The Hindu : Front Page : ‘Spider-man’ scales one more skyscraper

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Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009
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‘Spider-man’ scales one more skyscraper

HONG KONG: A French daredevil scaled a 73-story Hong Kong skyscraper barehanded on Tuesday, in his latest attempt to draw attention to global warming by climbing up the world’s tallest buildings.

Alain Robert, dubbed the French spider-man, has scaled dozens of tall structures without ropes or harnesses, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Empire State Building in New York and Malaysia’s Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

It took Robert about 40 minutes to scramble up the downtown Cheung Kong Centre — the flagship building of Hong Kong’s richest man, Li Ka-shing.

Upon reaching the top of the 270-m building, Robert waved to a crowd of spectators on the ground below.

The 46-year-old said police officers questioned him after the ascent, but released him without any charges.

Robert said he hoped his climbs could help bring attention to the world’s environmental problems.

“The global warming is something that is going to affect the next generation,” he told reporters on the ground level. “The future is really compromised if we are not doing anything.”

A police spokesman said they were aware of a man outside the building and that he was safe, and added that no charges were pressed.

Fourth time

It is the fourth time Robert has mounted a skyscraper in Hong Kong. He scrambled up the 45-storey Four Seasons hotel last year. — AP

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