Glencore gets China's nod for Viterra deal Glencore International won approval from China's Ministry of Commerce for its C$6 billion (HK$46.9 billion) purchase of Canadian grain handler Viterra, one of the largest agriculture-sector deals in years, clearing the last regulatory hurdle for the deal, delayed since July. Viterra now expects it to be completed by December 17. Reuters Citigroup gas trades part of British probe Citigroup denied any improper trading after the bank confirmed its gas deals were among those that prompted investigations by Britain's Financial Services Authority and energy regulator Ofgem. The regulators said last month they were investigating six gas trades after a whistleblower alleged dealers had manipulated wholesale prices on Europe's biggest gas market. Reuters Taiwan banking tycoon Jeffrey Koo, 79, dead Jeffrey Koo Len-song, chairman of Chinatrust Financial, who brought credit cards to Taiwan and served as a presidential adviser, has died at a cancer treatment centre in New York. He was 79. His son Jeffrey Koo Jnr was part of a consortium that bought Next Media's print and television business in Taiwan last month. Bloomberg Google Apps no longer free to small firms Google will no longer offer its web-based office productivity software Google Apps free to small businesses, in the internet giant's latest move to expand revenue beyond advertising services. Google said businesses with 10 or fewer people will now need to pay US$50 per user per year, the same rate as larger firms. Reuters