Burj Dubai rises as expats flee
DUBAI – The Burj Dubai tower, the tallest man-made structure in the world, is to have its “soft opening†on September 9.
The plan is to coincide the launch with the opening of the Dubai Metro transport system.
The tower has now risen to its final height of 818 metres. The spire has been erected and a beacon installed at the top.
The tower will have an observation deck on level 124, which will offer visitors a bird’s-eye view of the city and beyond.
The Burj Dubai launch comes as eal estate prices in the emirate are reported to have dropped by 30 percent or more over past months in some parts of the city and construction has been halted on several high profile developments.
Last month Times Online reported that Dubai police have found more than 3,000 cars outside Dubai’s international airport.
Most of the cars – four-wheel drives, saloons and “a few†Mercedes – had keys left in the ignition.
Some had used-to-the-limit credit cards in the glove box. Others had notes of apology attached to the windscreen.
They are said to be owned by out-of-work expatriates who fled Dubai owing huge amounts of money on their mortgages and credit cards.
Ian Jarrett
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