• The morning after the night before: Greeks wake up to an austere future

    Alkis Konstantinidis / EPA

    Pedestrians cover their faces as they stand among marble pieces and debris after clashes erupted Sunday, in Athens, Greece, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012.

    Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP - Getty Images

    The burnt structures included the neo-classical home to the Attikon cinema dating from 1870. "We are all very angry with these measures but this is not the way out," said Dimitris Hatzichristos, 30, a public sector worker surveying the debris.

    Msnbc.com news services report from ATHENS, Greece — Firefighters doused smoldering buildings and cleanup crews swept rubble from the streets of central Athens on Monday following a night of rioting during which lawmakers approved harsh new austerity measures demanded by bailout creditors to save the nation from bankruptcy.

    At least 45 buildings were burned, including one of the capital's oldest restored cinemas, while dozens of stores and cafes were smashed and looted.

    "Night of terror inside and outside the parliament," conservative daily Eleftheros Typos wrote on its front page. Read the full story.

    Related: PhotoBlog posts of Greek reaction to austerity measures

    Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP - Getty Images

    People stand in a vandalised shop in central Athens on Feb. 13, 2012.

    Alkis Konstantinidis / EPA

    Damaged buildings in Athens on Feb. 13, 2012. The violent clashes, the worst Greece has seen in decades, caused irreparable damage in Athens after demonstrators set fire to buildings and looted their way through dozens of shops at the weekend, the mayor of Athens said.

    Dimitri Messinis / AP

    People walk past graffiti which reads "Rob to gain money" on a wall of the central bank of Greece in Athens on Feb. 13, 2012.

     

  • Protests heat up in Greece over austerity bill

    Milos Bicanski / Getty Images

    Demonstrators throw fire bombs at riot police during violent protests in central Athens, Greece, Feb. 12. Thousands of demonstrators clashed with police as the Greek parliament prepared to vote on a new and deeply unpopular EU/IMF austerity deal, to secure a 130 billion euro bailout, aimed at saving Greece from bankruptcy and what Prime Minister Lucas Papademos warned would be "uncontrollable economic chaos".

     

    Yannis Behrakis / Reuters

    Riot police run past a building burning during violent protests in central Athens, Greece, Feb. 12. Historic cinemas, cafes and shops went up in flames in central Athens on Sunday as black-masked protesters fought Greek police outside parliament, while inside lawmakers looked set to defy the public rage by endorsing a new EU/IMF austerity deal.

    As the Greek parliament approved a deeply unpopular austerity bill to secure a second bailout from the European Union and International Monetary Fund, protesters stormed Athens, setting fire to buildings and throwing bombs made of gas canisters at police.

    The historic vote paves the way for Greece's European partners and the International Monetary Fund to release $170 billion (€130 billion) in new rescue loans, without which Greece would default on its mountain of debt next month and likely leave the eurozone — a scenario that would further roil global markets.

    --Reported by msnbc.com news services

    Related: PhotoBlog posts of Greek reaction to austerity measures

    Thousands gathered outside Parliament Sunday to protest cuts demanded by international lenders. CNBC's Julia Chatterley reports.

  • Greeks continue 48-hour national strike over austerity measures

    Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP - Getty Images

    Police try to dispearse protesters from the front of the Greek parliament during the 48-hour anti-austerity strike on Feb. 11. Protesters massed in Greece under heavy police watch Saturday after the government approved unpopular austerity cuts to get vital rescue funds and avoid the "chaos" of a default.

     

    Alexandros Vlachos / EPA

    A protester covered with a Greek flag sits in front of the Greek Parliament during a rally in central Athens, Greece, Feb. 11. During a planned vote on Feb. 12, the Greek Parliament will be asked to decide on the new bailout deal for Greece in the form of three separate articles. Greek trade unions meanwhile called for a 48-hour general strike and three days of mobilizations in protest of the new memorandum agreed with the creditors.

    Debt-stricken Greece does not have the money to cover a €14.5 billion bond repayment on March 20, and must reach a vital debt-relief deal with private bond investors before then. The country's woes have threatened its future in the 17-country zone that uses the euro currency.

