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NEWCASTLE UNITED could launch a club-record £86million swoop for Hugo Ekitike after reigniting their interest in the French forward.

The Magpies are stepping up the hunt for a new striker after finally landing right-winger Anthony Elanga – a position that was their top priority to strengthen.

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Hugo Ekitike is a transfer target for Newcastle[/caption]

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Eddie Howe is a huge admirer of the Eintracht Frankfurt ace[/caption]

Now they want back-up for top scorer Alexander Isak.

Boss Eddie Howe knows the Swedish star needs help given the addition of Champions League football to go with their Premier League schedule, plus both the League and FA Cup.

Callum Wilson’s exit means that Danish U21 international Will Osula is the only other recognised senior striker.

Howe thought he had managed to bring in Joao Pedro until Chelsea swooped to sign him.

Now they are weighing up a move for French forward Ekitike, 23, from Eintracht Frankfurt that would almost certainly make him their record signing.

They are willing to battle the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United for his signature – though he won’t come cheaply.

Ekitike’s contract at Frankfurt has an £86m release clause and it will take something very close to that figure to land him.

Howe has been an admirer of him for several years and missed out on him in 2022.

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Back then, Ekitike opted for Paris Saint-Germain instead, leading to the Magpies making their move for £68m Isak.

Now Toon have.

They have now informed his representatives that they are keen again and outlined their desire to bring him to St. James’ Park.

And they are also exploring the possibility of thrashing out a fee with Frankfurt as they eye a bumper addition to their forward line.

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DONALD Trump has reignited his trade war with the EU cutting across trade negotiations to slap 30 per cent tariffs on all EU goods travelling into the U.S from August 1st.

Europe today warned that they will fire back at this tax attack with the US President warning that any retaliation will be met with further tariff hikes from Stateside.

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US president Donald Trump is set to slap 30 per cent tariffs on all EU goods[/caption]

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The dramatic worsening in trade relations has sparked fears for the Irish economy which is heavily reliant on trade with the States as Taoiseach Micheal Martin urged all parties to get back to the negotiating table.

European and American officials have been locked in trade negotiations for weeks after Donald Trump initially announced a 20 per cent tariff on EU countries earlier this year.

The American President then slashed this tariff tax to 10 per cent to facilitate negotiations.

During these talks, the President has made a series of threats that he would hike the tariff to a range of different rates including as high as 50 per cent.

Reports from the EU side had claimed that good progress was being made in the talks but the US leader cut through this on Saturday by announcing a permanent 30 per cent tariff that would kick in from August 1st.

President Trump claims there is a major trade imbalance between the States and the EU and he wants more companies to set up in American and make their products there.

In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump warned Europe not to respond with tariffs of their own or he would hit back once again by jacking up his taxes.

He said: “The European Union will allow complete, open Market Access to the United States, with no Tariffs being charged to us, in an attempt to reduce the large Trade Deficit.

“If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs and retaliate, then, whatever the number you chose to raise them by, will be added onto the 30 per cent that we charge.

A 30 per cent tariff on all goods travelling from Ireland to the US would be incredibly damaging for Irish businesses and could cost thousands of jobs here.

The tariff attack could also wipe billions off the Irish economy as a small number of American companies that sell products back to the US pay enormous amounts of corporation tax here.

The EU had previously drawn up a list of tariffs of their own that they would implement on the States if Trump pushed ahead with his measures.

‘EVERYONE WINS’ HOPE

Taoiseach Micheal Martin urged both the EU and the US to get back around the table for talks to avoid an all out trade war.

He said: “While it has been clear that all options remain on the table, the EU has also been clear that our preference is for a negotiated solution that avoids escalation. That remains the case.

“I hope that negotiations will continue in the weeks ahead and that they will be successful.

“The EU and the US should be partners, not rivals. In a true partnership, everyone wins.

“The EU negotiators continue to have my full support in this important work.”

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BRIAN Flanagan says Kildare’s Tailteann Cup success, catapulting them into the 2026 All-Ireland SFC race, is just the beginning.

The Lilywhites held off Limerick at the end of a Croke Park roller coaster to secure their first piece of significant silverware since 2012.

Darragh Kirwan was their main man with 0-8 and was named Man of the Match.

Alex Beirne had a big game too with 1-2 while sub Brian McLoughlin had the same sort of impact as he did in the semi-final, blasting three crucial points.

There were big displays as well from captain Kevin Feely and Ryan Sinkey as Kildare finally won a trophy at Croke Park.

They were beaten there in the Division 3 final earlier this year and had won just eight of their 28 Championship games at Croker since the 2010 All-Ireland semi-final.

