London, August 22 : Italian researchers are developing gadgets that can drift like plankton, which they believe may help improve their understanding of the world’s oceans.

Experts at the University of Genoa say that their "smart plankton", which will carry sensors and communicate using flashing lights, will drift through the ocean collecting data.

Davide Brizzolara, a researcher associated with the project, says that using this approach will provide greater coverage than static underwater sensors do, and would be cheaper than using autonomous underwater vehicles.

Lampedusa  - Around 350 illegal immigrants arrived on the Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa by sea on Friday, bringing the total in the past two days to 800.

Italian coastguard vessels intercepted an unknown number of makeshift craft on Thursday and Friday, which predominantly contained immigrants from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia, Italian news reports said.

The immigrants have been taken to an already overflowing reception centre on Lampedusa where around 1200 immigrants are currently being held, the reports said.

Aptech Limited, a leading IT education and training company, has tied up with Italy’s Seven Rings International to train graduates in Soft Skills and Corporate Computing Skill Development.

Under the agreement, Aptech would be the exclusive training delivery partner for participants of Seven Rings International in India.

Turin, Italy - At least five people died in a lightning strike, drowning, electrocution, high winds and the downing of a tree as storms struck northern Italy, Poland and Austria.

A 10-year-old boy died Friday in Turin, Italy, after being hit by lightning while a 37-year-old Italian man drowned off Genoa the same day when he was swamped by high waves in the Mediterranean.

A female German tourist, 27, was missing in the rough waters near Ventimiglia, west of Genoa, and other swimmers narrowly escaped drowning before being rescued nearby.

Rome  - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi drew criticism Monday from opposition leaders for what they said was his failure to condemn outright Russia's military intervention in Georgia.

"A phone call is not enough," said the Catholic centrist party UDC's leader Pierferdinando Casini, referring to Berlusconi's conversation with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Sunday.

Berlusconi phoned Putin from his Sardinian villa, a luxury holiday residence where the billionaire-turned-politician has hosted the Russian leader in the past.

Grado, Italy - Two Norwegian tourists - a man and his eight- year-old son - were killed overnight by a falling tree when a strong whirlwind swept through the north-eastern Italian seaside resort town of Grado, news reports said Saturday.

The Norwegians, identified by the ANSA news agency as Nilds Hammer, 44, and his son Dastrom, were inside a tent when the tree toppled onto it.

The mother of the family who was also in the tent was not hurt in the accident, ANSA said.