Greek deputy minister quits over austerity cutsFebruary 10, 2012 - 19:50 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Greek Deputy Employment Minister Yiannis Koutsoukos has resigned over drastic new austerity measures agreed by the coalition government, AMNA reported. In a letter to the government, the 59-year-old former trade union leader said he would not support the "painful" measures that would hurt working Greeks. He did not say whether he would back the new austerity reforms in parliament. Koutsoukos is the first casualty in Prime Minister Lucas Papademos' three-month-old coalition government, and walkout is a major sign of trouble in the majority Socialist party which has traditionally strong links with unions. Koutsoukos is a former leader of the civil servants union ADEDY, which is planning various protests and rallies outside parliament at the weekend, when the new austerity program is set to be voted. Pasok MP Christos Protopapas, a former deputy employment minister and leader of the GSEE union, also announced that he would not vote for provisions to slash the minimum wage. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |