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Leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organisation have given their backing to indirect peace talks with Israel.

The decision was announced after a three-hour meeting of the PLO’s Executive Committee in the West Bank.

US President Barack Obama’s Middle East envoy George Mitchell is in the region trying to launch such indirect negotiations, known as proximity talks.

The Palestinians broke off peace talks after Israel launched an offensive against Hamas in Gaza in late 2008.

Attempts to re-start talks in March were delayed by a row over Israeli building in East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as the capital of a future state.

Under the proximity talks, Mr Mitchell will shuttle between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to try to narrow their differences.

“As far as we are concerned, the start of the indirect negotiations can be announced today,” Yasser Abed Rabbo, an aide to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying after the meeting.

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, had urged the PLO to reject the proximity talks.

“We warn the executive of PLO not to take any decision to resume talks with the enemy and to give cover to the Israeli occupation to commit more crimes against our people,” a statement said.

The Palestinians pulled out of talks in March after an announcement that Israel had approved plans for new homes in the East Jerusalem settlement of Ramat Shlomo during a visit to Israel by US Vice-President Joe Biden.

The move strained Israeli-US relations.

The Palestinian Authority’s formal position is that it will not enter direct talks unless Israel completely halts building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

In November, Israel announced a 10-month suspension of new building in the West Bank, under heavy US pressure.

But it considers areas within the Jerusalem municipality as its territory and thus not subject to the restrictions.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. It insists Jerusalem will remain its undivided capital, although Palestinians want to establish their capital in the east of the city.

Nearly half a million Jews live in more than 100 settlements in the West Bank, among a Palestinian population of about 2.5 million.

The settlements are illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

Seven suicide bombers have been killed along with a government official in an attack on government buildings in the Afghan city of Zaranj, officials say.

They say the bombers blew themselves up outside the governor’s compound and a gun battle between insurgents and security forces is ongoing.

A Taliban spokesman confirmed to the Reuters news agency that they were responsible for the attack.

Taliban militants are active in much of south-west Afghanistan.

The scene of the attack – in Nimroz province – has traditionally been seen as their stronghold along with nearby Kandahar province.

Multiple fighters

Nimroz Governor Ghulam Dastagir Azad said that there have been seven explosions so far and that “police are engaged with the attackers in five or six locations including the provincial council and provincial court”.

He described the fighting as extremely serious and said at least five policemen had been killed or wounded. Mr Azad said at least one of the gunmen was still holed up in the compound.

The BBC’s Martin Patience in Kabul said that police responded quickly to the attacks, killing a number of the attackers as they tried to enter the compound.

Our correspondent says that these types of attacks using multiple fighters have become increasingly common and are designed both to create chaos and give the impression that the government has no control over the security situation.

The latest incident comes only weeks ahead of a major military offensive in southern Kandahar province.

Nato and the US have deployed thousands of extra troops in Afghanistan, where numbers are due to peak at 150,000 in August under a strategy designed to bring a swift end to the conflict.

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Trouble erupted as a group of protesters tried to storm the Greek parliament

At least three people have been killed in the Greek capital as protesters set fire to a bank during a general strike over planned austerity measures.

The fire brigade said three bodies were found inside the bank in Athens. Two other buildings are also on fire.

Petrol bombs were thrown at police who responded with pepper spray, tear gas and stun grenades.

Protesters are angered by spending cuts and tax rises planned in return for a 110bn euro (£95bn) bail-out for Greece.

Parliament is to vote on the measures by the end of the week.

Measures include wage freezes, pension cuts and tax rises. They aim to achieve fresh budget cuts of 30bn euros over three years, with the goal of cutting Greece’s public deficit to less than 3% of GDP by 2014. It currently stands at 13.6%.

Outside parliament, a group of protesters rushed up a flight of steps, taunting MPs to come out and calling them “thieves”.

Riot police forced them back, but right next to parliament, others groups set buildings on fire – including a tax office.

The Greek protesters’ ire is aimed against symbols of capitalism, says the BBC’s Malcolm Brabant in Athens.

