PO BAG 1: world record

25 December 2016

Sri Lanka claims world's tallest artificial Christmas tree

A Sri Lankan family takes photographs standing near an enormous artificial Christmas tree as others gather around it in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016. Sri Lanka has unveiled a towering Christmas tree, claiming to have surpassed the world record for the tallest artificial Christmas tree.

Sri Lanka unveiled a towering Christmas tree, claiming to have surpassed the world record despite constructions delays and a shorter-than-planned finished product.

The 73-meter (238-foot) artificial tree in capital Colombo is 18 meters (59 feet) taller than the current record holder, organizers said. The tree's steel-and-wire frame is covered with a plastic net decorated with more than 1 million natural pine cones painted red, gold, green and silver, 600,000 LED bulbs and topped by a 6-meter (20-foot)-tall shining star.

15 February 2016

50 Latvian couples get hitched in midair, literally

This image taken from Associated Press television shows ahot air balloon with couples about to be wed in Jekabpils, Latvia Sunday Feb. 14, 2016. Latvian couples tied the knot in the air on Valentine’s Day hoping to set a world record in the number of simultaneous weddings in hot air balloons. Fifty couples in 30 balloons rose into the sky Sunday during the Love Cup festival near the southeastern city of Jekabpils, watched by thousands of spectators but the balloons were hitched to cars because it was snowing at the time, impeding them from rising higher than some 15 meters.

Latvian couples have tied the knot in the air on Valentine's Day hoping to set a world record in the number of simultaneous weddings in hot air balloons.

Fifty couples in 30 balloons rose into the sky Sunday during the Love Cup festival near the southeastern city of Jekabpils, watched by thousands of spectators but the balloons were hitched to cars because it was snowing at the time, impeding them from rising higher than some 15 meters.