Min Bahadur Sherchan Mount Everest Record

Min Bahadur Sherchan, now 78, reached the summit of the world's highest peak in May 2008, but later discovered he had lost out on the record because he failed to provide the necessary evidence of his achievement.

Instead, Guinness World Records awarded the accolade to Yuichiro Miura, a Japanese climber one year Sherchan's junior who had climbed Mount Everest in the same month.

"I am delighted to finally be recognized as the oldest man to climb Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world," Sherchan told AFP Monday.

"A younger climber was declared the record-holder last year, even though I had made the ascent in 2008. I did not know then that I had to put together the claim myself, I thought the authorities would do it for me."

Sherchan, who was to receive his Guinness certificate at a formal government ceremony later Monday, said that when he discovered his mistake he resubmitted his claim with all the necessary proof.

"I was delighted and overwhelmed when I reached the top, but I knew from the start that I would be able to do it," he said. "I did not really have much trouble with the ascent."

Sherchan summitted Everest on May 25, 2008 a day before his Japanese rival and his name will now be included in next year's edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

Fastest Car in the World

Engineering stars of the future aim to break records in the shadow of Brunel, after it was announced the world’s fastest car will be built in Bristol.

Bristol City Council, the University of the West of England (UWE) and the ss Great Britain Trust have won a bid to build the Bloodhound Supersonic Car (SSC) – which designers hope to take beyond 1,000mph.

Sites next to Brunel’s famous ship and at UWE will be home to the project which is hoped will inspire the next generation of engineers.

The current record is held by the British Thrust SSC, which managed 763 miles per hour in 1997 – making it the first supersonic car in history.

The project to smash this record was kicked off today by Science Minister Lord Drayson and Richard Noble, former world land speed record breaker.

Speaking at the event, deputy council leader Simon Cook said the work would be a “massive boost” to the city.

“Bristol is a city renowned for its world-class creativity, design and advanced engineering and it makes perfect sense for the Bloodhound project to be based here.

“We know it will be a massive boost to the city – attracting national and international attention.

“Its location on Bristol’s historic harbourside, together with the development of a visitor centre and educational facility, will bring the adventure to the widest possible audience.”

For two years, a team based at UWE, led by visiting professor John Piper, has been working on the concept, design and feasibility of the car.

School pupils in the city will not only have the chance to watch the car being built, but also have the challenges that are faced by the team presented in classes for them to examine and work on themselves – which is hoped will inspire more students to take on engineering as a career.

UWE vice-chancellor Steve West said that, despite the panic over a lack of engineering students across the UK, numbers on his courses have risen 37% – with some already working on design aspects of the car.

“Everyone at UWE is thrilled at the decision to bring the Bloodhound project to Bristol. This builds on the significant technology, science and engineering traditions of the greater Bristol Region. We are leading the innovation in science and technology as a Science City.

“UWE has been committed to assisting this project over the past year providing a space for the design team and winning the bid to lead the Higher Education Engagement programme. We have already seen a 37% increase to our engineering courses and some students are actually working on the design of aspects of the car. The seating rig designed by a team of UWE students is currently on view at the Design Museum in London.

“The news that the project will be based here is fantastic.”

Work on the building of the car will begin next spring with test runs taking place as early as Spring 2011.

bristol247.com

World's oldest sheep dies at 23

Lucky, the world's oldest sheep according to the Guinness Book of World Records, died in Australia, internet reports said on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old ewe or female sheep, reportedly died of an illness at her owner's farm in Lake Bolac in the town of Victoria.

Lucky's owners, the Westgarths, said in interviews that the sheep may have died after being unable to endure recent hot weather.

The sheep, abandoned as a newborn, was rescued by the Westgarth family. She was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest sheep in September 2007.

According to a Daily Telegraph report, Lucky "became increasingly catankerous, fighting with other sheep and destroying the [Westgarth] couple's flowerbeds. Recently the old ewe was allowed inside the house to watch television."

Later on, Lucky was separated from other sheep to prevent further fights.

The sheep has reportedly lived up to twice the normal life expectancy for sheep. Lucky was buried at the farm property.

