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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 3 May 2017

Greece agrees to new bailout terms _ and more austerity

DEREK GATOPOULOS to approve the new cuts
Associated Press in parliament by mid-May,
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — in time for finance minis-
Greece struck a deal with ters from the 19 countries
rescue creditors Tuesday that use the euro currency
toward getting the bail- to unfreeze the money at
out cash it needs to avoid a meeting on May 22. At
another brush with bank- that meeting, discussions
ruptcy this summer, though over how to ease Greece’s
it leaves long-suffering debt repayments will com-
Greeks facing years more mence — a key milestone
austerity. Following months for Tsipras.
of tough negotiations, the Two years ago when the
Greek government agreed country was on the cusp
to make another round of of a euro exit — so-called
pension cuts in 2019 and Grexit — Tsipras signed
commit to new tax increas- off on the country’s third
es after the current bailout international bailout. In
program ends next year. return for up to 86 billion
In return, creditors will re- euros over three years, his
sume loan payouts, and government, which was
start talks on how to ease elected on an anti-bailout
the country’s debt burden, mandate, agreed to fur- A pedestrian passes a queue with people waiting for the distribution of food by a non-governmen-
which stands at nearly 180 ther austerity and reforms. tal organization in front of the headquarters of the National Bank of Greece in Athens, Tuesday,
percent of the country’s The money is only released May 2, 2017. Greece and its creditors have reached a deal that will restart bailout loan payments
and keep the country from facing default and reigniting a eurozone crisis this summer, officials
annual GDP. after creditors agree that said Tuesday.
The need for an imminent Greece has met its side of (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
release of bailout funds the bargain.
was becoming increasingly Though increasingly un- party only has a majority of telligence Unit.Officials in other painful step toward
important — Greece is ex- popular in opinion polls, three seats in parliament. Athens conceded that that end,” Hoey said. “We
pected to require some 7 Tsipras can get the latest “Tsipras has been able to a more comprehensive do not know all the details,
billion euros ($7.6 billion) to agreement throughout command remarkable agreement needed for the only that those prior ac-
cope with a summer spike parliament but there’s not discipline in his party up release of funds could take tions will include some very
in debt repayments. much room for manoeuver to now,” said Joan Hoey, longer. “This is not a deal unpopular reforms ... (It)
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ as his governing coalition regional director for Eu- that closes the second seems like another case of
left-wing government is set with a nationalist right-wing rope at the Economist In- (bailout) review, but an- deal doublespeak.”q

Plagiarism or a ‘wink’? Le Pen lifts conservative’s speech

LORI HINNANT damage Le Pen. denounced the effects of and Latin universe. The Alps mense Hispanic and Latin
ANGELA CHARLTON Polls consider her centrist globalization on the French border, with Italy our sister universe. The Alps border,
Associated Press rival Emmanuel Macron economy and culture. and beyond that central with Italy our sister and be-
PARIS (AP) — Far-right can- the front-runner in the vote, Speaking April 15, Fillon de- Europe, the Balkans and yond that central Europe,
didate Marine Le Pen lifted seen as a test of global scribed France as a force eastern Europe. ... France is the Balkans and eastern
verbatim parts of a speech populism and decisive reaching out on multiple something more and much Europe. ... France is some-
by a former rival in what moment for the European fronts: more than an economic, thing more and much more
her critics called plagiarism Union. “The English Channel and agricultural or military pow- than an economic, agricul-
and she said was a deliber- Le Pen borrowed from the North Sea opening onto er.” tural or military power.”
ate “wink” to him to woo a speech delivered last the Anglo-Saxon world and Le Pen, speaking Monday Like three of her aides ear-
his conservative voters in month by Francois Fillon, to the immense northern at a Paris region campaign lier in the day, Le Pen used
France’s presidential runoff the former Republicans spaces. ... The Atlantic, rally, said: the word “wink” to describe
Sunday. party candidate, about which has opened us for “The English Channel and the extracts copied word
The stolen words and casu- France’s important role in centuries onto the great the North Sea opening onto for word from Fillon. At no
al reaction by Le Pen and Europe and the world. sea and brings us adven- the Anglo-Saxon world and point in the speech did she
her team marked the latest The subject is at the heart tures. The Mediterranean, to the immense northern cite Fillon or acknowledge
shocking development in of Le Pen’s campaign. She the cradle of some of histo- spaces. The Mediterra- the source.
a French presidential cam- promises to restore French ry’s oldest and richest civi- nean, the cradle of the old- “I totally own this wink,” she
paign like no other. Perhaps glory, pull France out of lizations. ... The Pyrenees, est and richest civilizations. said in a Tuesday night in-
more surprisingly, there was the EU and return to the first of all, engaging France The Pyrenees, first of all, en- terview with French broad-
little sign it would seriously franc currency. She has with that immense Hispanic gaging France with that im- caster TF1 news.q