Greek PM asks for support to avoid "catastrophic" default

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Sunday appealed to parliament to support a new cabinet appointed to push through painful economic reforms, saying a debt default would be catastrophic.

Papandreou asked parliament to pass a vote of confidence in a reshuffled cabinet he appointed on Friday to push through a five-year package of new tax hikes and spending cuts agreed with international lenders. (Reuters)