Athens police use tear gas to disperse demonstrators

16/05/2008

ATHENS, Greece -- Police used tear gas on Thursday (May 15th) to disperse a group of strikers as they tried to storm the headquarters of the National Bank of Greece. It happened during a rally in downtown Athens, part of a nationwide protest against the government's privatisation plans and pension reforms. Thousands of people marched through the capital. Authorities reported no injuries or arrests. The protest paralysed the country, disrupting transportation, banks and public services.

In other news, Greek authorities extradited Australia's most wanted fugitive, Tony Mokbel, on Friday. "Fat Tony", as he is known, received a prison sentence for drug trafficking in Australia in 2006 but fled to Greece. (Reuters - 16/05/08; DPA, AP - 15/05/08)