Europe and Japan moved ahead Tuesday in planning for punitive cuts in oil imports from Iran, where a senior official dismissed Western anger at news Tehran is enriching uranium deep underground as cover for ulterior motives.

The benchmark 2018 bond of Kazakh sovereign wealth fund's BTA Bank hit 10-day highs on Monday, on speculation the bank would pay overdue $160 million coupons rather than risk creditors calling in billions of dollars of outstanding debt.

Fitch Ratings has downgraded Kazakhstan-based BTA Bank's (BTA) Long-term Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) to 'C' from 'CCC'.

Mariano Rajoy, Spain's newly elected prime minister, selected a well-known former deputy finance minister and investment banker to spearhead his government's efforts to pull the euro zone's fourth-largest economy out of its worst crisis in decades.

BTA Bank Joint-Stock Company located at: 97, Zholdasbekov str., Samal-2 mcrd., Almaty, 050051, Republic of Kazakhstan, kindly informs on convocation of the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of BTA Bank JSC in accordance with Resolution of the Board of Directors No.51 dated December 19, 2011.

ASTANA. December 22. KAZINFORM Yerlan Baizhanov has been appointed Director General of Nur Media Holding.

ASTANA. December 22. KAZINFORM Today the Board of Directors of Samruk-Kazyna JSC in consultation with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan has come to decision to terminate the authority of Chairman of the Board of KazMunayGas National Company JSC Bolat Akchulakov.

ASTANA. December 22. KAZINFORM The Head of State has signed the Law "On appointment of B.Mukhamedzhanov governor of Mangystau region".

ASTANA. December 22. KAZINFORM Today President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev has met with the residents of the town of Zhanaozen in Mangystau region. Secretary of Nur Otan People's Democratic Party, politician Yerlan Karin has informed of it.

Teliasonera has signed an agreement with Kazakhtelecom to acquire 49 percent of the shares in GSM Kazakhstan LLP, operating under the brand Kcell. The purchase price is USD 1.519 billion. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to be finalized during the first quarter of 2012.

In addition to domestic risks, Britain not immune from euro crisis.

The Federal Reserve proposed on Tuesday new capital and liquidity rules for the largest banks that would roll out in two phases and not likely go further than international standards.

German business and consumer confidence readings both improved in December, a sign that Europe's largest economy may avoid slipping into a recession early next year when it is expected to start to feel a fallout from slowing global growth.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the Saudi billionaire and an investor in some of the world's top companies, has bought a stake in microblogging site Twitter for $300 million, gaining another foothold in the global media industry.