Magicians come in from the cold

Two Lithuanians wearing only T-shirts and sweat pants emerged today from a block of ice, inside which they had spent 63 hours and 31 minutes in an attempt to outdo a similar stunt by US illusionist David Blaine.

Shivering with cold, Arvydas Gaiciunas, 36, and his 29-year-old sister, Diana Gaiciunaite, were greeted by cheers and applause from thousands of onlookers at a downtown square in Palanga, 186 miles west of the capital, Vilnius.