Greece gets 555m euro lifeline as reform talks begin in Brussels

Athens

IN A rare piece of good news for Greek leaders, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) confirmed on Tuesday that it has been forced to throw the cash-strapped country a half-billion-euro lifeline.

After a week in which the Eurogroup of finance ministers and the European Central Bank turned the screws on Athens, the 555 million euros (S$815 million) will give its radical new government a brief respite from its creditors.