Gingrich coup: Endorsement from NH's largest paper

FILE - In this Nov. 22, 2011, file photo, Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during the Republican presidential debate in Washington. Newt Gingrich landed editorial endorsement of NH Union Leader Sunday Nov. 27, 2011, 45 days before GOP primary. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 22, 2011, file photo, Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during the Republican presidential debate in Washington. Newt Gingrich landed editorial endorsement of NH Union Leader Sunday Nov. 27, 2011, 45 days before GOP primary. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich signs a copy of his book "A Nation Like No Other" as he greets supporters during a book signing event at Books-A-Million in Naples, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Erik Kellar)

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich signs a copy of his book "A Nation Like No Other" as he and his wife Callista Gingrich greet supporters during a book signing event at Books-A-Million in Naples, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Erik Kellar)

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich signs a copy of his book "A Nation Like No Other" as he greets supporters during a book signing event at Books-A-Million in Naples, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Erik Kellar)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? New Hampshire's largest newspaper on Sunday endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the 2012 GOP presidential race, signaling that rival Mitt Romney isn't the universal favorite and potentially resetting the contest before the state's lead-off primary Jan. 10.

"We are in critical need of the innovative, forward-looking strategy and positive leadership that Gingrich has shown he is capable of providing," The New Hampshire Union Leader said in its front-page editorial, which was as much a promotion of Gingrich as a discreet rebuke of Romney.

"We don't back candidates based on popularity polls or big-shot backers. We look for conservatives of courage and conviction who are independent-minded, grounded in their core beliefs about this nation and its people, and best equipped for the job," the editorial said.

Romney enjoys solid leads in New Hampshire polls and remains at the front of the pack nationally. A poll released last week showed him with 42 percent support among likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire. Gingrich followed with 15 percent in the WMUR-University of New Hampshire Granite State poll.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas posted 12 percent support and former Utah Gov. John Huntsman found 8 percent support in that survey.

Those numbers could shift based on the backing of The Union Leader, a newspaper with a conservative editorial stance that proudly works to influence elections, from school boards to the White House, in the politically savvy state.

The endorsement, signed by publisher Joseph W. McQuaid, suggested that the only state-wide newspaper in New Hampshire was ready to again assert itself as a player in the GOP primary.

"We don't have to agree with them on every issue," the newspaper wrote in an editorial that ran across the width of the front page. "We would rather back someone with whom we may sometimes disagree than one who tells us what he thinks we want to hear."

While Romney enjoys solid support in national polls, the large pack of Republicans has shifted all year from candidate to candidate in search of an alternative to the former Massachusetts governor. That led to the rise, and fall, of potential challengers such as Huntsman, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Yet with six weeks until the primary, The Union Leader's move could shuffle the race and further boost Gingrich. In recent weeks, he has seen a surge in some polls as Republicans focus more closely on deciding which candidate they consider best positioned to take on President Barack Obama.

But a Gingrich rival, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, said the endorsement points to how changeable the New Hampshire contest is.

"A month ago for Newt Gingrich to have been in the running to capture the Manchester Union Leader endorsement would have been unthinkable," Huntsman told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday." ''I think it reflects, more than anything else, the fluidity, the unpredictability of the race right now."

As voters started focusing more on the race, Gingrich has turned in solid debate performances and found his stride on a national stage. He has rebuilt his campaign after a disastrous summer that saw many of his top aides resign en masse and fundraising summaries report million in debt.

In New Hampshire, he brought on respected tea party leader Andrew Hemingway to lead his efforts and his team has been contacting almost 1,000 voters each day.

Hemingway's team of eight paid staffers in New Hampshire has been adding more than 100 volunteers each day, campaign officials said. Gingrich's team has lined up leaders in the major cities and has started identifying representatives in each ward in the state.

Gingrich has opened offices in Manchester, New Hampshire's biggest city, along with Dover in the eastern part of the state and in the North Country's Littleton. He plans two more.

Gingrich hasn't begun television advertising and has refused to go negative on his opponents.

Yet The Union Leader's backing could give him a nudge in New Hampshire and provide a steady stream of criticism.

Four years earlier, the newspaper threw its support to Arizona Sen. John McCain's bid and used front page opinion columns and editorials to boost him and criticize chief rival Romney. In the time since, Romney has worked to court Union Leader publisher Joe McQuaid, who often runs columns on the newspaper's front page under his signature.

"The Union Leader's style is we don't just endorse once," McQuaid told The Washington Post in 1999. "We endorse every damn day. We started endorsing Reagan in 1975 and never stopped."

Romney and his wife, Ann, had dinner with the McQuaids at the Bedford Village Inn near Manchester, hoping to reset the relationship earlier this year. Yet it didn't prove enough and McQuaid's newspaper seemed not to appreciate the outreach.

"Newt Gingrich is by no means the perfect candidate," McQuaid wrote. "But Republican primary voters too often make the mistake of preferring an unattainable ideal to the best candidate who is actually running."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-11-27-Union%20Leader-Gingrich/id-98da3e903b1b4d9793257b82a7b20603

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Pakistan stops NATO supplies after raid kills "up to 25" (Reuters)

YAKKAGHUND, Pakistan (Reuters) ? NATO helicopters attacked a military checkpoint in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, killing up to 25 troops and prompting Pakistan to shut the vital supply route for NATO troops fighting in Afghanistan, Pakistani officials said.

The attack comes as relations between the United States and Pakistan, its ally in the war on terror, are already badly strained following the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by U.S. special forces in a secret raid on the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad in May.

Pakistan called that raid a flagrant violation of its sovereignty.

A Pakistani military spokesman confirmed Saturday's pre-dawn cross-border attack in the tribal region of Mohmand and said casualties had been reported, but gave no details.

"NATO helicopters carried out an unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on a Pakistani check post in Mohmand agency, casualties have been reported and details are awaited," the spokesman told Reuters.

Two military officials said that up to 25 Pakistani troops had been killed and 14 wounded in the attack on the Salala check post, about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) from the Afghan border.

