Munich's football stadium is illuminated with the colours of the UEFA Champions League in Munich, southern Germany.

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime minister Mario Monti, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron will hold a video conference on Thursday ahead of this weekend's G-8, an Italian government source said on Wednesday. The source said the conversation would give the four European leaders a chance to prepare for this weekend's summit at Camp David and well as to discuss European economic issues. (Reporting By Philip Pullella)

French Socialist Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has completed his first task on the job and named the new Cabinet.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian stocks rose on Wednesday, snapping three straight losing sessions, as resource shares rebounded on strong U.S. data and on expectations that Germany and France will act together to keep Greece in the euro zone. U.S. industrial production posted its fastest growth in more than a year in April and groundbreaking for new U.S. homes rebounded last month, suggesting the economy remains on a steady, if unspectacular recovery course. ...