Schlumberger posts profit jump (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Schlumberger Ltd (SLB.N), the world's largest oilfield services company, reported a 36 percent rise in quarterly earnings, beating Wall Street forecasts, but it warned that Europe's debt crisis could hurt economic growth and trim oil demand.

The International Energy Agency cut its oil demand forecast earlier this week, saying the possibility of a credit crunch in Europe could set off a recession that would cut energy consumption.

Oilfield service companies have benefited from strong crude oil prices, which have prompted their energy-producing customers to hike spending by about 10 percent this year, according to a survey by Barclays Capital.

Schlumberger said in a statement that its planned capital spending would rise by more than 12 percent to nearly $4.5 billion this year, but added that it was "building the required flexibility into our resource plans."

"This is code for throttling back on spending, at a minimum, if warranted," Simmons & Co analyst Bill Herbert wrote in a note to investors.

Schlumberger said its growth in North America was driven by business in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, where activity is increasing after the 2010 BP Plc (BP.L) oil spill brought drilling there to a standstill.

Offshore activity in Africa and land business in the Middle East and North Africa were also strong, the company said.

Still, recent price increases that had helped the onshore business in North America have slowed from the third quarter, according to Schlumberger.

U.S. drilling activity has exploded in recent years as the development of shale rock formations has surged. That has been a boon for Schlumberger and rival Halliburton Co (HAL.N), which reports its quarterly earnings next week.

That drilling has led to a glut of natural gas and pushed prices for the fuel to its lowest levels in a decade, raising expectations that such activity will decline.

Schlumberger's fourth-quarter net profit rose to $1.4 billion, or $1.05 per share, from $1.0 billion, or 76 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, earnings per share of $1.11 topped the $1.09 that analysts had on average forecast, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue rose about 21 percent to $11 billion, above the $10.8 billion analysts had expected.

Schlumberger shares were up 0.5 percent at $73.25 in premarket trading.

(Reporting by Matt Daily in New York, Krishna N Das in Bangalore and Braden Reddall in San Francisco; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120120/bs_nm/us_schlumberger

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10,000 evacuated as brush fire burns toward Reno (AP)

RENO, Nev. ? Wind gusts of up to 82 mph pushed a fast-moving brush fire south of Reno out of control Thursday as it burned several homes, threatened dozens more and forced about 10,000 people to evacuate their neighborhoods.

Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said more than 230 firefighters were battling the blaze, which had grown to nearly 5 square miles within hours.

Hernandez confirmed "several" homes had been destroyed. He said he didn't know the exact number but told reporters "the news is not good."

There were no immediate reports of any deaths or injuries.

A Reno television station reported at least 10 homes had burned since the fire broke out about 12:45 p.m. along U.S. Highway 395.

Washoe County officials declared a state of emergency a few hours later, and Gov. Brian Sandoval followed with a statewide declaration.

A five-mile stretch of U.S. 395 was closed as the strong winds pushed the flames north toward Reno along the base of the hillsides, Washoe County sheriff's Deputy Armando Avina said. Heavy smoke reduced visibility to zero.

By nightfall, the fire had burned to the city's southern outskirts. Flames were visible 10 miles away in the downtown casino district.

"It's moving at a very fast rate," Avina said. "The winds are extremely powerful in this area."

The winds died down after nightfall and rain started falling, much to the delight of fire crews.

Deputies went door to door asking people to leave their homes in Pleasant Valley, Old Washoe Valley and Saint James Village, Avina said. They evacuated about 300 students from Pleasant Valley Elementary School.

Erika Minnberry, 28, said she didn't become concerned at first because smoke from the fire appeared far enough away.

"Probably 30 minutes later, it was up to our house because of the high winds," she said. "I felt pure survival adrenaline. When we drove away, the smoke was so thick, we could barely see ahead of us. Now I feel anxiety. I couldn't find my two cats at the time and I hope they're OK."

KRNV-TV reported that 10 homes had burned, including a half dozen in the Washoe Valley Estates neighborhood. The Reno Gazette-Journal reported explosions could be heard in the area.

Firefighters had zero containment of the blaze and were concentrating on using crews and trucks to protect homes in the path of the flames, Hernandez said.

