• austriantimes.at
• croatiantimes.com
• salzburgtimes.at
• viennatimes.at

© europics.at

08. 05. 12. - 08:00

• more Around the World news...
• RSS Feed Around the World

08. 05. 12. - 08:00

Ash in the Attic: Worlds Biggest Wooden House Burns Down

Kathryn Quinn

As astonishing 13-storey wooden house built by a former gangster as the Eight Wonder of the World has burned to the ground in Arkhangelsk, Russia.

The 144-ft high skyscraper - once the world's tallest wooden house - began as a two floor chalet but grew as owner Nikolai Sutyagin became obsessed with topping his neighbours' homes.

It burned down on late Saturday when a fire in the five-storey bathhouse in the garden spread to the main house.

"Strong winds spread the fire to the wooden skyscraper and completely engulfed it," said a spokesman for the emergency services.

Sutyagin fought with local planners for more than a decade after he began work on the project without any official permission in 1992.

"First I added three floors but then the house looked ungainly, like a mushroom.

"So I added another and it still didn't look right so I kept going. What you see today is a happy accident," he once said.

The house started to go downhill when Sutyagin emerged from a lengthy jail stretch to find his gang had stolen all his money and trashed much of the property.

"When I went to prison I was a millionaire. Now I'm penniless." said Sutyagin, 60, recently.

Tragic Ski Girl Dies
A 10-year-old British schoolgirl has died after skiing into a tree at high speed during a family holiday tragedy in the Austrian Alps.

Peak Performance
Police chiefs in Hamburg, Germany, are celebrating after new crime figures showed there wasn't a single bank robbery in the city last year.

Chinese Fakeaway
Chinese property developers who've been thwarted in a bid to buy up an entire Austrian village have settled on the next best thing - an entire life-sized replica.

Austrian children help Romanian kids
A charity project run by the middle school in Hippach has been recognised with an award for its social work by officials in Tyrol.

Mother kills disabled daughter because she couldnt take care of her any longer
A Romanian woman killed her 8 year-old disabled daughter on Wednesday (yesterday)because she couldn't pay for her care, Libertatea newspaper reports.

Policeman accused of sex with the son of his girlfriend
A Policeman from Vulcan, Western Romania is currently being investigated for having sex with a minor, the son of his girlfriend, Cancan newspaper informs today (Thurs).

Serial killer survivor walks away alive after fall
An 85 year-old woman who survived the most cruel and notorious serial killer in Romania some 40 years ago, recently fell from the first floor of her apartment building and she walked away safe and sound, Cancan newspaper reports today (Thurs).

The son of Qatar Airlines BA beaten up in Romania
The son of the Board of Administration of Qatar Airlines Akbar Al Baker, was beaten up over the weekend at the launching party of a posh club in Mamaia, at the Romanian Black Sea shore, Cancan newspaper reports.

Majority starts president’s suspension procedures
A day after the Social Liberal Union (USL) legislators dismissed with a large majority of votes the two Speakers of the Parliament, the Union started today the procedures for the suspension and possible impeachment of President Traian Basescu. This is the second time when the Parliament asks for Basescu’s suspension.

Some 177 Roma repatriated by French authorities to Romania
Some 177 Romanian citizens of Roma origin were repatriated on Tuesday night from Lille, France, Romania TV news channel informs today (Weds).