"We have heard about heavy casualties but can't provide you with the exact number of casualties of our troops as the post is far away, located in the mountains and is difficult to reach at the moment," a military spokesman in Peshawar said.

The attack took place around 2 a.m. (2100 GMT) in the Baizai area of Mohmand, where Pakistani troops are fighting Taliban militants.

Another senior Pakistani military officer said efforts were under way to bring the bodies of the slain soldiers to Ghalanai, the headquarters of Mohmand tribal region.

"The latest attack by NATO forces on our post will have serious repercussions as they without any reasons attacked on our post and killed soldiers asleep," he said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

About 40 Pakistani army troops were stationed at the outpost, military sources said. Two officers were reported among the dead.

NATO supply trucks and fuel tankers bound for Afghanistan were stopped at Jamrud town in the Khyber tribal region near the city of Peshawar hours after the raid, officials said.

"We have halted the supplies and some 40 tankers and trucks have been returned from the check post in Jamrud," Mutahir Zeb, a senior government official, told Reuters.

Another official said the supplies had been stopped for security reasons.

Pakistan is a vital land route for 49 percent of NATO's supplies to its troops in Afghanistan, a NATO spokesman said.

A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Kabul said the coalition there was aware of "an incident" and was gathering more information.

The incident occurred a day after U.S. General John Allen met Pakistani Army Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani to discuss border control and enhanced cooperation.

The Afghanistan-Pakistan border is often poorly marked, and differs between maps by up to five miles in some places.

A similar incident on Sept 30, 2009, which killed two Pakistani troops, led to the closure of one of NATO's supply routes through Pakistan for 10 days.

NATO apologized for that incident, which it said happened when NATO gunships mistook warning shots by the Pakistani forces for a militant attack.

The attack is expected to further worsen U.S.-Pakistan relations, already at one of their lowest points in history, following a tumultuous year that saw the bin Laden raid, the jailing of a CIA contractor, and U.S. accusations that Pakistan backed a militant attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

An increase in U.S. drone strikes on militants in the last few years has also irritated Islamabad, which says the campaign kills more Pakistani civilians in the border area than activists. Washington disputes that, but declines to discuss the drone campaign in detail.

"This is an attack on Pakistan's territorial sovereignty," said Masood Kasur, the governor of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

"Such cross-border attacks cannot be tolerated any more. The government will take up this matter at the highest level and it will be investigated."

(Additional reporting by Saud Mehsud and Jibran Ahmad; Writing by Augustine Anthony and Chris Allbritton; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111126/wl_nm/us_pakistan_nato

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Syrian dissident: wife freed after Egypt abduction

ADDS NAME OF CHILD AND UPDATES THAT THE WOMAN HAS BEEN FOUND - In this undated family photo made available Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, Mona al-Gharib, left, poses for a photo with her 18-month-old son, Forat in Alexandria, Egypt. An Egypt-based Syrian dissident says his 25-year-old pregnant wife has been found in Cairo more than 24 hours after she was abducted. Thaer al-Nashef says his wife, Mona al-Gharib, was kidnapped Friday afternoon as she walked to her parents house in the Egyptian capital. Al-Nashef said she was found unconscious, but alive, by an elderly woman on a Cairo street Saturday afternoon. He had no immediate details on her condition.(AP Photo/Courtesy Thaer al-Nashef)

ADDS NAME OF CHILD AND UPDATES THAT THE WOMAN HAS BEEN FOUND - In this undated family photo made available Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, Mona al-Gharib, left, poses for a photo with her 18-month-old son, Forat in Alexandria, Egypt. An Egypt-based Syrian dissident says his 25-year-old pregnant wife has been found in Cairo more than 24 hours after she was abducted. Thaer al-Nashef says his wife, Mona al-Gharib, was kidnapped Friday afternoon as she walked to her parents house in the Egyptian capital. Al-Nashef said she was found unconscious, but alive, by an elderly woman on a Cairo street Saturday afternoon. He had no immediate details on her condition.(AP Photo/Courtesy Thaer al-Nashef)

In this photo taken during a government-organized tour for the media, Syrian army officers carry the coffin of one of the 17 army members, including six elite pilots and four technical officers who the military said were killed in an ambush on Thursday during their funeral procession, in Homs province, Syria, on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011. The military blamed terrorists for the ambush and has vowed to "cut every evil hand" that targets the country's security. Syria is facing mounting international pressure to end a bloody crackdown on an uprising against the rule of President Bashar Assad that the U.N. says has killed more than 3,500 people. The Arab League was meeting Saturday to consider the possibility of sweeping economic sanctions. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi)

In this photo taken during a government-organized tour for the media, Syrian army officers stand next to the coffins of 17 army members, including six elite pilots and four technical officers the military said were killed in an ambush on Thursday during their funeral procession, in Homs province, Syria, on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011. The military blamed terrorists for the ambush and has vowed to "cut every evil hand" that targets the country's security. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi)

In this photo taken during a government-organized tour for the media, Syrian army officers carry the coffins of 17 army members, including six elite pilots and four technical officers who the military said were killed in an ambush on Thursday, during their funeral procession, in Homs province, Syria, on Saturday Nov. 26, 2011. The military blamed terrorists for the ambush and has vowed to "cut every evil hand" that targets the country's security. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi)

BEIRUT (AP) ? An Egypt-based Syrian dissident said Saturday that his 25-year-old pregnant wife was abducted by Syrian intelligence agents in Cairo, then released and left unconscious on a street elsewhere in the Egyptian capital. The Syrian Embassy in Egypt strongly denied the claim.

Thaer al-Nashef, a vociferous opponent of President Bashar Assad's regime, said his wife, Mona al-Gharib, was found by an elderly woman who used al-Gharib's cell phone to call her mother.

"I haven't seen her yet, I'm not sure about her condition, but the woman who called said she seemed weak," al-Nashef said, declining to give more details as he was on his way to see her.

