AP, HOUSTON -- Royal Dutch Shell, BP and other oil companies wrapped up evacuations and shut down production Saturday as an intensifying Hurricane Gustav churned toward the petroleum-rich waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

As of midday Saturday, slightly more than three-fourths of the Gulf's oil production and nearly 40 percent of its natural gas output had been shut down, according to the U.S. Minerals Management Service, which oversees offshore activity.

REUTERS, GENEVA- As ministers from over 100 countries gather in Ghana to review how effective aid is in helping developing nations deal with poverty, many economists argue the answer is elsewhere -- in freeing up trade.

AFP, PARIS  - Delivery of a second Airbus A380 to Emirates, the airline of the United Arab Emirates, may suffer a further delay of several weeks, an Emirates spokeswoman told AFP on Saturday.

AP, NEW YORK  -- Wall Street tumbled Friday after the government said personal incomes fell last month by the largest amount in nearly three years while consumer spending slowed.

AP, NEW YORK -- Retail gas prices swung higher Friday -- the first increase in 43 days -- as analysts warned that a direct hit on U.S. energy infrastructure by Hurricane Gustav could send pump prices hurtling toward $5 a gallon.

Staff Correspondent

The country's first online supermarket www.chorka.com was launched Saturday, allowing people at home and abroad to browse and buy Bangladesh-made goods online.

AP, NEW YORK  -- Gold prices fell slightly Friday as a stronger dollar prompted selling from investors seeking commodities as an inflation hedge.

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

Potential Patiya Gas Field

Ahsan Habibul Alam

A gas field containing huge reserve of natural gas is lying abandoned at Patiya sub-division under Chittagong, informed sources said.

Experts believe the field has a possible reserve of some crore cfts of the resource.

Oil prices shot higher for the fourth straight day, breaking through $120 per barrel as Tropical Storm Gustav headed for the Gulf of Mexico and strengthened as it bore down on the vast U.S. energy infrastructure along the coast.

First it was Russia. Now it is the Middle East.

The Hummer - one of America's most iconic automotive brands - looks less and less likely to be staying in the US after General Motors admitted it had received expressions of interest from investors in the Gulf states, reports The Telegraph.

The comments came hot on the heels of news earlier this month that Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska has held early-stage talks with GM about buying the brand.

Credit crunch

The Guardian Online

An official "watch list" of potentially troubled US banks has lengthened from 90 to 117 as the credit crunch wreaks havoc throughout the financial industry.

AP, NEW YORK  -- Stocks turned higher Wednesday after the government reported a larger-than-expected increase in orders for big-ticket manufactured goods, offsetting some unease about a rise in oil prices.

AP, RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Barbie may have taken some of the sass out of her pouty-lipped rivals Yasmin, Jade, Cloe and Sasha with a $100 million verdict against Bratz-maker MGA Entertainment Inc., but no one's left the playground yet.

A federal jury awarded toy giant Mattel the damages Tuesday in their copyright infringement lawsuit against MGA, but lawyers for the two playtime powerhouses are still wrangling over whether MGA can continue to make the saucy Bratz line.

The Energy Challenge

NY Times

When the builders of the Maple Ridge Wind farm spent $320 million to put nearly 200 wind turbines in upstate New York, the idea was to get paid for producing electricity. But at times, regional electric lines have been so congested that Maple Ridge has been forced to shut down even with a brisk wind blowing.

Claims WB official

Desk Report

Some four million more people have dropped below the poverty line in Bangladesh due to the sustained rise in prices of staple foods and other essential commodities, a World Bank official in Dhaka claimed Tuesday.

AP, NEW YORK -- Wall Street is narrowly mixed after two economic reports came in much better than the market expected.

The Commerce Department report said new home sales rose 2.4 percent in July, a much better performance than the 1 percent drop economists forecast.

AP, LONDON -- India's state-run Oil & Natural Gas Corp. has agreed to buy Britain's Imperial Energy PLC for $2.6 billion in a cash deal that will help ONGC meet surging fuel demand from its burgeoning domestic economy.

AP, WASHINGTON -- Sales of new homes posted an unexpected gain in July as heavily discounted properties enticed cautious house hunters to become home buyers.

AP, CAIRO, Egypt  -- Cairo's luxury Grand Hyatt hotel is serving alcohol again after a compromise was reached between the international chain and the hotel's Saudi owner who abruptly declared it a dry venue earlier this year.