A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Thursday:

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BRUSSELS _ European leaders ganged up against a favorite target _ fat bonuses to bailed-out bankers.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agreed it was a good idea to slap higher taxes on performance pay, especially considering they are back on the rise soon after last year's financial meltdown that led to taxpayer-funded bailouts in some cases. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also embraced the idea.

"We agree that a one-off tax in relation to bonuses should be considered a priority," the two wrote in an editorial in the Wall Street Journal.

Brown's government on Wednesday said it would impose a one-time 50 percent tax on 2009 bonuses above 25,000 pounds ($40,800), and French and British diplomats said Sarkozy made a similar commitment.

The French and British leaders "are completely aligned," said a British diplomat, who demanded anonymity because the talks were private.

Brown also wrote a letter to his 26 fellow EU leaders, urging them to take quick action on climbing bank bonuses.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates _ Dubai business leaders voiced support for some of the emirate's stronger state-linked companies, as the finance chief dismissed media coverage of the sheikdom's debt woes as "blind panic" and the city-state's main stock market snapped out of a three-day downward spiral.

Government-owned Emirates airline, the region's biggest carrier, said its finances were secure and announced it had lined up more than $1 billion in financing for six more Airbus A380 "superjumbo" planes.

Meanwhile, the head of the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority said the utility provider has "unequivocal confirmation" of continued support from creditors after Moody's Investors Service cut its credit rating to junk status earlier in the week.

The question of a state guarantee for corporate debt has taken on increased weight in recent days as officials in Dubai make clear the government will not be held responsible for much of the debt racked up by the companies it created and used to expand the city-state's international clout.

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ATHENS, Greece _ Prime Minister George Papandreou called on Greece's major opposition leaders to hold rare joint talks on the troubled economy.

Papandreou says President Karolos Papoulias has agreed to chair the meeting, but didn't set a date.

Greece has recently come under criticism for allowing its budget deficit to swell to four times the European Union limit. The government admits it is the highest debt in modern Greek history _ at some euro300 billion ($442 billion).

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