Greek Finance Minister Vassilis Rapanos rushed to hospital

LONDON, UK – Greece’s new Finance Minister Vassilis Rapanos has been rushed to hospital, hours before he was due to be sworn in to his new post on Friday evening.

An undisclosed source at debt-ridden Greece’s national bank, of which Rapanos is chairman, told Reuters that the 65-year-old “felt dizzy and fainted and was taken to hospital where he was given fluids intravenously and will undergo checks.” However no further details have been made public regarding his condition.

The announcement follows news earlier Friday that Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is to undergo an emergency eye operation in Athens on Saturday after doctors discovered damage to his retina during a routine operation this morning, according to the BBC. The prime minister has been forced to postpone his first parliamentary meeting.

According to the Associated Press, Rapanos was due to be sworn in as finance minister on Friday evening. While the rest of the new Greek cabinet were sworn in Thursday, Rapanos’ ceremony was pushed back to allow outgoing Finance Minister Giorgos Zanias to attend a euro zone finance ministers’ conference in Luxembourg.

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