The Syrian Embassy in Egypt strongly denied the abduction claim, calling it "lies fabricated by Syrian dissidents in Egypt" seeking to harm Syrian-Egyptian relations.

An Egyptian police official confirmed that al-Nashef had filed a kidnapping complaint but gave no details about the circumstances. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Syria is facing mounting international pressure to end a bloody crackdown on an uprising against Assad's rule that the U.N. says has killed more than 3,500 people.

Arab League economy ministers were scheduled to meet in Cairo Saturday to consider the possibility of sweeping economic sanctions against Syria, which could include halting flights and imposing a freeze on financial dealings and assets.

The move against a nation that was a founding member of the Arab bloc came after Damascus missed a deadline for agreeing to an observer mission aimed at stopping the violence.

Syria blames the violence on armed gangs acting out a foreign conspiracy and has vowed to hit back. Ghassan Abdul-Aal, the governor of the restive city of Homs, insisted Saturday that the Syrian government would continue its suppression of "criminals" following the killing of six elite pilots on Thursday in an ambush.

Abdul-Aal spoke during the funeral procession in Homs of 17 members of the armed forces killed recently in various attacks, including six pilots and four technical officers who were killed in Thursday's ambush. Many of the attacks against Syrian security forces are believed to be carried out by a group of army defectors known as the Free Syrian Army and other Syrians who have increasingly taken up arms against the regime after eight months of largely peaceful protests.

The Syrian Information Ministry organized a trip for Syrian journalists to Homs to attend the funeral.

Sobbing and burying her face behind his photo, the mother of Intisar Dayoub, one of the six pilots, urged the government to punish the perpetrators and to "hit with an iron fist against whoever tries to ruin our country."

Separately, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 10 Syrian soldiers were killed overnight in clashes with army defectors in the city of Deir el-Zour. The report could not be independently verified.

Despite the violence, Assad still has a firm grip on power, in part because the opposition remains fragmented and he retains the support of the business classes and minority groups who feel vulnerable in an overwhelmingly Sunni nation.

Al-Nashef said his wife left their home in Cairo's Mohandeseen neighborhood Friday afternoon to visit her parents nearly two miles (some three kilometers) away, but she was abducted before she got there.

At the time, he was giving a television interview about the situation in Syria in a studio in Cairo and was informed of the kidnapping through an anonymous text message he received on his mobile phone after he left the studio.

"We have your wife and we are going to sexually assault her so that you learn how not to insult your masters again," the text message said, according to al-Nashef. It was from an Egyptian phone number.

After informing the media about the news and filing a police report, he received further messages threatening to kill his wife and throw her body in the Nile if he doesn't stop talking, al-Nashef said, adding that he had been receiving other threats from Syrian agents for weeks.

"They sent threatening messages to me and my wife, accusing me of being a traitor. They threatened to kidnap my wife," he told The Associated Press.

He later said she was found on a street in the Marg district elsewhere in the city.

Al-Nashef worked as a correspondent for Syria's state-agency SANA until 2006, when he became a regime opponent. He has lived in Egypt since 2007 and has been a vocal opponent of the regime, appearing often on Egyptian TV stations to discuss the uprising.

___

Associated Press writers Maggie Michael from Cairo and Albert Aji from Damascus contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-26-ML-Syria/id-4375b9196ffc4c0ea6fff7998aab471d

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Demographic shift key to Obama victory in '12 (Star Tribune)

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Biden's 2012 targets: Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania (tbo)

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An implausible candidate's implausible story (The Arizona Republic)

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Tentative deal moves the NBA lockout closer to end

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2011 file photo, NBA commissioner David Stern speaks during a news conference in New York. The NBA is entering a season Stern calls "nuclear winter." The players have rejected the league's latest proposal and begun disbanding their union in preparation for going to court. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2011 file photo, NBA commissioner David Stern speaks during a news conference in New York. The NBA is entering a season Stern calls "nuclear winter." The players have rejected the league's latest proposal and begun disbanding their union in preparation for going to court. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

The Players Association president Derek Fisher leaves after a news conference early Saturday morning Nov. 26, 2011 in New York regarding the NBA and the Players Association reaching a tentative agreement to end the five-month old lockout and start the league's 2011-12 season on Dec. 25. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)

FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2011, file photo, surrounded by NBA basketball players, Billy Hunter, right, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association Billy Hunter, right, speaks to the media as Players Association president Derek Fisher, left, listens during a news conference in New York. NBA owners and players reached a tentative agreement early Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, to end the 149-day lockout and hope to begin the delayed season with a marquee tripleheader Dec. 25. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt, left, and NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver converse in front of a midtown office building where NBA labor negotiations are taking place in New York, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)

NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver left, and San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt, right, converse in front of a midtown office building where NBA labor negotiations are taking place, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in New York. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Now that there's a handshake deal on a new labor agreement, NBA Commissioner David Stern and union executives must persuade owners and players to approve it, guaranteeing a Christmas Day tripleheader.

After a 149-day lockout, owners and players reached the tentative deal early Saturday. It comes at a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars for both sides, on top of the fans and jobs that were lost during the stalemate. And it leaves the NBA with its second shortened season, with the hope of getting in 66 games instead of a full 82-game schedule.

The lockout isn't quite over, but it appears the NBA's nuclear winter will be avoided.

After a marathon 15-hour negotiating session Friday into Saturday, Stern accepted some congratulations, headed for another short night of sleep, then planned to brief his owners on a deal that could change the way they do business.

Players, looking beat and beaten, face a tougher healing process in approving an agreement that significantly limits their earnings.

First, players must drop a lawsuit against the league, reform their disbanded union and approve the handshake deal that was reached shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday. Players' association executives Derek Fisher and Maurice Evans hardly looked enthused about the agreement as they sat next to executive director Billy Hunter on the same side of a conference table as Stern, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver and Spurs owner Peter Holt, the chairman of the league's labor relations committee.

But at least they weren't sitting in a courtroom, where they appeared headed less than two weeks earlier.

