Tspiras hopes 'Club Med' to soften EU austerity

Leaders of France, Italy, Portugal, Malta and Cyprus are gathering in Athens on Friday for an "EU-Med" mini-summit, which Greece's prime minister Alexis Tsipras hopes will promote a left-wing answer to Europe's multiple crises at next week's Bratislava summit. Tsipras said he hoped the meeting would help give weight to Europe's southern states, which were worst hit by Europe's many problems.