Svetlana Pankratova - The Longest Legs Woman

Svetlana Pankratova born August 29, 1971 in Volgograd, Russian SFSR, USSR) has, according to Guinness World Records, the longest legs of any woman in the world.

While she is not the world's tallest woman, her legs are 132 centimetres (4 ft 4 in) long. Because her upper body is of much more typical dimensions, she is 196 centimetres (6 ft 5 in) tall. She has also very large feet, size 13 (US) / 46 (EU).

Pankratova played women's basketball at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, USA, from 1992 to 1995. She was an impact player, setting three school records which are still unbroken:

No. 1 - Career Blocked Shots, 1992–95 (176)

No. 1 - Single Season Total Blocked Shots, 1994–95 (75)

No. 8 - Single Season Field Goals, 1994–95 (178)

Pankratova appeared in Trafalgar Square in London on September 16, 2008 with He Pingping, the smallest man in the world, to promote the 2009 edition of the Guinness World Records.

He Pingping - The World's Shortest Man

He Pingping is, according to the Guinness Book, the world's smallest man.

He has 73 cm (2 ft 5 in) height and is the third child of a family in Huade County, in the city of Wulanchabu in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. He has two sisters, both of whom developed at normal rates and are now married. According to his father, He Yun, at birth He Pingping was small enough to fit in the palm of his parent's hands. When it became apparent the child was growing very slowly, doctors diagnosed the cause as the bone deformity Osteogenesis imperfecta, which hinders normal bone growth and bodily height.

In January 2007, He was invited to take part on a television program in Tokyo, Japan and has since become an internet icon. His home of Inner Mongolia is also home to Bao Xishun, who at 2.36 metres tall was recognized by Guinness as the world's tallest man until September 2009. Their televised meeting in July 2007 attracted global media attention. In May 2008 he appeared in the British Channel 4 documentary called The World's Smallest Man and Me hosted by Mark Dolan. In September 2008 he appeared with the world's longest-legged woman, Svetlana Pankratova, in London's Trafalgar Square, to publicize the release of the 2009 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

In 2006 Guinness World Records disallowed an application from a then fourteen-year-old Nepalese boy, Khagendra Thapa Magar, who measures 53 cm but will review the case when he is 18 years old. A Jordanian man who claims to be the world's shortest man, Younis Edwan, has not been officially measured by Guinness.

Since his January 2007 appearance on television, He's status as the world's shortest man has been verified by Guinness World Records. His height was measured three times over the course of 10 hours before he received a certificate officially naming him as the world’s shortest living man.

In September 2008, He traveled to New York, New York to help launch the 2009 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, which certified him as the World's Smallest Man.

The Most Bras Taken off and put on in One Minute

PAGE 3's Rosie Jones has set a new Guinness World Record - for the most bras taken off and put on in one minute!

She managed it SEVEN times, beating fellow bra removal expert Becky Rule on six.

And our 30E beauty now looks set to make the 2010 edition of the famous book.

Thrilled Rosie said: "It was actually a lot more difficult than it looked - I want people to know that.

"My hand aches, my arm aches and my muscles have grown!

"But I'm so proud to have made the record books. I can't wait to tell everybody!"

Blonde Becky added: "She was a good winner and I was hopeless."

Our gorgeous girls took part in the attempt to mark Guinness World Records Day today.

Last year, Page 3's Ruth Reynolds set a world record by kissing 42 lads in just 30 SECONDS.

Book officials Kris Teufel and Ralph Hannah were on hand to oversee the event at The Sun's Wapping HQ.

Ralph said: "It's not every day we adjudicate a record attempt quite like this.

"But both girls did really well and congratulations to Rosie!"

Hundreds of people across the world will today take part in wacky record attempts.

In London, 59-year old Manjit Singh will pull a bus with just his hair.

Commuters at St Pancras Station will attempt to set a new record for the most people hugging for one minute.

While the longest conga on ice will be formed at Alexandra Palace.

Guinness World Records editor Craig Glenday hailed Rosie's success - and added: "We look forward to seeing dozens of new records being broken around the world!"

