Business, finances, forex

Kiev agrees to the transfer of 12bn cubic metres of gas from state energy company Naftogaz’s underground storage facilities to controversial Swiss-registered trader Rosukrenergo

Konkola, the Zambian copper-mining operation, pulls the plug on its planned December flotation amid investors’ fears over the consequences of Ireland’s financial crisis

The 15-year-old boy who shot himself after taking 23 students and a teacher hostage at his school in Wisconsin dies of his wounds.

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General Motors and Chrysler announce plans to each hire about 1,000 staff, but fears about continuing high US unemployment grow.

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A Canadian farmer who was sentenced to life in prison for the 1993 murder of his disabled daughter has been granted full parole, his lawyer says.

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Arsenal ease through to the last four of the Carling Cup with a comfortable victory over Wigan.

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The FTSE 250 group says the move would reduce the scheme’s liabilities by ?36m and contribute to a reduction in the deficit from ?133.1m at the end of March to ?106.6m

Mr Hayatou has not responded to the BBC allegations so far

The International Olympic Committee is to investigate BBC claims of corruption against Fifa Vice-President Issa Hayatou, also an IOC member, it says.

It has asked the BBC to give any evidence of alleged bribes taken by Fifa executives, following the screening of its Panorama programme.

Panorama alleged Mr Hayatou and two other Fifa officials voting on World Cup bids took bribes in the 1990s.

Fifa, world football’s governing body, has dismissed the claims.

The IOC has said it will refer the matter to its ethics commission.

“The IOC has taken note of the allegations made by BBC Panorama and will ask the programme makers to pass on any evidence they may have to the appropriate authorities. The IOC has a zero tolerance against corruption and will refer the matter to the IOC Ethics Commission,” it said.

Fifa issued a statement, saying the allegations referred to events that had taken place before the year 2000 and had been investigated by the Swiss authorities.

“In its verdict of 26 June 2008, the Criminal Court of Zug had not convicted any Fifa officials. It is therefore important to stress again the fact that no Fifa officials were accused of any criminal offence in these proceedings.”

The BBC Panorama, broadcast on Monday, alleged that Fifa officials Issa Hayatou – Confederation of African Football chief, from Cameroon – Nicolas Leoz, from Paraguay, and Ricardo Teixeira, from Brazil, took bribes from a sport marketing firm which was awarded lucrative World Cup rights.

The men will vote this week on the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

They have not responded to Panorama’s allegations.

England is competing with Russia, Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium to host the 2018 tournament.

The alleged bribes to the three members of Fifa’s executive committee were paid by sports marketing company International Sport and Leisure (ISL) and date from 1989 to 1999, Panorama alleged. The company collapsed in 2001.

Fifa granted ISL exclusive rights to market World Cup tournaments to some of the world’s biggest brands, and ISL received millions more from negotiating television broadcast rights.

Panorama: Fifa’s Dirty Secrets was broadcast on BBC One on Monday, 29 November and is now available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.

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Royal Dutch Shell and Gazprom have formed a strategic alliance little more than three years after an acrimonious dispute over the Sakhalin II oil and gas project

US and UK diplomats feared Pakistan’s nuclear material could fall into the hands of terrorists, the latest leaked classified US diplomatic cables reveal.

The documents, released by Wikileaks, warn that Pakistan is rapidly building its nuclear stockpile despite the country’s growing instability.

One senior UK official said in one cable in 2009 that Britain had “deep concerns about the safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons”.

The US has condemned the disclosures.

However, it says international partnerships it had worked hard to build would withstand the challenge.

In one cable from among the latest leaks, US ambassador to Islamabad Anne Patterson told Washington: “Our major concern is not having an Islamic militant steal an entire weapon but rather the chance someone working in government of Pakistan facilities could gradually smuggle enough material out to eventually make a weapon.”

Another secret cable relating to a US intelligence briefing in 2008 said: “Despite pending economic catastrophe, Pakistan is producing nuclear weapons at a faster rate than any other country in the world.”

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