Abu Dhabi pines for a golden Christmas

Friday 17 December 2010 01:00 GMT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A hotel in Abu Dhabi is in the running for the accolade of having the world's most expensive Christmas tree.

The $11m (£7m) faux fir at the Emirates Palace hotel – which also boasts its own marina, heliport and a vending machine which dispenses real gold bars – stands 43ft (13m) tall and has been decorated with 131 trinkets crafted from gold, diamonds and sapphires. The hotel is now in line for an entry in Guinness World Records.

The current record holder is a $10.8m tree decorated by Swiss watch makers Piaget, which was unveiled in Tokyo in 2002.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Thank you for registering

Abu Dhabi pines for a golden Christmas

Join our commenting forum

Thank you for registering