Watch: Great-grandfather breaks record as world’s oldest skydiver

A British World War II veteran has become the oldest person in the world to skydive. (Photo courtesy: Skydive Buzz)
Updated 15 May 2017
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Watch: Great-grandfather breaks record as world’s oldest skydiver

DUBAI: A British World War II veteran has become the oldest person in the world to skydive after he took to the sky with his family Sunday.
At the age of 101 and 38 days, Bryson William Verdun Hayes successfully broke the world record and completed a tandem skydive with three generations of his family.
The family took off at an airfield in Devon, in the UK, and as he touched down, the great-grandfather said “hooray.”

He first tried his hand at skydiving when he turned 100 and decided to have another go one year later.
He made the jump with 10 members of his family, all raising money for the Royal British Legion.
Hayes said he was “absolutely over the moon” after completing the challenge.


Dutch couple’s marriage annulled due to ChatGPT speech

Updated 09 January 2026
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Dutch couple’s marriage annulled due to ChatGPT speech

  • The pair said “I do” and the officiant declared them “not only husband and wife, but above all a team”
  • The judge ⁠found that they had not actually sworn to fulfil their marriage duties

AMSTERDAM: A Dutch couple had their marriage annulled after the person officiating used a ChatGPT-generated speech that was intended to be playful but failed to meet legal requirements, according to a court ruling published this week.
The pair from the city of Zwolle, whose names were redacted from the January 5 decision under Dutch ⁠privacy rules, argued that they had intended to marry regardless of whether the right wording was used when they took their vows.
According to the decision, the person officiating their ceremony last April ⁠19 asked whether they would “continue supporting each other, teasing each other and embracing each other, even when life gets difficult.”
The pair said “I do” and the officiant declared them “not only husband and wife, but above all a team, a crazy couple, each other’s love and home base.”
But the judge ⁠found that they had not actually sworn to fulfil their marriage duties — something that is required under Dutch law.
“The court understands that the date in the marriage deed is important to the man and woman, but cannot ignore what the law says.” It ordered the marriage removed from the Zwolle city registry.