Just 12 days after talks broke down and Stern declared the NBA could be headed to a "nuclear winter," he sat next to Hunter to announce the 10-year deal, with either side able to opt out after the sixth year.

Owners relented slightly on their previous insistence that players receive no more than 50 percent of basketball-related income after they were guaranteed 57 percent in the old collective bargaining agreement. The target is still a 50-50 split, but with a band from 49 percent to 51 percent that gives the players a better chance of reaching the highest limit than previously proposed.

Owners were warned on a conference call Friday night that a deal did not seem imminent, a person briefed on the details told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

Then, shortly past 3 a.m., many league officials received an e-mail from Silver saying they had a deal ? news that apparently caught many off guard.

Silver's e-mail, the person said, did not contain any specifics about the terms of the tentative agreement.

Those details were expected to be provided on a late-afternoon conference call of the labor relations committee Saturday. The agenda was expected to include when franchises may begin contacting their players again and when team facilities could re-open in advance of training camps.

Stern said he expects the labor committee to endorse the deal and recommend it to the full board.

The players' side has revealed little of its feelings about the deal, noting the pending antitrust litigation in its desire for keeping details quiet. But players always preferred to be on the court, rather than in it, and now they finally have the chance.

"I think it was the ability of the parties to decide it was necessary to compromise and to kind of put this thing back together in some kind of way, to put an end to the litigation and everything that that entails," Hunter said.

Players filed an amended antitrust lawsuit in Minnesota on Monday that could have earned the players billions but surely would have come at the cost of at least the entire 2011-12 season.

Both sides said all along the only way to a deal was through negotiating. They got back together Tuesday, setting the way for the pivotal meeting that began Friday.

"I think we saw a willingness of both sides to compromise yet a little more and to reach this agreement," Silver said. "We look forward to opening on Christmas Day and we are excited to bring NBA basketball back and that's most important."

Both sides are expected to OK the pact, which would pave the way for training camps and free agency to open simultaneously Dec. 9.

President Barack Obama gave a thumbs-up when told about the tentative settlement after he finished playing basketball at Fort McNair in Washington on Saturday morning.

Because the union disbanded, a new collective bargaining agreement can only be completed once the union has reformed. Drug testing and other issues still must be negotiated between the players and the league, which also must dismiss its lawsuit regarding the legality of the lockout.

"We're very pleased we've come this far," Stern said. "There's still a lot of work to be done."

When the NBA returns, owners hope to find the type of parity that exists in the NFL, where the small-market Green Bay Packers are the current champions. The NBA has been dominated in recent years by the biggest spenders, with Boston, Los Angeles and Dallas winning the last four titles.

"I think it will largely prevent the high-spending teams from competing in the free-agent market the way they've been able to in the past. It's not the system we sought out to get in terms of a harder cap, but the luxury tax is harsher than it was. We hope it's effective," Silver said.

"We feel ultimately it will give fans in every community hope that their team can compete for championships."

Owners locked out the players July 1, and the sides spent most of the summer and fall battling over the division of revenues and other changes owners wanted in a new collective bargaining agreement. They said they lost hundreds of millions of dollars in each year of the former deal, ratified in 2005, and they wanted a system where the big-market teams wouldn't have the ability to outspend their smaller counterparts.

Players fought against those changes, not wanting to see any teams taken out of the market when they became free agents.

"This was not an easy agreement for anyone. The owners came in having suffered substantial losses and feeling the system wasn't working fairly across all teams," Silver said. "I certainly know the players had strong views about expectations in terms of what they should be getting from the system. It required a lot of compromise from both parties' part."

Stern denied the antitrust litigation was a factor in accelerating a deal, but things happened relatively quickly after the players filed.

"For us the litigation is something that just has to be dealt with," Stern said. "It was not the reason for the settlement. The reason for the settlement was we've got fans, we've got players who would like to play and we've got others who are dependent on us. And it's always been our goal to reach a deal that was fair to both sides and get us playing as soon as possible, but that took a little time."

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: twitter.com/Briancmahoney

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-26-NBA%20Labor/id-dd9250cf647446a58886af1e02e2831a

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Delta adds real-time bag tracking for holiday travelers (Digital Trends)

Added within a recent update to Delta?s mobile application available for iPhone, Android and Windows phone owners, air travelers now have the ability to watch the progress of checked bags before, during and after the flight. After the Delta customer launches the application on a smartphone, they select ?Track My Bags? and enter either the bag tag number or the file reference number into the screen. After entering a last name as well, the app displays for the current location of the bag as well as previous areas that the bag passed though. Assuming the smartphone has a camera, the user can also scan the barcode included on the ticket supplied by Delta when checking the bag.

The details provided by the application are very similar to information that a Fedex or UPS customer can pull up to track a package. The bag is scanned when dropped off in addition to when it?s being loaded on the plane. When the bag is scanned at the destination, the application also provides the claim area location where the customer will be able to locate the luggage. When accessing the application on the plane, customers will be able to use the app, in addition to the official Delta site, without having to pay for?Gogo in-flight Internet service. BlackBerry owners are going to have to wait until early 2012 to get access to the same feature as Delta hasn?t completed work on the BlackBerry version of the application yet.

While tracking bags is a great feature for air travel, Delta does charge the majority of the customers for checked bags. When traveling within the United States or Canada, economy travelers have to pay $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second. However, first class and business class travelers can check up to three bags for free.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

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Bahrain hints at evidence of Iran protest links (AP)

MANAMA, Bahrain ? In a 500-page report detailing widespread abuses in Bahrain's crackdowns, it's a brief section on Iran that has brought the strongest pushback Thursday in the Gulf kingdom ? authorities clinging to their claims that Tehran had a role in the Shiite-led uprising despite the report's findings.

Bahrain suggested it may have classified intelligence of Iranian links to the 10-month-old unrest, though independent investigators said they found nothing to back the allegations.

