Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Greek unions call protests ahead of austerity vote
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Photos
Sitemap
Greek unions call protests ahead of austerity vote
AFP - 7 minutes ago
Send
IM Story
Print
A fire-bomb attack on a bank in Greece has killed at least three people as police fought pitched battles with striking protestors furious at brutal budget cuts designed to avert national bankruptcy. Duration: 01:57
ATHENS (AFP) - – Greek unions mobilised Thursday for a fresh round of demonstrations against an unprecedented austerity drive as the government raced to push the measures through parliament a day after deadly rioting.
The main unions called their members to new protests undeterred by the deaths of three people, reportedly including a pregnant woman, in a firebombed Athens bank the previous day as demonstrations degenerated.
Condemning "the fires, blind violence, vandalism", the million-member GSEE private sector union said in a statement "we are determined to pursue and extend our struggle to meet our fair demands."
Greek bank staff went on a nationwide strike to protest at the deaths the previous day of three employees of a Marfin bank branch in central Athens that caught fire after youths hurled firebombs inside.
Greece stood on the "edge of the abyss," President Carolos Papoulias warned, after a general strike on Wednesday called by the unions and a day of often violent protests against the latest round of budget cuts and tax hikes.
"It is the responsibility of us all to not take the step into the void," Papoulias said.
"What is at stake in coming days is to keep social cohesion and social peace."
As protestors marched on Wednesday against the government's plans to avert national bankruptcy and the strike shut down much of the country, some demonstrations turned violent.
Demonstrators tried to storm the parliament and hooded youths hurled petrol bombs at stores and businesses in central Athens.
Police said two women and one man died at a branch of the Marfin bank which caught fire after rioters broke a window and threw Molotov cocktails inside. Around 20 more people had to be ushered to safety.
One of the women who died was four months pregnant, according to doctors quoted by the Greek press.
Prime Minister George Papandreou angrily condemned the bank attack as a "raw murderous act".
"Protesting is one thing, killing is another," he told parliament.
At least two other buildings -- the Athens prefecture and one used by tax officials -- caught fire after other firebomb attacks on the margins of the protests.
The general strike was the first major test of the Socialist government's resolve to push through unprecedented measures since agreeing to a 110 billion euro (143 billion dollar) EU and IMF debt bailout at the weekend. Related article: Greek crisis steals show at ECB meeting
Papandreou's insistence that the measures were vital for the nation's survival failed to dissuade unions from paralysing public services.
Protestors tried to break through a police line in front of parliament, hurling stones and bottles of water. Officers responded with tear gas.
Full-scale clashes then erupted, with riot police trying to disperse the crowds with baton-charges and youths responding with stones, flares, smoke bombs and Molotov cocktails.
Youths also went on the rampage in other parts of the capital, with several dozen youths hurling petrol bombs at stores, smashing shop windows and bus shelters with iron bars.
Officers arrested at least 12 people in Athens and another 37 in the northern city Thessaloniki where protestors targeted stores and banks in the city centre before riot police dispersed them.
The violence in Athens sparked concerns on global financial markets that Greece's huge bailout could veer off course and that its debt crisis could engulf other countries.
European shares fell sharply at the start of trading on Thursday after heavy losses the previous day while Asian stocks also fell sharply. Related article: Japan's Nikkei index drops on Greek woes
Pushed to the brink of default, the Greek government agreed last weekend to slash spending and jack up taxes in return for the 110 billion euros in loans over three years from eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund.
Among the major measures, the government is to cut 13th and 14th month bonus pay for civil servants and retirees; require three years more for pension contributions; and raise the retirement age for women to 65.
