Money: Estate Agents – 18th Feb 10

If you’ve ever bought or sold a house or flat you’ll know that it’s up there with getting married or divorced in terms of stress. Many people have long accused estate agents of helping themselves rather than bringing sellers and buyers together. The Office of Fair Trading’s report is out at noon and is also expected to look at how buyers and sellers might be able to cut out the middle man entirely. There’s a giant tug boat making its way as we speak towards the Falkland Islands – towing an even bigger oil rig. And it could be about to reheat a financial and diplomatic row between Argentina and Britain over access to the South Atlantic – and the prospect of the first major oil find since the war in 1982. Finally, a New York court will listen to arguments today about whether internet giant Google’s plans to make millions of books available online are legal.