Partially blind grandma batch a giant 15st 4lb catfish

A grandmother has entered the record books after catching the biggest ever freshwater fish by a British woman - a 15st 4lb catfish. Sheila Penfold, who stands at just 5ft 3in and is registered blind, was nearly dragged into the river when the monster catfish took her bait during a holiday in Spain.

The 56-year-old had to be directed by husband Alan and son Arthur as she fought for 30 minutes to land the prized 214lb catch. It was the biggest fish ever caught by a woman in Spain. Mrs Penfold, who is partially sighted, only realised how big her catch was when she saw it up close.

Mrs Penfold used a bait of halibut pellets to snare the 8ft 2ins long catfish on the River Ebro near Barcelona. She said: 'I had three rods lined up on the bank and when one of them tipped over Arthur told me which one it was.

'I grabbed hold of it and was immediately pulled towards the water. Luckily I managed to stop myself and I started to reel it in. 'But for some reason I turned round and said that I didn't think it was going to be a big one. Then all of a sudden it took off again and it took the line of the reel.'When it broke the surface of the water Alan told me it was a big size. I saw it for the first time when it was near the edge and it looked a monster.'

After having her picture taken with it, Mrs Penfold returned the catfish back into the water in good health.

The record for the biggest fish caught in Britain by a woman is a 69lb 8oz catfish caught by Bev Street, 46, from Skegness. Mike Heylin, of the British Records Fish Committee, said: 'I would think this is the biggest freshwater fish caught by a British woman.

The only freshwater fish that grow to that size in the world are either sturgeon or catfish. As far as I'm aware there has been no sturgeon of that size caught by a woman before and the Ebro is home to probably the biggest catfish in the world.

Burj Khalifa Tower- The TALLEST Building in the World

Dubai opened the world's tallest skyscraper in a glitzy ceremony last week after Arab ruler bailed out the project. The £1billion tower reaches 2,717 ft, 200 storeys into the sky, exceeding the next highest structure by some 1,000 ft. Burj Khalifa almost doubled the height of Malaysia tallest tower, Petronas Twin Tower which stand at 1483 ft.

Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum renamed the tower Burj Khalifa after the president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of the neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan. Interesting to note that Abu Dhabi has facilitated $25 billion in bailout funds for Dubai in the past year. Without Abu Dhabi help, this mega project might be delayed for years.

The complex of apartments, offices, shops, restaurants, a mosque, gym, nightclub and Giorgio Armani-designed hotel, was designed to the brief that residents need never leave. Everything they could possibly need is supposedly provided.

The hotel takes up the first eight floors with suites on the 38th and 39th. Residential apartments go up to the 108th floor – at about 1,300 feet.

A number of the higher floors – up to the 160th – have been designated as office space, while there is a restaurant on the 122nd floor and a gym, with an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, on the 123rd floor – some 1,440 feet off the ground.

On the 124th floor is the world's highest observation deck. The Burj Dubai is also intending to host the world's highest nightclub – on the 143rd floor. That was indeed a brilliant idea!

In response to the increasing terrorist threat throughout the world, the Burj has in-built 'refuge floors', situated at 25 to 30 storey intervals that are more fire resistant and have separate air supplies in case of emergency. The developer is darn serious to counter any attack by the terrorists! Bring it on.

It's a lot more robust. A plane won't be able to slice through the Burj like it did through the steel columns of the World Trade Center. Well that was mentioned by the director of the project. Let's hope that we doesn't have to prove this claim.

While development still surged forward at the Burj Khalifa, it was made possible only by gigantic billion dollar bailouts from rich United Arab Emirates cousin Abu Dhabi.

And on the day of its official completion, interested parties face further problems. All of the apartments are said to have been sold but its still a mystery who will eventually move in. There is also said to be little interest in new Dubai office space. Developers still say that their vision will come true and as an engineer to-be, I share the vision with them. Burj Khalifa will be a success.

But as the city celebrates, the building is mainly vacant and could leave officials red-faced. Even though many of the building's 200 stories are unfinished, organisers are celebrating the launch with an arsenal of fireworks. Isn't that a bit early.. ;p

For facts and figures on Burj Khalifa, click below>>

Largest lobster believed to ever caught in 80 years!

This photo of Lizzy Sharp bravely holding what is probably the biggest lobster netted in British waters for 80 years is the only proof her fisherman husband has of his catch.