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
News Search
Top Stories
Greek unions call protests ahead of austerity vote
Britons vote in closest election race for decades
Greek crisis steals show at ECB meeting
Freddie Mac asks for fresh 10.6 billion dollar bailout
BP 'dome' carries hopes of averting oil catastrophe
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
Lack of sleep linked to early death: study
Euro falls under $1.29
BP 'dome' carries hopes of averting oil catastrophe
Freddie Mac asks for fresh 10.6 billion dollar bailout
Spain in eye of storm on Greek contagion fears
More Most Viewed »
Aliens may exist but contact would hurt: Hawking
Apple engineer loses iPhone prototype
Lack of sleep linked to early death: study
French driving veil row escalates
Airlines want compensation as Europe's skies reopen
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
World Cup 2010
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Thursday, 6 May 2010 Iraq's Shiite parties edge out Sunni-backed coalition
South American nations to boycott EU-LatAm summit
Resurgent Time Warner hints at MGM bid
Taliban launch suicide attack on Afghan city
Spain in eye of storm on Greek contagion fears
Google revamps search results page
Iran accepts Brazil mediation to revive atom deal
Dementia boosts risk in spouse too: study
U.S., Karzai seek common view on Taliban talks
|
Facebook glitch exposes chat messages
GM recalls 162,000 Hummers over hood fault
Lack of sleep linked to early death: study
Washington Post puts Newsweek up for sale
Somalis hijack Russian tanker, warship dispatched
|
Iran 'Twitter Revolution' comes to Paris
Finnish regulator says it is probing broadband fees
U.S. and other big powers back Mideast nuclear arms ban
|
Mobile broadband use to leap by 2015: Ericsson
Police arrest 58 in Darfur investment scam probe
|
Gray market iPads selling like hot cakes across Asia
China could force web users to disclose real names
Earthquake strikes off Indonesian coast
|
Netanyahu, Mitchell meet over fresh peace moves
US notches up security again after car bomb plot
China detains two men threatening new school attacks
Earthquake strikes off Indonesian coast
Taliban suicide squad targets Afghan govt compound
Pakistan court acquits four over Marriott attack: lawyer
Nukes, trade underpin NKorea leader's China visit
Several hurt in clash over Vietnam cemetery: witnesses
Japan PM under fire over US base U-turn
N.Korea leader in Beijing for talks with Hu: report
Thais cast politics aside, honor their ailing king
HP names Microsoft veteran to lead software
|
Cult Millennium crime trilogy to be shot in Stockholm: film commission
Renault-Bajaj car aims to challenge Nano
Taiwan bank sues North Korean lender over unpaid loan
China's Baosteel moves towards short-term prices for imports
Bangladesh's garment exports rebound in March
Cult Millennium crime trilogy to be shot in Stockholm: film commission
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Miley Cyrus releases sexy video for "Can't Be Tamed"
Spain's Almodovar reunites with Banderas for new film
Controversial Stalin monument dedicated in Ukraine
Nazi victims and perpetrators remembered, 65 years on
Cuba eyes tourism investments, including from US
Madrid Open finals to take on a new dimension
Indonesian shipwreck treasure auction flops
Top conductor slams Italy's proposed opera house reform
Miley Cyrus releases sexy video for Can't Be Tamed
|
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn set for 2011 release
|
Woodward book on Obama due out in U.S. in September
|
Indie films await sign of VOD, Web download success
|
Brazil denies Iran's talk of nuclear swap plan
Britons vote in closest election race for decades
U.S. envoy, Netanyahu hold inconclusive talks
Fears of Greek contagion sweep global markets
|
US-TECH Summary
Sprint to unveil new text-centric cell plan
Britons vote in photo finish election
|
Facebook glitch exposes chat messages
Greek unions call protests ahead of austerity vote
Russell Crowe, Jennifer Lopez To Appear On BBC America Talk Shows
Cybersecurity meet ends with calls for global cooperation
Greek crisis steals show at ECB meeting
Thai protesters demand more talks before quitting
|
Jonas Brothers Go Hollywood On Disney Channel's "JONAS L.A."
