An enormous coffin measuring almost 8ft long carried by eight pallbearers was used to lay Britain’s former tallest man to rest.
Christopher Greener, who died last month aged 71, held the title for four decades and was a towering 7ft 6in – with his growth stopping only due to surgery. He was buried at St Mary’s Cemetery in Hayes, Bromley, in a double plot close to his former home.
His body was placed in a coffin adapted for his height, which required eight pallbearers to manage both its length and Mr Greener’s 30-stone frame. At 7ft 10in in length, the coffin only narrowly fitted into the hearse, according to the funeral directors.
Zoo celebrations fit for a ‘king’
Zoo keepers are celebrating the birth of a king colobus monkey.
The monkey was born at Paignton Zoo in Devon on Saturday to father Martin and mother Ivy. King colobus monkeys, which weigh less than 1kg at birth, are listed as a vulnerable species.
A spokesman for Paignton Zoo said: “The new arrival is important, as there are only six collections in Europe holding king colobus.” The monkeys are not checked by a vet until they are at least six months old – meaning keepers have to wait to find out their sex.
World’s ‘safest city’ is revealed
Short-break tourists see York as the world’s safest city – with Cairo the most risky, according to a survey.
Of 42 world towns, Bath, Edinburgh and Brighton were also considered particularly safe, while Bangkok, Istanbul and Marrakech were, after Cairo, the cities deemed least safe. A stolen wallet (24%) was the most common occurrence for those who had had problems in cities.
The survey of 2,075 UK adults carried out by Post Office Travel Insurance, showed that 72% felt York was safe with only 1% considering the Yorkshire city risky. Second was Bath with 69% saying it was safe and only 2% regarding it as risky. Edinburgh also had a 69% safe rating, with 3% reckoning the Scottish capital was a risky destination.
Dog sneaks into travel bag
A dog was so keen not to be left behind when its owner went on a trip that it sneaked into her suitcase - but was rumbled by an airport luggage check.
Transportation Security Administration officers at New York’s LaGuardia Airport said the seven-year-old Chihuahua crawled into its owner’s case and curled up when she had her back turned while packing for a flight to Los Angeles last week.
But as her black, hard-sided case was screened, it sparked an unknown contents alarm and was opened for inspection. The owner’s husband later collected the dog and took it home.
Laptops in a positive mix-up
A mix-up at airport security led to an NFL player visiting a school.
Kyle Van Noy, a Detroit Lions player, and Ilene Strong, principal at Traverse Mountain Elementary in Utah, mistakenly picked up each other’s laptops from security bins at Salt Lake City International Airport last week.
Van Noy was first to notice the error, and he then made a detour to the school to switch laptops. While there, he visited 35 classrooms to answer questions and posed with 1,000 students in photos.
Girl Scouts have cookies to go
A troop of Girl Scouts have followed the successful lead of fast-food restaurants by offering their famous cookies at a drive-through.
Troop 12115 in Salem, New Hampshire, is selling cookies at a vacant warehouse situated on busy Main Street.
The troop has sold 1,200 boxes so far, but hopes the drive-through will help scouts reach their goal of 5,000 boxes sold.