Italian students take to streets again

Thousands of Italian students marched yesterday in protest against a new university reform law as police blocked off large parts of central Rome to stop a repeat of violent clashes at a similar march a week ago.

Last week's demonstration saw cars torched, shop windows smashed and dozens injured in street battles between protesters and riot police.

No trouble was reported yesterday in a rainy Rome but there were clashes at a demonstration in Palermo and reports of other incidents in Naples, Milan and Turin.