Anti-austerity strikes sweep across Europe - by Sonya Dowsett and Andrei Khalip

Millions of workers joined strikes across southern Europe on Wednesday to protest against spending cuts and tax hikes that trade unions say have brought misery and deepened the region’s economic crisis.

Spanish and Portuguese workers were holding their first co-ordinated general strike and unions in Greece, Italy and France, Belgium also planned work stoppages or demonstrations as part of a “European Day of Action and Solidarity.”

“We’re on strike to stop these suicidal policies,” said Candido Mendez, head of Spain’s second-biggest labour federation, the General Workers’ Union, or UGT.

International lenders and some economists say the programs of tax hikes and spending cuts are necessary for putting public finances back on a healthy track after years of overspending.
While several southern European countries have seen bursts of violence, a co-ordinated and effective regional protest to the austerity has yet to gain traction and governments have so far largely stuck to their policies.

Read more: Anti-austerity strikes sweep across Europe - The Globe and Mail

Frankfurt Operating 80% of Flights on Third Day of Strikes

Frankfurt airport, the third-busiest in Europe, said it hasn’t been “incapacitated” today as ground- control staff staged their third strike in five days, operating more than 80 percent of scheduled flights.

Fraport AG, which runs the hub, canceled 240 takeoffs and landings out of the 1,250 planned, most involving short-haul destinations, spokeswoman Stephanie Wagener said. At least 70 percent of services should operate tomorrow, the company said.

The 200 strikers, who are seeking a revised accord on wages and plans to outsource ground-control jobs, will continue the action until 5 a.m. on Feb. 22, the Frankfurt-based Gewerkschaft der Flugsicherung union said in a statement last night.

For more: Frankfurt Operating 80% of Flights on Third Day of Strikes - Businessweek

Protest in Egypt Takes a Turn as Workers Go on Strike - NYTimes.com

Protesters demanding the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak appeared on Wednesday to have recaptured the initiative in their battle with his government, demonstrating a new ability to mobilize thousands to take over Cairo’s streets beyond their headquarters at Tahrir Square and to spark labor unrest.

The pressure on Mr. Mubarak intensified after the largest crowd of protesters in two weeks flooded Cairo’s streets on Tuesday and the United States delivered its most specific demands yet, urging swift steps toward democracy. Some of the protesters had been inspired by an emotional interview with an online political organizer on Egypt’s most popular talk show.

At dawn on Wednesday, hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators remained camped out at Parliament, where they had marched for the first time on Tuesday. On the 16th day of the uprising, there were reports of thousands demonstrating in several other cities around the country while protesters began to gather again in Tahrir Square.

For more: Protest in Egypt Takes a Turn as Workers Go on Strike - NYTimes.com