Rome - The Association of Italian footballers (AIC) has named Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic best Serie A player of 2008 at a ceremony held in Milan, the AIC web site reported.

Italian media Tuesday showed pictures of the Inter Milan striker smiling as he held the Oscar of football, a golden statue of a footballer.

Ibra, 27, was also voted best foreign player in the league, an award he already secured in 2005, and won a further prize for scoring the best goal of 2008, a spectacular heel flick against Bologna.

Rome - Fiat deputy chairman John Elkann said Tuesday that the Turin-based carmaker is in talks with Chrysler amid reports of a possible purchase by the Italian company of a majority stake in the ailing US producer.

"It is no secret that we are talking. It has been a while that we are in talks," Elkann, a heir of the Agnelli family which controls Fiat, was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency.

Elkann indicated more details on a possible deal would be available following a Fiat statement later Tuesday and a meeting of the company's board scheduled for Thursday.

Rome - A further 448 would-be immigrants arrived Tuesday morning in southern Italy, with almost half landing on the islet of Lampedusa.

The first group of 220 - including seven women and 28 children - was rescued by a coast guard patrol and taken to Lampedusa shortly before dawn, the ANSA news agency reported.

Another group of 228, including 34 women and one infant child, was also brought to safety after the coast guard found them adrift on a boat some 30 nautical miles from the port of Pozzallo, Sicily, ANSA said.

Rome - AC Milan fans Tuesday were relieved by the news that Brazilian star Kaka turned down a massive offer from Manchester City and decided to remain with the Devils.

Club owner and Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gave the announcement Monday night through two television channels, thus putting an end to speculations that began last week and triggered protests from hundreds of Milan fans.

"Kaka stays at Milan. It's a success for Kaka. He resisted and I'm happy that Milan have the honour to field among his great players a man like him," Berlusconi said.

London, Jan 19 : Plans of putting atheist slogans on buses in Italy, like the ones in Britain, have been blocked by the Roman Catholic Church.

The adverts reading ‘The bad news is that God doesn''t exist. The good news is that you don''t need him’ were supposed to appear on vehicles on the streets of Genoa.

The city had been chosen because it is home to the head of the Italian Catholic Bishops Conference Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, an outspoken opponent of artificial insemination and gay marriage.

Aosta, Italy  - Four It