May 9, 1991: Italian actress Laura Antonelli found guilty of cocaine possession

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Italian researchers are planning to send mice into space as part of an experiment to pave the way for the first manned trip to Mars, the University of Genoa said. Scientists from the university's Regenerative Medicine Laboratory and the Italian Space Agency are working on a project that will see mice travel by shuttle to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time. Once there, the mice will be involved in a series of experiments to explore the adverse conditions astronauts could meet during upcoming missions planned to take place outside the earth's atmosphere - in particular a mooted two-year mission to Mars.

Experts believe astronauts may face cardiovascular and skeletal problems during such missions, while straying outside the earth's atmosphere means they will no longer be protected from cosmic radiation. The scientists in Genoa are currently working on a special cage, or Mouse Drawer System, with a controlled microclimate that will allow the mice to live, eat and drink normally in the absence of gravity.

NASA astronaut Janice Voss, who has participated in five space missions, is set to visit the laboratory to discuss the project. The first mouse went into space in 1948 on an unmanned United States flight and survived impact on the rocket's return to earth.

Image-conscious teens in Italy are opting for the morning-after pill instead of taking regular contraceptive medication because they are worried about getting fat, Italian gynaecologists warned. Speaking at the European Contraception Congress in Prague, Rossella Nappa of Pavia University said the consumption of the morning-after pill has risen by 60% since it was first introduced in Italy in 2000.

Teenagers are a growing market for the powerful emergency contraception method, which can significantly reduce the chance of pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. In 2006 over half of the 320,000 pills sold were to girls under the age of 20, according to Nappa. Side-effects of the morning-after pill include nausea, dizziness and abdominal pain. ''Girls often underestimate the impact of the pill, which is a real hormonal shock,'' she added.

Nappa said that myths surrounding the normal, low-dosage contraceptive pill, which is taken on a daily basis as part of a controlled programme, is holding teenagers back from using safer methods to prevent unwanted pregnancies. ''The fear of getting fat is one of the things that discourages young people from using the contraceptive pill and leads them to try other, less reliable methods,'' she explained. ''But today thanks to the fourth generation drugs, the risk of putting the pounds on is completely groundless. We have to spend time trying to get positive messages across to women''.

Regional president Claudio Martini outlined Tuscany's energy plan at the opening of Arezzo's hydrogen duct, the first urban structure of its kind in the world. The structure was made possible thanks to an investment of over one million euro on the part of the Tuscan regional government and private partners. The city of Arezzo also supported the initiative by donating the land.The idea belongs to Fabbrica del Sole president, Emiliano Cecchini, who 'networked' local institutions and businesses like Coingas, Sapio and Exnergy. Martini also announced that the regional government will request national assistance in facilitating the procedures for the authorization of hydrogen cars and favouring the creation of a national network of distributors of hydrogen produced by renewable energy.

The San Zeno structure is part of a larger reality that, when developed, will be able to guarantee energy security and auto-sufficiency by locally producing hydrogen from solar panels. This will decrease blackouts for families and businesses and help budgets for small and large businesses. Current hydrogen production is enough to satisfy the industrial and domestic needs of families and businesses in the San Zeno industrial area, the production of electricity and heat, and energy for hydrogen vehicles.

Forty-two companies use hydrogen for their needs, which has notably decreased the economic costs and environmental impact. The underground ducts also help the overall distribution of gas and eliminates the space necessary for stockpiling gas containers.