Evening Edition

He spoke after NATO and the European Union began 48 hours of crisis talks, amid growing calls for the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya, reports France would even support selective air strikes and more ships being deployed to the area.

“We’re coming,” Seif al-Islam told young regime supporters in Tripoli, referring to the advance of government forces towards the eastern rebel bastion of Benghazi.

As loyalists wrested back the initiative on the battlefield, a source close to Nicolas Sarkozy said the French president will propose “targeted air strikes” in Libya.

And NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who said “time is of the essence,” affirmed that the alliance stands ready to act if there is a clear mandate.

NATO and the European Union bring together defence ministers, foreign ministers and prime ministers or presidents over 48 hours of talks that will shape the prospects for military intervention via a no-fly zone, humanitarian aid and economic props.

“The policy is getting him to go as soon as possible,” said a senior EU diplomat of Colonel Moamer Kadhafi, the one-time pariah whose rehabilitation by Britain, France, Italy and others is now the subject of global hand-wringing.

With battles raging on Libya’s eastern front and a key western town being retaken in heavy fighting by loyalist forces, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross suggested the conflict amounted to civil war.

Libya’s opposition, meanwhile, notched up their first international success when France recognised their national council as the country’s “legitimate representative,” after President Nicolas Sarkozy met in Paris with its envoys.

Speaking to tens of thousands of people at a stadium in the Sanaa, the veteran leader of the strategic US ally promised to hold a referendum on a new constitution later this year.

He also ordered his security forces to ensure the safety of anti-government protesters after weeks of unrest in which some 30 people have been killed, part of a wave of popular unrest that has rewritten the rules of Arab politics.

Buoyed by renewed support from a special meeting of the African Union, Ouattara vowed his rival would have to step down within “days or weeks” but Gbagbo lashed out at the continental body and ruled out power-sharing.

With Ouattara in Ethiopia for the AU meeting and Gbagbo digging his heels in at home, tension continued to mount on the ground, prompting the United Nations to describe the situation as alarming.

“We think this is an unacceptable proposal,” said former prime minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan, who chairs Gbagbo’s Ivorian Popular Front and is part of the delegation he sent to Addis Ababa.

He was speaking to reporters at the AU’s headquarters in Addis Ababa after a special panel of five African heads of state informed Ivory Coast’s presidential rival of their decision, which was not immediately made public.

The so-called Asian influenza, a H2N2 strain, first appeared in 1957 and killed one to four million people despite a major vaccination campaign.

Studies have shown that most people today aged 50 or older retain some immunity to the virus, which continues to circulate in birds and swine.

The Republican who called the proceedings, Representative Peter King, promised a thorough investigation into the radicalization of Muslim Americans and notably whether leaders in the Muslim community are doing enough to stop violence.

Testimony reached an early emotional peak when Democrat Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, broke down in tears as he warned against “scapegoating” and told the story of a Muslim-American paramedic who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center.

The United States started 2011 with a 15.1 percent jump in its trade gap to $46.3 billion, the highest mark since the 2010 peak in June, the Commerce Department said. The December deficit was revised to $40.3 billion.

Imports increased for the fourth consecutive month in January as the US economic recovery picked up steam. Imports rose 5.2 percent from December at $214.1 billion, lifted by increasingly expensive oil imports.

Euskaltel rider Sanchez was second with HTC-Highroad all-rounder Martin in fourth, just behind Italian Matteo Carrara of the Vacansoleil team.

Another Spaniard, 2009 race winner Luis Leon Sanchez, conceded 18 seconds after he led home a second group of riders following their failure to follow what turned out to be the day’s winning move.

Jesus “does not come as a destroyer. He does not come bearing the sword of a revolutionary,” the pope — a well-known theologian in his own right — writes in the second volume of “Jesus of Nazareth”, his biography of Christ.

Jesus instead comes to the world “with the gift of healing”, the pope says, to reveal God’s power as “the power of love.”

Together with fellow opener Upul Tharanga, who hit a career-best 133, Dilshan put on a new World Cup opening stand of 282 to guide Sri Lanka to an imposing 327-6 before a packed 30,000 crowd at Pallekele stadium.

Zimbabwe made a fighting reply with Brendon Taylor (80) and Regis Chakabva (35) through a solid 116-run start before the innings fell apart, as they lost their last their last nine wickets for just 63 runs

The official, who is close to President Hamid Karzai but spoke on condition of anonymity, said that “three, four provinces (and) two, three cities” were set to be handed over starting in July.

“This is for the first phase of the transition,” the official said, giving no further details of where the handovers would take place.

In a speech on the anniversary of a failed uprising in 1959 against Chinese rule, the Dalai Lama said he would seek an amendment allowing him to resign his political office when the exiled Tibetan parliament meets next week.

“As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power,” he said in Dharamshala, the seat of Tibet’s government-in-exile in northern India.

