Greek government-debt crisis

A plan by the government to pay non-professionals, including students and tourists, an hourly fee to work as undercover tax agents in order to boost a crackdown on evasion prompted reactions from the political opposition and from Greek tax inspectors over the weekend.

A government cabinet  meeting is taking place at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Matters to be discussed include various policy statements by Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) deputies in their new posts. They will outline issues to be covered in Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ speech at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

? pro-government rally is being organized on social media to take place at Syntagma Square on February 11, on the same date as the Eurogroup meeting.

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Greece has 10 days to decide on its future following two bombs that fell on its economy last week:

* Late on Wednesday: No sooner did the markets show signs of confidence that the European Central Bank yanked Greek collateral for Greek banks.

Commenting on the debt swap proposals by Greek Finance Minister Varoufakis, ALDE Group leader Guy Verhofstadt said

"We first want to see serious and concrete structural reform plans from the Greek government before the EU can possibly enter into any negotiations on debt relief."

Images of Greece's new Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis rocking through Downing Street, open-necked shirt not tucked in or grinning impishly at a press conference with stale Dutch Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem have made international headlines. Clearly, Varoufakis style is seen as brash, bold and full of bravado.

Greece submitted to Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem Friday an outline of seven reform proposals to form the basis for discussion at Monday?s meeting of eurozone finance ministers, but the signs from Brussels are that Athens is no closer to securing the release of its next tranche of bailout funding.

Greece?s eurozone partners on Friday increased the pressure on the new government to request an extension to the country?s bailout before an emergency summit of eurozone finance ministers on Wednesday, with officials rejecting Greek proposals for a ?bridge? agreement to be put in place until the end of May so that a new arrangement can be found.

Despite pressure from eurozone officials to agree to a further extension to the existing bailout, the Greek government insisted Friday that it would not accept its partners? offer but would instead propose the terms of a bridging agreement to see it through the next few months.