World Trade Center, becomes New York’s tallest building

One World Trade Center, the so-called Freedom Tower currently under construction in Lower Manhattan, technically became New York City's tallest building on Monday, as workers erected steel columns on the 100th floor, 1,271 feet above the street, to make it stand 21 feet higher than the Empire State Building's observation deck.

The Freedom Tower, which is being built to replace the twin towers that fell during the 9/11 terror attacks, won't be completed until 2014. When it is, it will be 104 stories and likely declared the tallest building in America—surpassing Chicago's 1,451-foot Willis Tower at 1,776 feet.

The achievement isn't without a little controversy. As the Associated Press points out, "those bragging rights will carry an asterisk." The reason? A "408-foot-tall needle that will sit on the tower's roof. Count it, and the World Trade Center is back on top. Otherwise, it will have to settle for No. 2."

The world's (undisputed) tallest building is Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which stands at 2,717 feet.

Controversy aside, New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg marked Monday's milestone in a statement:

The New York City skyline is—once again—stretching to new heights. The latest progress at the World Trade Center is a testament to New Yorkers' strength and resolve—and to our belief in a city that is always reaching upward. This building has been a labor of love for many, and I congratulate the men and women who have worked together to solve the challenges presented by this incredibly complex project. Today our city has a new tallest building—and a new sense of how bright our future is.

The operators of the Empire State Building released a statement welcoming 1 WTC's progress, too:

The world's most famous office building, the ancestor of all super-tall towers, welcomes our newer, taller cousin to the skyline. We've watched you grow, and now we salute you.

One in seven thinks end of world is coming: poll

NEW YORK (Reuters) - - Nearly 15 percent of people worldwide believe the world will end during their lifetime and 10 percent think the Mayan calendar could signify it will happen in 2012, according to a new poll.

The end of the Mayan calendar, which spans about 5,125 years, on December 21, 2012 has sparked interpretations and suggestions that it marks the end of the world.

"Whether they think it will come to an end through the hands of God, or a natural disaster or a political event, whatever the reason, one in seven thinks the end of the world is coming," said Keren Gottfried, research manager at Ipsos Global Public Affairs which conducted the poll for Reuters.

"Perhaps it is because of the media attention coming from one interpretation of the Mayan prophecy that states the world 'ends' in our calendar year 2012," Gottfried said, adding that some Mayan scholars have disputed the interpretation.

Responses to the international poll of 16,262 people in more than 20 countries varied widely with only six percent of French residents believing in an impending Armageddon in their lifetime, compared to 22 percent in Turkey and the United States and slightly less in South Africa and Argentina.

But only seven percent in Belgium and eight percent in Great Britain feared an end to the world during their lives.

About one in 10 people globally also said they were experiencing fear or anxiety about the impending end of the world in 2012. The greatest numbers were in Russia and Poland, the fewest in Great Britain.

Gottfried also said that people with lower education or household income levels, as well as those under 35 years old, were more likely to believe in an apocalypse during their lifetime or in 2012, or have anxiety over the prospect.

"Perhaps those who are older have lived long enough to not be as concerned with what happens to their future," she explained.

Ipsos questioned people in China, Turkey, Russia, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, the United States, Argentina, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, France, Spain, Belgium, Canada, Australia, Italy, South Africa, Great Britain, Indonesia, Germany.