Greek parliament approves ?85bn bailout deal

1	A majority of Greek MPs have approved the country's third international bailout after an all-night debate.
2	Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had earlier urged the chamber to approve the deal "to assure the country's ability to survive and keep on fighting."
3	Thanks to opposition support, Mr Tsipras easily managed to cross the 151-vote threshold in the 300-seat chamber to pass the bill.
4	However, Mr Tsipras has been forced to announce a confidence vote after one third of his radical left Syriza members voted against the measures following a stormy all night debate.
5	It eventually passed with 222 votes, but 43 MPs - or nearly a third of deputies from Mr Tspiras' party - voted against or abstained.
6	A government official said Mr Tsipras is to seek a confidence vote after 20 August when a 3.2bn debt payment to the European Central Bank falls due.
7	Eurozone finance ministers are expected to approve the vital aid for Greece later today.
8	The European Commission responded very positively to the Greek vote and said that agreement on a third bailout at the meeting of eurozone finance ministers was "entirely feasible".
9	The positive response from the European Commission was backed up further optimism from Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the Chair of the Eurogroup of Finance Ministers who will steer the key meeting.
10	He praised Greek negotiators for "being far more constructive than before".
11	But he did say that all 18 eurozone finance ministers still had to agree on the bailout, a suggestion that Germany still harbours reservations.
12	If Greece defaults on this debt, the ECB is likely to halt emergency funding for Greece's crippled banks.
13	Athens was forced to close Greek banks for three weeks and even now capital controls severely limiting withdrawals and payments aboard remain, badly hurting the economy.
14	Greece's conservative opposition New Democracy party has confirmed it will not back the government in the confidence vote.
15	MP Makis Voridis said: "New Democracy giving the government a vote of confidence? There is no chance of that".
16	Mr Tsipras earlier told MPs he does not regret deciding to compromise with creditors and the bailout agreement is a necessary choice.
17	He added that a German proposal to provide a bridging loan would be "a return to crisis without end".
18	Even after the Greek vote, the bailout deal could still face hurdles.
19	The IMF made clear it would participate in the programme only if Europe agreed to ease Greece's huge debt burden.
20	Mr Tsipras has long argued Greece cannot repay all its debts and demanded a partial write-off.