Around France, unions hold anti-austerity protests

Frances leading unions are staging nearly 200 protests nationwide against austerity measures aimed at reducing huge debts amid Europes worsening economic troubles.Five unions organizing the protests say in a statement that the austerity measures, notably reductions in social benefits, will lead to recession and deepen inequalities and plunge thousands of families in economic difficulty.The head of the CGT union, Bernard Thibault, admitted on France-2 television he wasnt expecting huge turnout for Tuesdays marches. He said workers are discouraged by the intransigence of President Nicolas Sarkozy and his government in the face of previous protests.France has introduced two rounds of spending cuts and tax hikes in recent months aimed at reducing the deficit by billions of euros.