INTERNATIONAL

Belgium Paralyzed by Strike: Workers protesting a government austerity plan stilled factories, trains, shipping and road traffic in Belgium’s first nationwide general strike since World War II. Picket lines blocked the entrances to the country’s chemical, steel and textile plants. Mail was not delivered and most schools were closed. Strikers blocked roads to the national airport, and business at Antwerp’s port came to a standstill. The government said it would reopen talks with unions and businesses on its plan to freeze wages and boost taxes. The employers federation said three days of protests this week will cost the nation about $335 million.