Riot police fired tear gas at youths hurling rocks near the Greek finance ministry Tuesday, trying to quell the anger unleashed by a general strike as parliament debated new cost-cutting measures. 
 
 A demonstrator kicks a tear gas canister against police during a demo in Athens on Tuesday June 28, 2011. Greece's beleaguered government is bracing for a 48-hour general strike as lawmakers debate a... (Associated Press) 
 
 Demonstrators run away from tear gas during a demo in Athens on Tuesday June 28, 2011. Greece's beleaguered government is bracing for a 48-hour general strike as lawmakers debate a new round of austerity... (Associated Press) 
 
 Demonstrators pull an umbrella as another burns during a demo in Athens on Tuesday June 28, 2011. Greece's beleaguered government is bracing for a 48-hour general strike as lawmakers debate a new round... (Associated Press) 
 
 Greek soldiers wearing traditional military uniforms march during a ceremonial changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the foot of the Greek parliament building as protesters (in foreground)... (Associated Press) 
 
 A protester sits outside the docked ships during a 48-hour strike in the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Tuesday, June 28, 2011. Workers across Greece walked off the job Tuesday at the start of the 48-hour... (Associated Press) 
 
 Tourists pass outside the ships during a 48-hour strike in the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Tuesday, June 28, 2011. Workers across Greece walked off the job Tuesday at the start of the 48-hour general... (Associated Press) 
 
 Pedestrians cross empty rails at the train station in Athens during a strike Tuesday, June 28, 2011. Public transport workers joined a nationwide 48-hour general strike as lawmakers debate a new round... (Associated Press) 
 
 Tourists from Australia sleep outside the ships during a 48-hour strike in the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Tuesday, June 28, 2011. Workers across Greece walked off the job Tuesday at the start of the... (Associated Press) 
 
 Passengers change their tickets at Olympic Air's cashiers during a four-hour work stoppage by air traffic controllers at the Athens International Airport Tuesday, June 28, 2011. Workers across Greece... (Associated Press) 
 
 Demonstrators run away from tear gas during a demo in Athens on Tuesday June 28, 2011. Greece's beleaguered government is bracing for a 48-hour general strike as lawmakers debate a new round of austerity... (Associated Press) 
 
 Passengers sleep during a four-hour work stoppage by air traffic controllers at the Athens International Airport Tuesday, June 28, 2011. Workers across Greece walked off the job Tuesday at the start of... (Associated Press) 
 
 Demonstrators throw stones against police during a demo in Athens on Tuesday June 28, 2011. Greece's beleaguered government is bracing for a 48-hour general strike as lawmakers debate a new round of austerity... (Associated Press) 
 
 Riot police take position outside the Greek Parliament prior of a demo in Athens on Tuesday June 28, 2011. Greece's beleaguered government is bracing for a 48-hour general strike as lawmakers debate a... (Associated Press) 
 
 The latest austerity measures 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. 
 
 The clashes with police came at the start of a two-day general strike called by unions furious that the government's new euro28 billion ($40 billion) austerity program will slap taxes on minimum wage earners and other struggling Greeks. The measures come on top of other spending cuts and tax hikes that have sent the Greek unemployment rate soaring to over 16 percent. 
 
 Hooded youths ripped up paving stones and set trash bins on fire in central Athens as police gave chase and fired tear gas and stun grenades. Earlier, about 20,000 people had marched peacefully in two separate demonstrations, while another 7,000 protested in the northern city of Thessaloniki without incident. 
 
 Everyone from doctors and ambulance drivers to casino workers and even actors at a state-funded theater were joining the strike or holding work stoppages for several hours. 
 
 Hundreds of flights were canceled or rescheduled as air traffic controllers walked off the job for four hours in the morning _ and were holding another walkout in the evening. Strikes by public transport workers snarled traffic across the capital, while other protesters blockaded the port of Piraeus. 
 
 "The situation that the workers are undergoing is tragic and we are near poverty levels," said Spyros Linardopoulos, a protester with the PAME union at the Piraeus blockade. "The government has declared war and to this war we will answer back with war." 
 
 Lawmakers began debating the latest austerity measures Monday and were continuing Tuesday. The package and an additional implementation law must be passed so the European Union and the International Monetary Fund release the next installment of Greece's euro110 billion ($156 billion) bailout loan. 
 
 Without that euro12 billion ($17 billion) installment, Greece faces the prospect of a default next month _ a potentially disastrous event that could drag down European banks, hurt other financially troubled European countries and even shock the whole global financial system. 
 
 But even lawmakers from the governing Socialists have been upset over the latest measures demanded by international creditors, and Prime Minister George Papandreou has struggled to contain an internal party revolt. He reshuffled his cabinet earlier this month to try to ensure his party's support for this vote, but the Socialists still only have a 5-seat majority in the 300-member Parliament. 
 
 Papandreou urged lawmakers Monday to fulfill a "patriotic duty" by voting in favor of the new measures, but two of his own lawmakers have suggested they won't. 
 
