Bari, Italy  - Researchers in Italy have made a scientific breakthrough with regard to farming the highly-sought red tuna which is threatened with extinction, an Italian news agency reported Friday.

For the first time in the world, scientists at Bari University in the southern region of Puglia have cultivated the larvae or eggs that may make it possible to farm red tuna on a large-scale, Adnkronos reported

The researchers say they have successfully produced 20 million larvae from tuna in captivity.

Rome - Italian Reform Minister Umberto Bossi's giving the finger to Italy's national anthem led to an outcry earlier this week, but on Friday it was his supporters who were outraged by Ryanair's running of an advertisement showing the minister making the gesture.

"It is offensive and in bad taste," said Italian parliamentarian, Massimo Polledri, a member of the Bossi-led Northern League party.

Polledri was referring to a photograph of Bossi, middle-finger raised in the insulting gesture, posted under the phrase "Minister Bossi to Italian passengers," on the Italian website of budget airline, Ryanair.

Athens - Italy, France and Cyprus said on Friday they were sending firefighting aircraft to help battle a massive forest fire raging out of control for the fourth day on the Dodecannese island of Rhodes.

Officials said Italy was sending two firefighting aircraft and France two more to help battle the blaze. Cyprus said it was sending one helicopter which was expected to arrive on the island later in the day.

Hundreds of firefighters and soldiers, with the assistance of Greek aircraft, were fighting the flames which was approaching several mountain villages.

Authorities declared a disaster on the island, where dozens of homes have been burned and at least 2,500 acres of forest destroyed.

Rome - The tropical root crop cassava could help protect the food and energy security of poor countries now threatened by soaring food and oil prices, a United Nations food agency said Friday.

The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was referring to an appeal by cassava scientists for greater investment in research and development to boost farmers' yields and explore industrial uses of cassava, including biofuel production.

The scientists meeting at a FAO-sponsored global conference held in Ghent, Belgium, said the world community could not continue to ignore the plight of low-income tropical countries that have been hardest hit by rising oil prices and galloping food price inflation.

Courmayeur, Italy - Four climbers fell to their deaths Thursday on Europe's highest peak, Mont Blanc

Islamabad - Two Italian climbers stuck on a Himalayan mountain in Pakistan were likely to be airlifted to safety around noon on Thursday, officials said.