VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) named the son-in-law of chairman Rob Walton as his successor on Friday, cementing the founding family's influence over the retailer as shareholders defeated a measure calling for an independent director to lead the board.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday spurned "absurd" terms of proposed aid from lenders and delayed a debt payment to the International Monetary Fund, prolonging an impasse that threatens to push Greece into default and out of the euro zone.

U.S. job growth accelerated sharply in May and wages picked up, signs of strong momentum in the economy that bolster prospects for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in September.

Vodafone, the world's second-biggest mobile telecoms company, said on Friday it was in talks with Europe's largest cable operator, Liberty Global, about an exchange of "selected assets" but was not discussing a full-blown merger.

Indebted Brazilian oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA) has brought in Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAC.N) to help manage a multi-billion dollar divestment plan and has already contacted major oil companies who might be interested buyers, three sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The Reserve Bank of India won't cut its key interest rate again until the final quarter of the year as it waits to see how the monsoon season affects food prices, a Reuters poll found.

Hong Kong's securities regulator said on Friday it will propose laws boosting cooperation with its foreign counterparts, at a time when the emergence of a number of cross-border fraud and corruption scandals make such collaboration vital.

Oil group OPEC agreed to stick by its policy of unconstrained output for another six months on Friday, setting aside warnings of a second lurch lower in prices as some members such as Iran look to ramp up exports.

European shares extended losses on Friday, on track for their worst week of the year as a losing streak for bonds rumbled on, with wary investors anticipating more Greek debt drama and a solid U.S. payrolls reading.

U.S. job growth was likely solid in May and wages probably picked up a bit, suggesting sufficient momentum in the economy for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates later this year.

Even as Wal-Mart Stores Inc showed unusual openness to outsiders' complaints by taking steps including raising wages, it has been trying to slam the door on a shareholder proposal that could weaken the founding Walton family's power over its board.

Alibaba Pictures Group Ltd (1060.HK), the film and entertainment unit of China's largest ecommerce company, said on Thursday it plans to raise $1.6 billion in a share offering to select investors to finance media-related acquisitions.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday, hit by nervousness ahead of Friday's jobs report and lingering uncertainty over a Greece aid deal with creditors.

European planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) said it won orders for 247 aircraft in the first five months of the year and delivered 243 planes to customers.

French automaker Renault SA and its Japanese partner Nissan Motor Co continue to increase savings through synergies and can meet longer-term goals without expanding its current alliances, Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn told Reuters on Wednesday.