AFP, VIENNA - Iran led calls on Monday for OPEC to cut output ahead of a meeting of the oil producer group, with analysts expecting the cartel to begin scaling back production to help support prices.

AFP, SYDNEY - US oil giant ConocoPhillips will pay up to 9.6 billion dollars (8.0 billion US dollars) for a half share of a coal seam gas (CSG) venture with Australia's Origin Energy in a deal that could thwart a hostile bid by Britain's BG Group.

AP, NEW YORK -- Washington Mutual Inc., ravaged by losses from sour mortgages, replaced Kerry Killinger as chief executive of the nation's largest savings and loan on Monday, adding him to the growing list of banking bosses ousted by their boards. Its shares fell almost 12 percent.

AP, SAN FRANCISCO  -- A group representing big-spending national advertisers said Sunday it sent a letter to the Justice Department asserting an online ad partnership between Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. will stifle competition and likely raise prices.

AP, PORTLAND, Maine -- When the 1,020-foot Explorer of the Seas cruises through North Atlantic waters next year, it'll spend more time off the coast of New England and less time near Canadian shores, and it's not because of better vistas.

REUTERS, TOKYO/LONDON - China and Japan, the biggest buyers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae bonds, on Monday praised Washington for rescuing the ailing mortgage giants, but investors said the bailout had not ended global credit market misery.

Investors around the world breathed a sigh of relief Monday after the American government took over and backed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, assuring a continued flow of credit through America's wounded mortgage system, reports AP.

Bdnews24.com

After two days of sharp falls blue chips, along with non-bank financial institutions and mutual funds, drove markets to finish up Monday.

AP, DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Oil prices rose above $109 a barrel Monday as Hurricane Ike took aim at the Gulf of Mexico, delaying efforts to bring oil and gas production back online, and Iran's oil minister said he thinks there is too much crude on the market.

AP, LONDON  -- The U.S. dollar was mixed against other major currencies in European trading Monday morning. Gold fell.

The euro traded at $1.4222, down from $1.4243 late Friday in New York.

Gives govt timeline to ensure safety of their investments

Staff Correspondent

Owners of hundreds of garment factories in Gazipur have said they are giving the government until Sept 25 to ensure their investments are safe and secure.

Desk Report

Improved coordination among ministries, as well as input from trade bodies, consumer groups and academics, are imperative for Bangladesh's trade negotiations in the global arena, said speakers at a seminar Saturday.

Staff Correspondent

The stock market debut of Grameen Phone is unlikely this year as the country's largest mobile phone operator did not send all required information to the capital market regulator, a senior SEC official said Saturday.

The Guardian Online

Is it over? Was that the oil shock? Can we relax, sit back and expect our energy bills and prices at the pumps to tumble? It is true that the price of oil is down. In early July, the price peaked at $147 a barrel. Yesterday it hit $106. A fall of almost 30% in two months suggests the old rule that "nothing cures high prices like high prices" may finally be working in the oil market.

FBCCI urges govt

Staff Correspondent

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry has blamed the price hike of essential goods on the wholesale traders at Karwan Bazaar and urged the government to rein them in.

ERC says

Staff Correspondent

Power tariffs might not be increased until January for the small-scale users, but gas prices might, the chairman of Energy Regulatory Commission has said.

AP, NEW YORK  -- Oil prices sank below $106 a barrel Friday as a jump in the U.S. unemployment rate signaled to traders that Americans might keep paring back their energy use to save money.

Bdnews24.com

Grameenphone's parent company Telenor ASA issued a statement Thursday on the allegations of child labour and unfit working conditions that emerged earlier this year over its operations in Bangladesh.

REUTERS, LONDON- The dollar slipped across the board on Thursday as traders locked in profits from its dramatic gains in past weeks, while investors awaited interest rate decisions by the Bank of England and the European Central Bank.

AP, NEW YORK  -- Wall Street tumbled Thursday on more disappointing economic news -- retailers posted sluggish back-to-school sales reports and the government said the number of workers seeking unemployment benefits spiked last week. The Dow Jones industrials fell more than 200 points.