Global Financial Crisis Fells Iceland Government; Protests in Reykjavik, Other Capitals Growing as Savings, Jobs Vanish - washingtonpost.com

Prime Minister Geir Haarde said he and his cabinet would resign immediately. As personal savings have been wiped out and joblessness has soared, Icelanders -- once among the world's wealthiest people -- have taken to the streets in protest, banging pots and pans and throwing eggs and toilet paper at Haarde and other parliamentary leaders.

Protests have mounted throughout Europe, where the political backlash to the crisis is growing. In Ireland, Britain, Spain and other countries where bankruptcies and home foreclosures are rising, polls show that approval ratings of leaders are sinking. In Eastern Europe and Greece, where there is less of a government safety net, protesters have spilled onto the streets by the thousands. Last month's collapse of the Belgian government, which had been wrestling with long-standing conflicts, was also hastened by the banking crisis, analysts said.

Global Financial Crisis Fells Iceland Government; Protests in Reykjavik, Other Capitals Growing as Savings, Jobs Vanish - washingtonpost.com