AP - Finland's Finance Ministry says four Nordic countries will lend Iceland $2.5 billion (euro1.98 billion) to help the country recover from its economic meltdown.

AP - Rolls-Royce Group PLC said Thursday it plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs next year as demand for its products slumps amid the global economic downturn.

AP - Swedish engineering firm Sandvik AB Thursday announced a series of production cuts and layoffs, among which 1,040 permanent workers in Sweden, saying the negative impact of the global financial crisis has accelerated in the fourth quarter.

AP - French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen said Thursday it plans to cut 2,700 jobs in response to a worsening economic crisis that has seen European car sales plummet.

AP - European Union regulators on Thursday approved state guarantees given to Belgium's troubled lenders Fortis Bank and Dexia financial group.

AP - Mortgage lending in Britain was down 44 percent in October compared to a year ago, further evidence the economic downturn is hurting an already weak property market, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said Thursday.

AP - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised Thursday the country would emerge stronger from a world economic crisis he said was triggered by U.S. recklessness.

AP - Four Nordic countries and the International Monetary Fund on Thursday pledged a combined $4.6 billion (euro3.64 billion) in loans to help Iceland recover from its economic meltdown.

AP - A euro20 billion ($25.27 billion) French government investment fund will help strategic industries struggling in the financial crisis.

AP - The 2008 edition of Beaujolais Nouveau wine is here, and vintners hope it will lift spirits despite the financial crisis and a dismal crop.

AP - French-Romanian carmaker Dacia temporarily halted production on Thursday after the financial crisis led to a drop in car sales.

AP - French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen said Thursday it plans to cut at least 2,700 jobs in response to the worsening economic crisis that has seen European car sales plummet.

AP - Latvia's government announced Thursday that it would seek help from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to stabilize its deteriorating economy and banking system hit by the world financial crisis.

AP - Turkey is in talks with the International Monetary Fund over a possible loan to help its economy weather the impact of the global financial crisis, the government said Thursday.

AP - Volkswagen AG said Thursday it will focus on keeping competitive amid the financial crisis and pledged to build more efficient cars.

AP - As Russian winter approaches, there are fears Moscow's much-vaunted electricity reform — aimed at heading off looming power shortages — will fall victim to the country's economic crisis.

AP - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin used a meeting of his powerful political party to take center stage Thursday, casting himself as an indispensable leader even as the global financial meltdown threatens the achievements of his boom-time presidency.

AP - An Estonian man suspected of embezzling money from a U.S.-based program to rebuild Iraq will be extradited to the United States, Estonia said Thursday.

AP - Royal Bank of Scotland PLC shareholders approved a 20 billion pound ($30 billion) government bailout Thursday, a plan intended to help the struggling lender survive the global financial crisis.

AP - In the sparkling blue waters off Greece's bustling port of Piraeus, dozens of hulking carrier ships loom out of the haze of a retreating thunderstorm. After spending several boom years racing across the world's oceans, they swing idly on their anchors, waiting for cargo.