Oil firms ExxonMobil and BP are being sued by local authorities in Alaska who accuse them of holding back gas.
The authorities want to build a gas pipeline to rival one proposed by the firms, who they say have hampered their attempts at getting a deal.
BP and ExxonMobil want a pipeline to take gas from Alaska to mainland US, where prices are near record levels
The former chief executive of US telecoms giant Qwest Communications, Joseph Nacchio, has been indicted on 42 counts of insider trading.
This is the first criminal charge against Mr Nacchio in the US government’s four-year-old probe.
Mr Nacchio is charged with selling more than $100m of Qwest stock after he had been warned that the firm would miss revenue targets
Bank of Italy governor Antonio Fazio has resigned, a central bank spokeswoman has announced.
Pressure had been mounting on Mr Fazio to quit following a scandal over the sale of Italy’s Banca Antonveneta.
Mr Fazio is facing an investigation into suspected insider trading and abuse of office relating to his handling of the bank takeover battle
Allegations that President George Bush authorised security agents to eavesdrop on people inside the US have caused a storm of protest.
The New York Times says the National Security Agency was allowed to spy on hundreds of people without warrants.
The NSA is normally barred from eavesdropping within the US
Pressure is mounting on embattled Bank of Italy governor Antonio Fazio to quit over a bank merger scandal.
Mr Fazio has so far ignored widespread calls for his resignation, but Italy’s economy minister has now threatened to oust him.
The news came as it emerged that Mr Fazio is now being investigated for alleged insider trading
US federal prosecutors have indicted media tycoon Conrad Black on further charges including racketeering.
Lord Black is also facing additional charges of obstruction of justice, money-laundering and mail fraud, officials confirmed.
The move comes just two weeks after Lord Black pleaded not guilty to eight charges of fraud in a Chicago court
EBay is under fire from law enforcement officials and manufacturers over levels of crime on the site and the levels of cooperation they receive.
Trading standards officers who regularly investigate crimes perpetrated on the site have accused eBay of being “obstructive” in the way it shares information. North Yorkshire Trading Standards says eBay can take up to two months to provide the names and addresses of suspects it is pursuing
A South Korean cloning pioneer has admitted fabricating results in key stem cell research, a colleague claims.
At least nine of 11 stem cell colonies used in a landmark research paper by Dr Hwang Woo-suk were faked, said Roh Sung-il, who collaborated on the paper.
Dr Hwang wants the US journal Science to withdraw his paper on stem cell cloning, Mr Roh said
Three Italian bank bosses involved in a controversial takeover deal this summer have reportedly been arrested.
Gianpiero Fiorani, ex-Banca Popolare Italiana (BPI) boss, was charged with criminal association in market rigging, AP quoted prosecutors as saying.
Also reportedly detained were former chief finance officer Gianfranco Boni and consultant Silvano Spinelli
The European Commission has begun legal action against Italy over its central bank’s handling of recent bank mergers.
It comes after Dutch bank ABN Amro said the Bank of Italy tried to block its bid for Italian lender Antonveneta.
Central bank chief Antonio Fazio Bank of Italy was said to have wanted an all-Italian merger instead