Things bottomed out badly for Kildare under former boss Glenn Ryan but Flanagan has picked up the pieces impressively – guiding Kildare back to Division 2 as well as the Sam Maguire Cup race.

There were a few nervous moments late on as Limerick got the gap down to three points and chased a goal to force extra-time.

But sub Rory O’Brien’s shot after the siren had sounded deflected over for a point – instead of the goal required to force extra-time.

Flanagan said it’s the start of something big for a Kildare group full of former U-20 stars.

The Kildare manager said: “We have a really united panel, a really ambitious panel and one that sees this as just the start of something.

“This isn’t the end by any means of anything – it is just purely the beginning. It is year one of what we hope will be four or maybe more.

“Winning was so, so important, and lifting silverware, so that you had in your mentality, so you had it in your psyche going forward because there’s much bigger challenges that lie ahead for us.

“We’re going to Division 2 next year and we now have Sam Maguire Cup football nailed on.

“What this year has done is proven that we deserve to be there. We’ve earned our spot in both of them. And we didn’t get it easy, we had to beat the best teams.”

TREATY REGRETS

Limerick manager Jimmy Lee insisted that he has no regrets about how things turned out. He said he was simply proud of his side’s brave bid to be the first Division 4 team to win the title.

But when he looks back on this game he will realise that favourites Kildare were there for the taking.

Limerick had plenty of periods of dominance, opening up a 1-3 to 0-3 lead initially and they enjoyed a strong third quarter to lead by two with 20 minutes to go.

Even when Kildare hit the afterburners with eight points between the 55th and 64th minutes, the Munster side refused to relent.

But they couldn’t turn the screw and will rue the 10 wides they kicked, as well as goal chances for Cillian Fahy and Murray late on that were saved.

Captain Fahy did at least hit the net early on, helping Limerick open up that three-point lead. They fell into Kildare’s slipstream for a spell after that as the Leinster semi-finalists moved 1-10 to 1-3 ahead.

Beirne sniped Kildare’s goal in the 14th minute after his team won the Limerick kick-out, setting him free to play a clever one-two before netting.

Limerick’s fightback late in the first-half was impressive and they got it back to a four-point game at the interval, 1-13 to 1-9.

PURPLE PATCH

Lee’s crew were at their best in the third quarter, outscoring Kilare by 1-6 to 0-3 between half-time and the 48th minute.

Tony McCarthy scored back-to-back Limerick points, Josh Ryan nailed a two-pointer and Killian Ryan rifled in their second goal – opening up a 2-15 to 1-16 Limerick lead.

Their fans dared to dream of a landmark win but they were powerless to prevent that second coming from Kildare in the final 20 minutes.

McLoughlin was unfortunate not to start after killing off Fermanagh with five points when he climbed off the bench in the semi-final.

And he did something similar again after coming on for Kildare here, scoring a two-pointer and then a single to help wrestle the momentum their way.

Kirwan, Colm Dalton and Tommy Gill added vital late points too.

Kildare: C Burke; B Byrne, R Burke, H O’Neill; T Gill 0-1, D Hyland, J McGrath; K Feely 0-2, 1f, B Gibbons; C Bolton 0-2, tp, D Kirwan 0-8, 2 tp, C Dalton 0-2; R Sinkey 0-3, A Beirne 1-2, D Flynn 0-1.

Subs: J McKevitt for McGrath 43, B McLoughlin 0-3, 1 tp for Gibbons 43, E Cully for Flynn 47, M O’Grady for Burke 66.

Limerick: J Ryan 0-3, 1 tpf, 1 45; J Hassett, D O’Doherty, M McCarthy; K Ryan 1-1, I Corbett 0-1, T McCarthy 0-3; T Childs 0-1, D O’Hagan; P Maher, C Fahy 1-1,  Neville 0-1; E Rigter 0-2, J Naughton 0-2, 2f, P Nash 0-3, 1f.

Subs: B Coleman for Childs 16-20, blood, D Murray for O’Hagan 43, Coleman for Maher 47, R Childs for Rigter 55, T O Siochru for Corbett 61, R O’Brien 0-1 for T Childs 66.

Ref: L Devenney (Mayo).

JOHN MCENROE called for a Wimbledon rule change live on BBC TV.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion is never afraid to make his feelings clear in his role as a pundit.

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John McEnroe called for a rule change at Wimbledon[/caption]

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And he did exactly that before the ladies’ singles final on Centre Court.

Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova prepared to make the famous walk along the corridor and out on to the famous lawn to the packed 15,000 iconic stadium.

But the Polish star, 24, did so wearing her over-ear headphones.