 European officials have also been pressuring Greece's the main conservative opposition party to back the austerity bill. 
 
 "Both the future of the country and financial stability in Europe are at stake," European Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said. "I fully respect the prerogatives and the sovereignty of the Greek Parliament in the ongoing debate. And I trust that the Greek political leaders are fully aware of the responsibility that lies on their shoulders to avoid default." 
 
 But conservative party leader Antonis Samaras has refused, arguing that while he backs some austerity measures, the overall thinking behind the package is flawed. 
 
 Greece remains frozen out of bond markets and is surviving on the euro110 billion ($156 billion) in promised bailout loans. But the initial plan had assumed that Greece would be able to return to the markets next year. 
 
 That won't happen, and a result Athens is negotiating for a second bailout, which Papandreou has said will be roughly the same size as the first. 
 
 Papandreou said he hoped the terms would be better than those for the first bailout. 
 
 "I call on Europe, for its part, to give Greece the time and the terms it needs to really pay off its debt, without strangling growth, and without strangling its citizens," he said. 
 
 Papandreou's new finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, said the government acknowledged the new cuts were "unfair" and that he hoped negotiations over a second bailout would be concluded by the end of the summer. 
 
 "These measures will take us from running budget deficits to achieving primary surpluses," he said. "It's a difficult but necessary step." 
 
 But many Greeks insist they should not be forced to pay for a crisis they believe the politicians are responsible for. 
 
 "We don't owe any money, it's the others who stole it," said 69-year-old demonstrator Antonis Vrahas. "We're resisting for a better society for the sake of our children and grandchildren." 
 
 Even with the new austerity measures, many investors still believe that Greece is heading for some sort of default because its overall debt burden is too great. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Demetris Nellas in Athens contributed. ||||| Groups of youths on the edge of a major anti-austerity protest in Athens threw rocks and firebombs at police outside Parliament, where the struggling government sought support for new cutbacks required to avoid a debt default. 
 
 Police arrest a demonstrator trying to block the road to the Parliament during a rally against plans for new austerity measures, in central Athens, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour anti-austerity strike... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police arrest a demonstrator trying to block the road to the Parliament during a rally against plans for new austerity measures, in central Athens, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour anti-austerity strike... (Associated Press) 
 
 A demonstrator argues with a police officer outside the Greek Parliament during a rally against plans for new austerity measures, in central Athens, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour anti-austerity... (Associated Press) 
 
 A protester plays a flute next to a police officer outside of the Greek Parliament in central Athens, prior to a rally against plans for new austerity measures, on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour... (Associated Press) 
 
 Protesters paint graffiti outside of the Greek Parliament in central Athens, prior to a rally against plans for new austerity measures, on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour strike by Greece's largest... (Associated Press) 
 
 A lone protester, covered by a plastic sheet, fixes his shoe after spending the night at Syntagma square in front of the Greek Parliament in central Athens, prior to a rally against plans for new austerity... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police arrest a demonstrator trying to block the road to the Parliament during a rally against plans for new austerity measures, in central Athens, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour anti-austerity strike... (Associated Press) 
 
 Demonstrators gesture outside the Parliament during a rally against plans for new austerity measures, in central Athens, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour anti-austerity strike by Greece's largest labor... (Associated Press) 
 
 Demonstrator shouts slogans outside the Parliament in central Athens, during a rally against plans for new austerity measures, on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour strike by Greece's largest labor unions... (Associated Press) 
 
 Protesters gesture and wave Greek flags front of the Parliament during a rally against plans for new austerity measures, in central Athens, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour anti-austerity strike by... (Associated Press) 
 
 Riot police block the entrance of the Greek Parliament in central Athens, prior to a rally against plans for new austerity measures, on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour strike by Greece's largest labor... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police arrest a demonstrator who tried to block the road to the Parliament during a rally against plans for new austerity measures, in central Athens, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour anti-austerity... (Associated Press) 
 
 Protesters holding Greek flags face the police in front of the Parliament during a rally against plans for new austerity measures, in central Athens, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour anti-austerity... (Associated Press) 
 
 Protesters paint graffiti outside of the Greek Parliament in central Athens, prior to a rally against plans for new austerity measures, on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour strike by Greece's largest... (Associated Press) 
 
 A lone protester, top left, challenges Greek riot police officers as they walk past Syntagma square in front of the Greek Parliament in central Athens, during a peaceful rally against plans for new austerity... (Associated Press) 
 
 At a rally of more than 20,000 in the Syntagma Square, police responded with tear gas to push the protesters away from barricades erected to protect the Parliament building and the lawmakers arriving to debate the new austerity plan. 
 
 Other demonstrators who had been part of the previously peaceful gathering also clashed with the violent groups of hooded youths, trying to eject them from their rally. 
 
 The protests were part of a 24-hour general strike against the new cutbacks, which the country must pass in order to continue receiving funding from a euro110 billion international bailout that is preventing it from defaulting on its debts. 
 
