ITALIAN bishops from the northern diocese of Bolzano have apologised to victims and promised to co-operate with prosecutors.

The Catholic sex abuse scandal spread to Italy today with the bishop of the northern diocese of Bolzano apologising to victims and promising to co-operate with prosecutors.

MORE than 200 European delegates will attend the largest ever gathering of Catholic theologians in this country, starting on Thursday in Mary Immaculate College in Limerick.

Blackburn hope to have veteran striker Christian Vieri on show when they play in a three-team tournament in Croatia tomorrow.

A cargo train slammed into another in northern Italy this morning, killing two people, state railway company Ferrovie dello Stato said.

IF ITALIAN tax returns are to be believed, the average shoe salesman in the prosperous northern city of Bolzano earns €673 per year, while jewellers around the country earn less than primary school teachers.

Jo Pavey will compete in the ‘Visit Scotland’ Great Edinburgh Cross-Country event on January 14.

Authorities have recovered works of art worth €1.5m that had been stolen from churches, castles and private homes throughout northern Italy since 1990, the Carabinieri paramilitary police said today.

A woman stabbed her four-year-old son to death and later jumped out a police station window in northern Italy.

A British woman was crushed to death by a landslide after an earthquake in northern Italy, rescue services confirmed today.

An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale has rocked northern Italy and parts of Switzerland, Austria and Germany.