Over in Greece, and there is some good news for the country from this morning’s eurozone jobs figures. Helena Smith reports:

Greek unemployment dropped to 21 % in July [the latest data available] according to the European statistics agency (Eurostat), with the number of jobless Greeks at 1.01m. Of that number 17.5 % were men and 25.3 percent women, it said.

At the height of Greece’s debt crisis four years ago, unemployment nudged 28 % spurring a massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of qualified Greek abroad.

The jobless rate among those under the age of 25 also dropped from 43% in June to 42.8%.

Meanwhile, well-placed finance ministry officials say the government is also planning a second foray into the bond market possibly as early as next month, before Greece completes a third bailout review with the international bodies keeping the debt-stricken country afloat.

News of the prospective foray, in effect a second test run, would prepare Athens for exit from its current bailout programme which expires in less than a year. Greece successfully put its toe back into bond market for the first time since 2014 in July but analysts insist that real economic recovery will only come when its staggering debt pile is ultimately tackled.