Reuters - Oil prices rose on Thursday after concerns about a possible strike in Nigeria, Africa's top producer, stirred supply worries.

AP - As if high gas prices, a weak economy and a strike by a major supplier weren't enough to drag down Hummer's sales, Hummer dealers are now reeling from the news that General Motors Corp. may consider selling the brand.

AP - Oil prices rebounded from a steep early loss to end modestly higher Thursday in another volatile session fueled by a rising dollar and concerns about supplies. Gas prices reached new record at the pump, rising to a national average of $4.06 a gallon, and are likely to keep rising.

AP - Wall Street companies borrowed from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program at a fairly steady pace, while banks scaled back.

Reuters - Stocks rose on Thursday after a stronger-than-expected May retail sales report and a $46 billion takeover bid for Anheuser-Busch from an overseas rival helped the market recover from a string of deep losses.

AP - The stimulus checks are working. A big increase in retail sales signaled that people are spending their rebate payments, helping to ward off a serious economic slump, at least for now.

AFP - The dollar firmed Thursday as a stronger-than-expected reading of US retail sales eased fears about a sharp US economic slump and traders braced for a meeting of G8 finance ministers.

AP - Damien Barilko, co-founder of the Paris electric bike company Velocito, said sky-high gas prices have finally succeeded where environmentalists and governments have failed: persuading motorists to go green.

Reuters - Flooding rivers across Iowa forced residents to evacuate, closed businesses, wrecked stores and shut down highways and barge traffic, authorities said on Thursday.

AP - Wall Street gave up a big early advance as the price of oil rose Thursday, with stocks closing moderately higher but also demonstrating how anxious investors are about inflation and the overall health of the economy. Bond prices fell sharply and yields shot higher in response to an upbeat retail sales report.

Reuters - Total sales at U.S. retailers rose a full percentage point in May as many consumers had more spending cash in their wallets from government rebate checks, a report on Thursday showed.

Reuters - The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose more than expected last week while those remaining on benefit rolls hit a four-year high, the government said on Thursday.