A former student who says he scaled Europe’s tallest building has claimed he could do so again “tomorrow” in spite of increased security.

Bradley L. Garrett claimed his group of urban “explorers” has climbed the 310-metre Shard (pictured) in London “half a dozen” times and could do so again in spite of security being stepped up at the site.

“It is impossible to secure a site that big. The security guards that work on the site are only human, no one wants to sit there watching cameras 12 hours a day, they are going to have to take breaks, they are going to have to take walks,” he said.

But the 31-year-old, from Los Angeles in the US, who completed a PhD on urban exploration in February, said he and his group had “done with” the Shard for now.

Police in Greece for hire

The cash-strapped Greek state is now looking to a new way of raising revenues – renting out its policemen at an hourly rate of €30, with patrol cars going for €10 more.

This will “pay for the cost of using police material and infrastructure, and allow to modernise them”, the ministry of citizen protection, which is in charge of the country’s security services, said in a statement.

Such police services used in “exceptional cases” such as in escorting the transportation of dangerous material or art works, were previously offered free of charge, said the ministry.

But now, hourly fees of €200 will be charged for patrol boats and 1,500 euros for helicopters, according to Sunday newspaper Proto Thema, which revealed the internal reform.

‘Miracle’ in Skopje church

Hundreds of believers were lined up before the church of Sveti Dimitrije in Skopje to see icons that have started to shine without an apparent explanation, an AFP journalist reported yesterday.

“It is really a miracle, it started Sunday in the central part of the iconostasis (a wall of icons and religious paintings), the golden colour is very visible and the phenomenon continues,” Fr Dimce Malinov told AFP. According to the priest the icons and the frescoes in the Orthodox church started to shine as if they were being buffed by an invisible hand.

“Since this morning I have observed the phenomenon, half of the icons are already cleaned. First a red colour appears which turns golden. You can see the icons clearing up from top to bottom,” Father Malinov said.

Liquorice mural of Wills created

Female admirers have often thought he was a bit tasty. But Prince William has now been turned into a giant edible work of art.

A seven-metre mural of the prince has been made using more than 3,000 pieces of liquorice and took four artists over five hours to build.

It was commissioned by Panda Liquorice to mark the Duke of Cambridge’s 30th birthday in June.

Shoppers in Manchester were treated to the mural when it went on display in Spinningfields.

The company, which is celebrating its own 30th anniversary, now plans to send a framed picture of the mural to William.

Jane Chavez-Dawson, lead artist and creator of the mural, said: “We’re big fans of Prince William and can hardly believe that he is 30 now.”