India, March 16 -- Thousands of people protested against wars in the West Asia and judicial reforms proposed by Italy's conservative Government - linking international tensions with a growing domestic political battle before a national referendum.

The March 22-23 referendum on changes to the judicial system has become a major political test for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Government, which faces an election next year. The debate over legal reforms has escalated into a broader confrontation between the prime minister and her political opponents. In central Rome, protesters waving red trade union banners and Palestinian and Cuban flags chanted "Meloni Government, resign" before the rally ended peacefully.

"The United States and Israel...