12-Feb-2012 - Unrest Flares on Streets of Athens

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By ALKMAN GRANITSAS, ANDREA THOMAS and NEKTARIA STAMOULI ATHENS—Clashes broke out in central Athens Friday as Greece's major unions launched a 48-hour nationwide strike to protest new austerity measures demanded by the country's creditors, adding to social tension in a country now in its fifth year of economic recession. Hundreds of hooded youths in the main Syntagma Square in Athens attacked riot police with gasoline bombs and other projectiles, smashing objects in and around the square. Police fired tear gas and staged running charges to scatter the youths. At least one person was detained. The clashes came on the margins of an otherwise peaceful protest against the cutbacks by more than 10,000 union workers. The general strike comes a day after an agreement was reached by the political parties supporting Prime Minister Lucas Papademos's caretaker government on more than €3 billion (3.99 billion) in additional cuts to the 2012 budget. The package of cuts will be put before the government cabinet for approval on Friday and will go before parliament nfl trade jerseys for a crucial vote in a few days. Greece's international creditors, including fellow euro-zone countries and the International Monetary Fund, demanded the cuts in order to proceed with negotiations for a second bailout that would keep Greece from defaulting on its debts next month. Euro-zone finance ministers meeting in Brussels late Thursday put an extra hurdle in front of the bailout, saying the measures must be approved by the Greek parliament before the €130 billion aid plan is signed off. That demand added to the uncertainty over Greece's future while shifting the focus back to Athens, where lawmakers could begin debating the new cuts as early as this weekend. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expects to hold an extraordinary meeting of the lower house of parliament to vote on the new package for Greece Feb. 27, the head of Germany's Left party, Klaus Ernst, told reporters Friday. Ms. Merkel told lawmakers that she hopes for the conclusion of a second bailout package because a Greek insolvency would lead to uncontrollable liability risks and a bailout is therefore the best solution, officials attending a closed-door meeting said Friday. "We would be stuck with a liability risk that we can't control anymore," Ms. Merkel said, according to officials who attended the meeting. "The path that we are now pursuing is that of the lowest damage, it's the one that I can take responsibility for the most." Speaking at the same event, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble told lawmakers there are still unfilled requirements from the first Greek bailout deal. He also said the International Monetary Fund is willing to participate in the second bailout package. Greece's two major umbrella unions, the public sector ADEDY and private sector GSEE, said Thursday that in addition to the general strike they will stage three days of rallies around the country, protesting the draconian terms of the new austerity package. The unions labeled the new cuts "the tombstone of Greek society." Greece's latest strike will affect central and local government offices, banks and hospitals. It will also lead to the suspension of all metro, bus, urban rail and trolley-bus services in the Athens area. Lawyers have announced a three-day walkout starting on Monday. Meanwhile, four members of Greece's nfl jerseys cheap nationalist Laos party who hold posts in the cabinet offered to resign from the government, a party official said Friday, just hours after party leader Giorgios Karatzaferis said his party would vote against the latest reform measures. According to sources in the prime minister's office, the resignations have been received are now being weighed by Mr. Papademos. The official said a decision on whether to accept the resignations will be made before a cabinet meeting scheduled for 1600 GMT Friday. The Laos party controls just 16 seats in Greece's 300-member parliament. Even without its support, the two main coalition partners—the Socialists and the conservative New Democracy party—have a combined 236 seat majority. Greek Deputy Labor Minister Yannis Koutsoukos resigned in protest at the austerity measures late Thursday, saying the terms will demolish the government's labor relations. Under a draft agreement Greece will slash the minimum wage in the private sector by 22%, abolish permanent jobs in state enterprises and cut 150,000 jobs in the public sector by 2015, among other measures. Several lawmakers have signaled they will vote against the reforms, although it is unlikely that a revolt by deputies will endanger the government's big majority in parliament. The three parties that support the government control 252 seats in the 300-member parliament. Late Thursday, some 9,000 demonstrators—mostly Reebok NFL jerseys from the Communist-backed PAME union—marched in central Athens to oppose the austerity reforms, according to initial police estimates. Leftist parties, which openly oppose the cost-cutting measures, have seen their popularity rise significantly in recent polls, posing a new threat to the mainstream parties now supporting the government if elections are called later this spring as planned. —Andrea Thomas in Berlin contributed to this article. Corrections & Amplifications The Greek prime minister is Lucas Papademos. A previous version of this article misstated his first name as George.

