VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann said the European Commission's decision to give France longer to prove it is serious about economic reform and fixing its excessive public deficit risks damaging the credibility of the bloc's budget rules.

Germany narrowly avoided recession in the third quarter of the year and France exceeded low expectations, putting the euro zone on course for anemic growth but no contraction.

The number of French speakers across the world grew 25 percent since 2010, the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) said in a report published on Wednesday, a potential boost as France seeks growth from overseas opportunities.

The European Commission provisionally accepted the budgets of France and Italy, saying on Tuesday that no euro zone states had submitted deficit plans for next year that seriously breached EU rules for fiscal stability.

Germany and France will try to reconcile divergent visions of how to fix Europe's economy on Monday when Manuel Valls makes his first visit to Berlin as French prime minister and holds talks with Angela Merkel.

Incoming European Economic and Financial Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Saturday that France's missed budget deficit targets were a "serious problem" that he will have to examine in his new role.

Asian shares inched lower early on Wednesday after a lackluster day on Wall Street, while the dollar was close to 14-month highs against a basket of major currencies after data underscored that the U.S. economy's modest expansion continues to chug along.

French President Francois Hollande said he would continue to stimulate the jobs market to chip down the soaring unemployment numbers in the country.

President Francois Hollande would set out Eur3 billion in expenditure cuts and close tax gaps in face of poll slump.

French President Francois Hollande calls out European Union to resolve the row with China on importations.