Swiatek revealed she listens to classic rock bands before matches to psych herself up.

She said: “There’s some AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones. So yeah, rock but not too hard.

“Everybody’s asking me if I listen to that all the time. They keep buying me vinyl records and everything, and I’m like, ‘Guys, if I listen to that all the time, I wouldn’t be able to sleep.’ So it’s just pre-match, just to pump myself up.”

However, McEnroe wants players to be forced to take in the moment and the atmosphere by having headphones banned when stepping out for a Wimbledon final.

The no-nonsense BBC pundit, 66, said: “They shouldn’t allow them to wear AirPods or headphones because you have got to get them to enjoy this instead of playing some music.

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“Come on now, ladies!”

But despite McEnroe’s protestations, it clearly did the trick for Swiatek.

She raced to a stunning 6-0 6-0 victory in just 57 minutes.

It was the first double-bagel Wimbledon ladies’ singles final for 114 YEARS.

Swiatek picked up a £3million prize cheque for her brutal battering – which worked out as more than £52,000 per minute of the final.

Anisimova was allowed to go off court after match point to recompose herself.

She then sobbed into the microphone as the understandable emotion of the occasion took over.

Unstoppable Swiatek said: “It seems super surreal.

“I want to congratulate Amanda for an amazing two weeks. No matter what happened, you should be proud of the work you are doing.

“I hope we are going to play many more finals and in other tournaments. You have the game for that.

“For me, this was way too far to dream about. I feel like I’m already an experienced player after winning the Slams before. But I never expected this one. My team believed in me more than I did.

“This tournament is unique. And I was anxious of that.

“Walking around here, being on Centre Court felt like a huge pressure. This year I really enjoyed it and improved my game.

“I will always remember the opening of champagne bottles in-between serves – a sound that will keep me up at night. I will enjoy these moments.”

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Swiatek made the walk along the corridor wearing headphones[/caption]

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She revealed she likes to listen to classic rock before going on court[/caption]

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Swiatek beat Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in just 57 minutes[/caption]

A WOMAN has shared an inside look into the home she and her partner purchased without even viewing it.

The Welsh family ditched the UK in favour of the affordable property in Bulgaria.

TikTok/@therollingrucks

A British family shared an insight into the home they purchased for just £6,000 in Bulgaria[/caption]

And while the massive three-bedroom home only set the couple back £6,000, they shared their fears that they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

Posting on the family’s TikTok account The Rolling Rucks, the mum-of-three gave viewers a virtual tour of the home.

She explained that they drove from their native South Wales to the property in their camper van to inspect their purchase.

However, upon arriving at the home, she wondered aloud if they had made a mistake.

She revealed that the property is “much much bigger” than they had expected.

While the TikToker was only able to show one room inside the home, she did give her followers a look around the garden.

Garden woes

She shared her concerns that they would have to knock down some of the structure to create room for their camper van.

The mum added that they would also need “a chainsaw or five” to tackle the overgrown garden.

However, her main concern with the outdoor space had nothing to do with the extensive work required.

“I am freaking out about the snakes because this garden, there’s going to be tons of them in there,” she said.

The mum revealed that once they had tackled the garden, they would inspect the home to determine if it was worth saving.

She explained that they were considering knocking it down and replacing it with a log cabin instead.

“Now we knew we had a challenge on our hands but I’m not going to lie, this is a lot worse than what I was expecting,” the TikToker said.

She added that they were going to get to work on the property straight away, with the hopes of homeschooling their three children in the process.

Viewer reactions

TikTok users shared their thoughts on the property in the comments section.

“Best to clear your garden, knock down and rebuild,” advised one viewer.

“The potential is amazing. Stay positive and remember Rome wasn’t built in a day,” said another follower.

“I’m a builder and I wouldn’t take on that. But best of luck with it,” commented a third person.

More stories from Brits living abroad

And there are more Brits opting to live in Bulgaria over the UK, with one family transforming their home on a budget.

Another couple shared their plans for the Italian mansion they purchased at half the asking price.

One woman shared the lavish life she now leads after leaving Britain for Thailand.

And a man left his life in the UK to work in the sunshine state, earning triple his previous salary.

TikTok/@therollingrucks

RIO FERDINAND has labelled Arsenal fans a disgrace after a petition against the signing of Noni Madueke reached almost 5,000 signatures.

The petition, titled #NOTOMADUEKE, appeared on Wednesday as news surfaced that Arsenal had agreed a £55million deal for the Chelsea winger.

