Greece OKs Austerity Plan

A furious 48-hour general strike failed to keep the Greek parliament from passing new austerity measures. As youths armed with rocks battled police armed with tear gas, the troubled country’s government approved austerity measures that are a key condition of a 110 billion euro, or roughly $158 billion, bailout package from the EU and IMF. They include tax hikes and serious spending cuts, which rankle Greeks faced with unemployment higher than 16 percent; the finance minister called them “unfair” but necessary. The cuts passed by a 155-138 margin.