Pensioner lands record-breaking 8ft 2in flatfish that weighed more than 34 stone

A 70-year-old angler will have no need to visit his local chippie for the foreseeable future - after reeling in a record-breaking halibut that weighed more than 34 stone.

Gunther Hansel spent more than two hours battling with the 8ft 2in flatfish while on a trip to Iceland's Western Fjords.

And when he finally got his prize alonhgside his fishing boat, the German pensioner needed the help of five crewmates to haul the beast aboard.

The monster fish weighed in at a mighty 482lbs 13ozs - big enough to serve up almost 1,000 individual fillets.

But rather than shop around for a bigger freezer, Gunther sold his prize catch for around £2,500 once he returned to shore.

Gunther, from Magdeburg near Berlin, said afterwards: 'This is the fish I have been fishing for all my life.'

He used a 30lb line and a plastic lure to snare the fish.

Halibut thrive in cold north Atlantic waters and can reach up to 15 feet in length.

The previous record for a halibut was held by anglers Bosse Carlsson and Hans-Olov Nilsson who caught a 464lbs speciman off Norway in July 2009.

World's largest toast portrait as birthday card!!! Wonderful gift!

When you're trying to come up with a really unusual birthday present, it pays to use your loaf.

In the case of Laura Hadland, she used 600 of them.

The 27-year-old museum curator turned a photo of her mother-in-law, Sandra Whitfield, into the world's largest toast mosaic - comprising 9,852 slices.

Mrs Hadland roped in 40 friends to help her make the tribute, which she describes as 'a treat made with love and a sense of randomness'.

They used a battery of nine toasters to brown the slices of bread to varying degrees before arranging it to make the 32ft 8in by 42ft 3in picture at an arts venue in Mrs Whitfield's home town of Warrington, Cheshire.

After spending six hours painstakingly perfecting the image, Laura surprised her husband Mike's mother with the unusual portrait to celebrate her 50th birthday.

The enormous picture was confirmed yesterday as having set a new Guinness World Record as the largest toast mosaic.

Laura, from Leicester, said: 'It's great to have broken the record - what an awesome day. I'm thrilled my best mates come together to make our mark on history and celebrate Sandra's birthday at the same time - it's a birthday card like no other.

'As a museum curator, I spend lots of time with Roman mosaics so it was great fun to make a modern one out of my favourite food - everyone loves toast.

'It's a treat for Sandra made with much love and a sense of randomness. She's certainly not a stereotypical mother in law, she's one of my best friends and I love her.'

Mrs Whitfield, a divorced mother of two, cried with joy when she saw the unusual birthday gift. She said: 'It was certainly a massive shock. I love toast but it feels very strange seeing my face made out of it.

'I'm really overwhelmed because they have gone to so much effort. Laura really is the best daughter in law you could wish for. It's been the best birthday present ever and I'm now a world record holder.'

The toast mosaic - 128 square metres of browned and scorched bread - was officially named the world's largest at 5pm on October 17 at Warrington's Parr Hall by Guinness World Records adjudicator Claire Burgess. The previous record holder measured 121.93 square metres and was created by staff and students at a school in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in February.

Nepalese boy on course to be youngest to climb Everest... at the age of 10

A nine-year-old Nepalese boy is on course to becoming the youngest person to climb the world's highest mountain, Everest.

Tseten Sherpa, who scaled a 6,000-metre (19,700-foot) peak last week, could beat the record set by American Jordan Romero, who was 13 when he managed the feat in May.

According to Nepalese law, climbers must be over the age of 16, but Tseten's determined father, Pemba Dorje Sherpa, is seeking special dispensation so his son can make his attempt in April, when he will be 10.

The child climbed Mount Ramdung in eastern Nepal last Wednesday, and Pemba Dorje Sherpa - a reknowned climber himself - said he wanted his son to become the youngest person ever to reach the Everest summit.

Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who holds the world record for the fastest ascent of Everest - it took him eight hours and 10 minutes - said earlier this year he wanted to find a Nepalese child to beat Romero's record.

'I think all the Everest records should be held by Nepalese people,' he had said. 'Nepal is a small country and we do not get much good publicity.

But tourism ministry official Baburam Bhandari has warned that the government would not allow the climber to take his son on to the mountain.

'We will not let him climb Mount Everest,' he said. 'Our climbing regulations clearly state that you must be at least 16.'

Everest straddles Nepal and China, and Romero obtained his permit to climb from China, which did not have any age restrictions at that time.

His climb provoked criticism from many in the mountaineering community, however.

David Hillebrandt, medical adviser to the British Mountaineering Council, said: 'It was totally against the spirit of true mountaineering.'

He also questioned whether Romero was sufficiently mature to make the decision to climb.

But the acting president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, Nima Numa Sherpa, said that the boy's background as a local child used to climbing the rugged Himalayan terrain could work in his favour against the restrictions.

'It is different for mountain people living in the Himalayas to somebody coming from abroad,' he said.

'If the boy is accompanied by his father, and he is from the local Himalayan region, then I don't consider this a big issue.'

Around 3,000 people have climbed Everest since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to conquer the 8,848-metre (29,028-foot) peak in 1953.

Several hundred have died, many of them falling to their deaths or succumbing to altitude sickness during the gruelling ascent.

World's Widest Mouth..this record holder can crammed his mouth with a can of coke!!!

A man who can fit a whole can of pop in his jaws sideways has been recognised as having a world-record sized mouth.

Francisco Domingo Joaquim's 6.69 inches wide rubbery yap has earned him the bizarre title of the 'World's Widest Mouth' by the Guinness Book of World Records.

The 20-year-old, who is also known as the Angolan Jaw of Awe, put his elastic skills to the test at the the 'Big Mouth' competition in Rome this month.

Contestants crammed their cake holes with a whole host of items including saucers, coffee cups and beer bottles but nobody's mouth could beat Francisco and his can of coke.

He shot to stardom performing his jaw-dropping talent on the streets of Luanda, capital of Angola, and even performed on an Italian TV show, popping a can in and out of his mouth 14 times in one minute.

Francisco, known as Chiquinho, and his unique talent was discovered by Guinness Book of World Record researchers scouring YouTube.

After two years of searching, they tracked him down to his hometown in Angola.
Since then Francisco has become an Internet sensation with his videos racking up thousands of hits.

Joaquim said it was a 'dream come true' to be honoured by Guinness World Records.