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Rio Ferdinand lashed out at a section of Arsenal fans who have taken action against the club’s anticipated signing of winger Noni Madueke[/caption]

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Madueke is set to join the Gunners on a £55million deal[/caption]

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A petition created on Wednesday to protest the signing of Madueke has already reached almost 5000 signatures[/caption]

Ferdinand posted an incendiary statement regarding the petition to his X account.

He said: “For a Young 23 year old English footballer to be vilified, bullied, embarrassed and totally strip down at a time when you’re meant to be celebrating a transfer worth £55 million…

“To be treated in this manner via section of the Arsenal fan base is an utter disgrace.

“Just put yourself in his shoes for one minute, just put yourself in his parents’ shoes for one minute and just think of how that feeling must be.”

Murals depicting Arsenal player and manager Mikel Arteta were also defaced on Friday as news of the deal spread.

Messages such as “Arteta out” and “C***, C***” were scrawled on top of paintings of the manager underneath a North London bridge.

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Arsenal-themed murals were defaced by fans in protest of Madueke’s signing[/caption]

Ferdinand did not pull any punches when discussing the extremity of the abuse directed at Madueke…

He added: “I have never seen anything like this before, and I hope I don’t ever again.

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“I just hope the transfer goes through and Noni Madueke rams all of this negativity back down the throats of these impostors.”

Madueke joined Chelsea from PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2023, scoring 20 goals in 90 appearances for the Blues since.

With the arrival of attacking options Jamie Gittens, Estevao Willian and Joao Pedro in West London so far this summer, Madueke is searching for a new opportunity in North London.

However, it is hard to imagine a rockier start than this for the England international.

A DAD turned green after being served “rancid” ham covered in mould on an easyJet flight – with the airline subsequently ordering a packaging overhaul.

Idriss, 37, bought a Spanish tapas box for around £8 during a flight from Santorini to Gatwick on June 29.

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The rotten ham has led to a major packaging overhaul[/caption]

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Dad Idriss said he was nearly very ill[/caption]

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easyJet has ordered new packaging seals[/caption]

But found the ham was rotting, despite being in date, with Idriss saying he was almost sick – and fears other passengers could be at risk.

As a result, the airline has now ordered a food supplier to implement “corrective measures” in the form of an improved packaging seal, The Sun can reveal.

Idriss told us: “When I opened up the pack of ham it was absolutely disgusting, in the top corner it was all really mouldy.

“It was really awful. It is lucky I didn’t eat it because with meat that’s gone off you could likely be very sick.”

However, musician Idriss, from Surrey, did initially accidentally put the rotten meat in his mouth and said it tasted of “sewage”.

The flight attendant offered a free replacement but Idriss declined, adding: “To be honest, it’s put me off ham. I don’t want to eat ham at all, it was so grim.

“Imagine if I’d have eaten it. With ham, or pig meat you have to be so careful – I could’ve literally been so ill.”

He added: “I don’t know how it can go off when it’s packed in that air tight.

“It did smell off, as soon as I opened it I could smell it.”

After emailing easyJet when he got home, the dad – who spends over £30,000 a year with the airline due to work travel commitments – he was told the issue was caused by “a broken packaging seal”.

In the email, seen by The Sun, Idriss was told: “After reviewing this incident, I can confirm that the mould was caused by a broken packaging seal.

“As a result, the supplier is implementing corrective measures by introducing a new packaging format with an improved sealing style.

“We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of food safety across our operations and continue to closely monitor feedback related to food safety to ensure that all food supplied to our customers and crew is safe and of good quality.

“We apologise that your experience did not meet these expectations.”

An airline spokesperson told The Sun: “We take food safety onboard very seriously and as this is well below the standards we expect for our customers.

“We immediately raised [Idriss’] experience with our supplier who identified this isolated incident was caused by damaged packaging, and have taken steps to ensure this does not happen in future.

“We have been in touch with [Idriss’] to apologise and have offered a gesture of goodwill for his experience.”

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Do you know more? Email ryan.merrifield@thesun.co.uk

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The meat had rotted despite being in an airtight seal[/caption]

A MAN has died after a five vehicle crash on the M1 in Nottinghamshire.

Police were called to reports of a collision on a slip road.

Others involved in the incident have been taken to hospital with a “range of serious injuries.”

The crash took place on the Northbound slip road at Junction 26 Nuthall Interchange.

Both northbound and southbound carriageways were closed in the aftermath.

This was to allow emergency services to help those involved and investigate the accident.

FORMER Hollyoaks star Parry Glasspool has congratulated his brother after he became Wimbledon doubles champion.

