FACTBOX - Financial crisis sparks unrest in Europe

(Reuters) - Thousands of Opel workers from around Germany took part in a mass rally on Thursday demanding parent General Motors scrap plans for plant closures in Europe.

In Sweden unions and the Social Democrat party planned a protest "For Jobs" later on Thursday at a Saab plant in Trollhattan.

The global financial and economic crisis has sparked many protests in parts of Europe. Here are some details:

* BOSNIA -- Bosnia's Muslim-Croat parliament cancelled a session on Thursday rather than confront protesters complaining about its plans to pass a law cutting benefits to narrow a big budget gap.

-- It was the latest in a series of protests by workers and disabled people, angry at unemployment and tough measures to keep a lid on government debt that has ballooned with the crisis.

* GERMANY -- Some 15,000 Opel workers from around Germany took part in a mass rally on Thursday at the German headquarters of their struggling company, demanding parent General Motors scrap plans for plant closures in Europe. Vice Chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the rally, added, "This is about more than just Opel. It's about the future of the car industry in Germany."

* LATVIA -- A new Latvian prime minister was appointed on Thursday after the four-party ruling coalition collapsed on February 20 and the president called for talks to forge a new government to tackle a deepening economic crisis. The government was the second to succumb to the financial crisis.

-- Latvia's agriculture minister had already gone on February 3 amid protests by farmers over falling incomes. A 10,000-strong protest on January 13 descended into a riot. Government steps to cut wages, as part of an austerity plan to win international aid, have angered people.

* BRITAIN -- British workers have held a series of protests at power plants, demonstrating against the employment of foreign contractors to work on critical energy sites. The protests follow a week-long dispute at the Total-owned Lindsey oil refinery in Lincolnshire. The protest ended on February 5 after Total agreed to hire more British workers on the project.