    The Europeans are waiting to see Greece finally act on their commitments.

    "If the right course is now set sustainably in Athens, Greece can count on our support — but only then," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle was quoted as telling the weekly Der Spiegel. -- Reported by the Associated Press

    Related content from PhotoBlog: More images from Greece

    Yannis Behrakis / Reuters

    Medics try to help an anti-austerity protester who lies unconscious after he was injured by police in front of the parliament in Athens, Feb. 11, during a demonstration on the second day of a 48-hour strike by Greek workers unions.

  • Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP - Getty Images

    People take free produce distributed by farmers on Jan. 25, 2012 during a protest on Syntagma Square in the center of Athens, Greece. Farmers from Thebes, northwest of Athens, handed out hundreds of kilos of fresh produce to protest media reports that waste from local industries had rendered crops unfit for human consumption.

    As austerity bites, Greeks line up for food handouts

    As the Greek government carries out crucial negotiations on a debt swap deal, the economic crisis continues to hit citizens. Read more about the efforts to bring Greece's debt back to a sustainable level.

  • John Kolesidis / Reuters

    A man fishes in front of immobilized ships during the seventh day of seamen strike at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Greece, Oct. 23. Greek seamen will extend their strike protesting against government austerity measures to Tuesday, a move which could keep most passenger ferries docked at ports.

    Fisherman takes advantage of quiet port as Greek seamen extend strike

    Read more about the austerity measures in Greece here.

  • Outraged protesters clash with police in Greece

    By Jonathan Woods, msnbc.com

    Riot police engaged protesters in Athens, after a small group of protesters started throwing rocks in Syntagma Square on Wednesday. Meanwhile, thousands of striking workers marched to parliament, protesting austerity measures.

    Alkis Konstantinidis / EPA

    Riot police detains a demonstrator during clashes in Athens, Greece, 05 October 2011. Civil Servants' Supreme Administrative Council (ADEDY) and General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE), Greece's two largest umbrella federations representing the public and private sector staged a 24-hour nationwide strike protesting against the ongoing austerity measures taken by the Greek government.

    Yiorgos Karahalis / Reuters

    Policemen take their positions around the parliament during a protest in Athens' Syntagma (Constitution) square October 5, 2011. Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing youths in central Athens Wednesday, where thousands of striking state sector workers marched against cuts the government says are needed to save the nation from bankruptcy.

    Yiorgos Karahalis / Reuters

    A protester clashes with a policeman during an anti-austerity rally in Athens' Syntagma (Constitution) square October 5, 2011. Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing youths in central Athens Wednesday, where thousands of striking state sector workers marched against cuts the government says are needed to save the nation from bankruptcy.

    Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP - Getty Images

    Anti riot policemen clash with demonstrators during a protest rally marking the 24-hour general strike on October 5, 2011. More than 30,000 public sector workers demonstrated in Greece today in a strike against deeper austerity cuts that shut down courts, schools and transport, including air traffic.

    Simela Pantzartzi / EPA

    Protestors push a high fence blocking the entrance to the Greek Parliament during a demonstration in central Athens, Greece, 05 October 2011. Civil Servants' Supreme Administrative Council (ADEDY) and General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE), Greece's two largest umbrella federations representing the public and private sector staged a 24-hour nationwide strike protesting against the ongoing austerity measures taken by the Greek government.

    Read more on the protests in our full story. 

  • Aris Messinis / AFP - Getty Images

    A Greek taxi driver walks next to parked taxis during a 24-hours strike in Athens on Wednesday, July 6. Greek Finance Minister Stavros Lambridinis attacked on Wednesday what he termed the "madness" of ratings agencies in the European debt crisis, saying they exacerbated an already difficult situation.

    Greek taxis protest increased competition

    The AP reports from Athens, Greece:

    Striking taxi drivers blocked rush-hour traffic in protest at government market reforms, as the Prime Minister George Papandreou promised to see the unpopular changes through and take a tougher line against violent demonstrations.

