Bari, Italy  - Italian President Giorgio Napolitano was scheduled later Sunday to hand his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, the key of an Orthodox church in the southern Italian city of Bari.

A message of goodwill by Pope Benedict XVI was also set to be read at the ceremony by a Vatican envoy, Cardinal Salvatore Di Giorgio.

The acting head of the External Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchy, Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk, was set to deliver a speech on behalf of the Russian Orthodx Church.

Florence, Italy  - Rescuers near Florence on Sunday pulled the bodies of an Albanian woman an

Rome  - Mauro Zarate scored a brace for Lazio Saturday as the Rome side beat visiting Bologna 2-0 in a Serie A weekend opener.

The young Argentine stunned Francesco Antonioli on 36 minutes curling a free kick above the wall into the corner by the closest post.

Throughout the first half, Pasquale Foggia was a major worry for Bologna down the left flank as the Rome hosts dominated the game.

Rome - A Italian state-television presenter says he has discovered in one of Leonardo Da Vinci's notebooks a tiny sketch that could be a self-portrait of the Italian Renaissance master.

The presenter, Piero Angela, is set to unveil his find on the RAI television science program Ulisse scheduled for broadcast late on Saturday.

Angela writing on RAI's internet site, said initially only a nose was visible from under heavy scribbling on a page of the notebook, which contains a study by Leonardo on the flight of birds.

But RAI's graphics experts had managed to isolate the image, revealing a drawing of a young man, with long hair and a slight beard.

Rome - Italy's conservative government on Friday approved a bill to restrict strikes marring the country's transport sector, a move criticized by the country's main labour union confederation.

According to the bill, only unions representing at least half the workforce will be able to directly call transport strikes.

In cases where no single union has the support of at least 50 per cent of the workers, then a vote would be required to approve a

strike with at least 30 per cent in favour of stoppage.

Venice, Italy - Taiwanese-born Academy Award winning director, Ang Lee, will head the jury at this year's edition of the Venice Film Festival, organizers announced Friday.

The world's oldest film competition, the festival this year marks its 66th edition and runs in the lagoon city from September 2 to September 12.