US insider trading case widened

**A further 14 individuals have been charged in connection with the alleged $20bn (£12m) insider trading scheme at US hedge fund Galleon Group.**The development comes three weeks after Galleon founder Raj Rajaratnam and five others were arrested.

Mr Rajaratnam and his co-defendants are alleged to have gained $20m in illegal profits thanks to inside information on firms including Google and AMD.

A bail hearing for Mr Rajaratnam is scheduled for later on Thursday.

The Sri Lankan-born hedge fund boss is estimated to be worth $1.3bn.

Galleon Group, which has up to $7bn in assets under its management, said last month that it intends to “cooperate fully with relevant authorities”.

The case is the largest ever prosecution against a hedge fund.