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ROME (Reuters) – Students marched through Italian cities on Tuesday in protest against education reforms, blocking roads and railway lines in some of the biggest demonstrations seen in decades.

The students, who last week occupied tourist sites around the country including the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colosseum, have vowed to block proposed changes by Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini.

The reforms -- which include spending cuts and set time limits on research -- were approved by the lower house of parliament on Tuesday and now move to the Senate for approval.

Thousands of students streamed through central Rome, chanting and waving banners bearing slogans such as "education is on its knees" and threw eggs, vegetables, bottles and fireworks toward parliament.

They later blocked streets and stormed railway stations and lay down on the tracks, disrupting train services.

Scuffles with police broke out when protesters tried to approach parliament. Similar protests in other cities also led to tension with police.

"We want to see a grass-roots reform, not a reform that stems from the corridors of power," said 24-year-old Tommaso Ricci, a mathematics student at the University of Florence.

The reforms also introduce changes the government says will usher in a more merit-based system, such as capping the term of rectors to six years instead of life-long terms. Read more.By Catherine Hornby

NEW YORK – Mayor Michael Bloomberg has officially kicked off the holiday season in New York City, lighting the Rockefeller CenterChristmas tree amid thousands of revelers crowding the area.

Bloomberg helped turn on the 30,000 energy-efficient lights dressing the tree Tuesday night.

The lighting show featured live performances by Jessica Simpson, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, British singer Katherine Jenkins and teen pop star Charice.

The event took place less than a week after the arrest of a 19-year-old Somali-American man charged in an alleged plot to blow up a car bomb at a hristmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Ore.

New York police blocked off streets and searched bags. They also urged people to use mass transit instead of cars to get there.By CRISTIAN SALAZAR, Associated Press

Michael Jackson's father refiled a wrongful deathlawsuit Tuesday against the doctor charged in his son's death and added as a defendant a Las Vegas pharmacy that records show sold the physician a powerful anesthetic blamed for his death.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages against Dr. Conrad Murray, who has pleaded not guilty in the separate criminal case to involuntary manslaughter in the singer's June 2009 death.

Joe Jackson initially filed his case against Murray in federal court on the first anniversary of his son's death. A judge, however, refused to hear the case and said it should be handled in state court, where it was refiled Tuesday.

"This has been a long process and the facts of Michael's death have been way too slow in emerging," said Joe Jackson's attorney, Brian Oxman. "There is still much to discover and we're going to find it out."

The lawsuit also names Applied Pharmacy Services, which court records show sold Murray the anesthetic propofol during the month before the singer's death. The pharmacy is accused of selling Murray excessive quantities of the anesthetic, which is normally administered in hospital settings.

Authorities have said the sale was legal.

A receptionist at Applied Pharmacy Services declined comment and refused to give her name. Miranda Sevcik, a Murray spokeswoman, said the refiling of the case was expected.

"We'd like to remind people that Dr. Murray has not been found guilty of anything, and we believe his innocence will be proven in a court of law," Charles Peckham, an attorney for Murray, said in June when the case was initially filed.

Students have been marching in central London and events are taking place in Leeds, Sheffield and Bristol.

Students have been moving quickly across the Westminster in what appears to be an attempt to avoid police "kettling" tactics.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has urged students to reconsider the fee plans.

In Nottingham, protesters are claiming to have staged an occupation.

Occupations are continuing in a number of other universities, including University College London and Newcastle.

In freezing conditions, several hundred protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square - many appearing younger than university students.

Some youngsters ran into Whitehall and were held back by a line of police.

Mounted police have been moving through Westminster, the scene of clashes in two previous protests.

Demonstrators appear to be trying to avoid being caught in police lines, after thousands were held in a "kettle" last week.

A 19-year-old student told the BBC their strategy was to avoid being contained by police: "Whenever the police block us off, we turn round and go the other way.

"We also do not want to be panicked into violence. Smashing up windows was necessary in the beginning to get the demonstrations on the front pages, but now any violence would be counter-productive."

The protest has been broken up into groups moving quickly around the streets around Westminster.

There had been warnings from police about the risks facing younger demonstrators - with many school children having taken part in last week's protest.

MPs are expected to vote on the fees package before Christmas.

It remains uncertain whether Liberal Democrat ministers will abstain or support the proposals to raise tuition fees to £9,000 per year.

At the general election, Liberal Democrat candidates gave personal pledges to students that they would vote against any increase in fees.

Three men and a woman were arrested at Lewisham Town Hall on Monday evening after a crowd gathered to protest over council cuts and tuition fees.

Some forced their way into a council meeting and had to be removed.

The Metropolitan Police (Met) said 15 officers suffered minor injuries, with two needing hospital treatment.

Police said that one suffered a broken finger while the other was treated for the effects of inhaling smoke from flares carried by some of the protesters.

A Met spokesman said a 21-year-old man was arrested for violent disorder, a 31-year-old woman for aggravated trespass, a 36-year-old man for violent disorder and trespass and a 28-year-old man for possession of an offensive weapon.

The spokesman said there had been a small protest outside the building from about 1730 GMT but the trouble flared after about 100 others arrived at 1830 GMT.

Kate Belgrave, a journalist who was at the town hall, said: "It was pretty full-on outside the town hall.

"People were told the public gallery was restricted to 28, and then they rushed at the entrance shouting 'let us in'."

Sue Luxton, who was also at the protest, said: "I was a councillor until May for the Green Party, but I'm now a teacher. I wanted to peacefully express my anger at the cuts.

"Many (of the protesters) wanted to get in to hear the meeting, but they were only allowing 40 people in and there was to be no videolink room, which there often is.

"People were angry that they couldn't get in, especially as it was so cold.

"More people managed to get in by overwhelming the police after the initial 40 had gone in.

"The police sent horses, police cars, stopped the buses and cordoned off the road."

Nearby streets, including the A205 South Circular Road, were cordoned off for about an hour on Monday evening, but have now reopened.-  BBC

Police were called to Marinette High School at around 1500 (2100 GMT), after the 15-year-old took over a classroom.

All of the hostages were released unharmed after a five-hour stand-off.

The student shot himself after police officers entered the classroom, police said. He was taken to a hospital, and his condition is not immediately known.

Marinette Police Chief Jeff Skorik said no other injuries had been reported.

Hostage negotiating teams were sent in, but the student made no demands and did not provide any sense of why he had done it, Chief Skorik said. All contact was made through the female teacher being held.

Chief Skorik said that at 1940 (0140 GMT), the student agreed to release five of the 23 students because they had to go the the toilet.

Twenty-three minutes later, police officers deployed outside the classroom heard three gunshots, he added.

"At that time, the officers breached the door, entered the classroom and saw the suspect standing in the front of the classroom. As the officers approached him, the suspect fired one shot and injured himself."

The remaining hostages, as well as the teacher, were immediately evacuated.

"All of the students were safely removed from the school and were put on buses and reunited with their families," Chief Skorik said.

Marinette Health and Human Services has mental health counsellors talking with the parents, and the Marinette Schools Superintendent, Tim Baneck, said classes at the school would be cancelled on Tuesday.

"The high school will be closed tomorrow. We, too, will need to regroup and assess the situation, find out more as this investigation continues."

Investigators have interviewed the gunman's parents. Chief Skorik said he did not have any history with the police.

A gunman in an Afghan Border Police uniform opened fire on NATO-led service members Monday, killing six of them, the International Security Assistance Force said.

The incident happened during a training mission in eastern Afghanistan, ISAF said in a statement. A joint Afghan and ISAF team are investigating.

The suspect was also killed in the incident, the statement said. - CNN