Papandreou promises blood, sweat and tears

Greeks should brace themselves for a "triple-whammy”: “a tax hike, later retirement, and a pay freeze,” leads Athenian daily To Ethnos. In the runup to the European Council session on 11 February, Georges Papandreou’s government has been holding a series of crisis meetings and outlining its austerity plan with a view to fixing public finances now knocked for six by the country’s colossal debt. Brussels is on tenterhooks, watching their every move in fear for the stability of the euro. The country’s civil servants, asked to “set an example” by accepting a pay cut in real terms, have announced a strike on 10 February.