World Briefs

Environmentalists unveiled an ice statue of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in the ancient Roman Forum yesterday, timed to melt away by next Monday as the UN climate change summit begins in Copenhagen.

"As well as just taking part in international showcases, we need coherent policies in Italy - policies we don't see at the moment," said Greenpeace campaigner Francesco Tedesco. "On climate, Berlusconi is in danger of being a leader who melts."

The Italian leader's main contribution to the climate change debate in Europe so far was one year ago when, together with Germany, he secured concessions for industry that enabled the EU to sign a broad deal on cutting carbon emissions. Environmentalists said Mr Berlusconi, who threatened to block that deal at one point, had contributed to the EU making too many concessions to industry.

"Berlusconi don't be stupid - save the climate," read the slogan on the ice sculpture, which stood next to an ancient stone statue of Roman emperor Julius Caesar.

Greenpeace said that 93 per cent of Italy's energy still comes from fossil fuels. (Reuters)

Nativity chic

Tattered tea towels, home-made angel wings and tinsel are no longer good enough for today's competitive parents, who are spending up to £150 on their child's nativity costume.

Virgin Marys are now performing in pashmina shawls, while angels are appearing on stage decked out in expensive imitation jewellery.

The trend has been dubbed "manger chic" by retailer Debenhams, which first noticed it around two weeks ago when the store's personal shoppers began being asked for advice on how to create the ultimate Nativity makeover. (PA)

Wedding miss

A would-be bridegroom's wedding was interrupted by his former lover and her relatives who stopped the service in Lima, Peru.

Edwin Ortiz was just about to utter "I do" when the mother of his two children dragged him outside.

The confrontation ended with all being arrested.

Mr Ortiz had told his wife-to-be he was a bachelor with no children. (PA)

E.T. 'phones' home

An Arizona education official has been accused of using school computers in an experiment to find space aliens at a cost of more than a million dollars.

IT director Brad Niesluchowski downloaded free software to analyse radio telescope data in an experiment to find extraterrestrial intelligence.

But the programme also bogged down the school district's system and interfered with technology use in classrooms. (PA)

Heartbroken Romeo's macabre liaisons

A heartbroken student broke into a mortuary with an axe and examined corpses in the mistaken belief that a woman he fancied had died, police said.

Benjamin Barton, of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, UK, pleaded guilty at Southampton Crown Court to a charge of criminal damage but was acquitted of an offence of burglary.

The court heard that the 24-year-old had fallen for Amy Ogden whom he had met at the University of Southampton but feared she had been killed when he was unable to contact her for several days in the run-up to Valentine's Day.

Convinced that she had died, he broke into Southampton General Hospital's mortuary with an axe and even looked at various bodies in a bid to locate Ms Ogden.

He was fined £1,000, placed under a 12-month community supervision order and told to complete nine months of mental health treatment.

The court heard that Mr Barton's feelings for Ms Ogden were unrequited as she already had a boyfriend. (PA)

Old age prisoner

A New York man has been jailed for 75 years for mugging a 101-year-old woman on her way to church.

Jack Rhodes was convicted of targeting women because of their age, a violation of the state Hate Crimes Act.

A surveillance camera recorded the assault on the 101-year-old and showed her using a walker to leave her apartment building when she was set upon. (PA)