Rolling coverage as unions call a 24-hour walkout in protest at Greece’s latest package of tax rises and pension reforms * Protests in Athens this morning * Coming up: Mario Draghi testifies at European Parliament 8.12am GMT ALL GREECE’S PUBLIC SERVICES, INCLUDING TAX OFFICES AND UTILITIES, ARE DUE TO BE CLOSED TODAY TO MARK THE GENERAL STRIKE: Public hospitals will be operating with skeleton staff. Pharmacists, doctors, teachers and bank employees will also walk off the job. The Athens metro will be shut throughout the day, as will the Proastiakos suburban railway and intercity trains. The Kifissia-Piraeus electric railway (ISAP) will only operate between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Buses in the capital will be out of service before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m. There will be no ferry connections between the mainland and the islands as the Panhellenic Seamens’ Federation (PNO) is also joining in the strike. Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air have announced flight cancellations for Thursday. 8.01am GMT BELGIUM’S FINANCE MINISTER HAS JUST BLASTED GREECE’S RULING PARTY FOR BACKING TODAY’S GENERAL STRIKE, AGAINST A BAILOUT IT SIGNED UP TO. Johan Van Overtveldt tweeted that the move “strange and dangerous”, at a time when Athens should be racing to meet its bailout targets. Strange & dangerous logic in Athens: Syriza organises strike against program its own government pledges to execute. Sense of urgency needed. Continue reading...
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