Police injured in Kiev protests after MPs back greater autonomy for Donetsk, Luhansk

Clashes have erupted between protesters and police in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, as MPs gave their initial backing to reforms for greater autonomy in the disputed east of the country.

At least 10 police were hurt in the violence when demonstrators tried to break down the fence around parliament.

During a noisy session of Ukraine's parliament, MPs voted to approve more powers in areas of Donetsk and Luhansk under control of pro-Russian rebels.

A fragile ceasefire is in place.

The rebels and Ukrainian forces agreed last week to bring an end to the escalation of violence on 1 September, the day children in the region return to school.

Although the number of ceasefire violations appears to have fallen in recent days, a senior official in the OSCE international monitoring mission in Ukraine, Alexander Hug, warned that neither side was respecting the truce. "Violations have become the norm," he told Swiss media.

An AFP reporter described seeing around a dozen people, several covered in blood, after a loud explosion rang out near the Ukrainian parliament, the Rada.

A short time before, 265 MPs had backed the first reading of the decentralisation bill.

Pushing through greater autonomy for the rebel-held areas is a key part of the Minsk deal, originally signed in February.