Week in pictures: March 7 2008

HSBC, Britain's biggest bank, reported a 10% rise in pre-tax profits to $24.2bn (£12.1bn) despite "the exceptionally weak performance" of its US business. (Read the article) Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP

Renewed fears that America is heading into recession sent shares tumbling across Europe and Asia on Monday (March 3), and pushed the price of gold closer to $1,000 an ounce. (Read the story) Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA

Conrad Black got his last glimpse of day-to-day freedom as he sped across the Florida countryside to begin a new life as federal prisoner 18330-424 (Read the article) Photograph: Adrian Wyld/AP

Shoppers face the prospect of paying more for bread, soup and cakes after Premier Foods warned that it has not yet passed the full effects of recent raw material price rises to consumers. (Read the article) Photograph: Graham Turner/Guardian

Bentley set out ambitious plans at the Geneva motor show to hit EU limits on carbon emissions and use second-generation biofuels. (Read the article) Photograph: Uli Deck/EPA

Warren Buffett, the American investor guru and occasional ukulele twanger, has been named as Forbes as the world's richest man. Dubbed the Sage of Omaha, Buffett accrued his $63bn (£31bn) fortune over more than fifty years of largely shrewd investing. His wealth grew by $10bn in the last year alone, partly thanks to backing Brazil's currency, the real, against the dollar. (Read the article) Photograph: Nati Harnik/AP

BAA is expected to open a new front in the battle over airport expansion by lodging a formal planning application for a £2.7bn second runway at Stansted Airport. (Read the article) Photograph: Graham Turner/Guardian

John Lewis staff cheered and clapped as a bonus payout of more than £180m was announced, around 20% of workers' salaries - from the MD to shop workers. (Read the article) Photograph: Fiona Hanson/PA

British Airways issues a profits warning, saying it would miss its 10% profit targets next because of a surge in fuel costs and the economic slowdown.(Read the article) Photograph: PR

The central bank of the world's second-biggest economy is effectively leaderless after opposition MPs thwarted a last-ditch attempt to appoint a replacement for the outgoing Bank of Japan governor, Toshihiko Fuku. (Read the article) Photograph: Koji Sasahara/AP

The Bank of England, headed by governor Mervyn King, moved to stabilise the markets on Monday, March 17 2008, offering £5bn of three-day funds in a move designed to bring overnight interest rates down. Banks scrambled for the cash, asking for nearly five times more than was on offer. The BoE said that along with other central banks it was “closely monitoring market conditions”. (Read the story) Photograph: Graham Turner/Guardian