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In a statement, building owner Emaar Properties blamed the closure on "unexpected high traffic," but then suggested that electrical problems were also at fault.

"Technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and subcontractors and the public will be informed upon completion," the company said.

A spokeswoman for Emaar was unable to provide further details.

Thousands of visitors have taken the elevator ride of just over a minute to the observation deck since it opened to the public on January 5, though advance bookings have meant many tourists looking to visit have struggled to find tickets.

Ticket holders affected by the shutdown are being offered the chance to rebook or receive refunds.

"All ticket holders who wish to rebook shall be given top priority," the company said, adding that it is "committed to the highest quality standards at Burj Khalifa."

Emaar did not say when the observation deck would reopen following Sunday's closure.

Dubai opened the 2,717-foot (828-meter) tower on January 4 in a blaze of fireworks that was televised around the world.

The Burj Khalifa boasts more than 160 stories. The exact number is not known. The observation deck is located on the 124th floor.

Toyota Prius Toyota has recalled 437,000 Prius worldwide

The recall of 437,000 Prius worldwide - 8,500 inthe UK - is the latest blow to Toyota, which is in the midst of recalling more than 7 million vehicles worldwide because of problems with floor mats, which can trap accelerator pedals, and faulty accelerator pedals that are slow to return to the idle position.

The 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid is the world's top-selling hybrid car.

"I apologise for causing trouble and worries for many customers over the quality and safety of Toyota," President Akio Toyoda said in Tokyo.

"We sincerely acknowledge safety concerns from our customers," he said.

"We have decided to recall as we regard safety for our customers as our foremost priority."

There have been about 200 complaints worldwide about a delay when the brakes in the Prius were pressed in cold conditions and on some bumpy roads. The delay doesn't indicate a brake failure.

The company says the problem can be fixed in 40 minutes with new software that oversees the controls of the antilock brakes.

In all 53,000 Priuses are being recalled in Europe, 223,000 in Japan and 133,000 in the US.

Toyota said it would suspend production of the Sai and Lexus HS250h in Japan as the company doesn't have the updated software for those models yet.

The last few days have reminded me of the speculative attacks on sterling and the Italian lira in September 1992. Europe’s finance ministers and central bankers at the time reacted with anger and incomprehension. Sterling’s central parity in the exchange rate mechanism was as unsustainable then as Greek public finances or Spanish wages are today. Today’s financial markets correctly perceive the eurozone as not addressing the imbalances. They are confused by shifting signals from Germany and France about a bail-out. Investors have concluded that the probability of a contagious default is rising. They are right.

What has not changed since the 1992 crisis is that European policymakers and their economic advisers still lack a basic understanding of how financial markets react to policies or, in this case, to a lack of policies. At the moment, it is totally unclear what would happen should one eurozone country become unable to refinance its debt. I suspect there will be a bail-out, but I am no longer as certain as I once was.