BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (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.

BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (Reuters) – France’s push to use more
European Central Bank money to fight the euro zone debt crisis
ran into strong resistance from Germany and other EU partners on
Friday, leaving Paris looking increasingly isolated before a
crucial summit.

The rift between Europe’s two biggest powers has already
forced leaders to tack on an extra summit in the coming week and
is causing consternation in global financial markets.

PARIS (Reuters) – Doubt cast on France’s triple-A credit rating by Moody’s raised uncertainty over Europe’s hopes of drawing a line under its sovereign debt crisis, five days before a crucial EU summit.

The U.S. ratings agency said late on Monday it may slap a negative outlook on France’s Aaa rating in the next three months if slower growth and the costs for helping bail out banks and other euro zone members stretch its budget too much.

PARIS (Reuters) – France insisted on Tuesday its triple-A credit rating was safe despite a warning shot from ratings agency Moody’s but it acknowledged growth would probably miss its target and more belt tightening may be needed ahead of elections next year.

Moody’s raised the prospect of one of the pillars of the euro zone losing its coveted triple-A status, saying on Monday it could place France on negative outlook in the next three months if the costs for helping to bail out banks and other euro zone members overstretched its budget.

PARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) – France insisted on Tuesday its
triple-A credit rating was safe despite a warning shot from
ratings agency Moody’s but it acknowledged growth would probably
miss its target and more belt tightening may be needed ahead of
elections next year.

Moody’s raised the prospect of one of the pillars of the
euro zone losing its coveted triple-A status, saying on Monday
it could place France on negative outlook in the next three
months if the costs for helping to bail out banks and other euro
zone members overstretched its budget.

PARIS, Oct 17 (Reuters) – European governments will ask
banks to have a 9 percent capital ratio by 2013 at the latest
as part of a comprehensive package to tackle the euro zone’s
debt crisis, though talks are underway to accelerate the
calendar, French officials said on Monday.

Government spokeswoman Valerie Pecresse, who is also budget
minister, said French banks would be recapitalised even though
they were fundamentally solid as part of a European strategy to
restore confidence in the markets.

PARIS, Oct 14 (Reuters) – Proposals to double the size of
the IMF as part of a broader international response to Europe’s
debt crisis immediately ran into resistance from the United
States and others, burying the idea for now and firmly putting
the onus back on Europe.

The outlines of the plan, that had the backing of several
developing economies, emerged as G20 finance ministers and
central bankers began meeting in Paris to discuss a world
economy under threat from European nations mired in debt.

PARIS (Reuters) – France will propose on Saturday the G20 adopt a set of principles to protect consumers of financial services aimed at restoring trust in the sector and preventing a repeat of the global financial crisis, Finance Minister Francois Baroin said.

Anger at the role of the financial sector in provoking a crisis which forced Western nations to pump billions of dollars into saving their banks while austerity and job losses hurt ordinary taxpayers, has sparked a global movement which is due to hold international protests on Saturday as G20 ministers meet in Paris.

PARIS, Oct 14 (Reuters) – G20 finance chiefs and central
bank heads from the world’s biggest economies meet in Paris on
Friday needing to find a solution to a deepening euro zone debt
crisis that has fanned fears of a global recession.

Underlining the challenge for European policymakers,
Standard and Poor’s cut Spain’s long-term credit rating, citing
the country’s high unemployment, tightening credit and high
private sector debt.

PARIS, Oct 14 (Reuters) – G20 finance chiefs and central
bank heads meet in Paris on Friday urgently needing to find a
convincing solution to a deepening euro zone debt crisis that
has fanned fears of a global slide into recession.

A source at the French finance ministry — which is battling
to flesh out the bones of a crisis resolution plan with Germany
in time for an Oct. 23 European Union summit — said the euro
zone was more pressing than anything else on the two-day agenda.