Our correspondent says the deaths will change the equation, increasing pressure Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou who has spoken of “great sacrifices” needed.

The general strike is the third to hit Greece in as many months.

Meanwhile, the German parliament has begun considering the bail-out plan for Greece.

Chancellor Angela Merkel urged MPs to back the emergency loan package agreed by European finance ministers at the weekend.

It requires Germany to pay the largest proportion of the loans.

“Quite simply, Europe’s future is at stake,” she said.

The EU has agreed to provide 80bn euros (£69bn) in funding – of which around 22bn euros would come from Germany – while the rest will come from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

‘Concern’

Flights in and out of Greece stopped at midnight, and trains and ferries were not running. Schools, hospitals, and many offices are shut.

The government has appealed to demoralised staff in the military, police, schools and hospitals not to retire, fearing the surge in demand for benefits could further drain treasury resources.

Foreign governments and investors are watching events in Greece with concern.

Chris Lowe of FTN Financial in New York told the BBC that the US financial community had been shocked by the violent protests.

“The [US] reaction is that [Greek] people will simply refuse to accept the austerity plan,” he said.

“If the Greeks are this upset, then maybe we need to worry about the Portuguese and Spanish and Italians being upset with the cuts they’re going to have to make.”

Union leaders say the cuts target low-income Greeks.

“There are other things the [government] can do, before taking money from a pensioner who earns 500 euros (£430) a month,” Spyros Papaspyros, leader of the public servants’ union ADEDY, told Greek private television.

In Athens, Greeks spoke of their anger at the tough economic measures.

Businessman Dmitris Mentis told the BBC that wealthy Greeks had to pay their “fair share of the burden”.

“The rich class has been evading taxes for decades now,” he said.

Athens-based journalist Christos Michaelides told the BBC: “There is a big fear in the whole of society – a sense of injustice in most of the measures.

“There is a fear that things could get very, very ugly if people don’t feel that what they are doing now, in these austerity measures, is going to be worthwhile.”

On Tuesday, several thousand teachers and students marched to parliament carrying black flags and banners.

The demonstration was largely peaceful but some scuffles broke out near the parliament building.

Reporter overcome by Athens tear gas

The bail-out deal is designed to prevent Greece from defaulting on its massive debt.

However, it must first be approved by some parliaments in the 15 other eurozone countries.

Leaders make final campaign push

Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg are into their final day push for votes, as polls suggest the election result is on a knife edge.

Conservative leader Mr Cameron, who campaigned through the night, said he was fighting “for every vote”.

Labour Prime Minister Mr Brown said he was “determined” and “resolute” and was “fighting for Britain’s future”.

But Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg urged people to use their votes to prevent a return to the two-party “stitch-up”.

In other election developments on Wednesday:

• In Scotland, the SNP, Lib Dems, Labour and Toriesseek to rally supporters and win over voters
• In Wales Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones, Welsh Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams, Welsh Secretary Peter Hain and Tory leader David Cameron areall visiting target seats
• Gordon Brown tells Labour voters thinking of voting tactically it is important his partygets as many votes as possible
• David Cameron sayshe is “going all out” to win, after an all-night campaign
• Nick Clegg says only his party can deliver “real change” and it is“time to make a choice”
• Other parties seeking votes and hoping to make a breakthrough on the last day of campaigning are theGreen Party, UKIP

  and the

  BNP.

Mr Cameron campaigned overnight, talking to shift workers in Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

He told GMTV it was the “most important election in a generation” and he had campaigned through the night because he “didn’t want to waste any hours on the last day and a bit”.

He said: “I don’t want to take anything for granted, it’s a very important election, it’s a close election and I’m fighting for every vote right down to the wire.”

Asked about the Tories’ narrow poll lead, Mr Cameron said: “I never believed this election was going to be easy. Elections are meant to be a challenge. The British people don’t hand you the government of the country on a plate, quite rightly they are making us work for it.”

After a day in which cabinet ministers Ed Balls and Peter Hain urged tactical voting to keep the Tories out – Mr Brown, the prime minister, told a phone-in on BBC Radio 5 live that he wanted all Labour supporters to vote Labour.

