Greece, troika meet to wrap up talks - source

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ATHENS | Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:55am EDT

ATHENS Oct 10 (Reuters) - EU, IMF and ECB mission chiefs meet Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Monday morning with the intention of concluding talks on a key aid tranche, a source close to the negotiations said.

"We are working on the assumption that meetings will wrap up today," the source close to the talks told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The mission chiefs will then likely issue a joint statement on Monday or Tuesday, to conclude their visit.

Once this is done, inspectors will prepare reports for euro zone finance ministers and the IMF's board, who will decide on the aid tranche.

Athens could run out of cash as soon as mid-November without the new 8 billion euro aid installment, increasing the risk of a default that would drag the euro zone deeper into a debt crisis already shaking financial markets worldwide.

Senior officials from the so-called troika of EU, IMF and ECB inspectors said last week they expected to conclude their review soon but first wanted to receive more details on the implementation and impact of plans to slash the public sector workforce and increase taxes to plug a bigger-than-targeted fiscal gap.

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UPDATE 1-Icahn's Lions Gate stock offering on hold - source

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n" readability="48">Oct 4 (Reuters) - A secondary offering of shares in Lions Gate Entertainment Corp by affiliates of billionaire investor Carl Icahn has been put on hold due to poor market conditions, a source with direct knowledge of the process said.

Icahn, who waged a lengthy battle for control of the Hollywood studio, agreed in August to sell his stake, and he and his son Brett were due to offload up to 44 million Lions Gate shares.

Under that sale agreement, Lions Gate and MHR Fund Management, controlled by director Mark Rachesky, bought 11 million shares each from Icahn.

The offering, of 19.2 million of the remaining shares, had been expected to price this week, according to a filing with regulators by Lions Gate.

The source asked not to be identified as he was not authorised to talk to the media.

The delay comes at a time when the U.S. IPO market has stalled amid concerns about Europe's debt crisis and a weak domestic economic recovery. Several offerings have been withdrawn in recent months.

Lions Gate shares were flat at $6.84 on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Brenton Cordeiro in Bangalore, additional reporting by Jochelle Mendonca, Editing by Ian Geoghegan)

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