Some members of Greece’s leftist-led government wanted to raid central bank reserves and hack taxpayer accounts to prepare a return to the drachma, according to reports that highlighted the chaos in the ruling Syriza party, The Guardian reported. It is not clear how seriously the government considered the plans, attributed to former energy minister Panagiotis Lafazanis and ex-finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. Both ministers were sacked this month. However, the revelations have been seized on by opposition parties who are demanding an explanation.

Negotiators from Greece’s bailout monitors will fly to Athens on Monday to formally begin talks on a €86bn rescue after days of delays over whether the Greek government would allow creditors to have full access to staff and facilities, the Financial Times reported. Despite an agreement that gives teams from the EU and the International Monetary Fund access to some ministries and data, officials said only middle-ranking technical teams — and not mission chiefs — would participate for now.

Ukraine has staved off a default on its $70bn debt pile, rekindling hopes that Kiev can cut a deal with creditors to restructure a substantial proportion of its dues, the Financial Times reported. The cash-strapped eastern European country, which is in the midst of a deep recession and a separatist conflict against Russia-backed rebels, made a $120m interest payment due on Friday as part of its ongoing battle to convince creditors to write down the face value of their holdings. The government originally hoped to strike an agreement to restructure $15.3bn of debt before the summer.

To many Greeks, the debt the country has amassed is the evil fruit of austerity policies, imposed from the outside, that asphyxiated its economy and trampled on its sovereignty. To the International Monetary Fund, the debt of more than 310 billion euros, or almost $339 billion, is more of a mathematical problem. After years in which it was a stern advocate of tough austerity policies, it now says that there is no way that Greece can reasonably pay its debts and that a substantial amount of it needs to be forgiven.

Property developer Joe O’Reilly expects his personal and group loans, which total more than €2 billion, will be sold by Nama for a multiple of what the agency paid for them, the Irish Times reported. Mr O’Reilly told the banking inquiry he had personal and corporate loans totalling about €2 billion from the guaranteed banks in September 2008 and he believed all this money would be repaid. He said he expected the principal of his personal and corporate loans to be fully repaid when the loans are sold as part of Nama’s so-called Project Jewel sale, currently under way.

A general election has been called in Portugal for October 4, the first of several national ballots in crisis-hit eurozone countries where images of Greeks queueing at ATMs are likely to influence the outcome, the Financial Times reported. The Portuguese election, announced by President Aníbal Cavaco Silva on Wednesday night, will be followed within months by ballots in Spain and Ireland, where the crisis in Greece could also sway voter decisions.

A months-long, multibillion-dollar test of will between Ukraine and its creditors is due to come to a head as Kiev faces a decision to pay up — or default on its $70bn debt pile, the Financial Times reported. The trigger is a $120m interest payment due on Friday by a cash-strapped Ukrainian government that has been trying — so far in vain — to convince creditors to restructure their holdings. The talks have been a key priority for a fledgling government seeking to stabilise an economy that has been rocked by a war against Russian-backed separatists in the east.

Athens has been thrown further emergency assistance after the European Central Bank (ECB) increased liquidity for Greek lenders ahead of a crucial vote on a third bailout programme for the debt-stricken nation, The Guardian reported. While lawmakers argued over reforms set as the price of rescue loans from international creditors, the ECB’s governing council agreed to raise the cap on emergency assistance for the country’s fragile banking system by €900m (£629m) on Wednesday. The move was immediately received with relief.

An interim examiner has been appointed by the High Court to Mothercare Ireland, which employs 276 people in 18 shops across the State, the Irish Times reported. The aim of seeking court protection and examinership is to achieve a restructuring of the company, save as many jobs as possible and minimise shop closures, the company said. It cannot afford to support unprofitable stores, it added. The firm said it will trade as normal during the examinership process, staff and suppliers will be paid as normal and all gift cards and family card points will be honoured.

Despite having its budget cut significantly in recent years the Insolvency Service has made orders against 119 rogue directors in the year ending 31 March 2015, compared to 65 the year before, economia reported. The government body has laid off more than a third of its workforce in recent years, going from 3,200 staff to 2,000. Accountancy firm Moore Stephens has called on the new government to back the Insolvency Service as, despite the crackdown, there is still too much criminal director behaviour slipping through the cracks.