German runner Thomas Dold yesterday bolted up 86 flights of stairs to win a race up New York's landmark Empire State Building in just over 10 minutes.
It was a fifth straight win in the oddball contest for the Stuttgart native, 25, who clocked a 10-minute, 16-second time in scaling the skyscraper's 1,576 steps.
In the women's competition, New Zealander Melissa Moon, 40, was first up the Art Deco tower famously climbed by King Kong on the silver screen.
This year, more than 200 people competed including two 18-year-olds and a 70-something American woman who made it to the top in 22 minutes 35 seconds. (AFP)
Living room gig
They wouldn't normally do this kind of thing, but the Pet Shop Boys surprised a fan by playing a gig in her living room.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe took a ride to suburbia to swap full houses for a half-empty home as they played a selection of hits.
Lorraine Sands, a project manager, of Twickenham, south west London, won the private performance in a competition to tie in with this month's Brit Awards. The MasterCard Priceless Gig was arranged to celebrate this year's 30th anniversary of the Brits. (PA)
No mastermind
A Mastermind contestant said "it wasn't my night" after recording the show's lowest ever score.
Software analyst Kajen Thuraaisingham, 28, from London, gained just five points - the lowest figure in the history of the BBC programme which has been running for nearly 40 years.
Mr Thuraaisingham gained four points in his specialist subject which centred around the life of founder of modern Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He followed this up in the general knowledge round by gaining just one point. Two months earlier Michael Burton, whose chosen subject was angels, recorded a score of seven. (PA)
Patriotic cabbies
A council warned taxi drivers they faced suspension if they put up St George stickers and signs saying they speak English in their cars.
A minority of licensed cabs in Southampton have put the signs up because they claim passengers have complained to them that some drivers cannot speak English.
Now the city council has said any cab that has the sign or a St George flag put up will have their licence suspended if they do not take them down within seven days. This is because they need the permission of the authority to put up any sign. (PA)
Swordfish punctures oil pipe
A swordfish punctured part of an oil loading pipe in Angola, causing a three-day delay to tanker shipments of Girassol crude, traders said yesterday.
French oil company Total, which operates the crude stream declared force majeure on shipments, but lifted it on Monday.
In general, force majeure frees an operator from supply obligations due to extraordinary circumstances.
"It was caused because of swordfish. Now the swordfish have passed, so the force majeure has been lifted," said one trader, who buys the crude on a regular basis.
Slight delays to cargo loadings scheduled in February and March were likely, traders said.
Total later said that a swordfish had damaged a flexible loading pipe. (Reuters)
Prison sell
Three professors have been jailed in Croatia for taking bribes from students in exchange for exam passes.
The case was one of many recently in which the government is trying to fight rampant corruption.
Students paid up to £2,000 to pass exams without learning the subject. (PA)
Cold comfort
A mother was jailed for leaving her baby alone in a car in freezing weather to use a public toilet in Pittsburgh.
Police said a passer-by noticed it inside the car parked on the street.
When officers arrived, they discovered that the girl had been left alone for more than 15 minutes. (PA)
Unhappy meal
A road rage argument in the drive-through lane of a Hawaiian burger restaurant ended with a woman being run over and killed.
Police said two men began arguing after one honked his horn at the other.
The woman, a passenger in one of the cars, tried to break up the argument, and was hit by the second as he drove off. (PA)