Several leading euro zone states including France and Italy want to give the permanent euro bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), unlimited firepower by permitting it to obtain unlimited credit from the European Central Bank (ECB), the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on Tuesday. Leading members of the ECB's governing council support the idea, the report said. But the German government and the German central bank, the Bundesbank, have in the past opposed the move because it could fuel inflation, endanger the ECB's independence and breach European Union treaties that forbid the ECB from ... (full story)