For more than three centuries, the identity of the men depicted in Rembrandt's massive portrait Night Watch, hanging in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, have been unknown, but retired Dutch historian Bas Dudok van Heel now claims to have identified them all.

The painting features a group portrait of a division of the Amsterdam civic guard, depicted as though they have just moved into action and are about to march off.

In about 1715, a shield was painted onto the Night Watch containing 18 names, but only a few were known to belong to identified figures in the portrait. But Mr Dudok van Heel has been able to link each name to a figure in the painting after researching families, their financial position and their business contacts, the museum said.

He then collated the information with the age of the various militiamen in 1642, the year the painting was completed, to identify each of the figures. (Reuters)

World police target Pink Panther thieves

After six years of being outwitted by the so-called "Pink Panther" jewel thieves, police from 16 countries have met in Monaco to coordinate efforts to capture the gang that has bagged loot worth up to $200 million.

The Pink Panthers are estimated to have staged some 120 attacks on luxury stores in around 20 countries, since their first robbery in London's exclusive Mayfair district in 2003.

International police organisation Interpol believes there may be as many as 200 "Pink Panther" criminals, many of whom are Serbian nationals with military experience. The group was given its nickname by British police after the 2003 robbery and refers to the debonair gentleman diamond robber from the 1960s Pink Panther film.

"These are violent people with a lot of weaponry who don't hesitate to open fire if they get into difficulty, even if they haven't killed anyone yet," said Emmanuel Leclaire, deputy director of criminal affairs and drug trafficking at Interpol. (Reuters)

Groom sets wedding hotel on fire

A Japanese man who set fire to a hotel in a bid to buy himself time to chose whether to stay with his wife or marry his girlfriend was sentenced to five years jail, a court official said.

Forty-year-old Tatsuhiko Kawata, who had been married with his wife since 1994, had also been seeing another woman for about three years and promised to marry her last October at the Risonare hotel in the mountain resort of Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture.

However, on the eve of the ceremony, the still-married Kawata sought to delay the ceremony by spilling seven litres of petrol in the hotel and setting it on fire, causing minor damage and forcing the evacuations of several guests. (AFP)

Anna Nicole Smith's ex charged

The long-time companion of Anna Nicole Smith and two psychiatrists were charged with conspiring to furnish drugs to the former Playboy playmate in the years before her 2007 death from a prescription medication overdose. Howard Stern, an attorney, and doctors Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich were each charged with a single count of conspiracy, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said. Other charges were filed for unlawfully prescribing opiates and other controlled substances.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown said the trio furnished thousands of prescription pills to Ms Smith, "often for no legitimate medical purpose". The famously blond and buxom Smith died aged 39 in Hollywood, Florida, on February 8, 2007, of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs shortly after the birth of her daughter and the death of her son, who also died of a drug overdose. (Reuters)

For sale: Nagging wife

A British man fed up with his wife's complaints advertised her for sale - and got a number of offers.

"Nagging Wife. No Tax, No MOT. Very high maintenance - some rust," wrote Gary Bates, 38, in a small ad in Trade-It, more usually used to buy and sell cars or household goods.

Mr Bates, a self-employed builder from Gloucestershire, southwest England, snapped after his wife Donna got on his nerves while she was watching television and decided to place the ad as a joke.

"She was nagging me for doing something small, while she was watching some rubbish on TV. So I just thought I'd put an ad in to get rid of her. I didn't think anyone would ring up but I've had at least nine or 10 people calling about her. It's gone mad. There was no one I knew - just people asking, 'Is she still available?" (AFP)