Greece, Greek Austerity Package | featured news

Greece's lawmakers approved a key austerity bill Wednesday needed to avert default next month, despite a second day of rioting on the streets of Athens that left dozens of police and protesters injured.

Riot police fired tear gas at youths hurling rocks and petrol bombs near the Greek finance ministry Tuesday, trying to quell the anger unleashed during mass protests and a general strike as parliament debated new cost-cutting measures.

Under the plan, French banks would give Athens more time to pay back loans as they come due over the next three years.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou sacrificed his finance minister on Friday and put his main socialist party rival into the job in a bid to force through an unpopular austerity plan and avert bankruptcy.

Prime Minister George Papandreou has vowed to stay on and fight to pull his country out of a crippling debt crisis, facing down a revolt in his Socialist party over new but widely unpopular austerity measures....

Greek unions announced on Wednesday that they would stage a 24-hour nationwide strike on May 20, the second major protest against tough austerity measures pledged in exchange for billions of euros in aid.

Greece's cabinet approved a sweeping new austerity program on Wednesday, the third in as many months, intended to rein in a bulging budget deficit and secure European financial support.

Greece plans to issue a 10-year bond next week to coincide with the announcement of a new austerity package. Government debt markets remained under heavy pressure.