New Delhi, Nov. 1 -- BERLIN - Police detained protesters and used pepper spray in central Berlin on Saturday, October 31, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported, as demonstrations over rising living costs, education and opposition to compulsory military service spread across Germany.

The correspondent reported that protesters threw what appeared to be empty bottles and firecrackers toward law enforcement officers before police began detaining individuals. The account did not give a detention total, identify the people taken into custody or establish what offences they might face.

The report came during a broader youth-led protest day, but Berlin hosted separate gatherings. That distinction matters: reports of confrontation in the city do ...