| - A general strike in Puerto
Rico by public workers protesting government layoffs gripped
the capital's financial district on Thursday, shutting many
businesses and schools and disrupting some official agencies.
Labor unions in the U.S. Caribbean island territory called
the 24-hour strike to protest the firing of thousands of
workers by the government, which is trying to shrink a $3.2
billion budget deficit.
Governor Luis Fortuno, who last month announced the firing
of 17,000 public workers, appealed for calm and said layoffs
would avoid further downgrade of the island's credit rating.
"Nobody supports firings, but there was no other option,"
he told local media. Over 4,000 workers were fired in June.
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