Bolzano, Italy  - Pope Benedict XVI arrived Monday in Bolzano at the foothills of Italy's Dolomite Alps to begin a two week-long holiday that follows a hectic first half of 2008 for the 81-year-old pontiff.

Benedict, who last week returned from an intense 10-day visit to Australia where he presided over World Youth Day celebrations, was greeted in Bolzano by local dignitaries and church officials.

Islamabad  - The two Italian climbers who were rescued from a deadly Himalayan peak two days ago left Islamabad on Saturday for Milan.

Simon Kehrer and Walter Nones were attempting a new route up Nanga Parbat (the Naked Mountain in the Urdu language), when their teammate and celebrated mountaineer Karl Unterkirchner fell to his death in a crevasse on July 15.

Both remained stranded on the 8,126-metre "Killer Mountain" until Thursday, when an army helicopter evacuated them to the nearby town of Gilgit, from where they arrived in Islamabad the following day.

Rome - The government of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced Saturday a nationwide state of emergency in reaction to a stark increase in illegal immigration to the country's south.

The move is to provide local authorities with greater means to deal with the rising tide of wound-be immigrants arriving by boat.

According to the daily La Repubblica, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni plans to build new intake centres throughout the country.

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.