Antonis Samaras

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Tuesday insisted that no new austerity measures will be required as part of a deal reached earlier in the day between the Greek government and troika inspectors following seven months of tough negotiations.

"Today a long period of tribulations has ended, and a new beginning is being made," Samaras said.

By Antonis Galanopoulos, Marcus Bensasson & Nikos Chrysoloras

Greece will probably sell bonds for the first time in four years before May as the nation seeks to rebuild its finances following an international bailout, Infrastructure Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said.

With European and local authority elections looming, the political exchanges between co-ruling New Democracy and the main leftist opposition SYRIZA have intensified even as a new party casting itself as anti-establishment appears to be drawing support from both parties, according to opinion polls.

Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras has refused to commit on the question of whether Greece and the troika will conclude their talks on Monday after lengthy discussions over the weekend.

“I don’t know [if talks will conclude today],” said Stournaras after he left talks with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras at lunchtime on Monday.

The Finance Ministry’s General Secretariat for Information Systems (GSIS) is to set up an electronic system to monitor telephone calls made from government offices and the broader public sector after recent research suggested that the state’s phone bill costs Greek taxpayers some 285 million euros a year.

 Deal securing cheaper Russian natural gas for industries and households applies from July 2013 for 10 years

By Chryssa Liaggou

The Environment and Energy Ministry announced on Tuesday that Greece has secured a 15 percent discount on natural gas from Russian energy giant Gazprom for 10 years, adding that the measure will be retroactively applied from July 2013.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras was traveling to Strasbourg on Tuesday for the launch of the European Union’s High Level Group on Own Resources.

The Greek port of Piraeus could become one of Europe’s top five container-shipping hubs as the government spurs logistics activities in a bid to kick-start economic growth, said Development Minister Kostis Hatzidakis.

The government is to lift restrictions on MPs standing as candidates in the European Parliament elections though MPs of co-ruling New Democracy will have to quit their seats before running as MEPs, Interior Minister Yiannis Michelakis said on Monday.