Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou reshuffled his government yesterday to speed up the economic revival of recession-mired Greece, which had been on the brink of bankruptcy, the government spokesman said.
The expanded government, announced nearly a year after Papandreou’s Pasok socialist party came to power, however, retains Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou in the key post, spokesman Georges Petalotis said.
The new government has 48 members against 36 previously. Seventeen of them are ministers.
Papaconstantinou said last week that the Greek economy, mired in a deep recession and struggling to right its strained public finances, may do better than expected this year.
Papaconstantinou told France’s La Croix newspaper that first half figures “allowed some hope that we will do better” than the 4 percent contraction forecast by the EU and IMF.
Government spokesman Petalosis said Greek Minister of State Haris Pampoukis, the prime minister’s right hand man, would be “in charge of investments,” while Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysohoidis swapped his portfolio for the economy and competitiveness ministry.
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
‘HEART IS ACHING’: Lee appeared to baffle many when he said he had never heard of six South Koreans being held in North Korea, drawing criticism from the families South Korean President Lee Jae-myung yesterday said he was weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December last year. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with Pyongyang. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top
The Philippines deferred the awarding of a project that is part of a plan to build one of the world’s longest marine bridges after local opposition over the potential involvement of a Chinese company due to national security fears. The proposals are “undergoing thorough review” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which acts as a lender and an overseer of the project to ensure it meets international environmental and governance standards, the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways said in a statement on Monday in response to queries from Bloomberg. The agency said it would announce the winning bidder once ADB
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