Italy: Ten-thousands turn out to support strike

Tens of thousands of demonstrators turned out to protest the Italian government's 2006 budget planon Friday, rallying in support of a general strike that snarled transport and closed down public offices across the country. Demonstrators voiced anger at spending cuts worth billions of dollars that Premier Silvio Berlusconi's center-right government has included in the budget plan as it struggles to contain its deficit amid sluggish economic growth.