Chipolatas and mini pizzas! Step-mum-in-law to be Camilla advises bride-to-be Kate ahead of royal wedding (well, she would know...)

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By RICHARD KAY

Lunch date: Prince William's fiancée went for lunch with the woman who will soon be her step mother-in law, the Duchess of Cornwall, for a primer on marrying into the Royal Family yesterday


Leaning in close to each other across the lunch table, the two women were deep in conversation.

Then the word ‘advice’ rang out across the busy restaurant.

The listener was Kate Middleton and the woman offering words of wisdom was none other than the former Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles.


This was the extraordinary scene yesterday as Prince William’s fiancée went for lunch with the woman who will soon be her step mother-in law, the Duchess of Cornwall, for a primer on marrying into the Royal Family.

Camilla, of course, knows all about advising princesses in waiting. Thirty years ago she sat down with a teenage Lady Diana Spencer in the run-up to her marriage to the Prince of Wales.

These days Camilla is part of the family and a vital sounding board for 29-year-old Kate as she counts down the days to her own wedding at Westminster Abbey in April.

And it was the wedding that was very much on their minds as they were joined by Kate’s sister Pippa and Camilla’s daughter Laura Lopez in Koffman’s, the new restaurant at the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge, opened last year by three Michelin-starred chef Pierre Koffman.


Future queens: Camilla and Kate were joined by Kate's sister Pippa and Camilla's daughter Laura Lopez in Koffman's, the new restaurant at the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge


That they chose to meet in such a high-profile venue in one of London’s top hotels - in clear view of other diners - was intriguing when they could have dined discreetly at Clarence House or any other royal address.

Princess Diana’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring sparkled on Kate’s finger as excited chatter about the wedding filled the air.

A fellow diner, sitting just two tables away, tells me: ‘All four women were talking away like mad and none of the waiters could get a word in edgeways to serve their lunch. Kate looked fantastic in a very short black skirt, black opaque tights, a short jacket and boots.

‘I heard Camilla saying... “if I can give you one bit of advice...” Kate was really enjoying the moment.

‘I did hear talk of trumpets and someone said “we can’t have trumpets, the ceiling is too high’’, which may have been a reference to Westminster Abbey.’


Me and my shadow: Kate and her police protection officer. Camilla and Kate's security sat at an adjacent table while the ladies talked about the much anticipated wedding


The duchess, in a purple tweed suit and with a glass of red wine in hand, was in charge during the three-hour lunch.

In fact, I understand that Camilla, who has dined at Koffman’s before, made the reservation.

Her food writer son, Tom Parker Bowles, is a friend of the master chef.

‘They were all getting on very well and they clearly hadn’t asked for an out-of-the-way table and nor did they attempt to lower their voices,’ the diner said.

‘It was high spirits all round. Kate and Pippa were sitting on banquettes with their backs to the wall opposite Camilla and Laura.


Effortless glamour: Kate is mastering the art of simple chic. Her style is already being copied all over the world with shoppers clamouring to get their hands on copycat dresses


‘There was one moment which was clearly meant to be amusing when Kate said “what happens if William doesn’t turn up?’’ Someone else then asked “is it going to be a sit-down lunch?’’

‘They followed that with talk of menus. I heard chipolatas, sausages on sticks and mini pizzas, but I don’t know whether it was ironic or not.’

The lunch party was completed by Kate and Camilla’s police protection officers.
The two gun-carrying women bodyguards sat at an adjoining table as the four women gossiped away.

Kate and William are still fine-tuning the wedding guest list.
More than 1,800 invitations are due to be sent out later this month.


source: dailymail [endtext]

Kung Hei Fat Choi! The Chinese Year of the Rabbit gets off to a spectacular start with awesome firework displays across the glo

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Happy New Year! The Beijing skyline is lit up by thousands of firework displays across the city as festivities get off to a cracking start


The Chinese New Year of the Rabbit got off to a fire-cracking start on Wednesday as these spectacular images from festivities all over the Chinese-speaking world show.

And not content with one day of celebrations, the Chinese New Year lasts for more than two weeks, coinciding with new moon on the first day and culminating with the full moon 15 days later with the Lantern Festival.

New Year is a national holiday in China and it is by far the biggest, brightest and most important celebration in their annual calender.


