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Many of the world's most iconic structures come with unusual stories. French intellectuals and artists at first hated the "monstrous" Eiffel Tower; the British hid the Taj Mahal under bamboo scaffolding to stop it being bombed by the Luftwaffe during World War II; and it took a big leap of faith for the Golden Gate Bridge to be painted its now iconic, but then unorthodox, burnt orange. If Saudi Arabia's proposed one-kilometre-high Jeddah Tower ever gets finished, architectural historians will also have a rich storybook to dig into. An architectural rendering of a finished Jeddah Tower, and the actual building which has not moved at all since 2017. (Jeddah Economic City) READ MORE: Transgender athletes banned from track and field But, right now, that seems a big if....

Friends and family desperately tried to save New Zealand man Mike Worley when he began choking at a barbecue. Despite their best efforts, he died in hospital four days later. The 55-year-old Christchurch man was a passionate family man, sport enthusiast and was "larger than life", brother Anton Worley said. READ MORE: Protesters fill French streets as anger at President Macron mounts On March 3, Worley was at a barbecue at his brother's home. He was eating leftover steak in the kitchen when some of the meat obstructed his throat. "He sort of said 'I'm choking' and at that stage there were two other good mates there. Straight away we started first aid on him," his brother said. Anton Worley and a friend who was there both had their current fi...

A zebra was on the loose for hours in Seoul after it escaped from a South Korean zoo. Videos and images of the zebra wandering through the streets of Seoul flooded social media after it escaped from the Seoul Children's Grand Park Zoo on Thursday. Police and zoo staff worked together to get the male zebra, named Sero, back to its enclosure. READ MORE: Why the 'tallest tower in the world' has ground to abrupt halt Video shows authorities using a tranquiliser dart to safely sedate the zebra, which was roaming through an alleyway. They then placed a net under the zebra and lifted it onto the back of a truck to take it away. The zebra was on the loose for three hours and was also caught on camera trotting through traffic on a busy city road. READ MO...

There's cause for optimism in the latest report on world happiness. For one, benevolence is about 25 per cent higher than it was pre-pandemic. "Benevolence to others, especially the helping of strangers, which went up dramatically in 2021, stayed high in 2022," John Helliwell, one of the authors of the World Happiness Report, said. For the sixth year in a row, one nation has been crowned the world's happiest country, according to the rankings, based largely on life evaluations from the Gallup World Poll. The country and its neighbours all score very well on the measures the report uses to explain its findings: healthy life expectancy, GDP per capita, social support, low corruption and generosity in a community where people look after each other and freedom to make key life deci...

A man was forced to make a desperate swim to safety after being mauled in a suspected shark attack off Hawaii's Big Island yesterday. The attack, which occurred around 200 metres off Anaehoomalu Bay on Sunday, local time, comes three months after another man was attacked at the same location. The Hawaii County Fire Department said the man in his 60s was mauled around 12:30pm. READ MORE: Aussie families save on groceries by foraging for food He sustained injuries to his hands and back of his left leg in the attack. He swam to a cameraman moored in the bay, where the vessel's crew tended to his injuries. A ski then transported the man to shore, where Hawaii County Fire Department were waiting. He was treated on scene, before transfer to hospital. ...

A US teacher who was shot and wounded by her six-year-old student said she has had four surgeries and is going through a challenging recovery. Speaking publicly for the first time since the January 6 shooting, first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner said during an exclusive interview with NBC's Savannah Guthrie that she has some days when she “can't get up out of bed", while others she is able to go about her day and make it to appointments. “For going through what I've gone through, I try to stay positive. You know, try to have a positive outlook on what's happened and where my future's heading,” Zwerner said in a portion of the interview that was aired Monday. READ MORE: Aussie families save on groceries by foraging for food Abby Zwerner was shot by a six-year-old student....