Reuters, London - Sparked by surging oil, a dramatic rise in the value of old plastic is encouraging waste companies across the world to dig for buried riches in rotting rubbish dumps.

REUTERS, KUALA LUMPUR- Islamic banking assets in Malaysia are expected to post double-digit growth rates annually, propelled by rising demand for sharia-compliant assets, the country's top lender said on Monday.

Aims faster remittance

Desk Report

The Bangladesh Bank has decided in principle to introduce mobile phone banking to speed up remittances from expatriates, the central bank chief said Tuesday.

Bdnews24.com

Stocks closed up for the third trading day Tuesday as buyers continued to drive the country's twin bourses, which witnessed gains by more than 60 percent of traded issues.

REUTERS, LONDON- Oil fell by more than $1 a barrel to below $114 on Tuesday as the US dollar strengthened, countering concern that Hurricane Gustav could threaten oil installations in the Gulf of Mexico.

AP, LONDON -- The U.S. dollar was higher against other major currencies in European trading Tuesday. Gold fell.

Oil prices edged up to nearly $115 a barrel Monday as the U.S. dollar lost some ground against the euro and the Japanese yen, making commodities more attractive to investors, reports AP.

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

The euro traded at $1.4753, down from $1.4775 late Friday in New York.

Desk Report

Buying led stocks to close upbeat Monday, maintaining gains from last week's closing day, though the market witnessed a bearish trend over the previous nine weeks.

Bangladesh Bank has sets its sight on distributing nearly Tk 9,500 crore loans in the ongoing fiscal year— some 13 percent higher than the target of last year—through the banks to lift farm production, an official said, reports bdnews24.com.

AP, KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Telecommunications provider Embarq Corp. said Friday it is cutting between 500 and 700 jobs and eliminating around 300 contract positions as it deals with a continued loss of telephone customers.

AP, OMAHA, Neb. -- Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said Friday the economy continues to be in a recession, by his definition, and will continue to be for at least several more months.

AP, NEW YORK -- Oil prices tumbled more than $6 a barrel Friday -- the biggest one-day percentage plunge in nearly four years -- after a rebounding dollar and a Russian troop pullback in Georgia sparked another frenzied sell-off.

AP, NEW YORK -- Stocks surged higher Friday as oil retreated from this week's rally and as speculation grew that Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. could be sold. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 180 points.

Worries about the embattled Lehman re-emerged this week as analysts lowered their estimates for the investment bank and forecast large additional write-downs.

AP, LONDON  -- British economic growth ground to a halt between April and June, ending more than 15 years of continuous expansion, the government said Friday, as many fear the country is headed for recession.

AP, OMAHA, Neb. -- Two billionaires used the screening of a documentary in theaters across the United States on Thursday to urge the country to come to grips with its staggering debt load.

AP, WASHINGTON -- Boeing Co. is considering bailing out of the politically-charged bidding for a $35 billion contract to build aerial refueling tankers for the Air Force, if it does not receive an additional four months by the Pentagon to put together a competitive offer.

The aerospace manufacturer said Friday it also weighing filing a protest on the final bids request -- expected to be released early next week -- which could even further delay an award by the Defense Department.

Tokyo (Reuters Life!) - What recession? Japan's economy may be slowing down but cosmetics firms are reveling in the glow of newly rich women keen to slather on face creams that can cost up to thousands of dollars a dollop.

A strengthening dollar helped push down oil below $120 a barrel Friday after a nearly $6 spike the day before, reports AP.

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