Greeks in fresh general strike against austerity

Greece is being hit by the first general strike of 2013 as workers renew their protest over austerity measures.

The 24-hour strike is forcing the closure of schools and state-run offices and leaving hospitals working with emergency staff.

The strike has been called by Greece's two biggest labour unions, representing half the four million-strong workforce.

It comes days before international lenders are due in Athens to discuss the next instalment of a bailout.

The debt-ridden country is being kept afloat by billions of euros from other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund.

In return, the government has imposed waves of unpopular spending cuts and tax rises, hitting pay and pensions and sending unemployment soaring to more than 26%.

Greece's coalition government managed to secure the latest tranche of bailout money at the end of last year, and Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras told the BBC he believed the worst was over for his country.

However, the BBC's Athens correspondent Mark Lowen says that Wednesday's strike is a reminder that government confidence of a slowly improving economic situation is not shared by many on the streets.