OIL SPILL

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a mixed opening on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.4 percent, Dow Jones futures gaining 0.3 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.3 percent at 4:50 a.m. ET.

Gluey gobs of thick oil from BP Plc's Gulf of Mexico spill washed ashore in Mississippi for the first time on Sunday as Russia called for a special levy on oil companies to finance a fund to help clean up environmental disasters like this one.

Gluey gobs of thick oil from BP Plc's Gulf of Mexico spill washed ashore in Mississippi for the first time on Sunday as Russia called for a special levy on oil companies to finance a fund to help clean up environmental disasters like this one.

Deficit pledges made by Group of 20 leaders on Sunday won't provide a big boost for financial markets, with uncertainty about the strength of global economic recovery still the larger concern for investors.

The Atlantic hurricane season's first named storm posed an uncertain threat to the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, as a report said relief wells may halt the worst U.S. oil spill ahead of schedule.

The first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was on track on Saturday to reach the Gulf of Mexico within days, a potential threat to containment and cleanup of the worst ever U.S. oil spill.

The first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was on track on Saturday to reach the Gulf of Mexico within days, a potential threat to containment and cleanup of the worst ever U.S. oil spill.

President Barack Obama was expected to focus on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster in talks on Saturday with Britain's new leader, even as the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season threatened to disrupt containment and cleanup efforts.

The first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season threatened on Saturday to veer toward the Gulf of Mexico within days, posing a new threat to containment and cleanup of the worst U.S. oil spill in history.

President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron were expected to discuss London-based BP Plc and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on Saturday as stormy weather raised fears that clean-up operations could be disrupted.

U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron were expected to discuss London-based BP Plc and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on Saturday as stormy weather raised fears that clean-up operations could be disrupted.

With a storm threatening to disrupt oil-siphoning efforts at BP Plc's blown-out Gulf of Mexico well, the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday said collection efforts would be suspended five days before the forecast onset of gale-force winds.

BP Plc's struggle to contain the Gulf of Mexico oil spill was nearing a potentially important stage on Friday even as worries about the soaring costs of the clean-up sent its shares nosediving to a 14-year-low.

BP Plc's struggle to contain the Gulf of Mexico oil spill was nearing a potentially important stage on Friday even as worries about the soaring costs of the clean-up sent the company's shares nose-diving to a 14-year-low.

Oil rose on Friday due to concerns that a storm in the Caribbean may move toward the Gulf of Mexico, where oil facilities are clustered and BP continues to fight an oil spill.

Stock index futures pointed to a weaker open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.3 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.25 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures falling 0.4 percent by 0939 GMT.

Corrects spelling of 'czar' in first paragraph

Kenneth Feinberg will step down from his role as U.S. Treasury's pay car later this summer to focus on administering the BP Plc's $20 billion oil spill fund, a Treasury spokesman said on Wednesday.

Regulators updated the estimated cost of cleaning up hundreds of bank failures on Tuesday, saying the industry is seeing better earnings and a greater ability to raise capital.

BP is eyeing relatively modest new bank lending lines and is not planning bond sales or new increases in asset sales to fund its Gulf of Mexico oil spill clean-up, sources familiar with the company's thinking said on Monday.

BP is planning to raise $50 billion to cover the cost of the largest oil spill in U.S. history, London's Sunday Times reported without citing sources. The paper said BP planned to raise $10 billion from a bond sale, $20 billion from banks and $20 billion from asset sales over the next two years.