Athens’s inability to get a grip on the debt problem is rattling markets and giving rise to talk of a notion that until recently has been considered taboo: a eurozone without Greece, The Christian Science Monitor reported. Greece's introduction last weekend of a new real estate tax and reduction in elected officials' pay are being called too little, too late to address its deep debt.

Cash-strapped car maker Saab's first bankruptcy hearing will be on September 26, a district court said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Saab, owned by Netherlands-listed Swan Automobile, has been called to the lower court in the southern Swedish town of Vanersborg, the court said in a brief statement. Two white-collar unions at Saab, whose members had their June and July salaries delayed and have not yet been paid for August, served bankruptcy applications on Monday to ensure the activation of a state wage-insurance scheme.

Portugal should get the next installment of its euro78 billion ($107 billion) bailout package because it is expected to meet its debt-cutting targets this year, a report from the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. Portugal asked for a rescue earlier this year as it slid towards bankruptcy and stoked investor fears about the wider eurozone's fiscal problems. Its European partners and the International Monetary Fund agreed to lend it money on condition it met a strict timetable of measures, including austerity packages and economic reforms, through 2013.

Anglo Irish Bank and Seán Quinn exchanged harsh criticisms ahead of a High Court decision today on whether to restrain Mr Quinn and certain family members from alleged asset-stripping in their overseas property group, the Irish Times reported. Mr Quinn claimed Anglo was pursuing a vendetta against him and his children and ignoring its obligations to the State by agreeing “the worst possible deal” on the restructuring of his group. He claimed the Minister for Finance was misled when he said last April that Quinn Group had been relieved of almost half of its debt in the restructuring.

Europe's banks, burdened by concerns about exposure to ailing Greece, took a perilous turn Monday despite efforts by the biggest of them to calm panicked investors, The Wall Street Journal reported. France's financial system was especially hard hit, with shares in its three largest banks all falling more than 10%, as concerns about Greek default continued to cascade across Europe. European banks are cutting back on dollar-denominated loans, a troublesome sign of credit contraction at a time when American and European economies can least afford it.

Two Swedish labor unions Monday submitted applications for Saab Automobile AB's bankruptcy on behalf of about 1,130 workers who haven't received their August paychecks, Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review reported. Both unions, Unionen and Ledarna, pledged to withdraw their petitions if the Court of Appeal overturns a lower court ruling last week that denied Saab Automobile protection from its creditors while it restructures its operations.

Greece took desperate measures last nighton Sunday to calm fears that it is on the brink of default – or might even leave the eurozone – by announcing a new property tax to plug budget shortfalls, The Guardian reported. With the debt-stricken country at serious risk of being denied an €8bn (£6.9bn) rescue loan from the EU and International Monetary Fund, Athens said that it would apply the levy immediately.

Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile said it was getting positive signs from authorities in Beijing about its plans to invest in cash-strapped Saab, a Swedish daily reported on Saturday, Reuters reported. Youngman and Chinese car company Pangda Automobile Trade Co Ltd are seeking approval from China's authorities to invest 245 million euros in Saab, now owned by Swedish Automobile.

The National Asset Management Agency plans to seek tenants for some of its 8,000 apartments with a view to selling them as blocks to investors to help shift properties stuck on its books, the Irish Times reported. Brendan McDonagh, chief executive of Nama, said that most of the apartments were in Dublin. The apartment rental scheme is aimed at investment companies that manage rented apartment blocks, particularly in the UK.

A Swedish court on Thursday rejected beleaguered carmaker Saab's request for protection from its creditors, pushing the company one step closer to bankruptcy, Agence France-Presse reported. The company is now at the mercy of its creditors, including its employees who have not been paid their August wages. "The Vaenersborg district court has today decided to reject Saab's ... request for a voluntary reorganisation process," the court said in a statement.