Simon Sharp, 42, threw the creature, which measured more than 1m long, back into the sea after snapping it on his mobile phone. He did not want to risk its life by taking it to shore to be weighed and verified.

Experts say its huge claws - said to measure 35cm long and 15cm wide - could take off a human hand.

The Sharps were fishing when they noticed the female, believed to be more than 100 years old, caught up in their net off the coast of Dartmouth in Devon.

But the photographic evidence did little to support Mr Sharp's case. Three years ago a teenager (below picture) fishing off a pier in Deal Kent, hauled out a monster which looks much bigger than Mr Sharp's catch.

Autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire draws 18ft picture of New York from memory

I guess you all are familiar with Heroes..The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the characters' lives.

Anyone remember at season one, there's a character named Isaac Mendez, the tortured artist who can paint the future. Such artist really exist in the world, BUT this real life artist is not painting the future.

This artist can paint whole New York city after he spent just 20 minutes in a helicopter gazing at the panorama.

The astonishing 18ft drawing of the world’s most famous skyline was created by autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire. The unbelievably intricate picture was drawn with details of every building sketched in to scale.

Landmarks including the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building can be seen towering above smaller buildings after just three days in his spellbinding creation.

Listening intently to his ipod throughout the artistic process - because music helps him - London-born Stephen uses only graphic pens as he commits his photographic memory to the high-grade paper.

Stephen sketches his layout in pencil first and then scales it within the border, first adding in landmarks before filling out in more intricate detail.

Going through up to 12 pens during his sketches which can take a week to finish, Stephen also draws heavily on music which he carries everywhere.

Real life POPEYE...horrible arm

Boasting muscles a superhero would be proud of, Matthias Schlitte has good reason to be considered the toast of the German arm wrestling circuit

But a closer look reveals that only ONE of his arms is bestowed with bulging biceps.

The 22-year-old’s whopping right forearm measures nearly 18in – and is in stark contrast to his puny left arm.

Despite its odd appearance, Matthias’s Popeye-esque limb has strong-armed him into first place in a host of competitions, including the Iron Curtain Armwars in Blackburn and the German Championships in Haltern, this year.

Matthias, who has been involved in the sport since he was 16, said: ‘Many people’s first association with arm wrestling is a beer-soaked bar-table and drunken sailors – which is completely wrong

‘Without any knowledge or practise I competed in the amateur-class up to 90kg – being only 16 years old with a weight of 65kg

Man turns BLUE after he self-medicates for a skin condition

A man who turned blue after self-medicating for a skin condition says his hue is

lightening.

Paul Karason, 58, has the strange Papa Smurf look as a side effect of using a silver

compound which he used more than a decade ago to treat a bad case of dermatitis on his face.

But he told NBC's Today Show that his skin is lightening because he is now using the self-administered doses of colloidal silver less.

Colloidal silver is a suspension of silver in a liquid base - in this case, distilled water.

Silver has antibacterial properties and has been used to fight infection for thousands of years.

Karson also revealed he has recently broke off his relationship with partner Jackie Northrup during his interview today, who he was engaged to when he last appeared on the U.S. show.

He said: '[My skin] has lightened up, it is not major but it is lightening up. I am actually going to try green.'

Ewww...alien!...Ewww..so big...

A mysterious 'alien like' creature horrified holidaymakers after it washed up on a beach on the Gower Peninsula in Wales.

The writhing mass of tentacles, which measured at least 6ft from end to end.

Fears of a UFO invasion were put to rest as scientists revealed it was a seething mass of goose barnacles that was swept up from the depths of the ocean by bad weather.The barnacles - long writhing stalks or pendulates, tipped with shells - are normally found deep below the waves, but were washed up clinging to a log.

And another interesting and sad story, Britain's biggest common carp was found poisoned in a lake.

The 25-year-old, dubbed Benson, weighed a staggering 64lb (29kg) - more than a large dog - andwas worth £20,000.

But the carp was found floating on the surface of Kingfisher Lake

A quantity of uncooked nuts, which are toxic to fish who swell up because they cannot process them, were found nearby on the bank

He had been the star attraction at the lake for more than 15 years since being introduced as 24.5lb tiddler during their first carp stock in 1995.

He arrived at the eight-acre Kingfisher lake with a fellow carp, who sadly abandoned him when she swam off down the River Nene in the flood of 1998.

sob...sob...