No end in sight to violent face-off

Rioting youths in Athens, the Greek capital, attacked a police station, stores and banks and fought running battles with police, authorities said, as violent protests against a police killing continued for the eighth straight day.

The clashes broke out as candlelight vigils were being held to mark a week since the police shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, which triggered the riots that are threatening the stability of the government.

Police suddenly charged a peaceful vigil in central Athens’ Syntagma Square, where a crowd of several hundred people had refused to back off a position near Parliament. The protesters retreated, but the tense confrontation continued.