Round-up: Eq Life group blasts 'incompetent' Treasury

Thousands more Equitable Life policyholders could die before they receive compensation amid continuing government "incompetence", the mutual's chief campaign group has warned.

According to the equitable members action group, the treasury has rejected an up-to-date list with the names and addresses of 322,000 policyholders, citing data protection legislation, the Times reports.

THE INDEPENDENT
HOPES OF EURO DEAL DIMINISH
Optimism drained from global stock markets yesterday after the German government lowered expectations that this weekend's summit of European leaders in Brussels will deliver a decisive breakthrough in solving the eurozone financial crisis.

THE TELEGRAPH
BERLIN EXPERTS FEAR EURO BREAK-UP FROM BAIL-OUT ESCALATION
Plans to increase the firepower of Europe's bail-out machinery with extra leverage threaten France's AAA rating and risk setting off a dangerous chain of events, a top German institute has warned.

THE TIMES
FTSE BIG LEAGUE FOR ABRAMOVICH STEELMAKER
A Russian steel producer part-owned by Roman Abramovich is set to take its place in the FTSE 100 in a move that will compound the dominance of natural resource stocks in London's leading index.
Evraz said yesterday that it was seeking a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange to tap the City's finances and fund growth.

THE INDEPENDENT
'I DON'T THINK THEY APPRECIATE WHAT THE CITY CONTRIBUTES'
Financial workers returned to their offices in the City of London yesterday to find the hardcore remnants of a global anti-capitalist movement camped on their doorstep.

FINANCIAL TIMES
BP TO END PAYMENTS TO OIL SPILL FUND EARLY
BP will be able to cease its payments into a $20bn compensation fund to help meet claims from last year's Gulf of Mexico oil spill one year earlier than expected after striking an out-of-court settlement with Anadarko Petroleum.

THE TIMES
PHILIPS TO CUT 4,500 JOBS AS PROFITS FALL
Europe's biggest consumer electronics manufacturer is to axe 4,500 jobs after reporting an 85% dive in third-quarter net profit and said that it was considering its options should the sale of its television business collapse. Royal Philips Electronics is regarded as a bellwether of European growth.

CHINA DAILY
CHINA'S GDP GROWTH SLOWS TO 9.1% IN Q3
China's GDP growth slowed to 9.1% in the third quarter of the year from 9.5% in the second quarter and 9.7% in the first quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Tuesday.