Moscow is reclaiming bragging rights for having Europe’s tallest building after losing the distinction for a few months to London.
The mixed office and residential tower called Mercury City has topped out at 338 metres, officials from its development company said.
The tower, sheathed in copper-coloured glass, actually became Europe’s tallest in September, while still under construction, when it exceeded London’s 310-metre Shard, according to the construction information company Emporis. (AP)
Nelson letter goes on sale
A letter from Lord Horatio Nelson to his long-time mistress Lady Emma Hamilton is up for sale.
The letter, dated circa 1801, adds insight to the 19th century scandal between the British naval leader and his lover. In it, Lord Nelson documents the turbulent love life between himself and his mistress. However, he takes care to note his devotion to her and vows to defend her integrity amidst the scandal.
At the time of the letter, Lady Hamilton had given birth to their child and their affair was public. Despite Lord Nelson’s wife’s demands, he refused to relinquish Lady Hamilton as his mistress and eventually left his wife. (AP)
Fatal Halloween stampede
A stampede in an arena where thousands of people were attending a Halloween party has killed three women and critically injured two in the Spanish capital Madrid.
It happened just after 4am yesterday in a passageway inside the venue leading to the concert area at Madrid Arena, where the disco-style party was under way. Someone set off a flare or a firework, causing the stampede that trampled the five young women.
Thousands of people were attending the party when the stampede occurred, leaving the victims with trauma injuries or breathing and heart failure. Halloween has recently become a popular festivity in Spain, coinciding with the traditional feast of All Saints. (AP)
‘Dirty’ parrot looking for new home
A foul-mouthed parrot is looking for a new home – provided a new owner is tolerant enough to put up with his bad language.
Beaky, a chattering lory, often turns the air blue with words such as f*** and stupid.
The bird learned the ripe language from his previous owner but the RSPCA is now looking to rehome him along with a second parrot, a crimson rosella called Captain Scarlet.
Trunking around
Scientists have discovered an elephant that can speak the Korean language.
But Koshik, who talks by putting its trunk in his mouth, has a vocabulary of just five words, researchers reported in the journal Current Biology.
The elephant was recorded at a zoo in South Korea imitating human speech for words that translate into English as “hello”, “sit down”, “no”, “lie down” and “good”. But it is not believed the elephant means what it says!
Higher pain threshold
Men can tolerate more pain than women and are less likelyto react to it, researchers have found.
Gender stereotypes mean men tend to act stoically when they are hurt, whereas women show more sensitivity, according to a study by Leeds Metropolitan University.
Pain scientist Dr Osama Tashani said men had higher pain thresholds and reported less pain intensity than women irrespective of nationality during the two-year study, published in the European Journal of Pain.