World Briefs

The Christmas tree adorning the Athens city centre will be given a 24-hour police guard after its predecessor was burned to a crisp during youth riots last year, police said yesterday.

The 15-metre metallic structure covered with scores of small fir trees will be "discreetly" monitored by police foot patrols, a police source told AFP.

The tree, which is the centrepiece of Athens's Christmas festivities on central Syntagma Square, was lit last night.

Television footage of last year's burning tree was one of the most emblematic images of riots spark-ed by the fatal shooting of a teenage boy by a policeman whose squad car was allegedly assaulted by a group of youths. A replacement tree was later also targeted by demonstrators who pelted it with garbage after authorities ringed it with riot police. (AFP)

'Bond' busted in car chase

German police arrested a man who claimed to be a "secret agent" after a high speed chase in pursuit of a car with a blue flashing light on its roof.

Police in the southern city of Fuerth caught up with the man after he raced past them, ignored signals to pull over, and ran a red light as they gave chase.

Smelling strongly of alcohol, the 44-year-old whispered only that he was "one of them", on a secret mission and belonged to the Federal Crime Office - a body similar to the FBI - local police said. A check revealed he had no such credentials. (Reuters)

Pastor turns into multi-millionaire

An Estonian pastor has struck it rich after a DNA test proved that he was the son of one of the Baltic state's wealthiest men, according to a news report yesterday.

The weekly Eesti Ekpress said a local court formally had recognised Riho Pors as an heir of the late Aadu Luukas, who was a high-profile figure in Estonia.

Mr Luukas died aged 67 in 2006, leaving reported assets of hundreds of millions of kroons (tens of millions of euros).

Indrek Luukas, who on paper was Mr Luukas's only son and heir, was reportedly unaware that he had a half-brother. Mr Pors, a pastor in the Estonian Pentecostal Church, went to court to prove his claim. (AFP)

Vicar in a twist

A rector has criticised the decision to allow a lapdancing venue to open on the doorstep of his church.

Oxford City Council granted a licence for lapdancing and pole dancing sessions to be run at the Thirst Lodge in the city, just yards from St Ebbe's Church.

The Rev Vaughan Roberts said the venue was "inappropriate" because of its proximity to the church, some 50 yards away. (PA)

Businessman builds minaret in protest

A Swiss businessman, appalled by his fellow countrymen's decision to ban minarets, has extended a chimney above his company building into a minaret in protest.

"It was scandalous that the Swiss voted for the ban. Now we have the support of all the far-right parties across Europe. This is shameful," Guillaume Morand, who owns a chain of shoe stores, said.

The businessman, who is not a Muslim, explained that he had constructed the mock minaret at his building near western Switzerland's city of Lausanne in protest, and at the same time, to "send a message of peace". (AFP)

Charged with sham witchcraft

A Canadian woman is to appear in court on Christmas Eve for posing as a witch in order to defraud a grieving Toronto lawyer in a case that invokes a century-old law, police said yesterday.

Vishwantee Persaud was charged under a very rarely used section of Canada's criminal code with allegedly pretending to practise witchcraft to convince a man that she was the embodied spirit of his deceased sister. She did so, say police, in order to defraud him of tens of thousands of dollars.

"Witchcraft is how she got her hooks into him to commit a larger series of frauds against him," said Toronto police Detective Constable Corey Jones, who investigated the case. "She claimed to have come from a long line of witches and could read tarot cards, then told him his deceased sister's spirit had returned and inhabited a feminine form close to him - intimating it was her - and that she was going to guide him to financial prosperity and business success," he said. (AFP)

Unknown hero

A French town is to honour a British soldier whose family were unaware for 65 years that he died a hero during World War Two.

Relatives of Bombardier Robert Key, who died aged 30 in a grenade blast in September 1944 while saving the life of a child, had wrongly believed he was "showing off" at the time of his death.

The anti-tank regiment soldier's niece, Gill Mills, said the family had now learned he was regarded as a hero in the northern town of Annezin. (PA)