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12-Feb-2012 - Unrest Flares on Streets of Athens

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By ALKMAN GRANITSAS, ANDREA THOMAS and NEKTARIA STAMOULI ATHENS—Clashes broke out in central Athens Friday as Greece's major unions launched a 48-hour nationwide strike to protest new austerity measures demanded by the country's creditors, adding to social tension in a country now in its fifth year of economic recession. Hundreds of hooded youths in the main Syntagma Square in Athens attacked riot police with gasoline bombs and other projectiles, smashing objects in and around the square. Police fired tear gas and staged running wholesale nhl jerseys charges to scatter the youths. At least one person was detained. The clashes came on the margins of an otherwise peaceful protest against the cutbacks by more than 10,000 union workers. The general strike comes a day after an agreement was reached by the political parties supporting Prime Minister Lucas Papademos's caretaker government on more than €3 billion (3.99 billion) in additional cuts to the 2012 budget. The package of cuts will be put before the government cabinet for approval on Friday and will go before parliament for a crucial vote in a few days. Greece's international creditors, including fellow euro-zone countries and the International Monetary Fund, demanded the cuts in order to proceed with negotiations for a second bailout that would keep Greece from defaulting on its debts next month. Euro-zone finance ministers meeting in Brussels late Thursday put an extra hurdle in front of the bailout, saying the measures must be approved by the Greek parliament before the €130 billion aid plan is signed off. That demand added to the uncertainty over Greece's future while shifting the focus back to Athens, where lawmakers could begin debating the new cuts as early as this weekend. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expects to hold an extraordinary meeting of the lower house of parliament to vote on the new package for Greece Feb. 27, the head of Germany's Left party, Klaus Ernst, told reporters Friday. Ms. Merkel told lawmakers that she hopes for the conclusion of a second bailout package because a Greek insolvency would lead to uncontrollable liability risks and a bailout is therefore the best solution, officials attending a closed-door meeting said Friday. "We would be stuck with a liability risk that we can't control anymore," Ms. Merkel said, according to officials who attended the meeting. "The path that we are now pursuing wholesale nfl jerseys is that of the lowest damage, it's the one that I can take responsibility for the most." Speaking at the same event, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble told lawmakers there are still unfilled requirements from the first Greek bailout deal. He also said the International Monetary Fund is willing to participate in the second bailout package. Greece's two major umbrella unions, the public sector ADEDY and private sector GSEE, said Thursday that in addition to the general strike they will stage three days of rallies around the country, protesting the draconian terms of the new austerity package. The unions labeled the new cuts "the tombstone of Greek society." Greece's latest strike will affect central and local government offices, banks and hospitals. It will also lead to the suspension of all metro, bus, urban rail and trolley-bus services in the Athens area. Lawyers have announced a three-day walkout starting on Monday. Meanwhile, four members of Greece's nationalist Laos party who hold posts in the cabinet offered to resign from the government, a party official said Friday, just hours after party leader Giorgios Karatzaferis said his party would vote against the latest reform measures. According to sources in the prime minister's office, the resignations have been received are now being weighed by Mr. Papademos. The official said a decision on whether to accept the resignations will be made before a cabinet meeting scheduled for 1600 GMT Friday. The Laos party controls just 16 seats in Greece's 300-member parliament. Even without its support, the two main coalition partners—the Socialists and the conservative New Democracy party—have a combined 236 seat majority. Greek Deputy Labor Minister Yannis Koutsoukos resigned in protest at the austerity measures late Thursday, saying the terms will demolish the government's labor relations. Under a draft agreement Greece will slash the minimum wage in the private sector by 22%, abolish permanent jobs in state enterprises and cut 150,000 jobs in the public sector by 2015, among other measures. Several lawmakers have signaled they will vote against the reforms, although it is unlikely that a revolt by deputies will endanger the government's big majority in parliament. The three parties that support the government control 252 seats in the 300-member parliament. Late Thursday, some 9,000 demonstrators—mostly from the Communist-backed mlb jerseys from china PAME union—marched in central Athens to oppose the austerity reforms, according to initial police estimates. Leftist parties, which openly oppose the cost-cutting measures, have seen their popularity rise significantly in recent polls, posing a new threat to the mainstream parties now supporting the government if elections are called later this spring as planned. —Andrea Thomas in Berlin contributed to this article. Corrections & Amplifications The Greek prime minister is Lucas Papademos. A previous version of this article misstated his first name as George.

