UK energy giant British Gas is to create 2,600 new jobs across the UK, it announced today.  The news comes as a result of the governmentÔÇÖs announcement in May that every UK household will be fitted with smart meters for gas and electricity by 2020. British Gas said it will need 2,100 smart energy experts to install the new meters and advise customers how to use them. In addition, it said that 400 support staff positions and 130 managerial roles will be created. The roll-out of smart metering will represent a major investment for British Gas.

The worldÔÇÖs second-largest brewing company, SABMiller, has announced it will issue 10 per cent of its South African unit to black investors.  The deal, which falls in line with South AfricaÔÇÖs broad-based black economic empowerment regulations, will see 10 per cent of the brewerÔÇÖs South African subsidiary, South African Breweries (SAB), issued as shares to black investors. The transaction is expected to create around 60,000 new shareholders, of whom more than 95% will be black individuals or black majority-owned small businesses.

Ford Motor Company, the second-largest US automaker, has announced it is upping production of its cars and trucks due to increased demand during June.

Companies around the world have begun bidding for the chance to develop some of IraqÔÇÖs oil and gas reserves, almost 40 years after the countryÔÇÖs energy sector was nationalised.

Software giant Microsoft is planning to sell its digital advertising and marketing agency Razorfish, the Financial Times (FT) reports.

US coffee retail giant Starbucks has announced it will sell Fairtrade Rwandan coffee in its UK and Ireland outlets from early next year.

Mobile phone operator Vodafone is considering making a bid to buy T-Mobile UK, the Financial Times (FT) reported today. Vodafone, which is the worldÔÇÖs largest mobile phone operator by revenue, is said to be interested in making an offer for T-Mobile UK, or setting up a joint venture. T-Mobile has an estimated value of Ôé¼3 billion to Ôé¼4 billion (┬ú2.5 billion to ┬ú3.4 billion). If Vodafone did buy T-Mobile, the company would become the UKÔÇÖs largest mobile operator, claiming a 40 per cent market share.

Australian airline Qantas has cancelled an order for 15 of Boeing's Dreamliner 787 aircraft, it announced today.  Qantas ordered the Dreamliners in December 2005.

France may sell 15 per cent of the nuclear energy group Areva to investors in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere, the Financial Times reported today.