The report's short reference to Iran touches some of the most powerful Arab Spring narratives among the Gulf's Sunni leaders. Accusations about plotting by Shiite giant Iran have been used to justify crushing measures, such as sending Saudi-led military forces to reinforce Bahrain's embattled monarchy.

It also reflects the bolder political strategies by Gulf nations to get involved in uprisings elsewhere ? such Saudi's leaders mediating a possible exit for Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh ? while keeping unwavering pressure on suspected Iran-leaning dissent at home. Saudi's Interior Ministry said at least four people have been killed this week in clashes in the heavily Shiite city of Qatif.

The findings by a special commission that investigated Bahrain's turmoil were a direct slap at fears by the Western-allied Gulf states that Iran seeks to use Bahrain as a foothold to try to undermine the region's Sunni regimes. The commission released a major report Wednesday.

The official Bahrain News Agency said national security concerns prevented sharing all intelligence on Iran with the commission. Officials in Iran have sharply denounced the crackdowns on Bahrain's Shiite majority, but they insist Iran has no direct ties to the conflict.

The news agency also repeated statements by Bahrain's king that Iranian propaganda has fueled bloodshed and clashes on the strategic island, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Earlier this month, Bahrain claimed it dismantled an Iranian-linked terror cell that plotted attacks on high-profile targets including the Saudi Embassy.

Mustafa Alani, a regional analyst at the Geneva-based Gulf Research Center, said Bahraini officials are in a "difficult position" by their claims of protecting sensitive intelligence while openly accusing some Shiite activists of working with Iranian agents.

The special commission's report ? authorized by Bahrain's rulers in a bid to ease tensions ? highlighted details of abuses, including torture, excessive force and legal shortcomings under a special security court.

At least 35 people have been killed in violence related to the uprising, including several members of the security forces.

Bahrain's Shiites comprise about 70 percent of the island nation's 525,000 citizens. They have complained of widespread discrimination, such as being blocked from top government or military posts. The monarchy has offered some concessions but refused to bow to protest demands to surrender control of top positions and main policies.

Many of the report's conclusions had been previously noted by rights groups and opposition activists.

The burden fell on Bahrain's authorities to prove their charges of Iranian links to the protests.

The report said evidence presented by Bahrain's government "does not establish a discernible link between specific incidents" during the time period studied from February and March.

The commission noted that most of the government's claims on Iranian involvement related to alleged intelligence operations, making them impossible to independently investigate "due to security and confidentiality considerations."

Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, lashed back at the findings, insisting Tehran's role was clear to "all who have eyes and ears."

He pointed to Iran's Arabic-language broadcasts that "fueled the flames of sectarian strife," but gave no details on the extent of possible secret intelligence that was not shared.

Bahrain is a critical U.S. ally, and Washington has taken a cautious line: Urging Bahrain's leaders to open more dialogue with the opposition, but avoiding too much public pressure.

In Washington, the White House on Wednesday commended the king for appointing the commission and said in a statement that it is "incumbent upon the government of Bahrain to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and put in place institutional changes to ensure that such abuses do not happen again."

A statement by the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, urged Bahraini authorities to "open a new chapter ... of national reconciliation."

___

Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Adam Schreck in Dubai contributed to this report.

___

Online: http://files.bici.org.bh/BICIreportEN.pdf

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain

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Former ?Idol? Lauren Alaina flubs national anthem

She performed live in front of a television audience of millions week in and week out on Season 10 of ?American Idol,? but at the Detroit Lions/Green Bay Packers game on Thanksgiving, Lauren Alaina?s nerves got the best of her as she flubbed the National Anthem.

Unlike Christina Aguilera, who, at last year?s Super Bowl actually sang the wrong lyrics to ?The Star-Spangled Banner,? but kept singing, on Thursday, Lauren completely went silent for about five seconds in the middle of the song.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Lauren Alaina: From High School Student To Superstar

?What so proudly we hailed, through the twi?? she trailed off into silence.

Brian Baumgartner, who plays Kevin Malone on NBC comedy ?The Office,? was one of the many fans who caught Lauren?s singing snafu and Tweeted about it, quickly propelling her name into a top 10 Twitter trending topic.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: No Place Like Home: ?American Idol? Final 3?s Hometown Visits

?Oh Lauren Alaina? Poor you. Poor poor you?.? he wrote.

Lauren was able to jump back in on the line, ?Whose broad stripes and bright stars?? and, with a smile on her face, finished to the delight of the patrons in the sold-out stadium, who cheered loudly.

FOX?s Joe Buck, the TV announcer for the game, summed it up best, saying, ?It?s all about how you finish.?

VIEW THE PHOTOS: From ?Dirrty? To ?Beautiful?: Hot Shots Of Songstress Christina Aguilera

On Thursday afternoon, Lauren took ownership for her flub in response to a Tweet of encouragement from fellow ?Idol? alum, Kellie Pickler.

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   2. Bachmann: Fallon song choice was sexist
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   5. 'Arthur Christmas' a jolly new holiday tradition

?HEY DOLL! YOU HANDLED YOURSELF LIKE A PRO! SEND THE BULLIES MY WAY & I?LL TELL EM? WHERE TO GO,? Kellie Tweeted.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Crazy! Sexy! Cool! The Planet?s Hottest Pop Stars Take The Stage

?thank you so much,? Lauren responded. ?I?m not a robot. I have No excuses. I messed up. You know what can ya do. At Least didn?t fall down again.?

?Thank you everyone for the kind words,? she added a little later. ?But the truth is I messed up. I?m gonna spend the rest of the day being thankful for all my blessings.?

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:

PLAY IT NOW: Scotty McCreery & Lauren Alaina Excited For ?American Idol? Finale
PLAY IT NOW: ?How Is ?Idol?s? Lauren Alaina?s Voice Recovering?