He estimated firefighters had saved about 1,000 structures and said another 80 to 120 firefighters were expected to arrive on scene before midnight.

"To say we are in the thick of battle is an understatement," he told reporters.

Martinez said the fire was "almost a carbon copy" of a huge wild fire on the edge of the Sierra foothills that destroyed 30 homes in southwest Reno in November.

"It is a wind-driven event and a combination urban-wildland fire," he said.

Like in that fire, Martinez said, strong winds and dry conditions helped fuel the latest blaze. The Reno area had gone a winter-record 56 days without any precipitation until light snow fell earlier this week.

More wet weather was forecast Friday, and snow was forecast Friday night. But high winds were expected to continue, with gusts up to 40 mph.

The strong winds that blew over the Sierra ahead of the winter storm caused delays earlier Thursday in Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Reno, where he was two hours late to give a speech at Galena High School on the south end of town.

The air smelled of smoke at the school, which sits on the Mount Rose Highway leading to Lake Tahoe. Biden told the audience about 25 minutes into his speech that he was cutting his remarks short because of the fire.

Martinez conducted his 5:15 p.m. briefing at the high school, which was evacuated along with surrounding neighborhoods shortly afterward.

The flames, up to 40 feet high, raced through sage brush, grass and pines in an area where small neighborhoods are dispersed among an otherwise rural landscape. Washoe County animal services officials were helping round up horses and other livestock for evacuation.

The American Red Cross opened an evacuation center at Damonte High School, where the children from the elementary school were taken.

Trooper Dan Lopez said U.S. 395 was closed from the south end of Reno at Mount Rose Highway, or state Route 431, to the north end of Washoe Valley near the Bowers Mansion. Northbound traffic was being rerouted back to Carson City about 15 miles to the south.

Winds gusts of up to 82 mph were reported within a few miles of the fire, and a gust of 122 mph was recorded atop Slide Mountain, which is between the fire and Reno at the Mount Rose ski resort.

___

Associated Press writers Martin Griffith in Reno and Sandra Chereb in Carson City contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_us/us_reno_brush_fire

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Iraq urges Iran to keep oil flowing from Gulf (AP)

BAGHDAD ? Iraq's oil minister is urging Iran to keep a strategic water route in the Persian Gulf open to the transportation of the crude that fuels the world economy.

Abdul-Karim Elaibi, who is also the rotating president of OPEC, says he will travel to Iran on Thursday to convince Tehran to assure the world that the Islamic Republic will not close the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway through which about one-sixth of the world's oil flows.

Elaibi's comments to reporters Wednesday come amid concerns that Iran might try to close the strait in retaliation for new sanctions and a possible embargo on its oil exports.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_bi_ge/ml_iraq_oil

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Jenelle Evans: Arrested For Violating Restraining Order!


To quote her mother, Barbara, from Teen Mom 2: DAMMIT JENELLE!!!!!!!

The train wreck to end all train wrecks (okay maybe not, but she's giving Amber Portwood a good run lately) was just arrested for the second time in a week.

A rep for the Brunswick County (N.C.) Sheriff's Office confirms Jenelle Evans was arrested early this morning for violating a domestic violence protective order.

She is still in custody ... but at least looks like she's in good spirits:

Jenelle Evans Mug Shot 2012

Details surrounding her latest arrest are unclear, though Jenelle was busted just last week for allegedly making harassing calls and threatening her ex-roommate.

Jenelle's still on probation for beating up Britany Truett in a nasty fight last year, so the latest two arrests could mean even more trouble for Jace's mama.

Especially if she was on the weed, which, knowing her ...

With two mug shots already in 2012, Jenelle is mounting an early challenge to DMX's record. She smiled happily for her booking photo last week too:

Jenelle Evans Mugshot 2012

Sometimes, an original thug wears a pink hoodie.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/jenelle-evans-arrested-for-violating-restraining-order/

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SOPA sponsor undeterred by conservative opposition, websites??? blackouts (Daily Caller)

Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith, author of the Stop Online Piracy Act, announced Tuesday that the bill will resume markup before the House Judiciary Committee in February.

The announcement comes in the face of massive opposition to the bill, with several major websites ? including Reddit and Wikipedia ? planning to block access to their U.S. versions Wednesday in protest.

