Oil company BP, services company Haliburton, and the operator of the oil rig, Transocean, stand to face at least 36 lawsuits, including class-action suits, as well as costs of up to $8 billion over environmental damage fallout and personal injuries caused by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April.

The lawsuits include those from fishermen, shrimpers, charter boat operators and waterfront property owners whose livelihood depends on the coastal waters that are currently being threatened by an oil slick so big it is visible from outer space.

The White House, which has been openly criticized for a slow federal response to the crisis, said that President Barack Obama would visit the region today. He may meet with Tony Hayward, the CEO of BP, who was also on his way there from London.

Fisheries located east of the mouth of the Mississippi River were closed by early on Saturday. Among local fishermen and charter captains, it was the uncertainty of when the height of the oil slick might come, and what kind of damage it would do to their livelihood - that was bothering them the most.

Police in New York City are investigating whether a car bomb found last night Times Square was targeted toward the makers of the South Park animated T.V. show over a controversial depiction of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed.

The device, which did not detonate, was found next to a Viacom media office. Viacom airs the cartoon series in the United Stats.

Last month, postings were found on an Islamic website that warned the creators of South Park - Matthew Stone and Trey Parker - that they could face violent actions after an episode of the show showed Mohammed in a bear suit.

The explosive device was found inside a green Nissan Pathfinder SUV, left with its engine on and hazard lights blinking at the intersection of 45th Street and Broadway.

A street vendor, who was a Vietnam veteran himself, told police about the car, because he saw smoke coming out of it.

Stocks in the Persian Gulf state of Dubai fell more than 7% Monday, the first day of trading after the state’s debt problems shocked financial markets around the world last week.

The index for the Dubai Financial Market, the emirate’s primary stock exchange, ended the day down 7.3%.

The announcement last week raised fears about the overall health of the global financial system and made investors nervous across the globe. Concerns were eased slightly on  Sunday after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) offerd Dubai some support.

The UAE, a federation of seven emirates announced that it will establish an emergency liquidity facility to help prevent Dubai from defaulting on its debts.

Fellow emirate Abu Dhabi also announced plans to provide aid to some selected Dubai banks and financial establishments.

Major indexes in Europe remained under pressure this afternoon, with shares in London, Paris and Frankfurt down about 1% in afternoon trading.