Rome students admit setting school on fire after failing exams

Four Italian students turned themselves in to police on Tuesday, admitting to having set their school on fire after failing exams, causing at least 200,000 euros' (260,000 dollars') worth of damages, dpa reported. The Socrate high school in Rome was attacked early on Saturday, badly damaging eight classrooms. The fire made national news, and was condemned by the office of President Giorgio Napolitano. Two of the confessed arsonists were underage, three had failed their end-of-year exams in June, and two had already flunked them in previous years, the ANSA news agency said. Authorities have said that repair works would cost up to 400,000 euros, but vowed to complete them before the start of the new school year in September.