‘A fighter’

Some polls have suggested that Labour could come third in terms of overall votes – yet still get enough seats to form a government.

Mr Brown acknowledged that in some areas the Lib Dems and Tories were battling it out for first place, but said: “People will judge us also on the number of votes we have got, as well as the number of seats.”

After dealing with a range of listeners’ questions on topics including immigration, welfare and mental health funding he said: “I’m a fighter, I don’t give up. I’m fighting for Britain’s future in my view, I’m fighting because I believe in what I’m doing.”

In a speech in Bradford, he said he was “determined” and “resolute” and told supporters: “This is not a Conservative moment.”

‘Unwinnable’ seats

Meanwhile Nick Clegg, who is hoping his party can make the breakthrough from their traditional third place, addressed a rally in Eastbourne, before heading north to Durham then Sheffield.

He has been visiting seats he would have considered unwinnable a month ago – in Durham two seats were won with large Labour majorities in 2005 – and he is urging disaffected Labour supporters to come over to him.

Mr Clegg said in a speech: “It’s now time to make a choice, a choice between the politics of the past, the old politics and something new and different for the future.”

“If David Cameron or Gordon Brown get into Number 10, nothing, nothing will really change at all… We cannot let that happen.”

He added: “We will deliver the real change, the real fairness that people want.”

A YouGov daily tracker poll for the Sun, conducted on 3 and 4 May, puts the Conservatives unchanged on 35%, Labour up two points at 30% and the Lib Dems down four at 24%.

A Comres poll for ITV News and the Independent suggests there has been no change since its last survey on Monday. The survey has the Conservatives on 37%, Labour on 29% and the Lib Dems on 26%.

As polls continue to suggest the election will result in a hung parliament, Green leader Caroline Lucas – who hopes to become her party’s first MP – told the BBC there were “pretty exciting days ahead” as the Greens would get “that bit more influence”.

“It’s incredibly important that you’ve got people that will be there day-in, day-out, saying the environment is a crucial issue, doing good action on it, but also showing that it benefits people,” she said.

Plaid Cymru’s leader Ieuan Wyn Jones, campaigning in Llanelli, said whoever won power, Wales was facing cuts: “By voting Plaid we can defend Wales better against those cuts and the greater the vote for Plaid, the better the deal we can get for the people of Wales.”

And SNP leader Alex Salmond said only his party could protect Scotland from the “worst impact of a Tory or Tory-led government”: “Labour are finished, while the Tories are arrogantly saying they can rule with no Scots MPs and the Lib Dems are ready to do a deal with David Cameron.”

A Pakistani national has been convicted over his role in the deadly 2008 Mumbai (Bombay) attacks by an Indian court.

Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, 22, the sole surviving gunman, was found guilty on charges including murder, waging war on India and possessing explosives.

The attacks left 174 people – including nine gunmen – dead, and soured ties between India and Pakistan.

India’s home minister said the verdict was a message to Pakistan that it should not “export terrorism to India”.

The courtroom was bristling with journalists. More than 100 reporters were present in the high-security facility, craning their necks to see how Qasab was reacting. When the first indication came that Qasab was going to be found guilty, there was a gasp. There was an even bigger reaction when the judge acquitted the two Indians also charged alongside Qasab. As he continued reading, people became restless and the judge had to exhort the room to keep calm. More comes tomorrow when the judge hears arguments about sentencing.

India blames Pakistan-based militants Lashkar-e-Taiba for the attacks.

After initial denials, Pakistan acknowledged that the attacks had been partially planned on its territory and that Qasab was one of its citizens.

Two Indian men – Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed – who were accused of helping the gunmen plan the attacks, were acquitted by the presiding judge at the court in Mumbai.

The judge will begin hearing arguments about sentencing on Tuesday. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty for Qasab.

Qasab’s 271-day trial was conducted amid tight security in a purpose-built court on the jail premises in Mumbai where he was being held.

Closed-circuit TV evidence showed Kasab and an accomplice opening fire on passengers at one of Mumbai’s busiest train stations, an assault that left dozens of people dead.

