Greece will stand by extra reform efforts thrashed out with creditors, despite last-minute opposition within the government, a finance ministry source said on Thursday.

Against a background of uncertainty over a two-year extension to meet its fiscal targets, the source said Greece's representative to a preparatory Eurogroup meeting later in the day had been instructed to say that the government "is proceeding as scheduled."

France Telecom said on Thursday that it was cutting sharply its dividend for this year and next to defend its financial strength, and also reported a sales fall.

Revenues had dropped because of a fall of prices on the French and European markets for mobile phone services, the company said.

Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse said on Thursday that third-quarter net profit plunged 63 percent to 254 million Swiss francs (210 million euros,$225.6 million) and that it would enact further cost cutting measures.

The net profit slightly exceeded the 230 million Swiss francs expected by analysts surveyed by Swiss financial news agency AWP.

Britain is expected to confirm Thursday that its longest double-dip recession since the 1950s is over, but the return to growth remains clouded by fears about the economy's underlying health.

The initial estimate for third-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) -- the combined value of all goods and services produced in the economy -- is to be published by the Office for National Statistics at 0830 GMT.

The debt burden of the 17 countries that use the euro rose to 90 percent of the value of its economy at the end of the second quarter, in spite of efforts by many of the countries to cut back on their spending.

The rise reported Wednesday by Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, from the previous quarter's 88.2 percent provides further evidence that stalling economic growth is making it harder for eurozone countries to handle their debts.

French auto group PSA Peugeot Citroen reported weak sales and rising debt, and waived dividends in return for state support on Wednesday, causing its shares to slump 7.48 percent.

The group, the second-biggest auto maker in Europe behind booming German group Volkswagen, has already announced 8,000 job cuts and a plant closure which the government wants pruned back.

Quality of life for Canadians has dropped significantly since the last recession in 2008, even though indicators show a rebound in the economy, said a study published Tuesday.

Canadians' well-being, according to the Canadian Index of Wellbeing composite report, dropped by 24 percent between 2008 and 2010 and the decline continues despite an economic recovery.

China's manufacturing sector showed signs of recovery on Wednesday as an HSBC survey provided fresh evidence that the worst may be over for the world's number two economy.

The preliminary purchasing mangers' index (PMI) released by the British banking giant hit 49.1 this month, the highest level in three months and up from 47.9 in September. A reading above 50 indicates growth.

With massive steel Sidra trees sprouting from the base of the building and a 9-meter (yard) high sculpture of a spider in the lobby protecting a sack of grey and white eggs, Qatar National Convention Center is hard to ignore.

But it's what most visitors don't see that may become the building's lasting legacy in a region far better known for over-the-top excesses than conservation.

Chinese ratings agency Dagong said Tuesday it was tying up with U.S. and Russian partners to form a new "independent" group to rival U.S.-based agencies it claims have "proven inadequate".

The Chinese firm will set up the joint venture with Egan-Jones Ratings Co. (EJR), based in Pennsylvania, and Russia's RusRating JSC, it said in an invitation for a press conference Wednesday to unveil the new company.