More from Access: [ Lauren Alaina Kellie Pickler American Idol ]

Copyright 2011 by NBC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45431260/ns/today-entertainment/

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No. 1 LSU powers past No. 3 Arkansas, 41-17

LSU's Tyrann Mathieu (7) returns a punt for a 92-yard for a touchdown during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Arkansas in Baton Rouge, La., Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

LSU's Tyrann Mathieu (7) returns a punt for a 92-yard for a touchdown during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Arkansas in Baton Rouge, La., Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

LSU running back Kenny Hilliard (27) dives into the end zone for a touchdown against Arkansas during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle, left, eludes Arkansas cornerback Tevin Mitchel (8) on a 22-yard pass play to the Arkansas 9 yard line to set up an LSU touchdown during the second quarter of their NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

LSU wide receiver Russell Shepard (10) heads to the end zone for a touchdown as Arkansas cornerback Tevin Mitchel (8) tries for the stop during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson (8) warms up before an NCAA college football game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Friday, Nov. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) ? Tyrann Mathieu answered the call for a game-turning play when LSU needed one most, and the top-ranked Tigers piled on from there.

Mathieu returned a punt 92 yards for a game-tying score and the Tigers punished third-ranked Arkansas with 286 yards rushing, wiping out a 14-point deficit with a 41-17 win Friday that secured a spot in the SEC championship.

"I could hear my teammates in my ear saying, 'Man, we need you to go make a play,'" Mathieu said. "I was able to help the momentum really go in our favor.

"You have no idea how bad I just wanted to go out there and make a big play for our team. I was fortunate enough to be able to do that."

Kenny Hilliard, Spencer Ware and Jordan Jefferson all scored on the ground for LSU (12-0, 8-0 SEC), which is 12-0 for the first time and will play No. 13 Georgia next weekend in Atlanta.

A win over the Bulldogs would assure the Tigers their third trip to the BCS title game in nine seasons. Though at this point, LSU might be able to get there even if it loses.

The rivalry game with Arkansas (10-2, 6-2) for the big Boot trophy was billed as the biggest in Tiger Stadium since 1959, the last time two teams ranked in the top three clashed in Death Valley. Billy Cannon lifted No. 1 LSU to a 7-3 win over No. 3 Mississippi in that game with an 89-yard punt return for a score, so it seemed fitting that the Tigers would get a similar score against the Razorbacks.

"That was a huge turning point in the game," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. "We were trying to get the ball punted to the sideline, but he miss-hit it a bit and punted it to the middle. ... (Mathieu) made a great cut and made us miss at the point of attack. He made a great play."

LSU trailed 14-7 when Mathieu fielded Dylan Breeding's end-over-end kick at his own 8, started left, made a hard cut straight up field, then angled left again to break into the clear.

"It made the statement that that lead was not going to stand up," LSU coach Les Miles said. "Our defense was going to continue to play well and our offense was coming."

Cannon also made a game-sealing tackle on defense late in that classic game against Ole Miss. Mathieu, who was playing safety instead of cornerback much of the game because of Eric Reid's injury the previous week, had defensive highlights of his own, forcing two fumbles with strips, one of which he recovered.

He now has six forced fumbles this season. His fifth was a strip of running back Dennis Johnson in LSU territory late in the first half. That set up a touchdown drive that put the Tigers ahead to stay.

It was Mathieu's third touchdown of the season, his second on special teams, the other coming on a fumble return.

Arkansas took a surprising 14-0 lead on Tyler Wilson's 13-yard TD pass to Jarius Wright and Alonzo Highsmith's 47-yard fumble return. The largest deficit LSU had faced before Friday was 13-9 against Oregon in the season opener.

The Tigers stormed back and outscored the Razorbacks 41-3 from there.

"This football team down 14 points did not flinch," Miles said. "There was never a question in anyone's minds on that sideline we were going to respond."

LSU's defense sacked Wilson five times (twice by Barkevious Mingo) and picked him off once on Morris Claiborne's team-leading fifth interception of the season.

Two plays after the pick, Jefferson ran 48 yards for his score on a quarterback draw that was wide open, making it 38-17.

Wilson completed 14 of 22 passes for 207 yards, with 60 yards on a short pass that Cobi Hamilton turned into a long gain. The play put Arkansas in position to tie the game at 21 in the third quarter, but LSU's defense forced a field goal that made it 21-17, and the Razorbacks never got closer than that again.

"We played a great team and they came out on top," said Wright, who came in leading the SEC with 100.2 yards receiving per game, but was held to only one catch by LSU. "They're the No. 1 team in the nation. Of course, we're upset about the loss because we definitely could have finished better."

Jefferson was 18 of 29 for 208 yards and one touchdown, a 9-yard pass to Russell Shepard that gave LSU the lead for good at with 59 seconds left in the first half. His first interception of the season kept Arkansas in the game in the third quarter, but otherwise he was excellent.

Hilliard finished with a career-high 102 yards rushing on 19 carries, while Michael Ford rushed 11 times for 96 yards.

"At halftime our offensive line came in and told us that, man, we were wearing them down and in the second half I think we can beat them up," Hilliard said. "We came out in the second half and pounded the football right at them. I felt it out there."

Hilliard's touchdown came on a tackle-breaking 6-yard run. Ware scored on a similar carry from 7 yards out.

Arkansas has had the better of its end-of-season rivalry with LSU in recent years, having won three of the previous four meetings, including a 2007 triple-overtime upset in Tiger Stadium when LSU was No. 1.

Only a series of unlikely losses by other teams allowed the Tigers to sneak into the BCS title game that season and win their last national title by beating Ohio State.

This the time the Hogs were nearly two-touchdown underdogs, but had pledged to play passionately in memory of late teammate Garrett Uekman, who'd died last Sunday. Coaches wore black ribbons on white shirts, and tight end Austin Tate changed his jersey number from 87 to Uekman's 88.

Hardly intimidated by a raucous Death Valley crowd, Arkansas built a 14-0 lead that was by far LSU's largest deficit of the season.

It looked at that point that LSU was going to face its toughest test yet.

