European shares .FTEU3 advanced on Thursday, with investors looking to the European Central Bank to support risk appetite by detailing plans for a new bond-buying program to help bring down borrowing costs.

Ahead of Friday's key U.S. August non-farm payrolls data, August challenger layoffs data will be released at 7:30 a.m.EDT, the August ADP national employment report is out at 1215 GMT, with the latest weekly jobless claims due at 1230 GMT.

News Corp (NWSA.O) has cut this year's bonuses for four top executives, including mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son James, after a phone-hacking scandal at the now-closed British newspaper The News of the World, a regulatory filing showed.

General Growth Properties Inc's (GGP.N) board is looking to hire an investment bank, a week after activist investor Bill Ackman stepped up pressure on the No. 2 U.S. mall owner to consider putting itself up for sale, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Supervalu Inc (SVU.N) said it would close about five dozen stores as it works to turn around its grocery business, which lags Kroger Co (KR.N) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N).

U.S. stocks closed out a second straight session of thin trading on Wednesday, with investors reluctant to make big bets ahead of the crucial ECB meeting.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 11.54 points, or 0.09 percent, to 13,047.48, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX shed 1.50 points, or 0.11 percent, to 1,403.44, and the Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC fell 5.79 points, or 0.19 percent, to 3,069.27.

(Reporting by Tricia Wright; Editing by Susan Fenton)

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