POLICE FIRE TEAR GAS AT PROTESTERS

MILAN, OCTOBER 17 /SRNA-Reuters/ - Italian police fired tear gas after demonstrators threw stones and other objects at them in the square outside Milan Cathedral, local media reported today.

Police attempted to disperse violent protesters who had broken away from a demonstration over the high cost of living.

Shops and a nearby subway station were closed during the clashes, in which several people were injured. Italian media reported that several individuals have been arrested.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that police used a water cannon to disperse demonstrators in the northern Italian city of Bologna. Seven people have been arrested.

The clashes were similar to those taking place in France, where thousands of people had gathered to protest the rising cost of living and poor public services.