Michael Phelps Swimming World Record - FINA World Cup

Michael Phelps was beaten formerly more as four world records fell at the FINA World Cup meet in Stockholm on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old American swam a short-course personal best in the 100 meters butterfly of 51.06 seconds in the morning but failed to make the final -- his third failure to progress this week -- while in the evening he was beaten into second place in the men's 200m individual medley by South Africa's Darian Townsend, who set a World Cup best of one minute 51.79 seconds.

World records fell in the men's 50m backstroke as American Peter Marshall clocked 22.73 and the women's 200m butterfly as China's Liu Zige recorded a time of 2:02.50, while her compatriot Zhao Jing touched the wall in 58.40 in the women's 100m IM and Sweden's Therese Alshammar clocked 24.46 in the women's 50m butterfly.

On Tuesday, Phelps was third in the men's 100m IM but 16th in the 100m freestyle and disqualified from the 100m backstroke.

His indifferent results continued as he ranked 11th in the 100m butterfly, despite his best time, before Townsend touched first in the 200m IM.

However, the 14-time Olympic champion has abandoned the high-tech bodysuit his opponents donned and instead is wearing the textile-only shorts that will be mandatory from January 1.

As well as anticipating the FINA ban with his 2010 attire, Phelps was sporting a beard and admitted he was not in the best shape coming into the meet.

More than 200 world records have been set since the advent of the supersuits in February 2008 with four more falling on Tuesday -- including two in the 50m backstroke for Zhao Jing -- while on Wednesday morning Jessica Hardy lowered the 50m breaststroke mark she set herself days ago in Moscow.

Tallest Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin) statue at the Kek Lok Si Temple

The 20-storey high pavilion, built to shelter the Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin) statue at the Kek Lok Si Temple in Air Itam, may be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest in the world.

Abbot Rev Seck Jit Heng said the temple management planned to include the RM40mil structure in the records book.

“It is rare to see an octagonal pavilion so tall,” he said. “This landmark should be recognised,” he told reporters at the temple office here yesterday.

The 60.9m three-tiered roof pavilion, which is supported by 16 granite pillars, serves as a canopy for the 30.2m-tall bronze statue.

Each pillar consists of 40 circular blocks of granite, with a thickness of 45cm and a circumference of 2.1m. The core is filled with reinforced concrete.

Rev Jit Heng said the temple would hold a triple celebration on Dec 6, including a grand opening of the pavilion.

“We will also be celebrating the temple’s 118th anniversary and the 20th memorial ceremony for the fourth chief abbot Venerable Bai Sheng, the founder of the Kuan Yin statue,” he said.

“More than 10,000 people are expected at the ceremony.”

Largest Singing Lesson World Record

Members of Metro Mix Chorus, which rehearses in Iowa City, were delighted to participate in the achievement of a new Guinness World Record set at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24. The record-setting event coincided with the 63rd annual Sweet Adelines International Convention and Competition held at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn.

Music professional and past Sweet Adelines International Quartet Champion Peggy Gram led the lesson by demonstrating inspiring techniques for integrating the voice into the artform. The venue was filled with immense sound as 6,651 singers practiced the demonstrated techniques and sang simultaneously for the duration of the 10-minute lesson.

Guinness World Records official adjudicator Danny Girton Jr. presided over the certificate ceremony to validate the record and confirm that the achievement met the criteria set forth by the organization.

"We welcome Sweet Adelines International into the Guinness World Records family for its inspirational and fun achievement," said Girton Jr. while presenting the award.

Metro Mix Chorus also competed in the midsize chorus category at the international competition, and our members are proud to sport medals for earning the title of fifth place midsize Sweet Adelines chorus in the world!

We had a great time on stage portraying contestants in the "Miss Cellaneous" beauty pageant with the famous emcee, "Bert Sparks!"

How would YOU like to sing with us and "Harmonize the Holidays?" All women and girls (16 and older) are invited to join us for five rehearsals only, Nov. 9, 16, 23 and 30, from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. and learn two songs in four-part a cappella style. This will be followed by a performance at a women's luncheon and holiday show at Cedar Valley Bible Church and School in Cedar Rapids. There is no registration fee to join our holiday chorus, no experience is necessary and there's no obligation to join our chorus. Just have fun!

