当地时间11月25日，迪拜(Dubai)政府宣布将重组最大国企迪拜世界，负债590亿美元的迪拜世界请求延缓偿还债务。这一消息引发全球恐慌情绪，重挫了金融市场。此次迪拜金融危机波及最严重的除了银行外，还有众多在棕榈岛置产的欧美明星和名流。

　　明星及运动员们纷纷购买位于迪拜朱美拉棕榈岛(一个伸入海湾的高档住宅区)上的别墅，据悉，这其中就有大卫贝克汉姆和布拉德皮特。但今年当房产泡沫破灭的时候，这些投资者眼睁睁地看着他们的投资缩水贬值。昨日，开发棕榈岛项目的Nakheel公司及其母公司申请延缓偿债，这无疑使投资者的境遇雪上加霜。

　　David Beckham and Brad Pitt are believed to be among the celebrities and sportsmen who bought villas in Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, a luxury development that juts out into the Gulf. But when the property bubble burst this year, residents saw the value of their investments collapse. Yesterday their situation worsened as Nakheel, the developer, and its state-owned parent made a request to suspend debt repayments。

　　这一消息震惊了全球的信贷市场，也使得分析家们质疑迪拜——这个阿联酋人口密度第一大的城市，是否有能力还清债务。人们担心Nakheel公司可能无法继续开发棕榈岛及其邻近的一些项目，进而留给迪拜及其沿海水域一堆烂摊子。

　　The statement rocked credit markets around the world and prompted analysts to question whether Dubai, the most populous of the United Arab Emirates, will be able to meet its obligations. The concern is that Nakheel will be unable to continue developing the Palm and neighbouring projects, leaving Dubai and its coastal waters an ugly, unfinished construction site。

　　2002年当棕榈岛上的2000栋别墅及高级住宅被标价出售时，一个月内所有房子就全部售出了。当时正值英格兰足球队前往参加日韩世界杯比赛，期间在迪拜稍作停留，一些队员中途购买了这座人工岛上价值一百万欧元的房产。有报道称，迈克尔欧文、大卫•詹姆斯、乔•科尔、安迪•科尔以及基隆•代尔都效仿贝尔汉姆，分别在岛上置办了房产。布拉德皮特和安吉丽娜朱莉据说也在迪拜购置了住宅。

　　When the 2,000 villas and townhouses on the Palm went on sale in 2002, they sold out in a month. Passing through en route to the World Cup in Japan and Korea were the England football team, and several players stopped off to sign up for £1 million properties on the artificial island, with Michael Owen, David James, Joe Cole, Andy Cole and Kieron Dyer, it was reported, joining Beckham on the beaches. Pitt and Angelina Jolie are also said to have bought homes。

　　乔•科尔是及少数及时逃出房产泡沫的投资人之一。去年夏天当房产泡沫急剧膨胀的时候，这位切尔西队成员以350万美元(合210万欧元)的价格卖出了自己的别墅。

　　Joe Cole was one of the few who got out in time. The Chelsea player sold his villa for about $3.5 million (£2.1 million) last summer as Dubai’s property bubble approached bursting point。

　　一年前，朱美拉棕榈岛上的亚特兰蒂斯酒店开业时，曾斥资2000万美元举办开幕聚会，并邀请凯莉米洛作为嘉宾出席，这一举动使得迪拜自诩的世界第八大奇迹 ——棕榈岛的称呼更加令人信服，也进一步巩固了迪拜作为名人，富豪新乐土的国际地位。花费100万美元的烟火表演为那些质疑房产能否持续繁荣的人放宽了心。

　　When the Atlantis hotel was opened on Palm Jumeirah a year ago with a $20 million party headlined by Kylie Minogue, it was supposed to crown the island’s self-styled reputation as an Eighth Wonder of the World. It was also supposed to cement Dubai’s position as a new playground for the rich and famous. The $1 million firework display helped to distract attention from a construction boom running out of steam。

　　迪拜政府曾极力否认问题的存在，并于近期宣称今年人口数目将增加40万。面对所有预测经济将暴跌的独立评估报告，政府方面置之不理。曾有一则轶事：一辆汽车被丢弃在迪拜机场，杂物箱里还有一些信用卡，这个故事被传得神乎其神，而迪拜政府并不想给人们留下这样的印象。

　　The Dubai government has done its best to deny that a problem exists, claiming recently that the population would rise this year by 400,000, flying in the face of all independent assessments, which predict a sharp fall. The anecdotal stories of cars abandoned at Dubai International airport with credit cards in the glove box have become the stuff of legend, and not the image that the government has sought to project。

　　迪拜世界集团的一些业务仍然业绩良好，尤其是作为全球第三大港口运营商的迪拜环球港务集团(DP World)，该集团于2006年收购了P&O集团。迪拜环球港务集团在英国也拥有一些港口，如位于埃塞克斯的蒂尔布利港。但这部分的业务，尤其是Nakheel公司，都是建立在资产激增的基础之上。如果信贷市场恢复元气，建筑业能够真正地再次起步，那么它们有可能继续在业内挣得一片市场。尽管如此，银行家们对于地产业的信心可能已经大打折扣了。

　　Some parts of Dubai World remain strong, in particular DP World, the third-largest international ports operator, which bought P&O in 2006. DP World also owns ports in Britain such as Tilbury in Essex. But those parts of the business that were founded on the property boom, and Nakheel in particular, are likely to continue to struggle until the property market recovers and construction can begin again in earnest. Even then, bankers’ confidence in the business may be shot。