Lenders return to Greece for more austerity checks

International lenders forming the so-called troika have returned to Greece to continue auditing Athens' endeavors to get to grips with its financial woes. The government said it hoped for another bailout tranche. 

Creditors from the EU executive, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) resumed their audit of Greek measures to bring down public debt.

The Greek Finance Ministry said the latest round of checks, to last until mid-June, would focus on the sacking of up to 4,000 civil servants as part of a huge package of austerity measures prescribed by the troika lenders.

Greek newspaper "Kathimerini" reported that, while the government in Athens remained committed to firing public sector workers by the end of the year, it was afraid of triggering too much unrest during the busy and economically important holiday season.