50 meters breaststroke short course world record

American Jessica Hardy broke her own 50 meters breaststroke short course world record when she clocked 29.36 seconds at a World Cup meeting Saturday.

It was one of three world records broken on the second day of the two-day competition in Moscow.

The 22-year-old set the previous record of 29.45 at the first leg of the World Cup in Durban, South Africa, last month.

Russian Yevgeny Korotyshkin became the first man to go under 49 seconds in the 100 meters butterfly with a time of 48.99, breaking American Ian Crocker's five-year-old mark of 49.07.

South Africa's George Du Rand set the men's 200 meters backstroke record with a time of one minute 47.08 seconds. He improved the mark of 1:47.84 set by Austrian Markus Rogan at the world short course championships in Manchester in April 2008.

Two more world records were broken Friday, with Australia's Marieke Guehrer setting the mark in the women's 50 meters backstroke and Hungarian Evelyn Verraszto in the women's 200 meters medley.

A glut of world records have been set in recent months with swimmers using the polyurethane swimsuits, which will be banned by the sport's world governing body FINA from January 2010.

Moscow was hosting the second leg of the FINA World Cup with Stockholm stages the next leg on November 10-11.

New World Record of 26.17second in The Women's 50-Metre

Marieke Guehrer and Evelyn Verraszto were the stars on a record-breaking opening day of the Moscow leg of FINA's World Cup series here on Friday.

Australia's Guehrer, the overall winner of the series in 2008, claimed two gold medals as she set a new world record of 26.17sec in the women's 50-metre backstroke in the short course competition.

The 23-year-old from Melbourne broke the previous mark of 26.23sec, set by Croatia's Sanja Jovanovic at Rijeka, Croatia on December 13, 2008.

She also won the 50m freestyle ahead of Hinkelien Schreuder of the Netherlands and Swede Therese Alshammar.

Hungary's Verraszto proved to be the revelation on the first of the two-day competition as she set a new record in the 200-metre individual medley.

The 20-year-old clocked 2min 06.01sec to better the 2:06.13 achieved by Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry in Manchester, England on April 12, 2008.

Her time was the best in the World Cup competition as well since 2003.

Hosts Russia had a successful opening day winning four of the nine men's titles with South Africa's men taking three gold.

Russia's Sergey Fesikov took two gold - the 100m freestyle and the 100m individual medley - and compatriot Nikita Lobintsev the 400m freestyle.

Cameron Van Der Burgh lead a South African sweep of the men's 50m breaststroke ahead of Roland Schoeman and Neil Versfeld.

Schoeman went on to win the 50m butterfly ahead of Russian Evgeny Korotyshkin and compatriot Lyndon Ferns, as Versfeld won the 200m breaststroke.

Australian women took three of the eight golds on offer with Felicity Galvez winning the 100m butterfly to add to Guehrer's two gold.

The two-day competition continues on Saturday.

Sachin Tendulkar Records 2009 – Crosses 17,000-run in ODIs

An epic journey that began with a blob has now clocked 17,000 One-Day International runs. Sachin Tendulkar made his ODI debut way back in 1989 on a December day at Gujranwala in Pakistan. He lasted just two deliveries as Wasim Akram caught him off Waqar Younis but it was a mere stumble before the giant stride into greatness that has lasted two decades.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium rumbled with incessant applause here on Thursday night as the most awaited seventh run was notched up with a dab off Ben Hilfenhaus past square-leg.

Tendulkar became the first cricketer to score 17,000 runs.

His disciple, Virender Sehwag, was at close quarters to witness history being made while even the battle-hardened Aussies whispered their congratulations.

Tendulkar reached the milestone off the 17th delivery of his nascent innings while India chased Australia’s 350 in the fifth ODI of the Hero Honda Cup series. It was Tendulkar’s 435th limited-over match and he was in the familiar territory of having to shepherd India’s hopes.

