The world's tallest building...
... officially opens today in Dubai.
In the midst of highly-publicized financial trouble, the city-state will cling to its reputation for the big and shiny with a fireworks display to mark the Burj Dubai's opening.
The building itself certainly captures attention. Check out the photo gallery on The Guardian's Web site.
Reaching more than 800 metres into the sky, the Burj Dubai shatters previous records.
Its observation deck will be on the 124th floor - and it boasts the highest occupied floor in the world.
You can see how the tower compares to other buildings on the BBC's page here.
To put it all into a Canadian perspective, the Dubai tower is at least 250 metres taller than our own C.N. Tower.
But behind all the glitz and glamour lurk some darker issues. Human rights groups are concerned about the treatment of migrant construction workers. Al Jazeera briefly mentions that angle in its coverage today - you can read that here.
Nicole Ireland, Producer, World Report
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