Rome - Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Monday the government would press ahead with plans to fingerprint ethnic Roma, including children - a move branded as discriminatory by European

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI on Friday told Hong Kong and Macao's top Roman Catholic clerics he "hopes and prays" their colleagues from mainland China will one day be allowed to visit Rome.

Benedict expressed his wish in a speech to the clerics, including the Archbishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen, who met the pontiff at Vatican City.

Benedict said he looked forward to the day "when your Brother Bishops from mainland China come to Rome on pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, as a sign of communion with the Successor of Peter and the Universal Church."

Rome - An Italian government proposal to record the finger- prints of ethnic R

Rome  - Italy's biggest bank, UniCredit, announced Thursday it plans to slash its workforce by 9,000 people as part of a new three-year business plan.