Ticker
Finance minister defends Italian bank loans
By EUobserver
Italy's finance minister Vittorio Grilli said the government conducted itself appropriately when it lent the ailing Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank €3.9bn, reports the Guardian. Grilli said the central bank provided "continuous, attentive [and] appropriate" checks to keep the Siena-based bank in line despite €700m in hidden losses.