India, April 13 -- Police broke up a blockade in the centre of Dublin by fuel protesters who have brought much of Ireland to a standstill during the past week.

The protests came, as the Government on Sunday prepared to approve cost-cutting measures they hope will end the six days of disruption over soaring costs at the pump.

As tractors and trucks that had blocked O'Connell Street were rolling out of the capital, protests continued elsewhere, with police on the other side of the country clashing with demonstrators at the Galway docks, where a military vehicle was used to knock down a makeshift barrier.

The protests have caused chaos as blockades at Ireland's only oil refinery and several vital depots prevented tanker trucks from delive...