BBC
Tens of thousands of protesters from around Europe have been marching across Brussels in a protest against spending cuts by some EU governments.
Other protests against austerity measures are being held in Greece, Italy, the Irish Republic and Latvia.
A general strike is also taking place in Spain, hitting transport and other public services.
Trade unions say EU workers may become the biggest victims of a financial crisis set off by bankers and traders.
Many governments across the 27-member bloc have imposed punishing cuts in wages, pensions and employment to deal with spiralling debts.
In Greece and the Irish Republic, unemployment figures are at their highest level in 10 years, while Spain's unemployment has doubled in just three years.
In Britain the government is planning to slash spending by up to 25% in some areas, while France has seen angry protests against a planned increase in the minimum retirement age.
The European Trade Union Confederation (Etuc) said it hoped that about 100,000 people would march on EU institution buildings in the Belgian capital.
As the march got under way amid a sea of banners, police sealed off the EU headquarters and barricaded banks and shops.
CNN
Explainer: Why Europe is protesting
London, England (CNN) -- Simmering anger over government budget cuts will spill into the streets of 14 European countries Wednesday as tens of thousands workers fight state efforts to slash public debt.
More than 100,000 people are expected to chant "No to Austerity" in the streets of Brussels, with smaller protests planned across Europe by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), which represents 50 unions in 30 countries.
The protests coincide with a general strike in Spain, but a poll published in Spanish daily Publico on Friday indicates that turnout could be low. The survey suggested that many people thought the government would push through spending cuts whether they protested or not.
Strikes have proliferated in Europe over the past few months as unions resist austerity budgets that governments say are necessary to restore the faith of financial markets in European sovereign debt. So how did it come to this?
What are the differences in style between the two articles?
The BBC article is more direct and adjusted to the facts. The CNN one is more rich in expressions, but also in subjective opinions about the facts.
Which article did you find easier to read? Why?
The American one is easier, it is made to seduce the reader, but the British is crystal clear, and more next to the facts and figures.
What sort of person do you think reads the printed edition of each newspaper?
Both are television news, readable in the web. The CNN reader often is a conservative and republican Yankee. The BBC reader usually is a European working class citizen. But nowadays it is possible to find Americans reading the BBC website, and labour followers watching the CNN news.