Violent protests continue in Romania

Protests in Romania have spread from the capital Bucharest to other cities as angry crowds clashed with police in a fourth day of demonstrations.

The riots began on Thursday in a show of support for a deputy health minister who quit after criticising a draft bill that would have added private firms to the state health sector.

On Friday President Traian Besescu announced he would ask the prime minister to withdraw the reforms but the protests have continued.

The government’s climb-down appears to have done nothing to appease the protesters, whose anger has grown to include discontent with a whole series of spending cuts. Demonstrators are now calling for the president to resign.

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