All together now: Thousands of worshippers gather to light joss sticks at the Xingtian Temple in Taipei as the Year of the Tiger comes to an end


The Year of the Rabbit promises to be a placid year of calm reflection following the ferocious year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese zodiac which attributes animal characteristics for each year.

According to tradition, it is also destined to be a year characterised by good taste and refinement, when people will acknowledge that persuasion is better than force.

International relations and diplomacy will be conducted with congeniality - which will be music to the ears of Western nations currently trying to cash-in on China's booming trade and increasing prominence as a super-power.

Chinese communities across the UK are set to continue the celebrations tonight. Although party-poopers in Scotland are trying to prevent revelers from releasing traditional lanterns.


Party time: Performers were celebrating with amazing displays of Kung Fu in Longtan Park in Beijing. But revelers in the UK have been asked not to light the popular Chinese lanterns are they can cause harm to livestock



Light up light up! The Singapore skyline blazed with fantastic firework displays as they ushered in the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit on the banks of the River Hongbao last night


Farming organisations say the lanterns, which are made from very fine pieces of paper held in a balloon shape by a thin metal wire or piece of bamboo, can cause serious harm to livestock if they are ingested or become entangled.

They also present a risk to dry standing crops, trees and farm buildings if they land while still alight and are calling for a blanket ban on the use of sky lanterns, as is the case in German and Lithuania.

Meanwhile, coastguards in Scotland have warned that the lanterns can be mistaken for distress flares.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said there had been a 25 per cent increase in Scotland of incidents where rescuers have been called out after the public have mistaken the colourful lanterns for distress flares.


Celebration: Performers dance for the huge crowds that gathered to see in the Chinese New year in Singapore where almost 75 per cent of the population are Chinese


Blaze of glory: Revelers on the streets cover their ears as fire crackers are set off throughout Singapore as part of the New Year celebrations


Traditions: The Chinese Year of the Rabbit signifies are year of sophistication and sensitivity. The Chinese believe that people born in the year of the rabbit are sociable and cultural people who are also reserved by nature


The colourful party lights - which hang in the air - can be almost identical to red emergency flares.

'We would appeal to people not to let off these lanterns without telling us in advance. We don't want to spoil people's fun but these lanterns can cause us a big problem,' said a spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The Chinese lantern bill for just launching the lifeboats last year has been put by the RNLI at nearly £150,000. The organisation estimates that it costs £5800 each time an all-weather lifeboat is launched and £2,200 for an inshore craft.
Some worried callers have also mistaken the lights for UFOs.


Many happy returns: The celebrations lasted well into the night and was very much a family occasion as Singapore put on a spectacular display to usher in the new year


Going global: Chinese residents in the Indian city of Koklata celebrated in typically colourful style, performing a dragon dance at the 'city gates'


Chinese new year @ Beijing


Hangzhou Chinese New Year fireworks 2011


Chinese New Year 2011 in Beijing


source: dailymail

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Captain Hook's revenge: The poor crocodile who swallowed a mobile phone... that can be heard ringing in its belly

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Unhappy: Poor Gena the crocodile, who is now listless and appears in pain after swallowing the Nokia mobile phone


The crocodile in Peter Pan happily went 'tick-tock' after swallowing an alarm clock.
But a crocodile in Ukraine has been a little less fortunate.

Zookeepers at an aquarium in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk did not believe one visitor when she claimed Gena, a 14-year-old crocodile, had eaten her mobile phone.

But then they heard the phone begin ringing - inside the croc's belly.

'The sound was coming from inside our Gena's stomach and we understood she wasn't lying,' said aquarium employee Alexandra.

Now Gena is refusing food and acting listless.

Rimma Golovko, a new mother in her 20s, admits the accident was her fault. She stretched out her arm to snap a photo of Gena opening his mouth and dropped her Nokia phone into the water.


It's my fault: Rimma Golovko, who has confessed to dropping her phone while trying to take a photo of Gena



'This should have been a very dramatic shot, but things didn't work out,' she said.
Ms Golovko is resigned to losing her phone, but still wants its SIM card back since that has her precious photos and contacts.

The mishap has caused bigger problems for the crocodile, which has not eaten or had a bowel movement in four weeks and appears depressed and in pain.

