Hit by high costs, Greek farmers stage tractor protest

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Hundreds of protesting farmers have blocked traffic in central Athens to demand that the government grant them additional concessions to cope with high energy costs. Some of the protesters were in tractors and they gathered outside the Agriculture Ministry in Athens on Friday. They were planning to head to parliament in the center of the capital. Farming associations say they were largely left out of a 1.1 billion-euro ($1.21 billion) financial support package announced earlier this week by the center-right government to help struggling businesses and lower-income households.