AP, NEW YORK -- Stocks fell in early trading Thursday as oil prices rose again and investors grew more anxious about the financial sector, particularly mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

Oil prices advanced as investors grew nervous that rising tensions with Russia could disrupt energy shipments from the world's second-largest oil producer.

REUTERS, WASHINGTON - The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week for a second week in a row, the government said on Thursday, though they continued at levels that showed a weakening labor market.

AP, FRANKFURT, Germany — The German lender IKB Deutsche Industriebank, which has been badly hit by the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States, will be sold to the private equity firm Lone Star Funds, the German company's biggest shareholder said Thursday.

Staff Correspondent

The National Board of Revenue chairman has said they have proposed to the government for expansion of the central tax administrator.

Oil prices jumped above $119 Thursday as rising antagonism with Russia underscored the possibility it could affect energy shipments from the world's second-largest oil producer, reports AP.

AP, NEW YORK -- Stocks turned higher Wednesday as oil prices fell and financials pared their losses, allowing investors to focus on an upbeat profit report from Hewlett-Packard Co.

REUTERS, WASHINGTON- Most Americans think that the worst of the fuel price spike that pushed gasoline above $4 per gallon has passed, but they have little hope that the housing market will stage a swift recovery, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

AP, LONDON -- British oil company BP PLC said that testing will begin Wednesday on the closed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which runs through conflict-stricken Georgia, ahead of a move to restart full operations as early as next week.

AP, SHANGHAI, China -- Chinese stocks surged Wednesday in their biggest gain in nearly four months on speculation Beijing plans new economic stimulus measures and other policies aimed at reviving the country's languishing markets.

Scholars Bangladesh report reveals

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NRBs are now keener than ever before to come and invest in Bangladesh, an NRB group claimed Wednesday.

AP, LONDON -- The U.S. dollar was higher Wednesday morning against other major currencies in European trading. Gold prices rose.

AP, NEW YORK -- The price of oil pared its gains Wednesday after the government reported a massive increase in crude supplies, but lingering concerns about Tropical Storm Fay kept prices higher for the day.

AP, NEW YORK -- Oil prices rebounded Tuesday, jumping back above $115 barrel after the dollar weakened against the euro and a rally in heating oil attracted new buyers into energy markets.

AP, NEW YORK -- America's biggest banks have suffered unprecedented losses from the ongoing credit crisis, and that's made some investors question whether the big financial conglomerates should be broken up in order to survive.

Chinese shares slumped to a 20-month low today, with airlines, oil companies and other stocks dropping sharply amid anxiety about the wider economic outlook, reports The Guardian.

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Dhaka's cab firms are on the verge of collapse as 70 percent of licensed cabs have been written off the roads, according to a government estimate.

AP, BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Euro nations' trade deficit with the rest of the world came close to balance in June, the EU statistics agency said Monday.

AP, NEW YORK  -- Fewer Americans are reading newspapers and are instead getting their news online, but television remains the leading source of news in the country, according to a survey released Sunday.

AP, NEW YORK  -- Crude prices dropped below $113 a barrel in volatile trading Monday as Tropical Storm Fay swirled toward Florida but appeared unlikely to disrupt oil installations in the Gulf of Mexico.

AP, LONDON -- The U.S. dollar was mostly lower against other major currencies Monday morning in European trading. Gold prices rose.