Critics of SOPA say the bill threatens free speech and would disrupt essential cyber security technologies.?Supporters say online copyright infringement costs the U.S. economy billions of dollars per year, and must be stopped.

California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa ? a vocal critic of SOPA and the Protect IP Act, its Senate counterpart ? ?said Friday that both bills remain ?flawed.?

?Smith [has] announced that he will remove the DNS blocking provision from his legislation,? acknowledged Issa in a statement. But, he added, ?despite the removal of this provision, [SOPA] is still a fundamentally flawed bill.?

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has assured Issa that the bill will not move to the House floor unless ?consensus? is reached.

Heritage Action, the lobbying arm of conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation,?announced?Tuesday that it will hold votes in favor of SOPA and PIPA against lawmakers.

?Heritage Action opposes SOPA and PIPA and if they come to a vote will include them as a key vote on our scorecard,? said the influential conservative group.

Conservative non-profit FreedomWorks, which claims one million members, also announced its disapproval of the bills.

?Twenty-seven?Republican lawmakers who strongly opposed net neutrality are strangely cosponsors of SOPA in the House or PIPA in the Senate,? wrote Julie Boroski on the FreedomWorks blog.

?Yet, the proposed online piracy laws are equally as bad or perhaps?even worse?than net neutrality,? wrote Borowski. ?SOPA and PIPA would disrupt the growth of technology and infringe on free speech. Any individual interested in preserving the freedom of the Internet should not support either version of this dangerous bill.?

?Right now, the focus of protecting the Internet needs to be on the Senate where Majority Leader Reid has announced his intention to try to move similar legislation in less than two weeks,? said Issa Tuesday.

PIPA is sponsored by Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, who swatted at the opposition of Wikipedia and Reddit in a statement.

?The PROTECT IP Act will not affect Wikipedia, will not affect Reddit, and will not affect any website that has any legitimate use,? said Leahy. ? A foreign rogue website is clearly defined as one that has no real purpose other than infringement.?

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/dailycaller/20120117/pl_dailycaller/sopasponsorundeterredbyconservativeoppositionwebsitesblackouts

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Special guest referees: Not so black and white

Eyebrows across the WWE Universe were raised when Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis named himself special guest referee in the WWE Championship Match between CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler at the 25th anniversary of the Royal Rumble on Jan. 29.

Because of the Interim GM?s rocky relationship with CM Punk, the WWE Universe is left to wonder what role Laurinaitis might play in determining the WWE Championship. Despite being true to his word and banning Jack Swagger and Vickie Guerrero from ringside at the Rumble, the WWE Universe is left unconvinced of Mr. Laurinaitis's ability to remain impartial ? at least according to numerous posts on Facebook and Twitter. If he does work his way into deciding the outcome of the match, just how stacked will the deck be against The Second City Savior with the title on the line? For that matter, should Dolph Ziggler feel all that comfortable with the new guest referee? After all, Laurinaitis lived up to his word on the Jan. 9 Raw SuperShow, and banned both Jack Swagger and Vickie Guerrero from ringside. (MATCH PREVIEW)

As history has shown, when a WWE authority figure works him or herself into a guest officiating role during an important match, there's just no telling what might happen. Though it?s a pretty safe bet that in their WWE Championship Match at the Royal Rumble, either the champion or challenger will not be happy with the guest official?s final decision. WWE.com looks back on some of the more memorable instances of an authority figure-turned-referee costing a Superstar big time.

HBK turns the tables on The Rock: With the WWE Championship on the line, The Rock and Triple H did battle on the premiere episode of SmackDown on Aug. ?26, 1999. Shawn Michaels ? who was acting WWE Commissioner at the time ? served as special guest referee and entered the arena to a huge ovation from the capacity crowd in Kansas City. But as the match played out, it would become clear that The Heartbreak Kid had intentions of living up to his moniker that night.