New York-based Moody’s cut the long-term debt rating by a notch to “Aa2” with a negative outlook, a serious setback to Spain’s efforts to quell fears it may need an international financial rescue.

The downgrade came on the eve of a eurozone summit in Brussels to discuss bolstering the euro’s defences amid growing speculation that weak member states such as Portugal may follow Ireland and Greece and need massive bailouts.

In the west, Gaddafi’s army laid siege to try to starve out insurgents clinging to parts of the shattered city of Zawiyah, strategically significant because it is close to his powerbase in the capital Tripoli, after fierce see-saw battles this week.

But the rebels took an important step toward international legitimacy when France recognized their national council.

Influential senators John McCain, a Republican, and John Kerry, a Democrat, have kept up a drumbeat for U.S. military action such as a “no-fly” zone to aid the rebels fighting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

But other senior lawmakers, like Republicans Senator Richard Lugar and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, are warning against getting the United States into a Libyan war.

“It’s time for liberation. It’s time for action. We are moving now,” Saif al-Islam Gaddafi told Reuters in an interview.

Asked if the government would step up its military campaign, he said: “Time is out now. It’s time for action … We gave them two weeks (for negotiations).”

National Intelligence Director James Clapper gave his assessment as the United States and its NATO allies debated in Brussels over how to support Libyan opposition groups who have suffered a series of military setbacks.

Clapper, who oversees all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, told U.S. lawmakers the rebels, who include civilians and dissident military units, were in for a “tough roll.”

In the latest move, France on Thursday recognized the rebel Libyan National Council, the first country to formally reject the government in Tripoli led by Muammar Gaddafi.

Like many others, France was caught hopping by the revolt in Tunisia that started it all. President Nicolas Sarkozy admits his country underestimated the events that led to the ouster of President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali in mid-January.

Attacks on oil ports sent jitters through oil markets because of fears this could mark a new strategy by Gaddafi to target oil facilities, disrupt supplies from the OPEC producer and send world crude prices higher.

But so far there was no sign of a deliberate campaign to disrupt oil supplies more broadly or destroy oil infrastructure. Although Ras Lanuf and Brega have been attacked so far the facilities themselves have been spared. Es Sider has been hit.

As President Barack Obama’s top advisers met to debate what to do next, Muammar Gaddafi’s forces halted a rebel advance in the east of the oil-producing North African country and opposition forces suffered setbacks in the west.

A range of options were on the table in the White House situation room, including a “no-fly” zone to ground Gaddafi’s warplanes, although U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has already warned of the difficulties of such an action.

Gulf leaders are struggling to hold back an Internet-era generation of Arabs who appear less inclined to accept arguments appealing to religion and tradition to explain why ordinary citizens should be shut out of decision-making.

Protests are planned in other Gulf countries such as Yemen, Kuwait and Bahrain Friday, the region’s weekend. The time after Friday prayers has proved to be crucial in popular uprisings that have brought down Tunisian and Egyptian rulers who once seemed invulnerable.

Peter King, the chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee who convened hearings to examine Islamic radicalization, has accused the Muslim community of refusing to cooperate with law enforcement and charged that preaching in some U.S. mosques was leading to radicalization.

“To combat this threat, moderate leadership must emerge from the Muslim community,” King said. “Today, we must be fully aware that home-grown radicalization is part of al Qaeda’s strategy to continue attacking the United States.”

Anil Kumar is the first of several of the hedge fund founder’s former friends to testify for the government at the high-profile trial in New York. Jurors on Thursday also for the first time heard the voice of Rajaratnam, captured on FBI wiretaps in conversations that prosecutors argue show he traded illegally on company secrets.

Kumar has admitted accepting $1.75 million from Rajaratnam, a one-time billionaire, in exchange for supplying tips on McKinsey clients, including chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices.

What began in one heartland state as a move last month by the Republican governor to curtail state workers’ bargaining rights has evolved into a showdown across the country over efforts by budget-strapped state governments to rein in the power of unions.

Wisconsin’s Republican-led Senate on Wednesday night outflanked Democrats’ three-week boycott to approve the heart of the plan. The Republican-led State Assembly may act swiftly — but not without more raucous protests.

The ratings agency warned it was ready to further downgrade Spain’s rating, now at Aa2, as it expects bank restructuring will cost 40 to 50 billion euros ($69 billion), whereas the Bank of Spain estimated the shortfall at just 15 billion euros.

“(Moody’s) believes there is a meaningful risk that the eventual cost of the recapitalization effort could considerably exceed the government’s current projections,” the ratings agency said in a statement.

The euro fell to a one-week low of $1.3804, the risk premium on Spanish bonds widened and the cost of insuring Spanish, Greek and Portuguese debt against default rose as a fresh wave of euro zone jitters hit financial markets.

Leaders of the 17-nation currency area are expected to back a watered-down version of a German-French plan to boost economic competitiveness at Friday’s Brussels summit but are unlikely to overcome sharp differences over the size and scope of the rescue fund.

