Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest shopping centres and a symbol of Dubai's grandeur, was partly closed yesterday after an aquarium containing thousands of fish and other sea animals started leaking, police and witnesses said.
"There was a small problem, a simple crack, and the water leaked," a police official said, declining to be identified.
One of the largest tanks in the world, the aquarium features the world's largest viewing panel at 32.8 metres wide and 8.3 metres high. It was designed to hold more than 33,000 living animals, including over 400 sharks and rays combined.
A witness said the mall had been partly evacuated and dozens of emergency vehicles were outside. Six divers entered the tank and appeared to be coordinating with workers outside the glass. Labourers mopped up water from the floor. (Reuters)
World's longest hair?
A Vietnamese man who died this week and whose hair was so long it resembled a boa constrictor, may have had the world's longest mane.
The exact length of Tran Van Hay's unwashed hair was unclear but the Vietnam News said it was 6.8 metres long. The Thanh Nien daily said Mr Hay's matted locks were measured at 6.2 metres in 2006.
China's Xie Qiuping is on record as having the world's longest hair, measured at 5.6 metres in 2004, according to the website of Guinness World Records.
Mr Hay began to let his hair grow more than 50 years ago because he often got sick after a haircut, the Vietnam News quoted his wife, as saying.
Mr Hay, whose hair weighed several kilograms, died last Wednesday in Kien Giang at the age of 79. (AFP)
Newborn dies as doctors fight
Brazilian authorities have opened a probe into the death of a newborn baby in a hospital that occurred when two doctors involved in the delivery allegedly came to blows.
The medics involved in the incident on Tuesday have both been sacked.
According to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper, a 32-year-old woman, Gislaine Santana, was in labour requiring a cesarian section when the doctors' fight erupted.
"It was a big fight. They ended up rolling around on the floor. And my wife was screaming for them to stop," her husband, Gilberto Melo Cabreira, said. A third doctor came into the room 90 minutes later to perform the cesarian, but by that time the woman had delivered her baby girl still-born.
"I don't want to make accusations. But I can testify to one thing: up to the birth, my daughter was in full health," the husband said. (AFP)
Noisy intrusion
A 22-year-old man was handed an eviction notice after repeatedly blaring out songs by Cheryl Cole on his stereo, a council said.
Martin Bramwell was ordered to leave his first-floor council flat after he tormented neighbours in Ladybrook Lane, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, by playing the 26-year-old singer's hits until 4 a.m.
Mansfield District Council said the eviction notice came after one neighbour had to stay with a friend because the noise was so unbearable. (PA)
Lost and found on beach
Police have appealed for public help to identify a smartly-dressed man found on a beach suffering from memory loss.
The man, in his late 20s to early 30s, was discovered unconscious on Brighton beach, between the Palace Pier and the Marina, by a passer-by.
It is not known how long he had lain there for but he was suffering from hypothermia and was admitted to the city's Royal Sussex County Hospital. (PA)
Germany promotes mother tongue
Germany's foreign minister Guido Westerwelle is launching a worldwide campaign to promote his mother tongue as "the language at the heart of Europe".
He said German was the key not only to 350 universities and colleges, but also to Europe's largest economy.
Europe has about 101 million native German speakers. Almost 15 million people outside the country are studying German. (PA)