 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. Some 5,000 officers, including hundreds of riot and motorcycle police, used parked buses and crowd barriers to prevent protesters from encircling the building. 
 
 "Resign, resign," the crowd chanted outside Parliament. The protesters included both young and old, and many brought their children, hoisting them onto their shoulders to shield them from the crush. 
 
 Two separate marches organized by trade unions joined the rally in Syntagma. Such demonstrations have often turned violent in the past _ three clerks died when rioters torched their bank in Athens last May. 
 
 But the latest austerity drive has brought many people onto the streets for the first time. 
 
 "What can we do? We have to fight, for our children and for us," said Dimitra Nteli, a nurse at a state hospital who was at the protest with her daughter. "After 25 years of work I earn 1,100 euros a month. Now that will drop to 900. How can we live on that?" 
 
 Her 26-year-old daughter, Christina, said the situation in Greece had led her to leave for the U.K. to study conflict resolution. 
 
 "I have no job here. There are no prospects," she said. 
 
 Police spokesman Athanassios Kokalakis said 10 protesters were briefly detained. About a hundred people booed and heckled as cars carrying Prime Minister George Papandreou and President Karolos Papoulias swept past for a meeting. 
 
 The general strike crippled public services across the country, leaving state hospitals running on emergency staff, disrupting port traffic and public transport, and forced radio and television news programs off the air during the morning. Journalists' unions called off their strike to cover developments in Athens. 
 
 Flights were also operating normally after the air traffic controllers' union dropped out of the strike. 
 
 "They keep asking us to give more," said Ilias Iliopoulos, general secretary of the civil servants' union ADEDY. "Now, again, they will cut our salaries and bonuses, from the little that we have left." 
 
 The government needs to pass a new 2012-2015 austerity program worth euro28 billion ($40.5 billion) this month _ or face being cut off from the rescue loans from European countries and the International Monetary Fund. 
 
 To meet their commitments, Papandreou's Socialists' abandoned a pledge not to impose new taxes and have drawn up a four-year privatization program worth euro50 billion ($72 billion) _ further fueling protests against austerity by public utility employees and other affected groups. 
 
 Some governing party lawmakers have publicly criticized the new cuts. One of them defected on Tuesday, reducing Papandreou's parliamentary majority to five in the 300-seat legislature. Another Socialist lawmaker said he will vote against the bill, which is set for final approval by early next month. 
 
 Papandreou faces an open revolt from his own party and a refusal by the main opposition conservatives to back the new austerity bills, despite EU pressure for cross-party support. 
 
 Papandreou met with the president to discuss how to solve the crisis. 
 
 "A national effort is required. Because we are at a historically crucial moment and a time of crucial decisions," Papandreou told Papoulias, adding that he was still in contact with opposition party leaders in an effort to garner cross-party support for the austerity drive. 
 
 "But on the other hand, everyone has to assume their responsibilities," Papandreou told the president, according to a transcript of their conversation released by the prime minister's office. "In any case, we will move forward with this sense of responsibility and the necessary decisions" to pull Greece out of the crisis. 
 
 The statements calmed concern, voiced mainly in the local media, that the prime minister might have been considering calling early elections. 
 
 The Socialists' popularity plummeted in recent weeks over the new austerity plan. A weekend opinion poll gave the main opposition conservatives a four-point lead over their Socialist rivals, the first time the party has been ahead in surveys since 2009. The next general election is scheduled for October 2013. 
 
 With its credit rating deep in junk status, Greece is being kept afloat by the EU and IMF bailout, but will need additional support to cover financing gaps next year as high interest rates will prevent it from tapping the bond market next year, contrary to what the original bailout agreement had predicted. 
 
 On Monday night, Standard & Poor's slashed Greece's rating from B to CCC, dropping it to the very bottom of the 131 states that have a sovereign debt rating. That suggests Greece's creditors are less likely to get their money back than those of Pakistan, Ecuador or Jamaica. 
 
 ____ 
 
 Nicholas Paphitis, Derek Gatopoulos, Petros Giannakouris and Lefteris Pitarakis in Athens contributed.
– Greek workers launched a 48-hour general strike today to protest government austerity measures as 20,000 demonstrators headed to Parliament and another 7,000 marched in the country’s second-biggest city. Some 5,000 police guarded Athens, and while the initial protests were peaceful, things are heating up. Young people threw rocks near Greece’s finance ministry, prompting tear gas from police; in central Athens youths burned garbage bins. Strikers range from actors to casino workers to doctors, the AP reports. With lawmakers considering a $40 billion austerity program, including new taxes on minimum-wage earners, “the government has declared war and to this war we will answer back with war,” said a protester. Meanwhile, the debate continues in Parliament as European officials push for the plan. "To those who speculate about other options,” noted one, “let me say this clearly: There is no Plan B to avoid default," the New York Times reports. But protesters argue the country’s debts aren’t theirs to cover. “We don't owe any money, it's the others who stole it,” said one.