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WORLD NEWS Saturday 22 april 2017

Greece beats a Buoyant French economy ahead of vote a boon to EU
key target, faces
hard decisions from the weak euro, which
has also lifted exports to
D. GATOPOULOS six-year highs. The rise in
Associated Press employment that has ac-
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — companied the economic
Greece has beaten a key expansion is also shoring up
bailout target for its public the recovery by encourag-
finances, but will still face ing consumers to spend.
some painful choices as On a country basis, the firm
it tries to negotiate with found that France, the eu-
creditors how much more rozone’s second-largest
budget austerity it should economy, is doing particu-
impose on its people in larly well with its PMI at 57.4.
coming years. France is even outperform-
Greece’s independent sta- ing Germany’s, the region’s
tistics agency said Friday biggest though both econ-
that the country has post- omies are growing at rates
ed a high primary budget not seen in six years, the
surplus — that is, excluding firm said.
debt servicing costs — of “France’s elections pose
3.9 percent of gross do- the highest near-term risk to
mestic product in 2016. the outlook, but in the lead-
The surplus figure could Mohamed Zhani, stands outside his cafe restaurant “La Place” in Beaucaire, southern France, on up to the vote the business
provide some relief for the Tuesday April 4, 2017. A buoyant French economy ahead of the presidential election has helped mood has clearly been
buoyant,” Williamson said.
country’s left wing govern- push economic growth across the 19-country eurozone to a six-year high during April, a survey On Sunday, French voters
ment as it struggles to over- showed Friday. go to the polls to see who
come a disagreement with (AP Photo/Claude Paris) will contest the second
bailout lenders on unfreez- PAN PYLAS index — a broad gauge of lead to upward revisions round of the presidential
ing its rescue loans. The Associated Press business activity — rose to to economists’ 2017 fore- election on May 7. Opinion
country would need new LONDON (AP) — A buoyant 56.7 points in April from 56.4 casts,” said Chris William- polls show a tight race, with
loans by July, when it faces French economy ahead the previous month. That’s son, the firm’s chief business centrist Emmanuel Macron
a spike in its debt repay- of the presidential election the highest level since April economist. Most forecast- and far-right leader Marine
ments.The primary surplus has helped push economic 2011. Anything above 50 in- ers have penciled in euro- Le Pen widely expected to
target set by lenders had growth across the 19-coun- dicates expansion, with the zone growth of between emerge as the front two.
been 0.5 percent of GDP. try eurozone to a six-year latest reading pointing to 1.5 percent to 2 percent However, Thursday’s dead-
Finance Minister Euclid high during April, a survey quarterly economic growth for this year — IHS Markit’s ly shooting of a policeman
Tsakalotos is in Washing- showed Friday. of 0.7 percent, which would April survey, if sustained in central Paris may influ-
ton attending an annual In a further signal that the be above the region’s through the year, would ence voting intentions.
meeting of the Internation- region’s economy has long-run average and at point to something more Even
al Monetary Fund, and will excluding heavy-
hold at meetings with bail- gathered pace at the rates that would likely see like 3 percent. He said the weights France and Ger-
out lenders to try and end start of the second quar- further falls in the region’s “robust” growth is being many, IHS Markit found the
the impasse and reach ter, financial information unemployment levels. seen in both manufactur- eurozone’s pace of expan-
an agreement in the next company IHS Markit said “Such strong growth, if ing and services, with the sion accelerating to a near But the shift to cleaner
month. its purchasing managers’ sustained, will inevitably former “clearly benefiting” ten-year high.q forms of energy presents
Greek primary surplus fig- challenges for manag-
ures — a measure of how UK aims for first coal-less day since Industrial Revolution ing the electricity net-
much the country is spend-
ing within its means — are work as power producers
closely watched by lend- DANICA KIRKA tives such as wind. The pre- Global Energy Research year, down from 23 per- move away from large,
ers who want Athens to Associated Press vious record for coal-free Network. During the coal- cent in 2015. Natural gas centralized power plants
tighten fiscal controls after LONDON (AP) — Britain ex- power was 19 hours, ac- less periods, the plants are accounted for 42 percent to smaller local projects,
the current bailout pro- pects Friday to be the first cording to National Grid, not shut down altogether, of generation, followed by and changing technology
gram ends next year. full day since the Industrial which operates the coun- but do not supply electric- renewable sources, with allows consumers to be-
“The primary surplus figure Revolution when it hasn’t try’s transmission system ity to the grid. 24 percent, and nuclear at come producers.
is indeed impressive since depended on coal for and expects to achieve Britain plans to phase out 21 percent. If Britain goes Britain will also need to
it is well above the target electricity. 24 hours on Friday. “It’s a coal altogether by 2025 as coal-less Friday, it will be the make further changes if
of 2016,” said Argyris Pa- The U.K. has steadily tried milestone in a transition to it seeks to reduce carbon first time since the world’s the country is to achieve its
pastathis, a financial com- to reduce its reliance on fuels that will be more flex- emissions, which cause first centralized public coal- next goal — reducing car-
mentator at Greece’s top the most-polluting of fossil ible and sustainable,” said global warming. Coal was fired generator opened at bon emissions by 80 per-
selling weekly Protothema fuels by increasing the use David Elmes, head of the used to generate just 9 per- London’s Holborn Viaduct cent by 2050. While natural
newspaper.q of natural gas and alterna- Warwick Business School’s cent of Britain’s power last in 1882.q gas is cleaner than coal,