Over the past 14 months, the trial witnessed a number of twists and turns.

Qasab originally denied the charges against him but last July, in a dramatic outburst in court, he admitted his role and asked to be hanged. He later retracted this plea, saying he had been tortured by police into making it, and the trial continued.

In November, the main lawyer representing Qasab – who was arrested on the first day of the attacks – was removed from the case after the judge said he was delaying proceedings.

Late last year, Pakistan charged seven people in connection with the attacks, including the suspected mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who is alleged to head Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders has named the leaders of China, Russia and Rwanda as some of the world’s worst “predators of freedom”.

The report, marking World Press Freedom Day, lists what the Paris-based group regards as the 40 worst offenders against the freedom of the press.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-il and the head of Burma’s military government Than Shwe, are also on the list.

Mexico is named as among the most dangerous countries for journalists.

Sixty-two journalists have been killed in Mexico over the last decade.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has “promoted a climate of pumped-up national pride that encourages the persecution of dissidents and freethinkers”, the report contends.

The Basque separate group Eta in Spain and criminal gangs in Italy are also said to have threatened journalists.

Israeli Defence Forces have physically injured at least 33 Palestinian journalists, the report says. Palestinian militant group Hamas is also criticised.

The report accuses Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, of condoning attacks on journalists.

To mark World Press Freedom Day, however, President Rajapaksa ordered the release of a journalist who was sentenced to 20 years in prison on terrorism charges.

Tamil journalist JS Tissainayagam had been convicted on the basis of articles he wrote which the government said incited racial hatred.

Political tension is rising in Rwanda ahead of elections due in August and investigative journalist Robert Mukomboz was thrown out of the country for criticising President Paul Kagame.

“The president’s office would try to dictate what I’m supposed to write, would even want to dictate the headlines, and would go to the extent of trying to draft the story for me and include my by-line,” he told the BBC’s World Today programme.

Reporters Without Borders has removed several Iraqi Islamist groups from the list, arguing that, while violence remains high, journalists are no longer being singled out.

Iran’s nuclear ambitions are putting the world at risk, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned.

She told delegates at a nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) conference that Iran had violated its obligations and should be held to account.

Earlier, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran accused states with nuclear weapons of threatening those who wanted to develop peaceful nuclear technology.

His comments prompted delegates from the US, the UK, France to walk out.

The US Department of Defense later disclosed that it had a total of 5,113 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, a closely-guarded secret for decades.

Mrs Clinton said the move was to improve transparency in the nuclear disarmament regime and encourage other nations to comply with it.

“So for those who doubt that the United States will do its part on disarmament, this is our record, these are our commitments and they send a clear unmistakable signal,” she told the NPT conference.

‘Fire against humanity’

Throughout her speech on Monday, Mrs Clinton regularly rounded on Iran, accusing President Ahmadinejad of offering the same “tired, false and sometimes wild accusations” against the US and others.

“Iran will do whatever it can to divert attention away from its own record in an attempt to evade accountability,” she said.

“Iran is the only country represented in this hall that has been found by the [International Atomic Energy Agency] board of governors to be currently in non-compliance with its nuclear safeguard obligations.”

“It has defied the UN Security Council and the IAEA and placed the future of the non-proliferation regime in jeopardy, and that is why it is facing increasing isolation and pressure from the international community,” she added.

The US is currently negotiating with other Security Council members to impose a fourth round of UN economic sanctions against Iran over its uranium enrichment programme.

Tehran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) comprises a grand bargain, BBC Diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticised nuclear powers for failing to disarm

The five major nuclear powers – the US, the former Soviet Union, China, the UK and France – agreed to eventually disarm. Other signatories agreed never to develop nuclear weapons in return for receiving full access to civilian nuclear technology.

But, our correspondent says, the bargain is looking increasingly threadbare, with critics arguing that the original nuclear weapons states have not taken their disarmament responsibilities seriously.

In his speech, Mr Ahmadinejad criticised nuclear powers for failing to disarm, saying their “production, stockpiling and qualitative improvement of nuclear armaments… now serves as a justification for the others to develop their own”.

