Libyan controversy adds to BP's woes

BP faced a new outcry Thursday about whether the Scottish and British governments sought to smooth BP's oil exploration contract talks with Libya by releasing prisoners, including the man convicted of bombing the Pan Am plane that went down over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. The bombing killed 270 people, including 189 Americans.

With the approach of the first anniversary of the Lockerbie bomber's release from a Scottish prison, several factors are feeding the new uproar, including new assertions by BP and the British government. U.S. senators from New York and New Jersey urged the company to shelve plans to drill offshore from Libya and called on the British government to demand the return of the Lockerbie bomber....