Cambuslang boxer World Records

A CAMBUSLANG man has boxed his way into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Mark Scott was aiming to set the record for most consecutive rounds of boxing at the Griphouse Gym in Maryhill to raise funds for Yorkhill Children's Foundation.

And the 39-year-old did so in style, surpassing his expectations and managing 111 rounds in seven-and-a-half hours.

He said: “It was great to get it done so now I just need to send everything to Guinness to get it clarified.

“It feels good to have it done and get it out the way and I’m quite glad it’s over.

“It was extremely hard but my fitness was fine which I was quite surprised at! Pain wise my upper back started to hurt and my hands were sore but apart from that I didn’t feel too bad.”

In order to set the record Mark had to do at least 100 rounds.

As he explains he wanted to surpass the bare minimum to set the record in style: “It was round about 80 I decided I was going to keep going and I felt fine.

“I always wanted to do more than 100 as I knew 100 would just set the record and I didn’t want to do just enough to set it – I wanted to do more.

“I knew how tough it would be in the later rounds but I managed to keep going.”

There was no shortage of opponents for Mark as two boxing clubs as well as a Thai boxing club provided willing volunteers for Mark to face.

Although he hasn’t collected all the money he’s raised, Mark expects the total to be in the region of £500.

Last year Mark broke the record for most roundhouse kicks completed in one minute.

He managed 148 kicks in one minute, beating the previous record of 130.

When asked if he would be looking to set anymore records Mark claimed he was eager to find something else, and to not count him out of beating his current records.

He concluded: “There’ll be something in the pipeline, I’m going to take a couple of weeks off and think of something else.

“I love doing them, it’s good to challenge yourself and set yourself goals, especially at 39 so I want to do something to keep going.

“I think it is a record I could beat in the future, although it’s a lot of work.”

David Milnes' Blog: World Record

Liffey Dancer, who broke all records for a yearling filly when sold for 2.5million guineas at Tattersalls in 2007, has been retired without setting foot on a racecourse.

The daughter of Sadler's Wells, who is a full sister to the Group 1 winner Listen, was purchased by Phones4U entrepreneur Craig Bennett and put into training with Luca Cumani early last year.

A one-time classic entry, Liffey Dancer will now head the roster of her owners very own breeding operation, the Merry Fox Stud Limited.

Her demise mirrors that of her namesake Snaafi Dancer who made a then world record $10.2 Million for a yearling colt when sold at Keeneland in 1983.

Put into training with John Dunlop, Snaafi Dancer also never made the racecourse and, later ,also proved infertile at stud.

Cumani said "Unfortunately, Liffey Dancer was retired a few weeks ago."

4.1-kg uterus Guinness World Records

A city gynaecologist has made it to the Guinness World Records for the second time for removing an uterus weighing 4.1 kg, using minimally invasive surgery.

Dr Rakesh Sinha of BEAMS Hospital broke the earlier Guinness record held by two US-based doctors for laparoscopically removing a 3.2-kg uterus. Sinha first made it to Guinness records in 2005 when he removed a 3.4-kg fibroid. The second surgery was performed in 2009 and Sinha received the Guinness certification on October 21.

Largest Swimwear Parade World Record

World's largest budgie smuggler parade to be held in Australia

Australia’s budgie smuggler fans are set enter the Guinness Book of World Records with the world’s largest swimwear parade to be held in Sydney.

Despite having plenty of iconic beaches to choose from, organisers have instead opted for Sydney's financial district, Martin Place, as the start point for the inaugural Strut the Streets parade.

The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) charity expects up to 1000 Sydneysiders clad in budgie smugglers and bikinis to take part in ‘Strut the Streets’ parade.

The charity aims to help increase the number of young indigenous Australians participating in university education through mentoring programs.

The current world record for a single swimwear parade stands at 281 participants and was set in Las Vegas, organised by Hugh Hefner’s girlfriend Holly Madison

Hopes to persuade ordinary Sydneysiders to take part in the event and raise thousands of dollars by charging $50 entry and encouraging sponsorship.

The parade is being held at midday on International Guinness World Records Day - November 12.

