Panic and anger over Greek bailout delay

Athens

News in pictures
News in pictures
From the blogs

Doping in tennis: Is Andy Murray onto something?

While the revelations about doping in cycling are in many cases not new or particularly surprising, ...

Could ‘Gangnam style’ be a game-changer for the international music scene?

I have tried to ignore it, but Gangnam Style by pop sensation Psy, seems to be playing everywhere. N...

Friendly against the Netherlands is a chance for Joachim Löw to restore faith

It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Joachim Löw is currently enduring his most difficult pe...

Global Entrepreneurship Week: Rebalancing employment through entrepreneurship

Right now, if the economy was a patient, it would still be in intensive care. Showing positive signs...

       

Greece rushed to markets yesterday to raise vital cash to avoid bankruptcy as its international creditors further delayed payment of a €31.3bn (£25bn) loan instalment.

The reason for the delay was in part due to a wrangle between Europe and the International Monetary Fund over ways to address Greece's debt. Athens said it had sold enough treasury bills to repay most of the €5bn of bonds that mature on Friday, but worries mounted over when its overdue loan would be handed out.

"Grey smoke from Brussels" read the headline of leading daily Ta Nea, referring to the ambivalent outcome of Monday's meeting. Although officials from the EU and IMF suspended the aid, they also praised Greece's "resolve to implement and deliver a very ambitious programme" and agreed to extend its economic programme by two years in an effort to alleviate the hardship.

Officials from Syriza, the main opposition party, lambasted Monday's meeting. "The [agreed] extension won't offer a breather but rather will extend austerity and will be accompanied by harsher terms," the party said. "Even if the instalment is paid, no viable solution for [Greece's] growing debt will ever be presented if is not tackled at a European level."

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
iJobs Job Widget

Day In a Page

The mentally ill are still neglected and stigmatised – just as I found they were 10 years ago

The mentally ill are still neglected and stigmatised – just as I found they were 10 years ago

Jeremy Laurance laments a lost decade in mental healthcare
A thin blue line at the voting booths

A thin blue line at the voting booths

The minister is upbeat, but low turnouts could derail the first police commissioner elections
Petraeus scandal: 'I never imagined they were having an affair. I was dumbfounded'

Petraeus scandal

Ghostwriting Paula Broadwell's book on the US General gave Vernon Loeb a ringside seat, but suspicions about their relations didn't cross his mind
Did tech mogul John McAfee kill his neighbour in Belize? (and if not, why is he on the run?)

Did tech mogul John McAfee kill his neighbour in Belize?

And if not, why is he on the run?
Royal Mail: A £4bn sell-off waiting to be delivered

Royal Mail: A £4bn sell-off waiting to be delivered

Better figures bring the biggest privatisation since the railways a step closer
Raymond Blanc's lamb's liver 'risked lives'

Raymond Blanc's lamb's liver 'risked lives'

Chef's brasserie continued to serve dish despite food poisoning, court is told
Morning, noon and night in Vietnam

Morning, noon and night in Vietnam

This south-east Asian destination packs plenty into its slender shape
'A good concierge sees everything but holds his tongue'

'A good concierge sees everything but holds his tongue'

Discreet? Quick thinker? You might have what it takes for one of the most exacting jobs in hotels
The 10 Best British adventure breaks

The 10 Best British adventure breaks

Luckily, you don’t need a sunny beach to have a good time in the United Kingdom
Steven Gerrard: 'Don't call me a hero or legend'

Steven Gerrard: 'Don't call me a hero or legend'

A century of caps, skipper for club and country, universally admired, but he remains his own harshest critic
James Lawton: In an age of such English austerity, don't reach for the champagne too soon

James Lawton

In an age of such English austerity, don't reach for the champagne too soon
Lewis Moody: Beware complacency – hurt Wallabies will fight to regain some lost pride

Lewis Moody: Beware complacency...

... hurt Wallabies will fight to regain some lost pride
Steve Bunce On Boxing: Risk-averse Klitschko boxes like a robot

Steve Bunce On Boxing

Risk-averse Klitschko boxes like a robot
Be nice and you'll be happy

Be nice and you'll be happy

Acts of kindness boost our own well-being, experts believe. Flemmich Webb goes in search of the do-good factor
Tea and sympathy

Tea and sympathy

For those with dementia and their loved ones, a café with a difference is providing a lifeline in a confusing world