Strange News! But True...

World's Shortest Flight - Just 96 seconds

Children living on a remote Scottish island are to hitch a lift to school on what is said to be the world's shortest flight. The plane journey from Papa Westray to Westray in the Orkney Islands takes just 96 seconds, covering a distance of little over a mile. Six teenagers are to take the Loganair service to Westray Junior High after the local ferry service was suspended.

Holiday mood delays flight landing

An aeroplane was left circling an airport in the Philippines for several minutes before landing because air traffic controllers were apparently still in a Christmas holiday mood. The Philippine Airlines flight from Manila was unable to land at Zamboanga city's airport on schedule because there were no traffic controllers around to answer their request to approach the runway. The airport's assistant chief air traffic controller, Reynaldo Alforte, said controllers were late and two others did not show up at all.

Shattering blow for lorry driver

A red-faced German lorry driver drove two panes of high-value glass all the way from his homeland - then misjudged the height of a bridge and smashed them.

Whitehouse Road in Swindon, just yards from the intended delivery address, had to be shut while shards from the two 2.3m by 2.6m panes, worth a total of 4,000 euros (£3,174), were swept up.

"The sweepers were shattered - much like the glass - and the German lorry driver was very unhappy," Sergeant Barrie Card, of Wiltshire Police, said.