The world's first floating city is soon to become a reality. The US$ 10 billion Freedom Ship will be big enough to fit 50,000 residents, 30,000 visitors, schools, a hospital, parks and even an airport. Since the vessel will be too large to enter any port, it will simply sail from country to country in two-year cycles. The mile-long floating city is nearing start of construction, according to Florida-based Freedom Ship International Inc. It will boast 25 floors of activities, schools, hospitals, art galleries, shops, parks, casinos, an aquarium and a small airport on the roof with a runway for smaller private and commercial aircrafts. The company is currently trying to raise the US$10 billion needed to make this huge project a reality. The company's vice-president said that they are just US$1 billion short of the amount necessary for construction to start. Once completed, the ship will be 1370 meters long-four times longer than the famous Queen Mary II. The large floating structure would be powered by solar panels and Aeolic energy while navigating international waters. The city would spend most of the year-around 70 percent of the time-anchored off major cities.

Work has begun in India on what is billed as the "world's tallest statue" after Chief Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in the western state of Gujarat. The statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of India's independence heroes, is being erected on a river island. At 182 meter, it would be twice as high as New York's Statue of Liberty. But critics say the statue's US$ 336 million price tag is much too expensive. The memorial would be called the "Statue of Unity". Officials say the statue is expected to be ready in 42 months. Sardar Patel, generally called the "Iron Man of India", played a major role in the country's fight for independence from British rule. Currently world's highest statue located in China. The 153 meters tall Buddha Vairocana statue was built in 2002. On the second place is 129 meters tall Sakyamuni Buddah statue in Myanmar and on the third place is 120 meters tall Amitabha Buddha statue in Japan.

More than 150 years since it was first dreamed up by an Ottoman sultan, Turkey on October 29 unveiled the world's first sea tunnel linking two continents. The tunnel, which has taken nine years to construct under the Bosporus straits, is part of Istanbul's metro service, and will connect the European and Asian sides of Turkey's biggest city. Known as the Marmaray metro link, it is slated to revolutionize the city, where public transport is limited and traffic jams are the stuff of legend. First suggested by Ottoman sultan Abdoul Medjid in 1860, it wasn't until 2004 that Erdogan - then Mayor of Istanbul - gave the final go-ahead for the tunnel, as part of a series of lavish construction projects for the city including a third airport, a parallel canal and a third bridge. Nine years after Erdogan gave it the green light, the US$ 4.6 billion first stage of the Marmaray project is now opened - four years behind schedule. Presenting something of a technical challenge, the 1.4 kilometer long undersea tunnel was constructed by lowering steel-lined pre-cast concrete sections into a trench excavated 60 meter down on the seabed of the Sea of Marmara, where they were then buried. A further 12.2 kilometer of on-land tunnels connect the three stations which make up the project's first phase. The rail tunnel is said to be earthquake-proof, an important consideration in an area plagued by strong seismic activity.

The Emirate is building what is set to become the world's largest man-made lagoon. The 40-hectare lagoon, part of the US$ 7 billion Mohammed bin Rashid City project, will dwarf a 12-hectare lagoon in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh, which now holds the title, according to Guinness World Records. The developer Crystal Lagoons has already started work and hopes to finish it in 2020 - the deadline for the whole project. The lagoon has been designed to include wide beaches with a Caribbean feel, and offer swimming and other water sports in clear, filtered water. Its filters will reportedly use only 1 percent of the chemicals that more traditional systems do, and 2 percent of the energy. The lagoon will be at the heart of the District One residential community in Mohammed bin Rashid City. District One, less than 3 kilometers from the Burj Khalifa, will cover more than 445 hectares and comprise freehold land, luxury homes, parklands, waterways and high-end shopping and dining. It is being planned as a low-density development and will feature a public green space larger than London's Hyde Park. Work is being carried out on a show village that will display nine villas and a portion of the lagoon to interested investors. About 80 percent of the show village has been completed and the rest should be finished by next month. Mohammed bin Rashid City District One is poised to become a monumental destination in Dubai, offering a residential development in the heart of the city that is currently unique to the region. The development includes various attractions ranging from parks, man-made beaches and the largest crystal lagoon in the world, to sports fields with cycling tracks, an equestrian club and a shopping and dining promenade.

Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump unveiled plans to spend US$ 200 million turning the historic Old Post Office Pavilion in the nation's capital into a luxury hotel with 270 rooms and presidential suites with bulletproof windows. Trump International Hotel, Washington D.C. will take up a prime location on Pennsylvania Avenue in between the U.S. Capitol and the White House. Construction will begin in the spring of 2014 and is expected to be completed in late 2015. D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray told the audience at the Pavilion that the neighborhood in downtown D.C. has a shortage of hotels despite having plenty of museums, historic landmarks, federal buildings and offices to draw business and leisure travelers. He said the Trump hotel will help "us to define what the hotel industry, what the hospitality industry will be on this side of Pennsylvania Avenue." The Post Office, built in 1899, has been the source of much consternation among local politicians and activists. There have been multiple attempts to demolish it. Right now, it houses a few nondescript shops and fast food eateries. "They have put to rest the saga of the Old Post Office Pavilion," said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), who added that she has spent 15 years trying to get the property redeveloped. Trump is leasing the property from the Federal Government for 60 years with the possibility of two 20-year extensions at a monthly rent of US$ 250 thousand. The hotel's 270 rooms will average about 56 square meters. The color palette will feature Federal blues, creams and ivories with soft gold and silver accents and some deep reds. Two presidential suites will be located in the former offices of the Postmaster General. Each will be at least 279 square meters and have three bedrooms. The now-closed 11th Street pedestrian entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue will be reinstated as the driveway to the hotel's canopied grand entrance. Inside, guests will walk into The Cortile, a nine-story atrium with a grand lobby and lounge. Sunlight will filter through a canopy of trees. Furnishings will be in rich jewel tones such as deep red, emerald and sapphire with gold accents. There will be a water sculpture and brass and glass chandeliers. The ground level will also have high-end restaurants and retailers.