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.

Bari, Italy  - The death in Italy of a two-year old boy following a botched circumcision lead Wednesday to the arrest of a Nigerian man on manslaughter and illegal medical practice charges.

The boy, identified in news reports only with the name Johnson, died Tuesday of a haemorrhage several hours after the circumcision took place, authorities in the southern port city of Bari said.

Police arrested 28-year-old Eraboremi Eghanghe who they said has admitted to carrying out the circumcision with a "barber's razor- blade and some palm oil." However, he has denied being responsible for the boy's death.

Rome - Italian parliamentarians gave Wednesday final approval to a package of security laws including harsher penalties for illegal immigrants who commit crimes and speedier expulsion procedures for people entering the country illegally.

With 161 votes for to 120 against, parliament's upper house, the Senate, passed the legislation which had been tabled by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's conservative coalition. There were eight abstentions.

Berlusconi won elections in April promising a tougher stance on law and order issues and on illegal immigrants, who many Italians blame for an increase in crime.

Turin, Italy - Italian industrial group Fiat reported Wednesday a 3-per-cent rise in second-quarter profit over the previous year - a performance sustained by an increase of sales in its auto division including strong growth in the Brazilian market.

Net profit before minority interests totalled 646 million euros (1.02 billion dollars) from 627 million euros for the same period last year, the Turin-based company said in a statement.

Sales rose by nearly 12 per cent to 17 billion euros, it said.

The company's main auto division, which makes Fiat branded models - including the Punto, Bravo and Fiat 500 - as well as Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati and Ferrari, recorded a 14-per-cent climb in sales to 8.4 billion euros.