Largest Halloween Party

The clock struck 12:10 a.m. and 508 signatures were recorded as creator Wesley Barnes knew his task for the night was complete.

Barnes compiled logbooks of the signatures on Halloween to send into the Guinness World Records for the largest Halloween party at the Bluebird.

“I accomplished my mission,” Barnes said.

The previous record held 362 in attendance with compliance to the Guinness World Records. Barnes surpassed this, and he plans to send all information to the main headquarters in London as soon as possible.

Once the information is received there, it will be reviewed for proof of verification including photos, videos and witnesses.

Barnes and his team of seven volunteers made sure to have everything in place while at the Bluebird. He and his team verified proof of attendees with two logbooks, one at the main door and one in the hands of the team members circulating throughout the venue.

Throughout the night Barnes and his team members had to keep track of those leaving the venue to have a precise verification of the number of people in attendance. Barnes recorded the people who left the venue for the night and did not include those signatures in the logbooks.

The specifics were difficult, but Barnes said with the help of his team it was made possible and everyone knew they had a job to do.

Barnes arrived at the Bluebird at 9:45 p.m. to begin the night’s setup and organization. While there he spoke with members from headliner band Hairbanger’s Ball, who announced the record-breaking attempt on stage and directed the audience to the logbooks to make their contribution of the night.

Bear’s Place comedy show host Mike Tucker was there and said he was pleased with the idea of attempting a Guinness World Record in Bloomington.

“This is a perfect town for the record to be broken,” Tucker said. “Getting in the book takes a lot of hard work.”

Among the excitement of the evening for the record breakers, the Bluebird held a costume contest that presented three winners. This year the best costume was Borat, second place was Zelda and third place was Karl from “The Simpsons.”

During the party Barnes said he had a chance to speak with some of those dressed in the most interesting costumes, and his applause during the costume contest went to someone who had blinds covering his face and referred to himself as a “shady guy.”

Barnes said his nerves subsided after the record time was up and signatures were accounted for. His Halloween party worked in collaboration with the Bluebird and the team of volunteers on Saturday.

“I owe everything to my team,” said Barnes. “It just all fell into place.”

IDS News

world's largest tiramisu

Chefs in France have made the world's largest tiramisu.

Twelve cooks worked through the night at a food festival in Villeurbanne to finish the dessert, BBC News reports.

The finished pudding weighed over a tonne and is being stored in an ice rink. It has officially been recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's largest tiramisu.

The chefs used 4,000 eggs, 300kg of mascarpone cheese, 60kg of cream and 192kg of sugar in the dessert.

180kg of biscuits, 12kg of chocolate and nearly 5kg of cocoa powder were also needed to finish the sweet.

The tiramisu, which beat the previous record of 783kg held by a group in Switzerland, will now be sliced up to raise money for charity.

China Daily

world's biggest burger

Feeling peckish? Meet the 13 stone record-breaking biggest burger

The stomach-busting meal sells for a wallet-busting $499 dollars (£302) at Mallie's Sports Grill and Bar in Southgate, Michigan, USA.

Restaurant owner Steve Mallie said it took eight hours to bake a bun big enough to hold the 185lb (84kg) burger.

A triumphant Maillie said: 'Being in the Guinness World Records book is the greatest accomplishment we've ever done.

World’s biggest meatball at American Restaurant

One of the largest and 222.5 pounds weighted meatball cooked at an American Restaurant. Owners of Nonni's Italian Eatery in New Hampshire created the mega-meatball.

Matthew Mitnitsky, owner of Nonni's, said the giant ball of mince was authenticated as the largest on the planet after being weighed by officials from the state weights and measures department.

A Guinness Book of World Records official also confirmed it as a record breaker and presented Mr Mitnitsky with a plaque.

The old record of 198.6 pounds was set just over a month ago after Los Angeles-based talk show host Jimmy Kimmel vowed to beat a record set in Mexico. That record of 109 pounds was set in August.

A proud Mr Mitnitsky said he got involved "to bring the meatball back to the East Coast because that's where it originated."

Speaking before the record attempt he told local press: "You know me. I take something small and see what I can do to make it bigger.

