GREECE fragile government pushed a tough budget of spending cuts and tax increases for 2013 through Parliament, moving a step closer to unlocking crucial rescue financing from the country's foreign creditors. The budget passed comfortably in a 167-to-128 roll-call vote after three days of vehement debate.

The budget, which calls for 9.4 billion euros, or $12 billion, in cuts to salaries, pensions and social benefits, raising the retirement age to 67 from 65 and higher taxes which would amount to 17-billion-euro austerity and change package for the next four years. The new cuts would be the last and appealed to Greece's lenders, the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund, to support the debt-ravaged country and called for the annulment of all austerity measures and the write off of Greece's debt.