Beirut  - Thirty cheerful clowns from Germany, Italy, Morocco and Lebanon cheered the Lebanese public Tuesday by dancing in the rain in the capital Beirut.

Wearing rainbow-colored wigs and red plastic noses, the clowns put on a show in the main shopping district of Hamra street, bringing cheer to Lebanese children on the second day of the Muslim al-Adha holiday.

Some clowns walked on stilts as others danced, juggled, blew up balloons and took pictures with the crowd that gathered to watch the show in the pouring rain.

"It is meant to introduce street performances and comic relief as a way to deal with tense situations and conflict," said Tonnie Selwood Choeiri, one of the organizers.

Vatican City - The Vatican announced Tuesday the retirement of Nigerian-born Cardinal Francis Arinze, who was touted by many as a strong candidate for the papacy ahead of the 2005 conclave that eventually elected Benedict XVI.

Benedict has accepted the "for age limits" resignation of Arinze as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Holy See said in a statement.

Rome - The number of hungry people in the world soared to 963 million in 2008, an increase of 40 million over the previous year largely due to higher food prices, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Tuesday.

The Rome-based FAO warned that the current economic crisis could tip even more people into hunger and poverty.

Rome - Struggling Serie A side Torino have fired coach Gianni De Biasi and called back Walter Novellino, who was still under contract with the Turin club since his dismissal in April.

Torino fired Novellino, 55, with five games left to the end of the 2007-2008 season. He began coaching in 1992 after a good career as offensive midfielder with the same Torino, AC Milan, Perugia and Catania.

Rome  - Around 260 refugees from various African countries landed on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday, officials reported.

The would-be immigrants - all were men - were in good health, the authorities said. Their arrival brings to more 1,200 the number of persons in the island's refugee reception centre, a facility designed to contain only 700.

Copenhagen  - The Italian film Gomorrah, about the criminal underworld in Naples, cleaned up Saturday night at the European Film Awards in the Danish capital, receiving five of the 15 top awards.

In addition to receiving the prize as the top European film of 2008, director Matteo Garrone was named best director and Toni Servillo named the best actor.

Servillo's award also included his work in Il Divo (The Star.)

Gomorrah also received the prize for best script, and Garrone's cameraman Marco Onorato was named for the best photography.