'The animal is not feeling well,' said Alexandra.

'His behaviour has changed, he moves very little and swims much less than he used to.'

Doctors tried to whet the crocodile's appetite this week by feeding him live quail rather than the pork or beef he usually gets once a week.

The quail were injected with vitamins and a laxative, but while Gena smothered one bird, he didn't eat it.

He also won't play with three fellow African crocodiles, despite being the leader in the group. Crocodiles can live up to 100 years.

'He is the biggest and the oldest, perhaps he went for the phone to protect his group,' Alexandra said.

Dnipropetrovsk chief veterinarian Oleksandr Shushlenko said the crocodile will be taken for an X-ray next week if he continues to refuse food.


Never smile at a crocodile: In the tale of Peter Pan, as shown here by Disney, Captain Hook could always hear the crocodile coming from the ticking of an alarm clock it had swallowed (though sometimes he wasn't quick enough)


Surgically removing the phone would be a measure of last resort, he said, since incisions and stitches usually take at least three weeks to heal in reptiles and the procedure is dangerous for the animal and the vets.

'Everything will depend on where the foreign body is located,' Shushlenko said.
'We don't have much experience working with such large animals.'

The crocodile in 'Peter Pan' with the ticking stomach was on the hunt for Captain Hook after getting a taste for the pirate's flesh from eating one of his hands.
But luckily for Hook, he could always hear the crocodile coming.


Crocodile Eats Mobile Phone, Now Not Eating



source: dailymail [endtext]

He'll always be on the ball now: Paul the Octopus receives permanent memorial in honour of World Cup predictions

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By LEWIS BAZLEY

On the ball: Paul the Octopus's monument is unveiled at the Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen today


He'll go down in history as one of the faces of 2010 but now three months after his death, Paul the Octopus today received a permanent memorial.

The cephalopod shot to fame last summer after correctly predicting the results of several matches in the football World Cup in South Africa.

And after he passed away in his sleep in October, Paul's former carers at the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, decided the octopus should be given a shrine to mark his seemingly expert predictions.


The ashes of the tentacled creature are contained in a golden octopus urn visible through a see-through screen


Golden moment: The urn of a sculpture of Paul inside the ball


The tentacled creature correctly predicted the outcome of eight matches at the 2010 World Cup, including Germany's thrashing of England and Spain's victory over the Netherlands in the final.

He cost bookmakers thousands after floating languidly towards boxes of mussels draped in the colours of competing teams in the South African tournament last year.

The aquarium where Paul lived first mooted the idea of erecting a memorial to the octopus after his death last year and now the soothsayer's legacy has been enshrined with the permanent monument.

The statue is around 1.80 metres high with Paul straddled on top of a football, with a see-through window displaying a goden urn containing the octopus's ashes.


World Cup star: Paul the Octopus predicted the results of all seven of Germany's matches at the 2010 World Cup, as well as the final


Predictive Paul: The octopus oracle has been honoured with a shrine after his death at a German aquarium


A successor to Paul, a French octopus named Paul II, was unveiled at the aquarium on November 3 after spending two months in quarantine.

He has yet to attempt to follow his predecessor's fortune-telling but it is thought the Sea Life Centre may tempt him with flag-covered mussel treats for the 2012 European Championships in Ukraine and Poland.

After the original Paul's death last year, Stefan Porwoll, manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre, said: ‘Paul delighted people from all continents with his seven consecutive correct predictions for the matches of the German national team and for the final.


Guessing game: Paul shot to world renown after selecting mussel boxes emblazoned with the flags of the World Cup teams that would go on to win the matches in question


‘He was dear to all our hearts and we will sorely miss him. It is a comforting thought that he had a good life with us with the best possible care delivered by a committed team.

‘His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself.'


Object of affection: Photographers surround the monument of Paul


Memorial to World Cup Predicting Octopus Opens


source: dailymail [endtext]

Cat summoned for jury service in the U.S. and court says he 'must attend'

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Not guilty, your honour: Sal has been summoned for jury duty from March 23 - and his owner has been told he is not exempt from serving


A pet cat has been summoned for jury duty in the U.S. - and has been told by courts he 'must attend'

Despite owner Anna Esposito's protestations that a mistake has been made, a jury commissioner has ruled that Sal must attend the court.

