Italian Students Protest Reform Plans

Italian students held protests throughout the country Wednesday to object to major higher education reforms being promoted by the government of Prime Minister Silvio Belusconi, AFP reported. In Naples, students blocked train tracks, while buildings were occupied elsewhere and police in Palermo had to use tear gas to disperse crowds. The reform plan is expected, among other things, to result in the mergers of some universities and the hiring of non-academics as deans at some institutions.