Costas Karamanlis, Greek prime minister, on Wednesday announced measures to compensate more than 500 businesses damaged in five days of rioting in the country after the killing of a 15-year-old student by a police officer.

Mr Karamanlis, who is struggling to regain control of a volatile political situation, said small businesses would receive immediate cash payments to cover repairs and Christmas bonuses for staff, as well as several months of debt relief.