Proposal of Demolition of Landmark Tower in Paris by Mayor

Proposal of demolition of Tour Montparnasse, the French capital's historic skyline, has been brought upon by the leading contender who is to become Paris mayor.

Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, the mayoral hopeful for the centre-right UMP party, has described the 210-metre (690-foot) tower as an "urban catastrophe" and promised to begin steps to tear it down.

Paris Comes Together to Back Traditional Family
Tens of thousands of people come together in Paris and Lyon on Sunday for a march against new laws relaxing abortion restrictions and legalizing gay marraige.

"I have started discussions with experts and certain stakeholders about the future of the Tour Montparnasse," Kosciusko-Morizet told newspaper Le Figaro.

"I find that there are more and more of them who want to explore the possibility of demolition," she said.

Kosciusko-Morizet said the tower, plagued by repeated discoveries of asbestos, also represents a clear "health problem".

Paris at High Risk from Flood: OECD
The OECD said that the Paris region would be highly vulnerable to exceptional flooding of the River Seine, warning that a once-a-century event would cripple France's commercial, political and cultural hub.

The proposal was met with disbelief by main rival Anne Hidalgo of the Socialists, who dismissed it as unworkable.

"What nonsense -- really!" Hidalgo told Europe 1 radio. "How can you advocate the destruction of a tower that doesn't belong to you?"

Study: In Comparison to Men, Women Who Drink Have A Higher Chance Of Developing Liver Disease
Women drinkers are more susceptible to the damaging effects of alcohol than men because they are generally smaller in stature and have less body water when compared to men, finds new study.

Hidalgo admitted the tower is hardly an architectural gem but said it did have some heritage value.

"It is a building that, while clearly not of great beauty, still represents the urban planning of the 1970s," she said.

Comparison of Outcomes of Peripheral and Bone Marrow Stem Cells Transplantation
Bone marrow transplant was first done successfully in 1968. The surgical procedure is required for treating those suffering from leukemia, aplastic anemia, Hodgkin’s disease.

Polls have shown the UMP and Socialists neck-and-neck in the first round of elections for Paris city hall next month, but the Socialists are expected to pull ahead in the second round after smaller parties are eliminated.

Completed in 1973, the Tour Montparnasse is one of only a handful of skyscrapers within Paris city limits.

It mainly hosts offices and is known for its panoramic views, which attract about a million tourists a year.

But the bare monolithic tower has often been criticised as out of place in Paris's famed urban landscape, characterised by mainly six-storey buildings overlooking tree-lined avenues.

An oft-repeated joke describes the view from its top as the most beautiful in Paris -- because it is the only spot from which the tower itself cannot be seen.

The frequent discoveries of asbestos -- an insulator that can cause respiratory diseases after long exposure -- have added to its woes, with Paris police last summer threatening to evacuate the building's some 5,000 workers.

Controversy over the tower led Paris city planners to limit the height of new buildings to 37 metres (121 feet), banishing skyscrapers to nearby suburbs like the La Defense business district.

Source-AFP