She wrote that Anna was 'unable to speak and understand English' - and included a letter from her vet saying that the animal was a 'domestic short-haired neutered feline'.


Amazed: Sal's owners Anna and Guy Esposito are preparing to take their pet to court after a jury commissioner turned down their request to have the animal exempted from service


Bizarrely, the court ruled the animal must report to the courtroom. If the matter is not resolved he will have to report to Suffolk Superior Crown Court in Boston, U.S. on March 23.

Anna wrote her Sal's name under 'pets' on the last census - she crossed out 'dogs' and said he was a cat.

She said: 'When they ask him guilty or not guilty? What's he supposed to say - miaow?

'Sal is a member of the family so I listed him on the last Census form under pets but there has clearly been a mix up.'


Case closed? Sal's details were recorded when there was a Boston state census - and he appears to have been mistakenly identified as a human when the forms were processed


Husband Guy added: 'I said, Sal, what's this? I was shocked. He likes to sit on my knee and watch crime shows with me but even so he's still under qualified for jury duty if you ask me.'

There are ten statutory disqualifications preventing people from serving on a jury - and Mrs Esposito said Sal was not suitable because he could not understand the language.

However, jurors are 'not expected' to have a perfect command of the English language.
The other exemptions did not apply because Sal was not ill, too old or a convicted felon.

It is thought he accidentally ended up on the juror list when paperwork was misread at the last census.




source: dailymail [endtext]

Death toll in Australia floods reaches 22 as water in Brisbane continues to 'rise and swallow up' the city

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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Diversion: The Ipswich motorway, west of Brisbane, is cut off by flood water. At least 22 people have so far died in the Queensland floods


Death toll of 22 already worse than 1974 tragedy

Disaster could cut 1 per cent off GDP

Queensland Premier says situation is 'deeply serious'


Deadly floodwaters that have cut a swath across northeast Australia shut down the centre of Brisbane, the nation's third-largest city, today, sending thousands fleeing from their homes.

Unconfirmed reports say that at least 22 people have so far died in Australia's north-eastern state of Queensland and a further 67 remain missing from tsunami-like flash floods that tore through townships west of the city this week.

Almost 20,000 homes in Brisbane were expected to be swamped in the city of about two million by the time the Brisbane River reaches its expected peak tomorrow, Mayor Campbell Newman said.

Brisbane residents today pushed food-laden shopping carts through drowned streets, others waded in shoulder-high water to rescue possessions, while boats and pontoons were ripped from moorings in the Brisbane River and smashed into bridges as the muddy brown tide gathered strength.

At flooded intersections people paddled surfboards through floodwaters, balancing their possessions on the deck of the boards, while boats ferried evacuees to dry ground.

'I am feeling a sense of horror and awe at the power of the river. Sadly in coming hours we will see bits of people's homes float down the river,' Brisbane Mayor Campbell Newman said, warning the torrent could take three to four days to subside.


Submerged: Homes near Ipswich are swallowed up by rising water. The town's mayor described the scenes as 'heartbreaking'


Rescue crews took advantage of some rare sunshine to look for the dozens still missing, feared dead in the flood waters.

'We can take no comfort from that blue sky,' Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh told reporters.

'The water and the rain have already done their damage. This is a deeply serious natural disaster.'

The peak will arrive within the next few hours in Ipswich, a satellite town to the west.

'The water is rising and swallowing up the city. It's really heartbreaking,' said Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale.


Brisbane Street in Ipswich city centre has been partially submerged with deep flood water, meaning local residents have to use boats to get about


Businesses in the Brisbane suburb of Milton sit under several feet of water after the devastating floods


The trouble started after drenching rains in Australia's north-eastern state of Queensland that began in November sent swollen rivers spilling over their banks, inundating an area larger than France and Germany combined.

The crisis escalated when a violent storm sent a 26-foot, fast-moving torrent - described as an 'inland instant tsunami' - crashing through the city of Toowoomba and smaller towns to the west of Brisbane on Monday.

Some 200,000 people have already been affected by the disaster, which has caused billions of pounds of damage and is already worse than the floods that hit Brisbane in 1974, killing 14.

The biggest floods in a century have crippled the coking coal industry in the mining state, destroying infrastructure, putting a brake on the economy and sending the local currency to four-week lows.



