Greece hopes for debt relief as strikes hit services
ATHENS, Greece — Several thousand protesters — college students, pensioners, civil servants, and others — rallied in central Athens on Thursday against new austerity measures that have further battered Greek incomes.
A 24-hour strike by unions representing civil servants and others saw ferries to and from Greek islands halted and public services disrupted. State-run hospitals and ambulances were responding only to emergency cases.
Greece’s left-wing government is promising to push through a huge new list of administrative and cost-cutting reforms, hoping to achieve better terms for repayment of its massive bailout debts.