    The protests brought commuter traffic to a standstill. Later, dozens of cab drivers held a noisy drive-by protest outside Parliament, blaring their horns as they passed the building in a convoy in central Athens before heading to the transport ministry, where about 400 held a protest rally. Continue reading.

  • Greek riot police clash with protesters in Athens

    msnbc.com news services report from ATHENS, Greece:

    Greek police clashed with protesters trying to block the way into parliament on Wednesday as signs grew that the government would succeed in passing a sweeping austerity plan demanded by international creditors.

    With Greece risking bankruptcy if the measures are blocked, parliament was expected to vote in the afternoon on the mix of spending cuts, tax increases and privatizations to be implemented as conditions for a massive bailout by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. Continue reading.

    Aris Messinis / AFP - Getty Images

    A protester shouts in front of riot police during a 48-hour general strike in Athens, Greece, on June 29. Protestors clashed with police, who fired tear gas early on June 29, several hours before the Greek Parliament was to vote on an austerity package.

    Panagiotis Tzamaros / Reuters

    Policemen chase protesters during an anti-austerity rally in Athens on June 29.

    Aris Messinis / AFP - Getty Images

    Protestors clash with riot police in Athens on June 29.

    Panagiotis Tzamaros / Reuters

    Policemen clash with protesters during an anti-austerity rally in Athens on June 29.

    Thanassis Stavrakis / AP

    A riot policeman strikes a demonstrator as protesters try to prevent deputies from reaching the Greek parliament in central Athens on June 29.

    John Kolesidis / Reuters

    A bleeding protester is treated following clashes with the police in Athens on June 29.

    Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images

    People carry an injured fellow protestor during violent clashes with riot police in front of the Greek Parliament on June 29.

     See more images of recent protests in Greece on PhotoBlog.

     

  • Greek austerity protests turn violent

    Yannis Behrakis / Reuters

    A protester wearing a gas mask walks beside a burning van during violent protests against austerity measures in Athens onTuesday, June 28. With Greece teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, parliament is due to vote this week on a package of spending cuts, tax increases and privatisations agreed as part of a massive bailout aimed at averting the euro zone's first default.

    Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP - Getty Images

    A protestor throws a broken piece of furniture to riot police during clashes at central Athens Syntagma square by the Greek Parliament on Tuesday. Workers staged a 48-hour general strike against the bankruptcy-threatened government which is desperately trying to push through sweeping austerity cuts. As parliament votes on the drastic belt-tightening measures to unlock 12 billion euros ($17 billion) of blocked funds from the EU and IMF, unions have called on Greeks facing hefty tax hikes to stage mass demonstrations.

    Yiorgos Karahalis / Reuters

    A demonstrator jumps to attempt to break a window displaying an image of an ancient greek galley during protests against austerity measures in Athens on Tuesday.

     

    msnbc.com news services reports:

    ATHENS, Greece — Riot police fired tear gas at youths hurling rocks and setting trash bins on fire near the Greek finance ministry Tuesday, trying to quell the anger unleashed by a general strike as parliament debated new cost-cutting measures.

    The latest austerity plan must pass in two parliamentary votes Wednesday and Thursday if Greece is to receive bailout funds from the EU and the IMF that will keep it from becoming the first eurozone nation to default on its debts. Continue reading.

  • Greeks begin general strike in protest at painful cuts

    Alkis Konstantinidis / AFP - Getty Images

    People sit in front of a closed bank in Athens on June 28 during a general strike. Greece ground to a halt on June 28 as a 48-hour general strike began to bite against the bankruptcy-threatened government which is desperately trying to push through sweeping austerity cuts.

    Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP - Getty Images

    Communist-affiliated unionists rally toward the Greek parliament in Athens on June 28.

    Filippo Monteforte / AFP - Getty Images

    A demonstrator stands on a fake gallows set in front of the Greek parliament in Athens on June 28.

    msnbc.com news services report from ATHENS, Greece:

    Thousands of demonstrators began gathering in front of the Greek parliament Tuesday at the start of a two-day strike to protest against painful cuts demanded by international lenders as the price for more financial aid.

