French daredevil climbs 27-storey Havana hotel without net

HAVANA (AP) - A French daredevil who has scaled some of the world's tallest buildings conquered Cuba's famous Habana Libre hotel on Monday without ropes or a safety net - climbing to the top in about half an hour as hundreds of awed onlookers gasped and cheered from the streets below.

Alain Robert clambered onto the roof of the 27-storey hotel just after 1.30pm after a death-defying stunt that followed years of other hair-raising feats.

The climber had said his main concern was not the height of the 126m tall hotel, but that a bit of the building's brittle facade might break off. Like many city landmarks, the hotel is in disrepair after more than half a century of Communist rule on the island.

In the end, the 50-year-old Frenchman made short work of the building, climbing confidently and so quickly he could have almost been riding a slow-moving elevator.