When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Greece

General Strike Brings Greece To A Standstill

KATHERIMINI (Greece), THE GUARDIAN (UK), REUTERS

Worldcrunch

ATHENS - The three-month old Greek coalition government is facing its first anti-austerity general strike Wednesday, with disruptions bringing the country to a standstill.

Greek public sector unions have called a strike that is likely to draw thousands of workers out into the street today to protest against the new rounds of austerity measures, initiated by the conservative-led coalition government and Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.

Good morning #Greece; nice day for a strike, cool and cloudy with sporadic Molotov showers expected #26SGrtwitter.com/VeriasA/status…

— Anthony Verias (@VeriasA) September 26, 2012

@northauratwitter.com/Vorphalax/stat…

— Vorphalax (@Vorphalax) September 26, 2012

The revelation of new spending cuts, worth nearly $15.5 billion in order to secure aid, and the expected slashing of wages, pensions and welfare benefits has been met with a sour response from the Greek public, a third of whom now live under the poverty line.

Reuters reports that the MRB polling agency last week published a report showing 90% of Greeks believe the planned cuts are unfair and burden the poor.

Costas Tsikrikas, head of the ADEDY public sector union that is calling for the strikes, told Reuters: "The new measures are unbearable, unfair and only worsen the crisis. We are determined to fight until we win."

"We call on all workers to join us in the march against the policies that the troika is imposing," Tsikrikas said.

Greek daily Katherimini reports that flights have been grounded for a three-hour walkout, ships moored and shutters pulled down in Greece's major cities in preparation for the mass protests.

Three thousand police officers have been deployed in Athens as Greek authorities expect demonstrations to become violent, after February's clashes between demonstrators and the police.

According to several tweeps, police has started detaining people before the protest. As usual. #Athens#26Sgr

— Bill Lampos (@lampos) September 26, 2012

Police reportedly blocking people from heading downtown to join #26sgr demo. (New) Democracy at work.

— Manos Moschopoulos (@maledictus) September 26, 2012

The Guardian is reporting that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and head of the IMF Christine Lagarde will meet in Athens today to attempt to negotiate a joint EU-IMF venture.

The British daily's Athens correspondent Helena Smith wrote: "This comes against a backdrop of reports that Merkel and Lagarde are at odds over how to proceed with the debt-stricken country following clear evidence of what the IMF managing director has described as a "financing gap" in Athens’ EU-IMF-sponsored rescue program."

"Growing pressure from the Washington-based fund for a restructuring of Greece’s debt mountain – this time in the official sector i.e, by EU governments - has reportedly exacerbated tensions."

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Migrant Lives

What's Driving More Venezuelans To Migrate To The U.S.

With dimmed hopes of a transition from the economic crisis and repressive regime of Nicolas Maduro, many Venezuelans increasingly see the United States, rather than Latin America, as the place to rebuild a life..

Photo of a family of Migrants from Venezuela crossing the Rio Grande between Mexico and the U.S. to surrender to the border patrol with the intention of requesting humanitarian asylum​

Migrants from Venezuela crossed the Rio Grande between Mexico and the U.S. to surrender to the border patrol with the intention of requesting humanitarian asylum.

Julio Borges

-Analysis-

Migration has too many elements to count. Beyond the matter of leaving your homeland, the process creates a gaping emptiness inside the migrant — and outside, in their lives. If forced upon someone, it can cause psychological and anthropological harm, as it involves the destruction of roots. That's in fact the case of millions of Venezuelans who have left their country without plans for the future or pleasurable intentions.

Their experience is comparable to paddling desperately in shark-infested waters. As many Mexicans will concur, it is one thing to take a plane, and another to pay a coyote to smuggle you to some place 'safe.'

Venezuela's mass emigration of recent years has evolved in time. Initially, it was the middle and upper classes and especially their youth, migrating to escape the socialist regime's socio-political and economic policies. Evidently, they sought countries with better work, study and business opportunities like the United States, Panama or Spain. The process intensified after 2017 when the regime's erosion of democratic structures and unrelenting economic vandalism were harming all Venezuelans.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

The latest