BP has suspended work on plugging its ruptured oil well over a storm approaching the Gulf Coast. The Coast Guard says the storm could turn into a tropical depression that may delay operations up to three days. A special judicial panel meanwhile has tapped a New Orleans federal judge to oversee over 300 civil lawsuits against BP and other companies involved in the Gulf oil disaster. BP and several other firms face legal action from fishermen, injured workers and Gulf Coast residents for damages stemming from the April 20th explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon. BP had lobbied for the cases to be tried in Houston, where its US operations are based.