Thousands across the globe stage marches, protests on May Day

(News Terupdate) - Thousands of people across the globe took to the streets on Saturday in annual demonstrations for May Day, the annual event marked by demonstrations demanding better working conditions.

Known as International Workers' Day, the holiday draws thousands to peacefully protest. Others, as in Athens, Greece, clashed with police amid growing anger over the government's stiff plans to grapple with the country's debt.

About 12,000 people in Athens were on the streets, waving red flags and at times surging toward a line of police, who wore helmets and carried riot shields. Those disturbances led to injuries and arrests. A satellite truck was torched and two ATMs, the glass frontage of a bank and a car were damaged.

In Russia, more than 2.5 million people participated in traditional May Day celebrations in 900 cities and towns, the country's trade union federation said. The largest gatherings took place in Krasnodar, Yakutsk, Vladivostok, Izhevsk, Moscow and St. Petersburg. The people spoke out in favor of decent salaries and stable employment.

Watch May Day demonstration in Paris, France.

According to CNN sources and state-run news reports, there were many demonstrations.

Turkey:

For this first time in 30 years, tens of thousands of union members and leftist political activists gathered for the first legally sanctioned May Day celebration in Istanbul's central Taksim Square.

Germany:

Several protesters were detained after clashes with police in Hamburg. Seventeen police officers were reportedly injured when confronting demonstrators who they said were throwing rocks and setting garbage cans on fire.

Cuba:

A throng marched through Revolution Plaza in Havana. Crowds are usually big in Cuba on International Workers' Day but government officials said the turnout was a signal to Washington that the country is unified and supports its leaders.

United States:

Several dozen cities braced for protests against Arizona's controversial new immigration law.

Asia:

Thousands gathered in several Asian cities for its annual May Day demonstrations. They demanded improved working conditions and wage increases. Clashes between police and protesters were seen on TV.

Iran:

Protests popped up at the Labor Ministry, where demonstrators clashed with police and shouted "Death to the dictator."

Source : CNN

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Greeks protest austerity cuts at May Day rally

Athens, Greece (News Terupdate) - Greek protesters clashed with police who fired tear gas during the annual May Day rally on Saturday in Athens, where thousands of people gathering for the event seethed over government belt-tightening plans to deal with the country's debt problems.

Waving red flags, the crowd at times surged toward the line of police, who wore helmets and carried riot shields. The police pushed them back each time.

Protesters threw objects toward police, and scattered fires were burning on the streets. A van belonging to state broadcaster ERT was set on fire, and 19 people were taken in for questioning, a spokesman for the Greek national police told CNN.

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About 12,000 people were protesting in Athens, and rallies were also taking place in the northern city of Thessaloniki, the spokesman said. Protesters there smashed two ATMs, the glass frontage of a bank, and a car, but no one was arrested or being questioned, the spokesman said.

The annual May Day rally has taken on an angry tone this year as the Greek government prepares to enact austerity measures to cap its large deficit and massive debt.

The package of measures was expected to be revealed Sunday. It is likely to include cuts in civil servants' salaries, pay freezes, reductions in pension payments, changes to tax rates, and increases in the value-added tax consumers pay on purchases, Ilias Iliopoulos, the general secretary of the public sector union ADEDY said Thursday.

The International Monetary Fund and the European Union are discussing a bailout for Greece, whose economic problems threaten the stability of the common European currency, the euro.

The amount of the aid package being negotiated was not clear, but the IMF and EU are likely to demand the austerity measures as a price for a bailout.

May Day observed around the world

Greece's national debt of 300 billion euros ($394 billion) is bigger than the country's economy, and some estimates predict it will reach 120 percent of gross domestic product in 2010.

Standard & Poor's this week downgraded Greece's sovereign credit rating to junk status, making Greece the first European country to fall below investment grade.

The downgrade makes it harder and more expensive for Greece to borrow money to pay back its debts. That makes the prospect of a bailout more crucial for Athens.

Also this week, Moody's Investors Service downgraded nine Greek banks, including the National Bank of Greece, citing their weakened financial strength and the country's "challenged" economic prospects.

Source : CNN

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