News Summary: Greece braces for week of protests
News Summary: Greece: motorcycle rally starts off week of protests as mass staff cuts planned
TAKING NO PRISONERS: Greece is bracing for a week of protests against new government cuts. First up: Municipal police officers brought traffic to a standstill intermittently for five hours across central Athens.
THE TARGET: The demonstrations were sparked by the latest round of austerity measures that will impose staff cuts on teachers and local government. Unions have called a general strike for Tuesday to disrupt flights, national rail travel and public hospitals.
THE CAUSE: Greece's international creditors demanded job cuts before approving new bailout loan installments worth 6.8 billion euros ($8.9 billion) to be paid out between July and October. Parliament is to vote this week in the first major political test for Conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras since a left-wing party abandoned his coalition government last month.