GREECE'S REDEMPTION GROANS

ATHENS : Greek Prime Minster Alexis Tsipras called Tuesday a.......... ''day of redemption'' as he hailed the end of his country's eight year ''Odyssey'' of painful bailouts.

''Today's is a day of redemption, but it is also the start of a new era,'' Tsipras said in a pre-recorded speech from the Ionian island Ithaca, believed to be the home of Homer's hero Ulysses.

And his speech was packed with references to the monsters and perils of the Homeric epic.

Speaking a day after Greece's third and final bailout ended, Tsipras said the country ''won back the right to determine its fortunes and future'' after living through a ''modern-day Odyssey'' during the crisis.

Standing on a cliff overlooking the island harbour in an open-necked white shirt, he said Greece had adopted 65 billion euros [$75 billion] worth of austerity measures and lived in a ''constant state of emergency''.

The embattled 44-year-old PM is seeking to rebound from poor-ratings exacerbated by last month's  wildfires near Athens that have left nearly 100 people dead.

Trailing the conservative opposition by over 10 points, Tsipras is now rumoured to be planning a cabinet reshuffle. Elections are over a year away, but there is a speculation Tsipras may call them early in 2019. [Agencies]