    More than 5,000 police were to guard Athens' city center, as protesters hold a rally outside Parliament, chanting anti-austerity slogans. Another demonstration is scheduled to start later in the morning.

    Everyone from doctors and ambulance drivers to casino workers and even actors at a state-funded theater was to join the protest, which is to continue Wednesday. Continue reading.

    See more images of Greece on PhotoBlog.

  • Alabama family, victims of 1974 tornado, survives direct hit of 2011 EF 5 tornado

    By Rich Shulman

    What are the odds that a family would suffer two direct hits from a tornado?

    Previous PhotoBlog tornado posts.

    Gary Cosby Jr / AP

    Jennifer Pitts Adair kneels in the spot where she survived a direct hit from the April 27th EF5 tornado, June 20, 2011. Her Camden Ct. home in Limestone County near Athens, Ala., was destroyed to the foundation yet the twister left her lying in floor of what was once her closet injuring only her shoulder. Adair credits her survival to lessons learned from the 1974 tornado that claimed three relatives years before she was even born.


    Gary Cosby Jr / AP

    The Pitts family has endured great loss in the Tanner community having lost family members and homes in the April 3, 1974 tornado and homes in the April 27th, 2011 tornado. Jennifer Pitts Adair sits with her dad Wayne Pitts and mom Jo Ann Pitts in their apartment in Athens, Ala., June 24. Jennifer's home was destroyed in Camden Court near Athens and the Pitts' home was destroyed on Ingram Rd. in Tanner during the April 27th EF 5 tornado.

    Gary Cosby Jr. / AP

    Jo Ann Pitts stands with a box of treasured photos that survived the destruction of her home April 27 when a storm bearing an EF 5 tornado struck Ingram Rd. south of Athens, Alabama. The Pitts family lost three family members killed in the April 3, 1974 F5 tornado which also claimed two homes of family members on Ingram Rd. The Pitts family was struck again April 27, 2011 suffering the loss of a home on Ingram Rd. and another belonging to their daughter, Jennifer Pitts Adair, on Camden Court east of Athens when an EF 5 traveling the same path as the 1974 storm hit both areas.

    Gary Cosby Jr / AP

    The Pitts family has endured great loss in the Tanner community having lost family members and homes in the April 3, 1974 tornado and homes in the April 27, 2011 tornado. Jennifer Pitts Adair's hand written journal shows an entry from April 29th, 2011. She has been journaling and keeping some of it on Facebook since the tornado struck destroying her home in Camden Court near Athens, Ala., and her parents home on Ingram Rd. in the Tanner community.

  • 'Rage and disgust': Thousands protest Greek cuts

    msnbc.com news services report from ATHENS, Greece:

    Greek police deployed in strength Wednesday to prevent thousands of anti-austerity protesters from blockading Parliament, where the struggling government will launch a debate on new unpopular cutbacks needed to secure international rescue loans.

    As a 24-hour general strike got underway, a large part of central Athens was closed to all traffic and pedestrians as police mounted a huge security operation to allow lawmakers access to Parliament by car. Continue reading.

    Pascal Rossignol / Reuters

    Riot police stand guard near the Greek parliament in Athens as the guard of honur march near the monument of the unknown soldier early on June 15.

    Lefteris Pitarakis / AP

    Protesters gesture and wave Greek flags in front of the Parliament during a rally against plans for new austerity measures, in central Athens on June 15. A 24-hour anti-austerity strike by Greece's largest labor unions crippled public services Wednesday, as the Socialist government was to begin a legislative battle to push through last-ditch cost-cutting reforms that will extend beyond its own term in office.

    Panagiotis Tzamaros / AFP - Getty Images

    Riot police confront a protester during a general strike against government austerity plans, in Athens on June 15. Offices were closed and public transport on land and sea across Greece was seriously disrupted early today as a mass general strike got under way.

    Panagiotis Tzamaros / AFP - Getty Images

    Riot police arrest a protester during a general strike against government austerity plans, in Athens on June 15.

     

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