Germany’s finance minister admitted for the first time yesterday that Greece would need a third aid package, as a source in Athens said the sums involved in any new deal would be far smaller than previous rescues.

A senior judge has been sworn in to head Greece's caretaker government for a month as the debt-crippled country lurches through a political crisis that threatens its membership in the 17-nation eurozone.

Greece has appointed a senior judge as prime minister of a caretaker government that will lead the country to repeat elections next month.

More than 30,000 protesters marched through Athens today as a nationwide strike against government cuts crippled the country.