Rome  - A magnitude-5.8 earthquake struck central Italy early Monday, causing buildings to collapse in the historic centre of L'Aquila and raising fears of fatalities.

Police reported numerous injuries.

Rome, Abruzzo and other parts of central Italy were hit by the quake, whose epicentre was in the area of Abruzzo's capital, L'Aquila, at a 5-kilometre depth, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.

L'Aquila residents were shaken from sleep and ran out in panic onto the city's streets.

Rome  - An earthquake wi

Wellington - A rescue operation was launched Monday to save two Italian sailors stranded on a crippled yacht in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Chile.

An oil tanker was diverted to their aid, but New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre said it was 800 nautical miles from the 10-metre yacht and would not reach them for three days.

Rome - An own goal in a 1-0 win Sunday over Udinese allowed Inter Milan to leave Juventus nine points behind with eight games left in the Serie A season.

Juve stumbled earlier Sunday in a 3-3 home draw with minnows Chievo, allowing Sergio Pellissier to top a hat-trick with an injury- time equalizer.

In Udine, two wide drives from Ghana's Sulley Muntari were the only first-half efforts from a lacklustre Inter, who had some problems in defence as Udinese pressed on the flanks to provide feeds for Fabio Quagliarella.

Rome - An own goal in a 1-0 win over Udinese Sunday allowed Inter Milan to leave Juventus nine points behind with eight games left to the end of the Serie A season.

Juve earlier Sunday stumbled in a 3-3 home draw with minnows Chievo allowing Sergio Pellissier to top a hat-trick with an injury-time equalizer.

In Udine, two wide drives from Ghana's Sulley Muntari were the only first-half efforts from a lacklustre Inter, who had some problems in defence as Udinese pressed on the flanks to provide feeds for Fabio Quagliarella.

Rome  - Hundreds of Afghan children who make up the majority of unaccompanied minors living on the streets of Rome mostly arrive in Italy following hazardous journeys through Greece and Turkey and the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Italian news reports said Sunday.

The discovery this week by police of 24 Afghans - aged between 10 and 15 - living in makeshift underground shelters at Rome's Ostiense railway station, has cast the spotlight on the plight of immigrant street-children in the Italian capital.