"This all started when we were reviewing sales from our three restaurant locations. Our meatballs came out on top at every location. So I thought, let's create a family event around the meatball."

He insisted that the meatball, which took three days to cook, would be "totally edible".

To celebrate the achievement, the restaurant held a meatball eating contests and a childrens' meatball ladle run.

Photo: AP

Man delivers 25-hour-long speech on marriage

Homeopath and psychologist from Hyderabad, Dr Kishore Reddy, sure can talk. On Saturday, he claimed to have set a world record for the longest-ever speech by delivering one for 25 hours, six minutes and 28 seconds. The subject, some would argue, lends itself to such 'speechathons'. It was about 'How to build a happy marriage.'

Reddy is hoping that his feat will earn him an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records, was backed by eight years of research on 260 singles and 60 couples. Reddy said he wrote to Guinness in July, to send them his proposal of the over-a-day-long speech, which they approved in August. Reddy will send the tapes to Guinness once he reaches Hyderabad.

In his magnum opus, he spoke about the "true beliefs" and "false beliefs" that influence people's decisions about their marriage. He added that "people who do not get married are incomplete" and insisted that "homosexuals are victims of a biological tragedy".

His perception of homosexuals follows from his view of unmarried people leading lesser lives. When asked why gay marriages are not legal in most countries, Reddy said their sexuality was not a choice but a "biological compulsion", and added that a homosexual male can never become a complete man.

Reddy, who has been married for six years, said that he and his wife Rama both feel that theirs is a happy marriage, blessed with one child. There was no way of verifying this, since his better half had not accompanied him to the Press Club, where he was delivering the speech. Reddy says he founded the Marriage Research Foundation, along with four other psychologists, and they have been conducting marriage enrichment programsand workshops for pre-marital counselling. He added that he has appealled to the Centre to introduce "marriage education" instead of sex education.

"Indians accept sex only within marriage. So if children are educated about sex as a part of marriage, it would make their parents comfortable," he said. Reddy also suggested that November 12 be observed as 'Marriage Fidelity Day' though he agrees that observing a day will not put an end to extramarital affairs.

Biggest Pumpkin World Record

A gigantic pumpkin set a new state record in California at the 36th annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay.

The winning pumpkin tipped the scales at 1,658 pounds (752 kilogrammes)

Its grower, Don Young from Iowa, collected a prize of $9,948 US dollars.

Super-Sonic gamer smashes world record

A gamer from Kent has played himself into the record books Friday after speeding through the classic Sonic the Hedgehog game in the fastest recorded time ever.

James Richards, 21, completed the 'speed run' through the first level of the platform game in 22 seconds, a time confirmed as a record by Guinness World Records officials present at London's Golden Joystick Awards.

"It got really tense and was very exciting when he actually broke the record," event spokesman Justin Crosby told AFP. "He took about an hour-and-a-half to finally do it, and was looking very tired at the end.

"He's been in training for four or five weeks in anticipation and has been helped by his girlfriend working nights, giving him more time to practice," he added.

The Maidstone record holder will be presented with his award at a ceremony this evening in front of hundreds of industry big-hitters.

The record attempt was part of the build-up to the 27th edition of the annual awards, which are known as the industry's equivalent of the Oscars, and form the cornerstone of the London Games Week.

Courtesy - AFP

Biggest rubber band ball world Record at Florida

The world's biggest rubber band ball is leaving the home of its creator to be displayed in a museum in Florida. Guinness Book declared it is worlds biggest rubber band ball.

Joel Waul spent lot of time, the last six years carefully wrapping, linking and stretching rubber bands into the ball shape.

At 400lbs (181kg), it once rolled over his hand and sprained it - on another occasion it went over his big toe.

The Guinness Book of World Records declared it the world's largest rubber band ball in 2008.

"It's the world's largest and the world record is going to be hard to break," Mr Waul said, adding he was glad that it was going to be on display for thousands to appreciate.

A team from Ripley's Believe It or Not museum came to the house with a crane and hauled away the seven foot high (2.1 metres), 1,000lb (453kg) ball.