Top economist slams Greek handling of bailout showdown

WASHINGTON: Nobel prize winning economist Paul Krugman, a vocal supporter of Athens in their long-running bailout saga, said Sunday that he “may have overestimated the competence of the Greek government.”

The leftist government has agreed to raise taxes, overhaul its ailing pension system and commit to privatisations it had previously opposed in exchange for an international bailout of up to 86 billion euros ($94 billion) over the next three years.