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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 17 May 2017

Greek seamen extend strike; no ferries for 4 days

By ELENA BECATOROS Protest marches have
Associated Press been scheduled for cen-
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — tral Athens in the morning.
Greek seamen and jour- Workers are protesting a
nalists walked off the job new deal with Greece’s
Tuesday, a day before a international creditors that
nationwide general strike impose a raft of new tax
to protest new austerity hikes and spending cuts
measures the government beyond the end of the
is legislating for in return for country’s third bailout in
more bailout funds. 2018. The measures, which
The seamen’s union an- are to be voted on in par-
nounced Tuesday af- liament at midnight Thurs-
ternoon they would ex- day, will include additional
tend their strike, originally pension cuts in 2019 and
planned to last 48 hours, for higher income tax in 2020.
a further two days, leaving Without the agreement
ferries servicing Greece’s with its creditors, Greece
islands tied up in port until faced the prospect of run-
midnight Friday night. ning out of cash to service
The Panhellenic Seamen’s its debts this summer, which
Federation said it was ask- could have seen it have
ing “for the understanding A woman walks and a fisherman sits in front docked ferries at the port of Piraeus near Athens, another brush with bank-
and full support of both on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. Greek seamen are on a 48-hour to protest new austerity measures as ruptcy. Greece is currently
the traveling public and Greece struggles to emerge from a seven-year financial crisis. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) in its third international bail-
all Greek workers,” add- out, which is due to end in
ing that the new measures not being updated, and no fect services across the and the cancellation of a mid-2018. It has been de-
would lead seamen “to Wednesday newspapers country, from schools and further nine by Greece’s pendent on rescue loans
poverty and destitution.” would be printed. Public hospitals to public trans- Aegean and Olympic Air. from its creditors — mainly
Journalists were holding a bus company employees port. Air traffic controllers Another airline, Sky Express, other European countries
24-hour strike Tuesday, pull- were also holding work have declared participa- announced the reschedul- that use the euro, and the
ing news broadcasts off stoppages during the day. tion with a four-hour work ing of 41 domestic flights International Monetary
the air from 6 a.m. (0300 Wednesday’s general stoppage, leading to the between Athens and the Fund — since its first bailout
GMT). News websites were strike is expected to af- rescheduling of 99 flights Greek islands. in 2010. q
EU ruling could complicate new trade deals _ including UK’s

By RAF CASERT If all parliaments in mem- deals negotiated by the with nations like the United proved by 38 national and
Associated Press ber states have to approve EU executive can be rati- States and Japan, and regional parliaments.”
BRUSSELS (AP) — In a case trade deals, future agree- fied either by member would need a free trade In Tuesday’s ruling, the
that could affect future ments may take even lon- state governments, which deal with Britain, once the court said that most ele-
relations between the Eu- ger than they already do merely sign off, or by votes divorce proceedings with ments could be negotiated
ropean Union and Britain, to get passed, as it would in each of the national par- the current member state and approved by the EU it-
the EU’s highest court said open them up to the po- liaments, a more compli- are done. self, but said that member
Tuesday that key parts of litical processes of 28 dif- cated process. Alice Darling, a member of states need to be involved
a trade deal with Singa- ferent states. Such agree- A wide-ranging free trade the trade team at London when it comes to some
pore must be approved by ments require unanimity. deal with Canada was long law firm Clifford Chance, rules on foreign investment
each member state, which “The free trade agreement held up last year because said the judgment could and provisions for dispute
would further complicate with Singapore cannot, in a regional parliament of make securing a U.K.-EU settlement between inves-
the bloc’s decision-making. its current form, be con- member state Belgium de- trade deal after Brexit a tors and nations.
The court said Tuesday that cluded by the EU alone,” cided it needed further lengthy process. It could mean that trade
the international trade deal meaning that member assurances. After holding “The (U.K.) government’s deals are split up between
agreed on in 2013 with Sin- state parliaments will have out for weeks, the Belgian objective to agree a com- policies that the EU institu-
gapore needs the approv- to get a say, with a power region eventually gave its prehensive U.K.-EU trade tions can approve on their
al of both the EU institutions to veto, the court said in a consent. deal within the next two own and those that the
and the member states’ statement. The EU is currently nego- years will be challenging if national parliaments also
parliaments. Currently, international tiating free trade deals the deal needs to be ap- have to agree to. q