“The nuclear bomb is a fire against humanity, rather than a weapon of defence. The possession of nuclear bombs is not a source of pride. Its possession is disgusting and shameful,” he said.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal warned the spill threatened their way of life

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has warned that the sprawling Gulf of Mexico oil slick threatens the very way of life of people in his state.

As President Barack Obama prepared to fly in to see the devastation for himself, experts said the slick had tripled in size in just days.

Attorneys general from five affected US states will meet to discuss legal options, as pressure mounts on BP.

Choppy seas and strong winds have been hampering the clean-up operation.

The BP-operated Deepwater Horizon rig sank on 22 April, two days after a huge explosion that killed 11 workers.

Later on Sunday, Louisiana’s Republican governor will meet Mr Obama to discuss the disaster, for which the president has warned BP will be held ultimately responsible.

Mr Jindal told a news conference on Saturday: “This oil spill threatens not only our wetlands and our fisheries, but also our way of life.”

Keeping up pressure on the British energy giant, Mr Jindal said he had still not received detailed plans from the firm on how it would stop the spill.

As sheen from the slick began washing up on the shore, the governor said “BP will need to fund these plans” to protect coastal communities.

The energy giant’s chief executive, Tony Hayward, is also expected in Louisiana on Sunday. The company has said it will honour legitimate claims for damages.

‘Puerto Rico-sized slick’

The US Coast Guard initially estimated about 200,000 gallons of oil a day were gushing from the well, but conceded on Saturday it was nearly impossible to be sure how much is leaking.

Satellite images analysed by the University of Miami suggest the slick has ballooned to an area the size of Puerto Rico.

Hans Graber, a professor of applied marine physics based at the university, estimates the slick has expanded three-fold in just days to some 3,850 sq miles (9,900 sq km).

“The spill is… expanding much quicker than they estimated,” he told AP news agency.

‘Largest mop-up ever’

There have been warnings that within weeks the spill could eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster as the worst in US history.

Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida have all declared a state of emergency.

Attorneys general from those four states and Texas are meeting in Alabama on Sunday to discuss their legal options and how to respond to the disaster.

The BBC’s Andy Gallacher, in Louisiana, says the slick is threatening some of America’s most important eco-systems.

The Louisiana wetlands host a multi-billion-dollar fishing industry and is a prime spawning area for fish, shrimp, crabs and oyster beds.

Forecasters said there would be no let up on Sunday of the strong winds that have been pushing the oil towards the Louisiana shore.

Andrew Gowers, from BP, said the oil firm had launched the “largest maritime mop-up operation ever mounted, by far”.

He told the BBC they had a flotilla of 76 boats trying to contain the spill, as well as a million feet of booms and five planes spraying oil dispersants.

As rescue centres took in seabirds coated in oil, environmental groups warned the impact would be felt for a long time.

One Louisiana resident told the BBC the disaster was more serious than Katrina, the hurricane which devastated the region in 2005.

“This is worse than Katrina, much worse,” he said. “Because it’ll take years and years to fix this.”

BP has sent six submarines to try to activate a blowout preventer that could turn off the oil supply, so far without success.

The firm is also drilling a relief well that would divert the flow of oil, although this could take three months.

South Korea’s defence minister has said those responsible for the deaths of 46 sailors on board a warship that sank after an explosion must “pay a price”.Kim Tae-young promised “punitive action” against “the perpetrators who killed our soldiers.”

He did not specify what form this could take. South Korea has not directly blamed North Korea – and Pyongyang has denied any role.

The Cheonan sank after a “close-range” blast that split it in two.

Last month, a mass funeral was held for the 46 sailors, including six whose bodies have not been recovered.

Aluminium fragments

Many South Koreans believe North Korea sank the ship, correspondents say.

The ship has been salvaged from the sea bed and is being examined by an international team of naval experts trying to find out what caused it to sink close to the North Korean border on 26 March.

The South Korean defence minister has said a torpedo strike is among the most likely causes.

So far the investigation team has said only that they have found evidence of an underwater explosion and it is not known whether fragments of any weapon have been discovered.

