The Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, has reshuffled his government to boost bailout reforms in the hope of getting the EU to agree to critical debt relief by the end of the year. At over €320bn (£285bn), Greece’s debt pile is regarded as its biggest impediment to economic recovery. Stergios Pitsiorlas, a veteran leftist who helped found the ruling Syriza party, was elevated to the position of deputy economy minister. The septuagenarian leftist ideologue Aristides Baltas, who had been culture minister, was similarly replaced by Lydia Koniordou, Greece’s foremost female classical actor. The government is also aiming to regain access to debt markets by the time its latest bailout expires in 2018.

Source: The Guardian November 06, 2016 17:39 UTC