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10-Feb-2012 - Unrest Flares on Streets of Athens

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By ALKMAN GRANITSAS, ANDREA THOMAS and NEKTARIA STAMOULI ATHENS—Clashes broke out in central Athens Friday as Greece's major unions launched a 48-hour nationwide strike to protest new austerity measures demanded by the country's creditors, adding to social tension in a country now in its fifth year of economic recession. Hundreds of hooded youths in the main Syntagma Square in Athens attacked riot police with gasoline bombs and other projectiles, smashing objects in and around the square. Police fired tear gas and staged running charges to scatter the youths. At least one person was detained. The clashes came on the margins of an otherwise peaceful protest against the cutbacks by more than 10,000 union workers. The general strike comes a day after an agreement was reached by the political parties supporting Prime Minister Lucas Papademos's caretaker government on more than €3 billion (3.99 billion) in additional cuts to the 2012 budget. The package of cuts will be put before the government cabinet for approval on Friday and will go before parliament for a crucial vote in a few days. Greece's international creditors, including fellow euro-zone countries and the International Monetary Fund, demanded the cuts in order to proceed with negotiations for a second bailout that would keep Greece from defaulting on its debts next month. Euro-zone finance ministers meeting in Brussels late Thursday put an extra hurdle in front of the bailout, saying the measures must be approved by the Greek parliament before the €130 billion aid plan is signed off. That demand added to the uncertainty over Greece's future while shifting the focus back to Athens, where lawmakers could begin debating the new cuts as early nfl jerseys supply as this weekend. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expects to hold an extraordinary meeting of the lower house of parliament to vote on the new package for Greece Feb. 27, the head of Germany's Left party, Klaus Ernst, told reporters Friday. Ms. Merkel told lawmakers that she hopes for the conclusion of a second bailout package because a Greek insolvency would lead to uncontrollable liability risks and a bailout is therefore the best solution, officials attending a closed-door meeting said Friday. "We would be stuck with a liability risk that we can't control anymore," Ms. Merkel said, according to officials who attended the meeting. "The path that we are now pursuing is that of the lowest damage, it's the one that I can take responsibility for the most." Speaking at the same event, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble told lawmakers there are still unfilled requirements from the first Greek bailout deal. He also said the International Monetary Fund is willing to participate in the second bailout package. Greece's two major umbrella unions, the public sector ADEDY and private sector GSEE, said Thursday that in addition to the general strike they will stage three days of rallies around the country, protesting the draconian terms of the new austerity package. The unions labeled the new cuts "the tombstone of Greek society." Greece's latest strike will affect central and local government offices, banks and hospitals. It will also lead to the suspension of all metro, bus, urban rail and trolley-bus services in the Athens area. Lawyers have announced a three-day walkout starting on Monday. Meanwhile, four members of Greece's nationalist Laos party who hold posts in the cabinet offered to resign from the government, a party official said Friday, just hours after party leader Giorgios Karatzaferis said his party would vote against the latest reform measures. According to sources in the prime minister's office, the resignations have been received are now being weighed by Mr. Papademos. The official said a decision on whether to accept the resignations will be made before a cabinet meeting scheduled for 1600 GMT Friday. The Laos party controls just 16 seats in Greece's 300-member parliament. Even without its support, the two main coalition partners—the Socialists and the conservative New Democracy party—have a combined 236 seat majority. Greek Deputy Labor Minister Yannis Koutsoukos resigned in protest at the austerity measures late Thursday, saying the terms will demolish the government's labor relations. Under a draft agreement Greece will slash the minimum wage in the private sector by 22%, abolish permanent jobs in state enterprises and cut 150,000 jobs in the public sector by 2015, among other measures. Several lawmakers have signaled they will vote against the reforms, although it is unlikely that a revolt by deputies will endanger the government's big majority in parliament. The three parties that support the government control 252 seats in the 300-member parliament. Late Thursday, some 9,000 demonstrators—mostly from the Communist-backed PAME union—marched in central Athens to oppose the austerity reforms, according to initial police estimates. Leftist parties, which openly oppose the cost-cutting measures, have seen their popularity nhl jerseys from china rise significantly in recent polls, posing a new threat to the mainstream parties now supporting the government if elections are called later this spring as planned. —Andrea Thomas in Berlin contributed to this article. Corrections & Amplifications The Greek prime minister is Lucas Papademos. A previous version of this article misstated his first name as George.

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