Herman Cain signed off last night’s debate with this quote: “A poet once said, ‘Life can be a challenge, life can seem impossible, but it’s never easy when there’s so much on the line.’” The inspirational poet? Daily Intel is on the case: Turns out it’s Donna Summer, and…
Continue reading …Three Indian states have banned a new Bollywood film that addresses the caste system. The film has already sparked the anger of lower caste groups, who say it fuels prejudice, the AP reports. The lower caste groups, called Dalits, make up about a quarter of India’s population. The film, called…
Continue reading …Don’t dismiss the London riots as just another foreign story, warns Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal . “What we’re seeing on the streets in Britain right now is something we may be starting to see here,” she writes. “It hasn’t come together in a conflagration, but it is out…
Continue reading …A federal appeals court today struck down the requirement in President Obama’s health care overhaul package that virtually all Americans must carry health insurance or face penalties. A divided three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the so-called individual mandate, siding with 26 states that had…
Continue reading …Tim Pawlenty came off like a desperate candidate with a misguided strategy in last night’s debate , writes Steve Kornacki at Salon . Going after Michele Bachmann instead of Mitt Romney? Really? He probably figured he needed to do so because she is his chief rival in tomorrow’s Ames straw poll, which…
Continue reading …Women grappling with depression may face a higher risk of stroke, a study suggests—though the two may not be directly linked. Researchers examined data on 80,000 women between 2000 and 2006; some 22% had depression diagnoses, but none had had a stroke. Over the six years, 1,033…
Continue reading …From the return of scrunchies to an attempted Saved by the Bell reunion, there’s no doubt about it: The ’90s are back in a big way. The New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys have teamed up, Pop-Up Video is returning, and Nickelodeon is bringing back a whole slew…
Continue reading …The 12 members of the new budget super committee have received more than $3 million over the past five years from special interests directly affected by potential cuts, an AP review finds. The money came from groups linked to defense contractors, labor unions, and health care providers, and buffered the…
Continue reading …Charles Krauthammer today disputes the “endlessly repeated conventional wisdom” that our political system is broken. On the contrary, he writes in the Washington Post , it’s working “precisely as designed—profound changes in popular will translated into law that alters the nation’s political direction.” For proof, look to both Wisconsin and…
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Company confirms spill from flow line serving Gannet Alpha platform and takes further measures to isolate it Royal Dutch Shell has said it is working to contain an oil leak at its Gannet Alpha platform in the North Sea, but declined to specify the size of the leak. “We can confirm we are managing an oil leak in a flow line that serves the Gannet Alpha platform. We deployed a remote-operated vehicle to check for a subsea leak after a light sheen was noticed in the area,” a Shell spokesman said. “We have stemmed the leak significantly and we are taking further measures to isolate it. The subsea well has been shut in, and the flow line is being depressurised.” Asked about the size of the leak, a Shell spokeswoman declined to say. One of the wells at the oilfield 112 miles east of Aberdeen has been closed, but Shell did not specify whether output was reduced. According to Argus Media, the Gannet field produced about 13,500 barrels of oil between January and April. The field is co-owned with US firm Exxon and operated by Shell. A document available on Shell’s website says the Gannet facilities have capacity to export 88,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Shell also said it had restarted its North Sea Brent Alpha and Bravo fields on Thursday after a seven-month shutdown, while two other fields remained shut. The company shut all four of its Brent platforms, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta, in January for repairs. “Brent Alpha and Brent Bravo are producing gas for export via the Flags(far north liquids and gas line) to the St Fergus gas plant,” Shell said. “It is anticipated that Brent Delta will resume export in the near future and Brent Charlie will restart in early 2012.” The statement said that the work at the Brent fields was technically challenging and depended on the weather in the area. Before the shut-in, the four Brent fields produced about 4.5 million cubic metres a day of gas, less than 2 percent of current UK gas demand, and just 20,000 barrels per day of oil. Brent was once Britain’s largest oilfield, and still has global significance as one of the four key North Sea crude streams along with Forties, Oseberg and Ekofisk. Royal Dutch Shell Oil spills Oil Oil and gas companies guardian.co.uk
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