Freddie Mac asks for fresh 10.6 billion dollar bailout
Facebook privacy snafu exposed user chats
Freddie Mac Looking For More Than $10 Billion In Additional Federal Bailout
Nigerian president dies, acting leader to take over
|
HP names Microsoft veteran to lead software
Singer Taylor Swift Named New Covergirl Representative
Picasso Painting Fetches Record Price For Art Of $106.5 Million
AC/DC 'Iron Man 2' Soundtrack Tops Charts Ahead Of Hollywood Sequel
Iran holds war games in Gulf amid nuclear tension
|
US-TECH Summary
Senate Removes Bank Bailout Fund From Financial Reform Bill
U.S. Markets Fall Again As European Debt Crisis Looms
Senate Witnesses Advocate Crackdown on Terrorism Suspects Buying Guns
One pirate dead, 10 captured in Russia tanker rescue
|
B.o.B. Lands #1 Debut On The Billboard 200 Albums Chart
Hong Kong arrests footballers over match-fixing: report
Area of black boxes from 2009 Air France crash found
|
Myanmar police accuse exile group over Yangon blasts
US faces new terror threats, tactics out of Pakistan
Magnitude 6.4 quake rattles S. Peru, N. Chile
|
Malaysian sultan under watch after palace man shot
BP 'dome' carries hopes of averting oil catastrophe
Liberian to hang for drug trafficking in Malaysia
Philippines scrambles to fix glitch before vote
CIA drones hit wider range of targets in Pakistan
|
One baby with syphilis born every hour in China: study
Empty promises, vote-buying in Philippine slums
US lawmakers threaten Japan on child custody
Japan restarts controversial nuclear reactor
Thai PM eyes September dissolution of parliament
'Iron Man 2' eyes record as blockbuster season begins
China's new controls on property developers: report
Seoul shares lose 2 pct amid heavy foreign selling
Facebook privacy snafu exposed user chats
|
S.Korea sees more overseas investments this year
S.Korea won posts biggest daily pct fall in 10 mths
Sprint to unveil new text-centric cell plan
|
Peugeot, China's Changan sign joint venture deal
Gaza's new killers: generators leave over 100 dead
Toyota's domestic sales up 50 percent in April
U.K.'s Conservatives get a "yes" from Simon Cowell
China's Hua Xia Bank fundraising plan, shares drop
Comedy Central plans sex talk show, Jesus cartoon
S.Korea says BHP-Rio deal review may finish in H2
Sinatra week ends Aaron Kelly's run on "Idol"
Eurozone tremors rock Asian shares
Google sues indie label over copyright claims
Seoul shares lose 2 pct amid heavy foreign selling
Usher hits No. 1 on U.S. singles chart for 9th time
Sotheby's NY records solid auction
'Iron Man 2' eyes record as blockbuster season begins
"Idol" TV's biggest revenue generator: Forbes
Iron Man 2 packs a punch for Disney
|
Sinatra week ends Aaron Kelly's run on Idol
|
Usher hits No. 1 on U.S. singles chart for 9th time
|
U.K.'s Conservatives get a yes from Simon Cowell
|
Iron Man 2 primed for superheroic U.S. opening
|
Comedy Central plans sex talk show, Jesus cartoon
|
Google sues indie label over copyright claims
|
Avatar stays atop home video sales charts
|
Idol TV's biggest revenue generator: Forbes
|
B.o.B's Adventures arrives atop U.S. album chart
|
Nuclear watchdog urges united int'l pressure on Iran
Russian marines free tanker, capture Somali pirates
Cybersecurity experts share their 'nightmares'
German industrial orders surge 5%
European financial markets stage modest recovery
Pakistani sentenced to death for Mumbai attacks
|
Oil Spill: Obama Administration Offers Financial Help to Louisiana Small Businesses
Britain votes in tight general election
Nuclear watchdog urges united international pressure on Iran
|
Being Human Second Season Premiering On BBC America In July
Doomed Air France jet's black-boxes 'located'
UVA Murder Suspect Has Criminal Past
Greek PM presses austerity plan, vows to fight graft
|
Nigeria mourns death of president Umaru Yar'Adua
Kuwait says finds Gulf War mass grave of Iraq troops
|
Army Contractors Injured In Alabama Blast Succumb To Wounds
Glimpse Of Lost Script Apparently Leaked Online
Democrats Set Back With House Appropriations Chair David Obey's Retirement
Apartment Manager Drops Ottoman On Man's Head
MRIs Accurately Test For Breast Cancer Metastases
Drinking While Pregnant Ups Children's Risk Of Rare Cancer
Facing protests, Mubarak vows help for Egypt poor
|
RFK Bridge Reopens As NYPD Finds Abandoned U-Haul Not A Threat
Business aviation execs confident in steady recovery
|
NATO soldiers killed in southern Afghanistan
Russian forces free oil tanker, kill Somali pirate
|
Sri Lanka to probe alleged wartime rights abuses
Indian police tear gas supporters of rebel leader
Local Pakistan politicians shelter militants
29 dead after tornado, storm in southwestern China
Myanmar opposition party looks beyond its closure
Pakistani accused in Mumbai attacks gets death
Myanmar arrests a suspect in Yangon bombings
Mumbai gunman sentenced to death
South Korean driver earns license on 960th try
Facebook privacy snafu exposed user chats
|
Nokia board says supports management's strategy
|
Pakistan's forex reserves rise to $15.04 bln
Pakistani stocks, o/n rates end flat; rupee weakens
Poland's old steam trains still on track
GM China reports record April sales
Hermes sales surge in Asia, slump in Japan
Nintendo profit drops for first time in 6 years
Nintendo's annual profit down 18 percent
Japan's Sanyo aims to return to profit this year
Hollywood eyes another $4 billion summer movie season
|
Nintendo profits fall on declining Wii sales
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights