Greek lawmakers began another emergency debate yesterday on further economic reforms demanded by international creditors in return for a new bailout — a vote that could threaten the survival of the coalition government and trigger fresh fears over the country’s future in the euro.
The vote later on changes to the judicial and banking sectors is one of the requirements that Greece’s European creditors insisted upon for negotiations on a third bailout worth about 85 billion euros (US$93 billion) to begin.
After losing the support of a large chunk of his own party’s lawmakers during a vote last week on a creditor-demanded austerity measures, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is having to rely on support from pro-European opposition parties to gain parliamentary approval.
Negotiations with creditors are expected to start soon after the vote later. The Greek government’s hope is that they conclude before Aug. 20, when Greece must repay loans worth more than 3 billion euros to the European Central Bank.
The measures demanded by creditors for a bailout have caused much consternation within Tsipras’ SYRIZA party. Many, including former Greek minister of finance Yanis Varoufakis, voted against last week’s austerity measures, which included big increases to sales taxes that came into effect at the start of this week. If more than a handful more dissent later, then Tsipras’ government could be in peril.
The party’s traditional base within the trade union movement is also angry at what it sees as Tsipras’ betrayal of his electoral mandate. A union representing civil servants is planning an anti-government protest outside parliament before the vote that is expected at about midnight.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from