Youths hurled rocks and fire bombs at riot police in central Athens on Tuesday as a general strike against new austerity measures brought the country to a standstill.

Also, protests and strikes have erupted in some other European countries and several towns and cities against austerity measures, curbs on early retirement, tax rises and cuts in benefits and wages.
Greek lawmakers are embarking on their second day of debate on austerity measures that must be passed in votes on Wednesday and Thursday if Greece is to receive another batch of bailout funds to see it beyond the middle of next month, AP reported.
If the votes don't pass, Greece could become the first eurozone nation to default on its debts, and that could send out huge shock waves through the global economy.
The new austerity drive is proving hugely unpopular in Greece and another demonstration in central Athens soon descended into violence. For several hours, police fired volleys of tear gas and stun grenades at masked and hooded youths just before the second day of debating was to resume. Police said 18 people were detained, with five of them later arrested, while four policemen were injured and transferred to a military hospital.
The clashes came at the start of a two-day strike called by unions furious that the new euro28 billion ($40 billion) austerity program will slap taxes on minimum wage earners and other struggling Greeks. The measures come on top of other spending cuts and tax hikes that have sent Greek unemployment soaring to over 16 percent.
In Britain, the government and unions said talks over public sector pension reforms made progress on June 27 but planned strikes by up to 750,000 teachers and civil servants will still go ahead on Thursday, closing schools and government offices and potentially disrupting airports and ports, Reuters reported.
In Spain, dozens of “los indignados” (the indignant), demonstrating against high unemployment and economic stagnation, camped outside parliament to protest as lawmakers debated amendments to the Socialist government's wage reform bill, meant to make the economy more competitive. The reforms were decreed into law by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's cabinet on June 10 and have been criticized by both unions and business groups.
In France, solidarity with “los indignados” in Madrid has already inspired several dozen French youths to spend nights camped out at the Place de la Bastille, the Paris square where a jail was torn down during the 1789 French Revolution.