams it live to the world through Twitter and Ustream. Here's a short clip from the debacle.A man broke into Revision3 COO David Prager's home and instead of calling the... more
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Sudan's president told thousands of cheering supporters on Thursday, March 05, an international call for his arrest on war crimes charges was a colonialist ploy and announced the expulsion of 10 foreign aid agencies.Sudan's president told thousands of cheering supporters on Thursday, March 05, an... more
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Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, known to most as A-Rod, holds a press conference to discuss his past use of performance enhancing drugs.
Saying he was "curious" and calling it a "stupid mistake," Rodriguez gave details about how he and a nameless cousin experimented with steroids from 2001 through 2003 while he was a member of the Texas Rangers.Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, known to most as A-Rod, holds a press conference to... more
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Michael Phelps apologizes to his Chinese fans after a photograph of him smoking marijuana was leaked to a British tabloid on February 2nd.Michael Phelps apologizes to his Chinese fans after a photograph of him smoking... more
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Mickey Rourke gave a swear laden, emotional and funny speech after winning a BAFTA award for best actor in his movie "The Wrestler."Mickey Rourke gave a swear laden, emotional and funny speech after winning a BAFTA... more
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Christian Bale went on KROQ's morning radio show "Kevin & Bean" to apologize for his irresponsible tirade on the set of one of his movies.Christian Bale went on KROQ's morning radio show "Kevin & Bean" to... more
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Some clips from Obama's audiobook version of Dreams of My Father have been popping up all over the web, featuring the President imitating his foul-mouthed childhood friend, Ray.Some clips from Obama's audiobook version of Dreams of My Father have been... more
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