The actor – who played Harry Thompson in the Channel 4 soap – watched his brother Lloyd and partner Julian Cash overcame alternates Rinky Hijikata of Australia and David Pel from Holland 6-2 7-6 in 82 minutes on a hot afternoon on Centre Court.

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Parry Glasspool has congratulated his brother Lloyd on his Wimbledon win[/caption]

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Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool won the Wimbledon doubles title[/caption]

Posting a video of the minute Lloyd and Julian won the match, Parry wrote: “Who would’ve thought it!

“Tennis every day for 25 years Looks like it paid off!

“MASSIVE CONGRATS to the Little/Big brother for his WIMBLEDON DOUBLES WIN!!

“Crazy scenes.”

Glasspool and Cash have dominated the grass-court season this summer, winning the titles at Queen’s and Eastbourne, stretching their unbeaten streak to 14 matches on the surface.

They are the first homegrown duo to take home these silver bowls since Pat Hughes and Raymond Tuckey in 1936.

The two guys shared a selfie on court when the result was confirmed and thanked their respective friends and family.

Glasspool’s fiancé is businesswoman and legal expert Sophia Maslin, from London, who has launched a company dedicated to drawing up the final wishes of people who die young.

Maslin was in the players’ box, screaming her head off as she always does, as the two lads worked out how to split a £680,000 top prize.

Glasspool said: “It’s incredible. We’ve had a Brit win last year (Henry Patten) and the year before (Neal Skupski). Now we have given you two Brits. We did our best.

“I want to thank all of my team. I’ve had people fly in from America, Italy, though coming from Birmingham is not as impressive.

“My fiancé Sophia has put up with me for the last two weeks, making her stay in bed until I wake up.

“All the LTA staff, who have given us massive support through my whole career, the coaches, the physios. They help us all through the year. We are incredibly grateful.”

Cash said: “We’ve played a crazy amount of tennis on the grass. Every match we possibly could.

“A lot of people were talking about this event. There was a lot of pressure on our shoulders.

“The fact we were able to do what everyone was talking about is surreal. This means the world.

“Going into this year we had two goals – the first one was to make Turin, the other one was to win a Slam.

“A lot of people would have probably not believed us. Neither of us had been past the quarter-final coming into this year.

“Our team backed us. We put so much effort in. Playing doubles, we aren’t always on the biggest courts, so to play on the most special court in the world is incredible.”

CHINA has unveiled a massive inflatable dome in the middle of a major city to help shield residents from a construction site.

The whopping 50m-high inflatable is reported to be the largest of its kind in the world.

Mao Ning Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson/Facebook

Its design is said to allow for easy inflation and dismantling[/caption]

Mao Ning Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson/Facebook

A viral video shows the incredible moment the inflatable swallows up the building site[/caption]

Mao Ning Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson/Facebook

The whopping 50m-high inflatable is reported to be the largest of its kind in the world[/caption]

Measuring 20,000 square metres, the dome is designed to protect the surrounding neighbourhoods from dust and noise during construction.

A viral video shows the incredible moment the inflatable swallows up the building site in the city of Jinan.

Viewers can see the dome gradually inflating to its enormous size through a jaw-dropping timelapse.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, revealed the giant dome in a Facebook post on July 2.

The balloon uses negative pressure and air filtration systems to stop construction dust affecting nearby areas, according to Times Now News.

Its design is said to allow for easy inflation and dismantling so it can be deployed where needed quickly.

The dome is made from lightweight PVDF-coated polyester, with four big fans keeping it inflated.

Transparent panels let in natural sunlight, allowing the inside to keep well lit during the day without the need for artificial lighting, the Bridge Chronicle has reported.

But the viral clip has also drawn a lot of attention on TikTok, with many users sharing their reactions to the vast inflatable.

One user jested: “This is really dangerous because if it gets too big it becomes really soft and a giant might see it and come to take a nap.”

But another said it is “such a clever way to protect both the environment and the people living nearby”.

“How does one even manufacture a single sheet that large?”, asked another.

It comes as China continues to face issues with many of its major construction projects.

A giant skyscraper in the city of Tianjin had stood unfinished for nearly a decade before construction was resumed.

Goldin Finance 117, nicknamed The Walking Stick due to its architectural shape, had loomed uncompleted over the city for many years.

But work on the £8billion project was halted following the 2015 Chinese stock market crash.

Standing at a staggering 1,959 feet, the Walking Stick is nearly twice as tall as The Shard.

But Chinese state media has since reported the skyscraper will now resume construction.

It will no longer get to claim the title as China’s tallest building that had been forecast, however.

Two taller skyscrapers, the Shanghai Tower and Shenzhen’s Ping An Finance Centre, have topped out since then.