Geneva - A European trio's dreams of circling the globe non-stop in their towering silver balloon were dashed early on their seventh day yesterday when China refused overflight rights, a statement said.
But the Swiss aeronaut, Mr Bertrand Piccard, the Belgian pilot and navigator, Mr Wim Verstraeten, and the British flight engineer, Mr Andrew Elson, received a congratulatory message from US balloonist Mr Steve Fossett, for having surpassed his world endurance record.