After a brutal struggle, The Great One took control of the match, hitting Triple H with the Rock Bottom and preparing for The People?s Elbow. The crowd grew raucous as The People's Champion hit the first rope and jumped over the prone Triple H. But the sickening sound of Sweet Chin Music suddenly stopped The Rock in his tracks, and shocked the WWE Universe. The Game then staggered over to Rock, hooked his arms, and connected with a Pedigree that sealed the match ? and the title ? for The Cerebral Assassin. (WATCH)

Vickie Guerrero, a not-so-impartial observer: In a match to determine the WWE Women?s Championship on Feb. 26, 2010, Mickie James faced an uphill battle against not only the nearly 6-foot-tall Michelle McCool, but the special guest referee ? none other than SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero.

With the GM planted squarely in her corner, a confident McCool stalked Mickie James. Mickie found an advantage, though, and rolled McCool up for a cover. SmackDown?s GM was in no hurry to count to three, however, and instead unleashed on Mickie a vicious slap to the face that echoed throughout the arena. The GM-turned-referee broke the count and knocked James for a loop. As Mickie got up in Guerrero?s grill, McCool went on the offensive, rolled up her opponent, and was declared the new Champion. Vickie?s interference cost Mickie James the match ? and the Women?s Title. (WATCH)

No Way Out for Triple H: At No Way Out in 2002, Triple H and Kurt Angle met in a memorable contest with The Game?s title opportunity at WrestleMania on the line. Stephanie McMahon had declared herself special guest referee, and from the moment Angle stepped in the ring, it was obvious who she was rooting for.

After a series of quick counts, it was clear The Game would have his work cut out for him if he wanted to retain his title opportunity. Things started to look up for Triple H, however, when Angle ran at him with a monster clothesline near the ropes. The Cerebral Assassin ducked the blow, sending Angle straight into Stephanie and knocking her over the ropes ? and seemingly out of the match.

A more traditional officiator took Stephanie?s place, but Triple H wasn?t out of the woods yet ? not by a long shot. After Angle disposed of the new ref, Stephanie found her way back to the ring, only to be knocked out again. She eventually came to ? and just in time to ignore two illegal chair blasts by Angle, costing Triple H his chance at the title. (PHOTOS)

Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/wwefeaturepage/authority-figures-referees

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Golden Globes 2012 Fashion: Red Carpet Roundup

Reese Witherspoon, Charlize Theron and Nicole Richie shine.
By Christina Garibaldi, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Reese Witherspoon attends the 2012 Golden Globes
Photo: Getty Images

On Sunday night, the hottest celebrities in Hollywood gathered for the 2012 Golden Globes to celebrate one of the biggest nights in movies, television, and, of course, fashion. The stars shone bright on the red carpet, showing off gorgeous mermaid-style gowns, plunging necklines and sparkling headbands.

Yet, it wasn't all about bright colors: The big trend for the night was nude-hued gowns, worn by everyone from Jessica Biel and Heidi Klum to "Modern Family" actress Sarah Hyland. "This one is really different," Hyland told MTV News of her beige lace Dolce & Gabbana gown. "I never really wore lace before so I feel very feminine in it. It's very vintage-y, classy, and I like that."

While Hyland's dress was covered in lace, first-time attendee and Best Supporting Actress nominee for "The Help," Jessica Chastain decided to adorn herself from head to toe in pearls. "It was love at first sight with this dress," Chastain said of her white Givenchy gown. "This is my first Golden Globes. There's something very pure about this dress. I'm a very pure girl."

Looking radiant in a silver Julien Macdonald gown was Nicole Richie, who finished off her look with her very own House of Harlow bag. "I thought she looked amazing," Celebuzz producer Rachel Maresca told MTV News. "We haven't seen her on a red carpet in a long time, and she came out wowing everybody. She's in Julien Macdonald with a fully beaded dress. She said it was little bit heavy, but she looked very comfortable in it, and she's rocking a House of Harlow, her own designed bag."

A-list actresses flooded the red carpet, including Angelina Jolie in a draped ivory Atelier Versace gown with red accents, Charlize Theron in a pink Dior Couture gown complete with high slit and Cartier headband, and Emma Stone in a purple and red accent Lanvin gown with a plunging neckline.

Yet, it was a lady in red that might have stolen the show: Reese Witherspoon dazzled in a tight-fitted scarlet Zac Posen dress with a sweetheart neckline, deciding to keep the rest of her look laidback with wavy hair.

"Her hair for me looked 'gorgeous without trying' type of look," Maresca said. "The dress was made for her; it looks great."

