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Clashes erupt as Greek bailout deal nears

GREEK police have clashed with protesters as the troubled nation came under intense pressure to force through extra cuts in return for a giant bailout deal said to be just days away.

But after recent heavy falls, the markets in Europe and the United States rallied at the news that the deal was close to being finalised.

Police fired tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators trying to approach the finance ministry in Athens in protest at austerity cuts aimed at cutting Greece's budget deficit.

"Around 500 people were demonstrating and some of them tried to break through a police cordon guarding the ministry,'' a police source said.

Greece is bracing for a wave of strikes and work stoppages in the coming days, including a general strike on May 5, as talks on a bailout from Europe and the International Monetary Fund come to a head.

Prime Minister George Papandreou meanwhile warned Greece was in "a battle for survival'' and would complete talks on getting tens of billions of euros from the EU and IMF "in coming days''.

"We will do whatever it takes to save the country,'' he said.

The bailout is deeply unpopular in Greece because of the harsh conditions that many believe will be imposed on ordinary people.

The government however says it needs the money by May 19 in order to avoid a devastating debt default.
Investors gave Greece some respite on the financial markets after the EU's commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, Olli Rehn, said the marathon talks with Greece were "about to conclude''.

Egypt denies pumping tunnel with toxic gas

Egypt has denied claims it deliberately pumped poisonous gas into a cross-border tunnel into the Gaza Strip, killing four Palestinians.

Hamas leaders in Gaza have accused Egyptian security forces of pumping toxic gas into a tunnel, killing four men and injuring several others.

Doctors in Gaza say all four died from suffocation and there was evidence of a poisonous gas.

Hamas is demanding a full investigation and action against those responsible.

Egypt has rejected the accusation as entirely false, although it admits its security forces did destroy four tunnels after the men's deaths.

Egypt has recently intensified efforts to block the tunnels to stop smuggling, even building an underground wall to cut them off.

Clean-up crew don’t give a rat’s about Banksy

One of Melbourne City Council's clean-up crews has done the unthinkable and painted over street art by internationally renowned artist Banksy.

The stencil, about the size of an A4 sheet of paper, was of a parachuting rat wearing aviator goggles.

It was above a doorway at the back of the old Russell Street Theatre in Hosier Lane, which runs off Flinders Street opposite Federation Square.

The council's chief executive, Dr Kathy Alexander, has defended the clean-up of the laneway, saying it was requested by residents.

"Apparently what happened was that the residents requested that the laneway be inspected and cleaned because it was in pretty awful condition in terms of tagging, and also a whole lot of other people had dumped rubbish [there]," she said.

"So the graffiti contractors were called. They went down and they were given permission to clean all non-approved sites.

"Unfortunately the Banksy was on a non-approved site ... you know, he doesn't necessarily sign his works. But we believed it to be a Banksy and we had made special concession for it to be there in the past for obvious reasons.

"Unfortunately the contractors were not made aware by us that that was an important piece and unfortunately that means the piece is gone."

Art enthusiasts are up in arms. One expert said it was like painting over the Mona Lisa.

"It is disappointing that it's happened," Dr Alexander said.

"It is the nature of graffiti art. It's very vulnerable to other people's work."

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Yes it is true my listeners licence has been taken off me for NOW. I am hoping that it is all one big joke. I will keep all of you up dated. I still have skype voice and i can play games on steam. I have the IHN top scientists working on getting me back up.

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