Italian trucker dies during protest

MILAN Jan 24 (Reuters) - A demonstrator taking part in a truck drivers' protest against rising fuel costs in the northern Italian town of Asti was run over and killed in an apparent accident on Tuesday, police said.

The Italian man was run over by a truck driven by a German, the police said.

Truck drivers in Italy have blocked roads up and down the country over government reforms, part of measures to open up competition in protected sectors including transport to create more jobs.

Railway workers, petrol station owners, pharmacists and lawyers say they will also strike, underlining growing opposition to Prime Minisnter Mario Monti's measures to rein in a debt crisis and spur growth.

The truckers' demands include easier rules on claiming reimbursement of excise duties on fuel, caps on insurance costs and a crackdown on unlicensed transport operators.

On Monday, a spokesman for Fiat said four of its factories in Italy would halt production starting on Tuesday.