Instead the Tigers made it look easy, scoring three straight TDs before the half ended and pulling away in the second half.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-11-25-T25-Arkansas-LSU/id-3cbb4f06321c4ba79c7c1dafc0b8f119

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Russian wanted by Lithuania arrested in London

Customers line up to withdraw money at a Snoras bank branch in Vilnius, Lithuania, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Lithuania's Snoras Bank was nationalized last week after regulators discovered a huge asset shortfall, while Latvian regulators suspended and took control of Latvijas Krajbanka due to an unexpected outflow of funds over recent days. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Customers line up to withdraw money at a Snoras bank branch in Vilnius, Lithuania, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Lithuania's Snoras Bank was nationalized last week after regulators discovered a huge asset shortfall, while Latvian regulators suspended and took control of Latvijas Krajbanka due to an unexpected outflow of funds over recent days. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Customers line up to withdraw money at a Snoras bank branch in Vilnius, Lithuania, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Lithuania's Snoras Bank was nationalized last week after regulators discovered a huge asset shortfall, while Latvian regulators suspended and took control of Latvijas Krajbanka due to an unexpected outflow of funds over recent days. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) ? A Russian businessman who owns Portsmouth Football Club and has tried to invest in cash-strapped car maker Saab has been arrested in London in connection with a money laundering probe that has rocked Lithuania and Latvia, officials said Friday.

Vladimir Antonov, 36, and a Lithuanian partner, Raimondas Baranauskas, 53, were detained Thursday on an arrest warrant issued by investigators probing alleged fraud and money laundering at his banks in the Baltic states, Lithuanian prosecutor Tomas Krusna told reporters.

The Bank of Lithuania said late Thursday that his bank there, Snoras Bank, will be liquidated, calling it the best solution for country's financial system and economy, which were jolted after the bank was nationalized and its operations halted.

Lithuanian regulators claim that hundreds of millions of euros were siphoned from Snoras, the country's fifth-largest financial institution, while Latvian authorities have said that similar asset-stripping took place on a massive scale at Latvija Krajbanka, a subsidiary bank controlled by Snoras.

Lithuanian bank chief Vitas Vasiliauskas said the government was liquidating the bank rather than waste taxpayers' money trying to help "a plane that won't fly."

"There is no other way to solve this situation," he said.

The decision to liquidate Snoras means that Latvijas Krajbanka, which Snoras controls through a 68 percent stake, is almost certain to suffer the same fate given Latvia's meager financial resources as it emerges from one of the world's worst recessions.

When asked about Antonov's arrest, London police read a statement saying that two men ? age 36 and 53 ? were arrested in response to a Europe-wide arrest warrant in London's financial center. British officials do not name suspects until they have been charged.

Police said the two men remained in custody overnight and are due to appear in a London court later Friday.

Lithuanian prosecutors on Wednesday issued the warrant for Antonov, who owned over 60 percent of Snoras, and Baranauskas.

Antonov told the Lithuanian daily Respublika in a phone interview published Thursday that he feared for his life.

"I returned to London because I live and work here ? my family is here. Where else can I go? Russia? That would be a one-way ticket. I would have to stay there for safety, but this would be considered an escape attempt," he said.

"I am ready to testify...I understand that extradition is inevitable. I can say it openly ? I am scared that I may get killed," Antonov said.

Latvian officials had hoped that Lithuania's government might be able to salvage the banks, and Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis was due to travel to Lithuania on Friday on discuss the issue. However, once news of Snoras' liquidation broke, Dombrovskis canceled the trip.

Lithuania's Finance Ministry said Friday that they would pay out all guaranteed deposits ? up to euro100,000 ($132,000) ? at Snoras by Christmas ? requiring some 4 billion litas ($1.5 billion) in funds.

Latvia's government was due to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the fate of Latvijas Krajbanka.

Authorities in both Lithuania and Latvia say the two banks' collapse does not pose a systemic risk since they are mid-sized and the two states have ample reserves to guarantee deposits.

Latvijas Krajbanka was Latvia's 10th largest bank by assets after it was taken over by regulators on Monday.

Janis Brazovskis, an official with Latvia's Finance and Capital Markets Commission who was appointed to oversee Krajbanka, said Wednesday that Antonov's failed attempt to acquire the troubled Swedish automaker Saab might have triggered the Baltic banks' downfall.

He said that approximately 100 million lats ($200 million) were siphoned from the bank to increase its charter capital and finance Antonov's investment projects ? including the unsuccessful takeover of Saab.

Deposit holders in both countries are now forced to wait in long lines to withdraw money from cash machines, while companies and municipalities have seen the working capital virtually disappear.

Baranauskas, who owned just over 25 percent in Snoras, said last week that Lithuania's decision to nationalize Snoras was "robbery" and an attack on Antonov.

___

Associated Press writers Cassandra Vinograd in London and Gary Peach in Riga, Latvia, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-25-EU-Lithuania-Bank-Woes/id-2c0ef4ca858c49568dfee6abd11aac1c

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Thanksgiving Small Business Roundup Shows Holiday SMB Plans

It?s that time of the year. As we gather with friends and family to give thanks, here is a special Thanksgiving roundup for our small business community. Hope you have had and will continue to have lots to be thankful for with your small business this year.

