Sri Lanka's record Christmas tree pruned due to work delays

Residents walk past a partially-constructed Christmas tree in Colombo on December 24, 2016, which surpassed the world record for the tallest artificial Christmas tree despite building delays.-AFP

Colombo (AFP) - Sri Lanka surpassed the world record for the tallest artificial Christmas tree Saturday despite building delays forcing organisers to prune the structure by almost half, an official said.

Cricket legend Arjuna Ranatunga initiated plans to build the record-breaking tree in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, but ran into opposition from the Catholic church which said the money would be better spent on charity.