Ailing Berlusconi's release from hospital is delayed

ROME - Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is in pain and having trouble eating and will stay in the hospital at least until today recovering from an attack by a mentally ill man that broke his nose and two teeth, doctors said.

Doctors said they had ordered Berlusconi, 73, to cancel or reduce public appearances at least for the next two weeks, meaning he will skip climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark.

They had previously said he would be released yesterday. Berlusconi's personal doctor said, however, that he was not worried that the prime minister's overall health was in danger.

Berlusconi was injured Sunday when a souvenir metal statuette of Milan's cathedral was hurled into his face at close range by a man with a history of psychological problems.

Police tightened security around Berlusconi after the attack but said another mentally disturbed man was still able to reach the floor of the Milan hospital where the prime minister was being treated early yesterday morning.

A Milan antiterrorism police official asserted that the incident did not reflect a security failure, because they had put checkpoints only on the floor where Berlusconi was being treated, and the man had been stopped at the first checkpoint.

The official said the 26-year-old man from Turin "wanted to pay a visit on the premier at 2 a.m." and said he was a supporter of Berlusconi's.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not have advance authorization to talk with a reporter.

Police said they found hockey sticks and kitchen knives, but they believe he plays hockey. He will be cited for transporting the knives without justification and released, the official said.

The man's identity was not immediately released, the official said.

A half-exploded parcel bomb was found at Milan's Bocconi University overnight, authorities said. It did not cause any injuries. Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said an anarchist group had claimed responsibility for the device.

He said the explosion, like the attack on Berlusconi, could be attributed to a "climate of exasperated confrontation."