Mr Kim said officials were scrutinising pieces of aluminium, a key material in making a torpedo, that were picked up from the disaster area.

“I believe that, by thoroughly and completely getting to the bottom of the incident to the maximum extent possible, we should deal some kind of blow against those forces which made our officers and men sacrifice their lives for their country,” the defence minister said on KBS television.

North and South Korea are still technically at war, since the 1950-53 conflict ended without a peace treaty.

Over the years there have been several naval clashes off the west coast of the peninsula, in the area where the Cheonan went down.

Riot police clash with May Day protesters in the centre of Athens

Greece says it has agreed a deal with the European Union and IMF to rescue the nation’s embattled economy.

Prime Minister George Papandreou said Greece would have to make “great sacrifices” to avoid bankruptcy.

The value of the rescue deal will be announced later. Details of the austerity cuts agreed in return for loans have been revealed.

There are fears that the Greek debt crisis could spread to other countries using the European single currency.

On Saturday, police again clashed with demonstrators in Athens who were protesting against government measures.

‘Evident’ anger

European finance ministers will gather in Brussels later on Sunday and are expected to approve the bail-out, which is which is designed to prevent Greece from defaulting on its enormous debt.

The rescue package is expected to amount to as much as 120bn euros (£100bn; 0bn) over three years.

In return the Greek government will unveil a fresh round of sweeping efficiencies, expected to include further tax rises and deeper cuts in pensions and public service pay.

Mr Papandreou told a televised cabinet meeting that active and retired public sector workers would bear the brunt of the new wave of budget cuts.

“With our decision today our citizens will have to make great sacrifices,” he said, describing public anger at the new wave of cutbacks as “evident”.

“Our national red line is to avoid bankruptcy,” Mr Papandreou said, adding that “no-one could have imagined” the size of the debt that the previous government, which left office last year, had left behind.

‘No easy path’

The austerity cuts aim to achieve fresh budget cuts of 30bn euros over three years – with the goal of cutting Greece’s public deficit to less than 3% of GDP by 2014. It currently stands at 13.6%.

Measures include:

• Scrapping bonus payments for public sector workers
• Capping annual holiday bonuses and axing them for higher earners
• Banning increases in public sector salaries and pensions for at least three years
• Increasing VAT from 21% to 23%
• Raising taxes on fuel, alcohol and tobacco taxes by 10%
• Taxing illegal construction

Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said Greece had been called on to make a “basic choice between collapse or salvation”.

New emergency legislation authorising the cuts and tax rises is now being drafted and is due to be put before parliament for approval by the end of the week.

As Socialists they have been forced to swallow their political rhetoric and go back on election promises made only six months ago, that they would bring new prosperity to Greece. The Prime Minister warned that civil servants past and present would continue to bear the brunt of the austerity measures.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Greece had committed to “a difficult but necessary reform process” and that the measures promised were “solid and credible”.

This rescue would “be decisive to help Greece bring its economy back on track and preserve the stability of the Euro area”, he added.

Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou will head to Brussels later for an special gathering of the 15 other eurozone finance ministers.

The eurozone countries are speeding up rescue efforts for Greece amid fears its debt crisis could pull down other members – with particular concerns having been raised about Portugal, Spain and Ireland.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the cuts imposed on Greece in return for the rescue would spur other troubled eurozone to do all they could to avoid the same fate.

“These countries can see that the path taken by Greece with the IMF is not an easy one. As a result they will do all they can to avoid this themselves,” Mrs Merkel told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

During Saturday’s clashes in Athens a state TV truck was petrol-bombed and a prominent hotel was vandalised. Protesters fought running battles with police in riot gear.

Thousands of Greeks took part in May Day rallies called by trade unions and left-wing parties.

The BBC’s Malcolm Brabant in Athens says the latest study of Greek attitudes shows most people are angry and dismayed about the bail-out, because they do not feel responsible for causing the crisis.

The economy is still deep in recession and on Sunday the government forecast that GDP would fall by 4% in 2010.

The country’s national debt – currently at about 115% of GDP – would rise to 149% by 2013 before falling, it added.