Thousands take to streets in Paris, Rome to protest economic reformsApril 12, 2014 - 22:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Tens of thousands of people took part in protests in central Paris and Rome on Saturday, April 12, organized by hard-left parties against government economic reform plans and austerity measures, according to Reuters. The protest in Rome turned violent when a large splinter group - many wearing masks and helmets - threw rocks, eggs, firecrackers and oranges at riot police in front of the industry ministry. Riot police with batons charged the group, with protesters fighting back with rocks and firecrackers. One man lost a hand when a firecracker exploded before he could throw it. There were dozens of lighter injuries among police and protesters, and at least six arrests, police said. In Paris, protestors marched from the Place de la Republique, some carrying banners attacking President Francois Hollande with slogans such as "Hollande, that's enough" and "When you are leftist you support employees." French police said that about 25,000 joined the protest, which came after new Prime Minister Manuel Valls unveiled planned tax and spending cuts on Tuesday, vowing to bring down France's public deficit and following on the heels of pro-business reforms announced earlier this year by Hollande. Valls was appointed prime minister in a reshuffle this month after Hollande's Socialist Party suffered a drubbing in recent local elections where the far-right National Front made strong gains. Leftist allies grumble that Valls is too centrist. Polls show that the ruling Socialist party will finish third in next month's European elections, behind the conservative UMP and the National Front. Paris is under EU disciplinary action for running too high a budget gap and has already been granted a two-year delay to reduce it to within the EU limit of 3 percent of gross domestic product by the end of 2015. Photo: Reuters Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |