The Olympic Flame was handed over to London today.

The 300 MPs elected in Greece's inconclusive May 6 ballot were sworn in today, including 21 from the right-wing Golden Dawn party.

What began with solidarity is ending in blackmail threats. Everyone associated with the acceptance of Greece into the eurozone knew that it had fiddled its budgetary figures to appear compliant with the terms of the Maastricht treaty that set up the euro; but this was thought of minor importance compared to the greater mystical truth of pan-European harmony via common banknotes. The non-compliant Italians had earlier been let in to the club for the same reason, so the argument went: why discriminate against our Greek cousins, descendants of the very inventors of democracy?

A Greek retiree has shot himself dead in Athens' main square, blasting politicians over the country's financial crisis in a suicide note that triggered violent clashes hours later between police and anti-austerity protesters.

An elderly man killed himself in Athens's main square yesterday in protest at the debt crisis.

Germany criticises pace of reform as crippled country narrowly avoids calamitous default

Hopes that Greece can avoid a default were on a knife-edge last night as international banks decide whether to sign up to a debt restructuring plan for around €206 billion (£172 billion) of bonds by a Thursday evening deadline.

A pub landlady has won a legal battle to overturn her conviction for using foreign decoders to show Premier League football matches for customers.

When I heard yesterday that another court had ruled against the Occupy London protest outside St Paul's cathedral, I had to think for a moment. After dominating headlines for weeks last autumn, the camp hasn't been in the news much lately and I'd almost forgotten it was still there.

Greece is like an Arab oil state minus oil. It has an overgrown, expensive state machine hard-wired with patronage and corruption. In the Middle East this is an unfair but partially effective way of distributing oil wealth and binding recipients to the state through jobs and favours.

Greece is like an Arab oil state without oil. It has an overgrown and expensive state machine hard wired with webs of patronage and corruption. In the Middle East this is a crude, unfair but partially effective way of distributing oil wealth and binding recipients to the state through jobs and favours.

For ordinary Greeks, the effects of austerity are becoming intolerable

David Cameron has called for tough action to prevent Greek debt turmoil spreading as City analysts warned that today's £110 billion bailout does not spell the end of the "crisis marathon".