Greece reopens banks and pays off some debt in first steps towards normality

Officials confirm that almost all of a7.2bn bridging loan went into repaying money owed to the ECB and IMF

Greece has taken a step back to normality after its banks reopened following three weeks of closures and receipt of a a7.2bn (5bn) loan, with almost all of it spent on repaying debts.

Greek officials began paying back international lenders shortly after the emergency bridging loan arrived in the Greek government's bank account on Monday.