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Greek Parliament approves austerity measures

Protests continue as bill receives majority support from Greek MPs

The Greek Parliament has passed legislation that will implement a series of austerity measures, paving the way for the country to receive desperately needed loans from the EU and the IMF. The austerity bill was passed by a majority of the country’s MPs, with just one member of Prime Minister George Papandreou’s Socialist Party voting against the measures. Now, the Greek government can receive the $17 billion it needs to pay its expenses over the coming months while a second international bailout package is in the works. As the bill won in parliament, protests continued outside in the capital’s Syntagma Square. There were reports of violence between demonstrators and riot police for the second day in a row. Another vote is scheduled for Thursday that will officially enact the measures, which include tax increases, wage cuts, and the sale of 50 billion euros worth of state assets.

The New York Times

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