Milan luxury shops close as Italy prepares to deploy troops in the city after days of protests

Demonstrations over poor public services and rising costs spiralled over the weekend, with shops looted and property vandalised

• Why are people protesting across Europe?

Italy's government will dispatch 500 army troops to defend Milan" after two days of unrest that saw demonstrators clash with police, loot shops and vandalise property, deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini said on Monday.

The deployment is expected to be included in a package of security measures to be approved at a cabinet meeting expected on Tuesday, and comes as shops in central Milan closed early and boarded up their windows, fearing a fresh outbreak of violence in Italy's financial capital.