Greece prepares for crippling strike

Debt-ridden Greece is bracing for a nationwide strike scheduled for tomorrow.

The country's Socialist government is considering cuts to benefits, a rise in the retirement age and other measures that have sparked union resistance.

"The strike should be a big success and should paralyse the whole country," Stathis Anestis, a leader of the powerful Greek General Confederation of Labour union GSEE, told news agency AFP.

The strike is the second major protest since Greece unveiled the measures.

It will mobilise thousands of workers, bringing ships, planes and trains to a standstill, as well as shutting down banks and newsrooms.

The government hopes a bailout from the EU and a bond issue could ease its financial hardship.