Thousands

Hundreds of prisoners are likely to be home for Christmas after approval by Italy's Parliament of an amnesty marking the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Italian republic, officials said Friday. Up to 5,000 prisoners are eventually expected to go free, and about 1 million trials will be canceled as a result of the amnesty, approved by the Senate after six months of political debate.

Firefighters and police from across the country paid tribute Saturday to six firefighters who were killed in an explosion blamed on arsonists. "They were willing and able to take risks in their everyday jobs for our protection, risks most of us would never dream of taking," Mayor Richard Berkley told the mourners. Relatives of the six firefighters wiped away tears during parts of the hourlong ceremony at Arrowhead Stadium. Flower arrangements covered the field, where the Kansas City Chiefs play.

Thousands of conservatives rallied on street corners and at statehouses across the nation Thursday to criticize a tax system they deem out of control and an administration they say has allowed socialism to creep into American life. In Sacramento, a 12-year-old girl carried a sign estimating her share of the national debt at more than $160,000. "Socialism is spendy!" declared Emma Ormesen's hand-lettered placard. On the National Mall in Washington, thousands sang "God Bless America" and cheered calls for tax reform.

Faced with eviction by 500 Brazilian riot police, thousands of squatters abandoned the shantytown they set up nearly three weeks ago on a vacant lot on the outskirts of Sao Paulo. Some set fire to the shacks they had built, but there were no reports of injuries and the fires were extinguished. In Brazil, about 90% of the land is owned by just 20% of the country's 170 million people.

If Col. Joseph Underwood and Col. James E. Sabow committed a crime by combining a flight-proficiency trip with authorized recreation, then there are many thousands of military pilots during the last 50 years or so who are guilty of the same crime. During my many years as a Marine pilot, making navigational flights to different destinations was encouraged in order to maintain a pilot's proficiency. Participation in healthy recreation was also encouraged. Is that a crime if they are combined?

Thousands of Guyanese waited for food aid along a main highway as their South American country struggled to recover from flooding caused by its heaviest rains in a century. More than 40 inches of rain have fallen in the former British colony since Dec. 26. Two people have been reported killed, and farmers say dozens of livestock drowned. Thousands of people were forced from their homes.

Thousands of Spaniards, demanding that four U.S. bases be closed, joined hands Sunday to form a human chain from nearby Torrejon de Ardoz to the Torrejon Air Base. The organizers, who included the Communist Party, leftist labor unions and anti-war groups, said more than 3,000 people took part. Neither public officials nor police released crowd estimates. No incidents were reported. Under a Spanish-U.S.

Thousands of paramilitary troops organized during the U.N. weapons inspection standoff marched through Baghdad in a show of might and defiance toward the United States. Brandishing assault rifles, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children in khaki, pea green or mottled commando fatigues marched in squads of about 100 across Grand Festivities Square.

Thousands of students bicycled to major media and government offices today to protest censorship, and officials announced their first policy change in response to demands made in nearly a month of pro-democracy protests. The Ministry of Supervision said today it will allow more open news reporting of corruption cases. It said the move was "prompted by the recent demands of Beijing University students to crack down on corruption"--the first acknowledgement that the government was giving ground to the students and workers who have protested since mid-April.

Even before the morning dew dried on the knolls of Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary in Whittier on Saturday, hundreds of Chinese families were lined up outside the gate, their cars packed with bountiful offerings: fruit, noodle and vegetable dishes, whole roasted pigs. The long procession of cars -- 15,000 to 20,000 are expected through this afternoon -- meandered up the steep pathways to the west side of the cemetery, where many of Southern California's Chinese are buried.