CANNES, France, Nov 4 (Reuters) – G20 leaders meeting in
southern France will try to look beyond a Greek drama that has
shaken their annual gathering and agree on measures that will
convince markets the risk of further euro zone contagion can be
stemmed.

Delegates gathered in the Riviera resort of Cannes for
two-day talks that were meant to send a calming message to
markets instead found themselves watching the euro zone battle
to snuff out its biggest fire yet as Greece threw a rescue deal
into question and seemed on the brink of quitting the euro.

CANNES, France (Reuters) – The mood was tough, the words ‘crystal clear’. German and French leaders told Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in two hours of torrid talks they would not allow the 50-year march of European integration to founder on Athens’ failure to tackle its debt problems.

The confrontation in the Riviera town of Cannes raised for the first time the possibility of a state being ejected from the 12-year-old euro zone, even leaving the European Union itself.

CANNES, France (Reuters) – The mood was tough, the words ‘crystal clear’. German and French leaders told Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in two hours of torrid talks they would not allow the 50-year march of European integration to founder on Athens’ failure to tackle its debt problems.

The confrontation in the Riviera town of Cannes raised for the first time the possibility of a state being ejected from the 12-year-old euro zone, even leaving the European Union itself.

CANNES, France, Nov 2 (Reuters) – Germany and France pressed
Greece on Wednesday to make up its mind fast whether it wants to
stay in the euro zone after a shock decision to call a
referendum on an EU/IMF bailout caused panic on global markets.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany’s Angela Merkel
summoned George Papandreou for emergency talks with top European
Union officials in Cannes on the eve of a summit of the G20
major world economies that has been upstaged by the surprise
Greek move.

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greeks protesting against austerity measures Friday blocked a major national parade to commemorate Greece’s resistance to Italy in World War Two, shouting “traitors” at President Karolos Papoulias and other officials and forcing them to leave.

The protest in Thessaloniki, echoed across Greece including in Athens where marchers held black ribbons, showed the depth of anger at the higher taxes and cuts to pay and pensions demanded by international lenders to help avert a debt default.

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece vowed on Thursday to press ahead with economic reforms to capitalize on an EU deal to slash the country’s debt, despite widespread anger among citizens at the prospect of years of painful belt-tightening demanded by foreign lenders.

In a bid to calm fears among Greece’s 11 million people, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos promised there would not be further cuts to wages and pensions as a result of the agreement sealed in Brussels to halve the 200 billion euros of Greek debt in the hands of private bondholders.

ATHENS/BERLIN (Reuters) – Bankers were locked in a high-stakes poker game with politicians over the scale of write-offs on Greek bonds on Wednesday, making little visible progress just hours ahead of a crucial meeting of European leaders to solve the debt crisis.

The plan could see the banks take a 100 billion euro ($139 billion) that halves the book value of their holdings and includes a small “cashback” component to soften the blow.

BRUSSELS, Oct 23 (Reuters) – France lobbied on Sunday to
overcome German opposition to giving the European Central Bank
a central role in bolstering the euro zone’s bailout fund,
arguing it was the only way to draw a definitive line under the
widening debt problems.

Setting a Wednesday deadline for a comprehensive deal to
resolve the euro crisis, leaders on Sunday were seeking
agreement on a means to boost their 440 billion euro ($610
billion) EFSF rescue fund by enough to support the region’s
undercapitalised banks and stop the crisis sucking in big
economies such as Italy and Spain.

BRUSSELS, Oct 22 (Reuters) – EU finance ministers neared
agreement on Saturday on a framework to provide 100 billion
euros to European banks, but were still wrangling over how to do
it as Spain, Italy and Portugal raised concerns over the cost.

Meetings were being held over the weekend to tackle Greece’s
debt and its impact on the European banking system. On Saturday,
finance ministers were trying to figure out how to bolster the
capital of European banks to cope with any Greek default, and
prevent contagion to other heavily indebted countries.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Private holders of Greek debt may need to accept losses of up to 60 percent on their investments if Greece’s debt mountain is to be made more sustainable in the long-term, a downbeat analysis by the EU and IMF showed on Friday.

Euro zone finance ministers threw Greece a lifeline on Friday by agreeing to approve an 8 billion euro loan tranche that Athens needs next month to pay its bills.