Postcard from Dubai

A TIME reporter attempts to pay a visit to The World, the collection of manmade islands off the coast of Dubai that has gone from dream to disappointment in the economic crisis.

1 minute read

October 12, 2009, 11:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


"Only one island, reportedly belonging to Sheik Mohammed, ended up occupied, its palms shading a large mansion. The 299 others are barren smears of sand. From his lonely vantage point in the eye of the World, the sheik, a horse-racing enthusiast and multibillionaire, recently waved aside Dubai's financial crisis - economists say the emirate is $80 billion in the hole - as a "passing cloud.""

Monday, October 12, 2009 in Time

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