Greek Protests Intensify As Parliament Prepares To Vote On Austerity

People walk outside a closed post office in Athens on the first day of Greece's 48-hour general strike on November 6.

Greece has entered the second day of a 48-hour strike as lawmakers prepare to vote on a new package of austerity measures.

The nationwide protest was to end in a mass rally later on November 7 in central Athens.

The strike has severely disrupted public transport and health services, while 30,000 people took to the streets on November 6 in a peaceful protest in downtown Athens.

The strike continues ahead of a parliamentary ballot on 13.5 billion euros' worth of pension and salary cuts and tax hikes.

Although the government was expected to obtain enough votes to pass the bill, conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras still faced opposition from his coalition partners, the socialist Pasok party, and the Democratic Left.

Based on reporting by dpa and Reuters