A man rescues a kangaroo that was helplessly drifting in floodwaters near the bridge at One Mile in Ipswich


Police in the Brisbane inner city suburb of West End wade through water as they check for stranded residents


Teenagers make their way through a flooded street in the Brisbane suburb of Breakfast Creek. Thousands of residents of Australia's third-largest city have been evacuated from their homes


The overall economic impact will be devastating, with one central bank board member saying today that the disaster could cut 1 per cent off growth - equal to almost $13 billion, double the previous highest estimate.

The Australian dollar sank to a fresh four-week low of $0.9803 on the comments from Warwick McKibbin, an academic and a member of the central bank's policy-making board.

Treasurer Wayne Swan in November forecast GDP growth of 3.25 per cent in fiscal 2010-11, up from a 3.0 per cent projection, but said spending would be cut to ensure a surplus of A$3.1 billion or 0.2 per cent of GDP in 2012/13.

Food prices are surging around the country as the floods ruin Queensland crops and distribution networks. Prices for tomatoes have leapt about 200 per cent in two weeks, while beef is up 11 per cent and wheat has risen 4 per cent in four months.


Watch this space: Floodwaters stretch towards the skyscrapers of Brisbane, seen in the distance, from the outer south-western suburbs


Breaking point: The swollen Brisbane River, which is struggling to contain excess water released from local dams, is ready to burst its banks onto the central business district


Some of the scenes today in Brisbane were surreal, with early-morning joggers trying to carry on as normal, even though parts of their routes were underwater. Others were distraught.

'This is my whole life, everything is gone. I never thought it would get this bad,' said Kim Hung, manager of the Salt 'n' Pepper catering business, as two friends floated a coffee machine toward higher ground.

Raw sewage began spilling into the river and creeks, prompting authorities to warn of a heightened disease risk as damaged water treatment works polluted the floodwaters.

It has been estimated that up to 45,000 people will be affected by the floods. The military is running relief flights with helicopters and C-130 transports.


Shelter: Flood victims evacuated to the RNA Showgrounds lie down on makeshift beds. Evacuations are underway in several towns and suburbs in and around Brisbane


Dams built to protect Brisbane and outlying towns were spilling floodwaters into swollen rivers. The Port of Brisbane was closed, shutting down Australia's third-busiest container port and a 5-million-tonnes-a-year coal-loading facility.

Australia is the world's biggest exporter of coking coal, which is used in steel manufacturing and accounts for more than half of global exports, and is also the second-biggest exporter of thermal coal used for power generation.

Power company Energex shut power to some low-lying areas of Brisbane, including parts of the financial district, for fear that live power lines could electrify floodwaters. Some 78,000 homes in the southeast of Queensland were without electricity.


Australian Floods 2011 - Queensland is Crying



The Australia Floods - Toowoomba Flood



Brisbane Flooding: 20,000 Homes At Risk


source: dailymail [endtext]

The moment bystanders battled plane crash inferno in desperate attempt to rescue family trapped inside

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By Mail Foreign Service

Rescue attempt: Bystanders try to lift the burning wreckage of a Cessna 206 plane as they search for survivors shortly after it crashed in a busy business district near downtown Anchorage on Tuesday


This is the moment that horrified Good Samaritans risked their lives in a desperate attempt to rescue a family trapped on board a burning plane.

The small Cessna 206 crashed in a busy business district near downtown Anchorage, Alaska, during rush hour on Tuesday evening.

A four-year-old boy was killed - but miraculously, four others were pulled from the plane alive.


Heroes: Police said the lives of four people on board - including a two-year-old child - were saved by the Good Samaritans


Brave bystanders raced to help those onboard after the plane clipped the roof of a motel and crashed in front of an unoccupied former car lot office.

'It was the citizens who did the work and pulled people out,' police Lt. Dave Parker said.

A witness, Hunter Brosh, said a girl was among those pulled out alive. Brosh was one of the motorists who jumped out of their cars to help get people out of the burning plane.

Anchorage police said in a statement late Tuesday that 16-year-old Rachel Zientak of Texas was one of the injured passengers and was to be transferred to a Seattle hospital.


Miraculously, no one else was hurt as the plane blazed in busy downtown Anchorate


Also onboard were the pilot of the aircraft, 34-year-old Preston Cavner; his wife, 32-year-old Stacie Cavner; and their son, two-year-old Hudson, police said. The three will be flown to a hospital in Portland, Oregon.

Authorities identified the four-year-old boy who died as another son of the couple, Miles Cavner.

The single-engine plane was registered to Cavner and Julian Inc., a guide and outfitting business based in Port Alsworth, Alaska.

Police said the Cavners operate a lodge at Port Alsworth, Alaska, and Zientak was one of their employees.

Jennifer Rodi, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator, said it was too early to say what caused the crash.

The aircraft went down after departing Merrill Field about a mile (less than two kilometers) away.

Rodi said the four survivors were critically injured. However, Brosh said the girl onboard was able to unbuckle herself before she was helped out of the wreckage
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Iron Man spoof featuring baby girl becomes YouTube sensation

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By Anny Shaw

In the real world: The film, which has become an internet sensation, starts with baby Margaret as an ordinary Tony Stark


A video of a baby girl dressed as Iron Man has become an internet sensation after the child's filmmaker father posted the clip on YouTube.

Iron Baby, which features Margaret transforming from toddler to iron-clad superhero, has attracted 2.6 million hits so far.

The parody short film was directed by Margaret's father Patrick Boivin, who is a self-taught filmmaker and former comic book creator from Montreal.


Superhero: The baby begins to transform into Iron Man


3-D artist Jocelyn Strob Simard did the special effects for the film, including making the Iron Man costume, according to the Toronto Star.

The film's success has apparently been felt beyond the internet, with Mr Boivin saying he has had offers from Hollywood film producers.

The clip starts with Margaret as a bib-wearing Tony Stark, who is transformed by her mini-armoured costume into Iron Man.


Finishing touches: Margaret holds still as her transformation into iron-clad superhero is completed


Jetting off: Iron Baby takes to the skies in pursuit of comic book villains


The tiny superhero flies off to fight gun-toting toy bunnies, who she destroys with laser beams fired from the palm of her hand.

Costing virtually nothing, the short film took two months to make.

Despite its obviously jovial tone, Mr Boivin and Mr Simard produced the video as a way of promoting themselves.


Touch down: The pint-sized superhero lands to fight toy bunnies wielding guns


The enemy: In the short film Iron Baby comes across gun-toting toy bunnies


Action hero: The miniature superhero destroys the bunnies with laser beams fired from the palm of her hand


'It’s a way of showing what we can do together to companies who are interested in working with us,' Mr Boivin told the Toronto Star. 'It has been a success for me.'

It seems Margaret also enjoyed her starring role, with Mr Boivin hinting he may well produce more films with his baby daughter.

'I’m pretty sure I’m going to do some more clips with my girl', Mr Boivin said.


Starring role: Margaret seemed to enjoy her part in the film and father Patrick Boivin has not ruled out making more mini movies with his daughter [endtext]

Don't look before you leap! Dare-devil Frenchman jumps off Eiffel Tower in skates

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By Daily Mail Reporter

French roller-skater Taig Kris set a new world record for the longest jump with roller-skates on when he dropped off the Eiffel Tower


Huge crowds gathered under the Eiffel Tower in Paris yesterday to watch a world champion extreme sportsman attempt to jump off the famous landmark with inline skates on.

Thousands of nervous bystanders lined the avenues around the famous monument to watch Frenchman Taig Khris perform the dangerous feat.


And he's off: Taig Khris jumps the 30 meter halfpipe from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower


The 34-year-old was attempting a new Guinness world record for the longest freefall from a structure onto a landing ramp.

He made his death-defying leap from the 131ft high first floor of the tower onto a giant sized quarter pipe ramp built below.

He fluffed his first attempt after losing his footing and sliding down at speed into a giant air bag. However undaunted he was went back for a second try.


Going, gone: Taig Khris dropped a record 39ft from a 131ft platform attached to the Eiffel Tower


This time he landed cleanly and raised his arms in celebration and the crowd yelped and cheered. He dropped a record 39ft, beating the 28ft fall set by American Danny Way.

'I've never had such a strong adrenaline rush,' Mr Khris said.

He said his jump was 'to give people the desire to reach beyond their limits, to follow their passions, their dreams.'
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