News & Trends

Small businesses hope for holiday spending. Of course, the Friday after Thanksgiving has traditionally been designated Black Friday, widely known as the busiest shopping day of the year, but small businesses and others are hoping to extend that business over several days. Hickory Daily Record

This Saturday important for small business. While Black Friday may be important to big retailers (and perhaps a few small businesses mixed in as well) this Saturday is specifically for SMBs and many are hoping it will lead to great bottom lines. Herald-Mail.com

Marketing Thoughts

Large retailers may be open on Thanksgiving Day. However, many small businesses have decided to take the holiday off. One concern is that the extra day added by some could wind up simply stretching our revenue over several days not spending. Portflolio.com

How is selling your small business like Thanksgiving dinner? Whether you?re seeking a buyer for your SMB or enjoying a day of thanks with your family, the same?rules apply. Here are some simple rulres to guide you whether you are attending a family?get together or negotiating the?sale?of your business.?You?re the Boss

Holiday Ideas

The Holiday season can be a great time for revenue. Here are some tips to make the most of the potential for Holiday sales with your small business. What ideas can you?share about boosting your small business revenue during Thanksgiving and the?big retail days that follow? Please comment below.?Online PR Media

Does your business give gifts for the Holidays? Then have we got a link for you. Here, just in time for the season and one of the biggest weekends for Holiday shopping, is our own Small Business Trends ?Guide to Holiday Gift Giving.? Small Business Trends

Giving Thanks

Some thoughts on being thankful, small business style. The first of some posts we?ve found around the Net specially aimed at the season. If you operate a successful small business, we hope you feel thankful today and that you will help us share. Word Chef

What small businesses are you thankful for? Here?s a post that looks at things a bit differently. As we prepare for a Saturday specifically dedicated to small businesses, the question becomes, what small businesses do you think are worthy of support? Patch

Lessons Learned

Giving thanks with great customer service. Customer relationships are a two-way street; Our patrons purchase our products or services, but in return small business owners need to show their customers that they?re valued. See how even small gestures of customer appreciation matter, and how no budget is too small to let customers know they?re important. Napa Valley Register

Dinner party principles. The rules of etiquette for doing business are just the same as those for gathering with family for a fine meal like the one you?re having this Thanksgiving?common courtesy, graciousness, and integrity in everything you do. See how these five fantastic rules of?dining do double duty as small business best behavior. Your Office Anywhere

Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-small-business-roundup-shows-holiday-smb-plans.html

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Noel Gallagher's Guide To Real-Life High-Flying Birds

In honor of his High Flying Birds solo album, we asked the ertswhile Oasis songwriter to rate his fellow high-soaring avians.
By James Montgomery

Noel Gallagher
Photo: MTV News

Noel Gallagher has never been one to shy away from stating his opinions, whether about Katie Holmes ("top Scientologist"), his new solo album Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds ("It's just a good record, what can I say?"), social networking ("I don't need a million friends; I've got six friends and I'm f---ing trying to get rid of one of those") or innumerable other topics. This is just part of the reason why, in addition to being a genuine rock god, he's also a bit of a New Age guru.

So when Gallagher stopped by the MTV newsroom earlier this month to promote High Flying Birds — and dispel rumors that he was about to bury the hatchet with his brother Liam and re-form Oasis — in addition to talking all about the album, we had to ask him for his take on various other high-soaring members of the Avian family. And, of course, he didn't disappoint.

From his take on Rüeppell's griffon — "sounds like a German tank commander from the Second World War" — to the whooper swan — "tastes great" — to his wholesale dismissal of Canadian geese and the South American condor as "idiots," Gallagher had plenty to say about the birds that dare to fly high.

And so, in celebration of not just his really great solo album, but his unfettered hatred for all flying creatures, we'd like to present to you "Noel Gallagher's Guide to High-Flying Birds." Watch the embedded video and be amazed at the genius this man possesses. And no, despite the fact it's Thanksgiving, he didn't mention turkeys. Turns out they can't get high enough for his liking.

Share your review of Noel's solo album in the comments!

Related Videos

• MTV News Extended Play: Noel Gallagher

Related Artists

• Noel Gallagher

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1674894/noel-gallagher-high-flying-birds.jhtml

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Brazil suspends Chevron's drilling rights (Reuters)

BRASILIA (Reuters) ? The Brazilian government on Wednesday suspended Chevron Corp's drilling rights in Brazil until it clarifies the causes of an offshore oil spill, the latest twist in a political firestorm threatening the U.S. company's role in Brazil's oil bonanza.

The decision was announced as the chief executive of Chevron's Brazilian unit was testifying before the Brazilian Congress, where he publicly apologized for the November 8 spill that leaked about 2,400 barrels of oil into the ocean off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil's National Petroleum Agency said it decided to halt Chevron's drilling rights after determining that there was evidence that the company had been "negligent" in its study of data needed to drill and in contingency planning for abandoning the well in the event of accident.

The agency, known as ANP, also rejected a request from Chevron to drill deeper wells into subsalt areas in the Frade field where the spill took place. The Frade field, which is located in the oil-rich Campos Basin, is the only block in Brazil where Chevron is producing oil and is the operator.

The Campos Basin is currently the source of more than 80 percent of Brazil's oil output.

Chevron has previously drilled for subsalt depth targets in the field, which is also owned by Brazil's state-controlled energy giant Petrobras and Frade Japao, a Japanese consortium. Chevron owns 52 percent of Frade, whereas Petrobras owns 30 percent and Frade Japao 18 percent.

Chevron has already been fined $28 million by Brazil's environmental agency for the spill, an amount that is sure to rise sharply when the ANP and Rio's state government slap fines on the company, as they have pledged to do.

Chevron's CEO in Brazil, George Buck, told Brazilian lawmakers on Wednesday that the company "acted as rapidly and safely as possible" and "used all resources" to contain and stop the flow of oil from the well.

"We controlled the source in four days. We worked with transparency and cooperation with the authorities of Brazil," Buck said. "Please understand that during those first days it was very confusing, very difficult to manage the flow of information."

The ANP said the suspension will remain in place until Chevron fully restores safety conditions in the field.

The Frade leak, while small, is likely to provide more ammunition for the growing worldwide opposition to offshore drilling in the wake of the estimated 4-million-barrel BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the U.S. Gulf in 2010.

Chevron is also a 30 percent partner in the nearby $5.2 billion Papa-Terra project. Petrobras is the operator in Papa Terra.

Chevron, Petrobras and Frade Japao produce about 79,000 barrels a day of oil in Frade. Petrobras and Chevron expect to produce about 140,000 barrels of oil and equivalent gas from Papa-Terra in 2013.

(Additional reporting by Jeb Blount in Rio de Janeiro; Writing by Todd Benson and Reese Ewing; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111123/bs_nm/us_chevron_brazil_anp

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