A former Army captain completed a 130-mile barefoot pilgrimage between two cathedrals yesterday.

James Milton finished the trek from Winchester to Canterbury cathedrals on his 35th birthday.

Raising funds for the charity Help for Heroes, Mr Milton, who served in three tours of duty in Iraq, used country paths to follow as closely as possible the original pilgrim's route.

Mr Milton, who now works in corporate com-munications, said: "It's my birthday today and I want to do something I could be proud of and remember for the rest of my life. My feet are in tatters, I have walked continuously for the last 24 hours because I didn't think I would make it."

Explaining his reason for doing the trek, he added: "I used to be a soldier and I have built a good life since but there is a bunch of men and women who have not been so fortunate". (PA)

Latin lover falls flat

Italy's fabled Latin lovers are missing the mark with foreign belles, according to a poll released yesterday that said nearly four in five women tourists were unmoved by Italian men's charms.

Seventy-nine per cent said they would not fall for an Italian, with many saying they lacked cheerfulness and a sense of humour (51 per cent), while others complained they were childish (49 per cent).

Another reason for the lack of attraction is that today's Italian men show more of their feminine than their masculine side, according to 57 per cent of the 1,000 women polled by tourist and gastronomy magazine Vie del Gusto.

The most likely to make a woman's heart flutter were students, businessmen and holiday resort DJs and entertainers, the survey said. (AFP)

Robot at home

Japanese researchers yesterday unveiled a robot that can mimic speech and gestures sent to it by video-phone, replicating a distant caller's presence.

Dubbed the Telenoid R1, the robot will allow people to feel as if an acquaintance in the distance is next to you as a sensor will transmit the caller's sounds and movements of the head, face and arms to a robot near the recipient.

The developers expect the robot to be used in real-life situations, for example in homes to provide company to elderly people living alone. The robot has been made to look similar to a human but without hair, to appear as both male and female, as both old and young. (AFP)

Truck falls into gorge

At least 15 Hindu devotees on a pilgrimage to a Himalayan town were killed and four other injured yesterday when a truck in which they were travelling fell into a gorge in northern India. The truck carrying 20 people lost control on a hilly road in Uttarakhand state's Dabrani district and plunged into a 150-metre deep gorge.

The victims were on their way to an annual monsoon pilgrimage to the Himalayan town of Gangotri when the accident occurred.

The injured were hospitalised in a serious condition. (AFP)

BP urged to rename US petrol stations

Embattled oil giant BP is reportedly facing pressure to re-name its US petrol stations under their old Amoco brand as the backlash in America shows no sign of easing.

The distributors who control most of BP's US forecourts are pushing the group to revert back to the traditional American Amoco branding for fear of further sales pain following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

BP shed the Amoco brand shortly after merging with the US oil group in 1998, but the 475 distributors believe its revival across petrol stations could help bring customers back.

They are reportedly seeing sales fall by up to 40 per cent in the worst hit sites as Americans shun the BP brand while the firm's petrol stations in the US are also said to be suffering growing instances of vandalism and protests. (PA)

Zoo celebrates Ostrich baby boom

A zoo is celebrating after a male ostrich became father to eight chicks.

Boomer is father to the flightless youngsters which have hatched from eggs laid by the two female ostriches at Marwell Wildlife near Winchester, Hampshire. The chicks currently measure just 10 inches but will grow to about 120 inches.

Ian Goodwin, senior section manager for the ostriches, said: "After an incubation period of around six weeks all the eggs hatched earlier this month, and visitors can now see six chicks in the paddock and two in the African Valley."

Mr Goodwin explained that female ostriches can lay around 12 eggs within a few days and up to 100 in a year.

Ostriches, which are native to the savannas and grasslands of Africa, lay the world's largest egg. The shell is an eighth of an inch thick and extremely strong. It can even withstand a human standing on it without cracking. (PA)