[Iran Press TV Latest] Greek police have clashed with protesters angered by tough new austerity measures, while European heavyweight Germany rebuffs Athens need for a financial assistance. | Key Germans, in various reports, have advised Greece to raise money by selling uninhabited islands and spare bits of ancient statuary, and the Greek people to become more productive by getting up earlier in the morning. Aesop's tale of the ant and the grasshopper comes to mind, and this kind of nonsense is not helping the Greek reputation for fecklessness. |
Five people were arrested in Athens and a handful of shops and banks along with a ministry building had their front windows smashed, police said. Around a dozen protesters and police were injured, according to reports.
Meanwhile, Parliament approved a third round of austerity measures aimed at reining in the country's gaping budget deficit and restoring trust in its solvency on financial markets.
| Wake me when they raise the retirement age in Greece to 62 ... |
"Greece has not asked for financial assistance," she said after talks in Berlin with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.
Europe's biggest economy, Germany is widely seen as the most likely candidate to help prevent a Greek default, which would be disastrous for the eurozone. But there is huge opposition in Germany against such a move, with angry editorials slamming alleged Greek corruption and wasteful spending.
| Germans would rather their government spend the money on their own feckless and spendthrift ways ... |