Protesters hit out at Greek bailout talks

Police fired tear gas at dozens of youths hurling stones in Athens yesterday and a strike against austerity brought much of Greece to a halt during talks on the next slice of a bailout package.

European Union and International Monetary Fund inspectors met Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou during a visit to press Greece to shore up its finances one year into the EU/IMF deal. Riot police clashed with protesters just yards from where the meetings were being held to decide whether Greece will get a fifth tranche of aid from the €110bn bailout that saved it from bankruptcy last year.