Oil falls on economic, demand concerns

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday, pressured by economic uncertainty ahead of a possible debt deal in Greece, concerns about China's sluggish manufacturing sector and weak U.S. petroleum demand.

France can overcome crisis with reforms: Sarkozy

AMBOISE, France (Reuters) - President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Sunday France could overcome its debt crisis as long as it was prepared to pull together to adopt economic reforms, two days after the country lost its prized triple-A credit rating.

Eurozone: France and Germany call for tougher treaty

The leaders of France and Germany say the EU needs a new treaty to deal with the eurozone debt crisis.

Merkel urges euro fiscal union to tackle debt crisis

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Europe is working towards setting up a "fiscal union", in a bid to resolve the eurozone's debt crisis.

French growth accelerates, but deficit widens

PARIS: France’s growth accelerated to one percent in the first quarter of the year but its public deficit nevertheless widened slightly, the national statistics institute said on Friday. According to the INSEE agency, between January and March the economy grew at the strongest rate since the second quarter of 2006, before the credit crunch triggered a global economic crisis, hitting one percent. And the state body forecast that GDP growth for the year would be no less than 1.6 percent.

A loyal, multi-faceted partnership

A loyal and solid friendship unites our two countries. These precious ties, which we must maintain staunchly, were founded on a commonality of values based on an attachment shared by both our states to democracy, multilateralism, dialogue between civilisations, which requires a sustained policy of cultural exchanges.

The richness of this multi-faceted partnership is especially illustrated in the sector of sustainable development and transport.

Toyoo Gyohten: G-20 should urge U.S. to cut deficits, press China to end its opaque dealings

We are in the middle of a currency war.

The only means left for the United States to pull itself out of the economic slump caused by the global financial crisis is the unconventional tactic of "quantitative easing." That means the central bank directly pumping money into the economy through various measures.

Due to a shortage of attractive investment targets at home, surplus dollars have been flowing out of the United States and pouring into emerging economies, pushing up their currencies and raising concerns about inflation.