BBC News Updated every minute of every day

Added: Thursday, 3 December, 2009, 09:58 GMT 09:58 UK

It is a lesson for all developed as well as developing countries. It is not the exotic houses and palaces we need. All people in the WORLD need Healthy, Cheaper food, Healthy body till death with less man made ailment and Healthy Environment. These excess money related pleasures will not give peace to mankind. It is not 2012 which will kill people it is only these luxuries will make poor people poorer and kill them in masses than any past two world wars.

Mantha V Sharma, Amalapuram, India

Added: Thursday, 3 December, 2009, 09:41 GMT 09:41 UK

As an expat I am immensely grateful and indebted to the international media and press for highlighting what Dubai desperately attempts to hide. Dubai's leaders must know that it is futile and detrimental to hide the truth and ban any paper in this age and time. Dubai must mend its ways because it just cannot repeat its financial disaster and go running to mummy Abu Dhabi for help. Time to grow up and be responsible.

Zafar Khan, Abu Dhabi

Added: Thursday, 3 December, 2009, 09:28 GMT 09:28 UK

I shifted by business back to Pakistan because I cannot do business in a place where the facts and the truth are considered filth and swept under the carpet and because of Dubai's condescending attitude towards its' expatriates who have built the city from absolute nothing. Every expatriate who spent 10 years in the UAE deserves rights equal to those of the pampered locals. Dubai cannot just use, abuse and exploit its expatriates.

Aijaz Baig, Larkana

Added: Thursday, 3 December, 2009, 01:04 GMT 01:04 UK

As long as there is human greed,and a heady combo of western technical expertise with the cheap labour from asian sub-continent,Dubai dream will remain afloat.

arun mehta, mumbai, India

Added: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 23:27 GMT 23:27 UK

Today Dubai, Tomorrow Greece or another county..

Semih Barutcu, Samsun

Added: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 20:28 GMT 20:28 UK

Wait until USA, Great Britain starts defaulting on its loans then the wheel will fall off. Its clear the stimulas money should have gone into families hands to stop houses being repossessed, loan defaults etc.
Whats happening now is the banks are holding on to the cash, the car companies are using the cash to make everything appear rosy. Its a white wash or cover up of the real financial mess created by these clowns.Japan or Malysia hand the cash directly to the families to stimulate demand

Keith Rodgers, Calgary

Added: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 19:23 GMT 19:23 UK

and this over just a few billion dollars. What happens when the world finds out the US has been using what is essentially Monopoly Money for the past decade?

Groping For Sanity

Added: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 19:11 GMT 19:11 UK

The only lesson that can be learned is that a nation must keep her foot firmly on the ground always.Dubai thought that by construction of the tallest and largest structures it would become a mega city.It takes atleast half a century for a city to become a mega city.Dubai was just a small fishing village around 25 years back.

AXIS, Mumbai

Added: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 18:15 GMT 18:15 UK

Dubai will stay afloat no thanks to dubious and spurious experts and moneymen.

The reality is that the projects are excellent and need to be assisted by the moneymen, the Sheikh andhis mates.

Those who cannot profer wise counsel at this time show their ignorance, arrogance and basic lack of commonsense.

[ATrueblueOne]

Added: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 18:11 GMT 18:11 UK

One cannot compare Europe and the US to Dubai.
Dubai's debts actually exceed its GPD. The country produces almost nothing and relies on oil sales and although it needed to collect taxes to pay for its expansion refused to do so. It now has no money and little prosects of raising any any except through the good graces of the UAE. What then, it still produces little, has to import almost everthing, has lots of empty real estate, little earnings and nothing to offer investors.

[mikebarry], Rochester, United States

Added: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 16:36 GMT 16:36 UK

Will all debt be written off, Dubai, UL, America, afterall fairs fair. The emerging nations had a lot of their debt written off why cann't we.

[happybrian123]

Added: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 15:51 GMT 15:51 UK

It is high time democracy is encouraged in the region. Autocracy and freedom of expression and accountability and transparency can never go hand in hand. For the welfare of the Arabian gulf, its citizens and powerful expatriate residents, the west and India must urge the local autocratic governments to accomodate democracy and its rich values. It is utterly preposterous for a family to decide the fate of a nation. In the long run, strong economies can only be sustained by democracies...

Raju B Muralikrishnan, Mumbai

Added: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 15:32 GMT 15:32 UK

The lesson we learn is that share business is a gambling that has ups and downs.

A R Shams, Pakistan

Added: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 15:24 GMT 15:24 UK

It is unbeleivable how many intelligent people gobbled the
lies of the Dubai Officials .It was evident that the Dubai enterprise was built on SAND. and it did not take long to crumble .

gilbert miles, USA

Added: Wednesday, 2 December, 2009, 14:55 GMT 14:55 UK

What astounds me is how could Dubai authorities tell utter lies to the World Economic Forum just a few days before announcing their financial crisis? Dubai will pay a heavy price for muzzling the media. It would be suicidal to invest in a place where the simple truth is always considered anathema and a punishable offence.

Shekar Ramaswamy, Dubai