DW-World.de
Deutsche Welle

A general strike in Greece has shut down the country's public services, hospitals and public transport system. The labour action has hit Athens International Airport, where all flights into and out of the city have been cancelled. Ferries and boats also remain in docks across the country, paralysing transport to and from Greece's hundreds of islands. Only a handful of trains and trams in Athens ran for five hours on Wednesday morning, mainly so that strikers could travel to the capital for a rally. Greek labour unions have called the 24-hour strike in opposition to government pension reform plans.