The Last Word In Business

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And today's last word in business takes us to London, where Europe's new tallest building has been inaugurated. It's called the Shard. Maybe that's because it sort of looks like a giant shard of glass, 1,016 feet tall. It stands out in a city with a relatively low skyline. It towers over the Tower of London, and the Shard brings many metaphors to mind.

A Christian Science Monitor headline poses the question, "London's Shard: Architectural Marvel or Enormous Salt-Shaker?" A salt-shaker is what Prince Charles called it. Prince Andrew presided over last night's opening ceremony, along with top officials from Qatar, which owns that 95-story building.

It will not be Europe's tallest for long. By the end of this year, Russia is expected to open a building about 70 feet taller.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

INSKEEP: Yeah, that's the business news on MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.