Who do you think was the best dressed at the Golden Globes? Sound off below!

Check out the 2012 Golden Globes winners, our fashion coverage from the Golden Globes red carpet, and stay with MTV Style during awards-show season!

Related Videos Related Photos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677371/golden-globes-best-worst-fashion.jhtml

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Explosions damage Italy tax agency: Naples police

Three explosive devices blew up outside the Naples offices of Equitalia, a state agency that collects overdue taxes and fines, breaking windows but injuring no one on Monday night, a police official told Reuters.

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Police said no group had claimed responsibility for the attack on the building on Corso Meridionale near Naples central rail station.

Equitalia, whose offices have been attacked before, is deeply unpopular among many Italians who accuse it of using strong-arm tactics to collect taxes.

Italy's technocrat government says it wants to increase Equitalia's powers as part of a war on tax evasion that robs the exchequer of an estimated 120 billion euros ($152.07 billion) a year.

Separately, members of right wing association Roma Nord said they hung dummies outside Equitalia offices in Rome overnight to protest against the agency's methods, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Equitalia's Naples offices were hit by a similar explosion in December.

Two letter bombs were also sent to Equitalia's offices in Rome in December. One was intercepted but the other blew off part of a finger of the agency's director general. An anarchist group said it carried out those attacks.

(Reporting By Laura Viggiano and Catherine Hornby; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46017591/ns/world_news-europe/

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PFT: Driver says he won't retire

File photo of Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher in JacksonvilleReuters

The connection between new Rams coach Jeff Fisher, his agent Marvin Demoff, and Rams COO Kevin Demoff largely has been overlooked over the past two weeks.? We?ve pointed out the benefit to the Rams of having Kevin Demoff in position to trust the information he?s hearing from his father regarding the terms Fisher needed, and the terms the Dolphin were offering.? We?ve also observed that, in order for Kevin Demoff to escape scrutiny regarding the question of whether rolled over for his father and thus for Fisher, the Demoffs needed another team that would be offering similar bells and whistles to that which Fisher wanted.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated, who discloses that he?s also represented by Marvin Demoff (more NFL reporters and broadcasters should be willing to do the same regarding their own representation), writes in today?s Monday Morning Quarterback that King has heard in some circles an inference that ?the fix was in,? and that Marvin Demoff delivered Fisher to Demoff?s son.? King spoke with Fisher, who predictably but nevertheless credibly denied that he was steered to the Rams by Marvin Demoff, or by anyone.

?Under no circumstances at any time,? Fisher said.? ?I have 100 percent conviction on that.? This was my decision, and Marvin assisted me.? I was the one who decided.? No one pushed me anywhere.?

King also asked how the decision was made.? ?From day one, when I began this process after the season, I felt Miami and St. Louis were my best options,? Fisher said.? ?I did my research. I looked at every team that had an opening.? I looked at the personnel on each team, I looked at the owners, I looked at the cap situations, and I narrowed it to two.? Not Marvin.? Me.? Marvin didn?t push me.? I am convinced he was completely objective.?

Fisher?s response implies that more than two teams were chasing Fisher.? Still, when the time came to negotiate with the Rams, Fisher needed a second team in order to get the best deal possible from the Rams, without exposing Kevin Demoff to criticism for giving up too much to get his dad?s client.

King separately writes, contrary to reports from guys like Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports and Adam Schefter of ESPN, that Fisher didn?t want final say over the roster in either St. Louis or Miami.? ?All he wanted was the ability to ? in the event he was categorically opposed to a decision being made by the general manager ? have a mechanism in place for a third party, like an owner, to decide which way the team would go,? says King.

Apparently, Fisher wants to avoid a situation in which another Vince Young is shoved down Fisher?s throat.? But here?s the thing.? If Fisher wants the owner to settle any tie between Fisher and the G.M., it won?t save him from having a player taken against Fisher?s wishes if the owner wants to take that player.

After all, it was the owner in Tennessee who wanted to take Vince Young.

In the end, the Demoff connection helped St. Louis get Fisher.? But everyone knew about the Demoff connection going in; in the end, the Dolphins should have been far more vigilant about ensuring that they weren?t being served like potato salad at a father-son picnic.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/16/donald-driver-says-he-wont-retire/related/

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