World Vignettes

Art thief gets poetic justice
LONDON: A burglar who claims a list of celebrity victims including Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Ginger Rogers has been jailed for trying to sell a stolen Picasso painting. Peter Scott, 67, who has made an estimated 30 million Pounds 48 million Dollars since the 19508217;s, was jailed for three and a half years by a court in London. He supposedly retired from a life luxury crime 10 years ago but could not resist one more deal, and tried to sell the painting, Tete De Femme, for 75,000 Pounds. It had been stolen from a gallery in Mayfair, Central London. Unfortunately for him, the purported buyers were undercover police officers. One of his most celebrated catches, according to press reports here, was a pair of Sophia Loren8217;s silk panties.

Tall order
LONDON: Britain8217;s tallest are holding a summit here this week to press demands for bigger beds and cars and more understanding of mental and physical problems linked to their size. The British club, with 1,700members, was founded seven years ago to give tall people a place to exchange information and access to support groups for what some see as a physical handicap. There is no minimum height requirement for membership, but most adults who join are at least close to two meters six feet six inches tall, said Matthew Parmer, the 2.03-meter London branch president. The Monday-to-Friday meeting was focusing on medical problems caused by furniture which was not suitable for taller sizes.

Napoleon8217;s lock
NEW YORK: A lock of hair, believed to have been taken from Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile on the island of Elba, has been sold for 9,200 Dollars at Christie8217;s auction house. he circularly framed lock of hair inside a blue Levant case was purchased by a private American collector, said Vredy Lytsman, a spokeswoman for the auction. Its presale estimate was Dlrs 2,000 to Dlrs 3,000. The lock of hair was one of 300 items for sale relating to Napoleon8217;s military and political career.