Boehner’s House Republicans are leading the way in the rush to cut spending to bring down the budget deficit, due to reach a record $1.65 trillion this year, equivalent to 10.9 percent of the U.S. economy.

Republicans have proposed cuts of $61 billion in fiscal year 2011 from current levels, a step President Barack Obama says would choke the faltering economic recovery.

Biden, on a visit to Moscow to keep up the momentum in President Barack Obama’s “reset” with Russia after two years of improving ties, also met separately with Kremlin opponents and rights activists.

Putin said bilateral trade was up 29 percent last year and big U.S. companies are successful in Russia. “Relations between our countries are developing quite well,” he told Biden as they sat down along with a handful of other officials for talks.

It’s a good metaphor for the progress of oil from the semi-autonomous Iraqi region of Kurdistan over the past five years: big on promise, small on delivery.

Last month, after years of wrangling between Kurdistan’s regional capital Erbil and Baghdad over revenues, exports finally started to flow. Foreign investors — among them Russian oligarchs, a British mercenary boss, U.S. politicians, a former diplomat, and funds controlled by the billionaire investor George Soros — who have sunk $5 billion into Kurdistan’s oil fields, hope they will finally begin to enjoy the rewards.

By devolving his powers, the Dalai Lama would give the prime minister greater clout as the region seeks autonomy from China. Tibetans will vote for a new prime minister this month, with the elections seen as ushering in a generation of younger, secular leaders and strengthening the movement’s global standing.

“As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power,” the Dalai Lama said in his annual speech marking 52 years since he fled Tibet after a failed uprising against the Chinese.

The new arrivals on the Forbes 2011 list of the world’s richest people include Chinese makers of microwave ovens, sportswear, pharmaceuticals and sanitary napkins, as well as the founder of a private education company and two car distributors.

But the heyday of property as a source of wealth is far from over. The Indian developer of what will be the world’s tallest residential building is among those in Asia joining the ranks of billionaires, the Forbes list shows.

Moscow is now home to the most billionaires with 79, followed by New York with 58, Forbes said in its annual list of the world’s richest people.

The world’s richest man, Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, retained his crown for the second year in a row and made more money than any of the other 1,209 billionaires in the past year: $20.5 billion, taking his fortune to $74 billion.

The rout came as the U.S. director of national intelligence stressed that Gadhafi’s military was stronger than it has been described and said that “in the longer term … the regime will prevail.”

Hundreds of rebels in cars and trucks mounted with machine guns sped eastward on the Mediterranean coastal road in a seemingly disorganized flight from Ras Lanouf as an overwhelming force of rockets and shells pounded a hospital, mosque and other buildings in the oil complex. Doctors and staff at the hospital were hastily evacuated along with wounded from fighting from the past week.

As Western powers examined their military options, the U.S. warned that a go-it-alone approach in Libya could have unforeseeable and devastating consequences.

“We’re looking to see whether there is any willingness in the international community to provide any authorization for further steps,” she said. “Absent international authorization, the United States acting alone would be stepping into a situation whose consequences are unforeseeable.,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said amid NATO discussions about a possible no-fly zone over Libya.

Hours later, the White House distanced President Barack Obama from Clapper’s remarks. Obama does not think Gadhafi will prevail, a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Obama’s position on Clapper’s comments. The official reiterated Obama’s stand that Gadhafi has lost legitimacy and should leave power.

Speaking to senators, Clapper said the Libyan government’s military might was stronger than had been described. Clapper said there was no indication that Gadhafi will step down and offer a speedy resolution to the crisis.

In a day of intense discussions on two continents, the European Union added new sanctions on Libyan companies and Germany froze billions of dollars in Libyan government assets.

The bottom line: A bottom line that promises little but plans for the worst.

Republican Rep. Peter King declared U.S. Muslims are doing too little to help fight terror in America. Democrats warned of inflaming anti-Muslim sentiment and energizing al-Qaida.

Framed by photos of the burning World Trade Center and Pentagon, the families of two young men blamed the Islamic community for inspiring young men to commit terrorism. On the other side, one of the two Muslims in Congress wept while discussing a Muslim firefighter who died in the attacks.

Wisconsin’s measure stripping public employees of most bargaining rights swiftly advanced toward GOP Gov. Scott Walker’s desk Thursday, and he promised to sign it as soon as possible. But labor leaders say the events in Wisconsin have helped galvanize support for unions across the country, and they hope to use the momentum to help fight off the attacks and grow their membership.

Said the president of the AFL-CIO: “I guess I ought to say thank you particularly to Scott Walker. We should have invited him here today to receive the Mobilizer of the Year award from us!”

The chamber was locked while police did a security review in the crowded Capitol. Later Thursday, protesters who remained outside the chamber thanked the Democratic representatives who voted against the bill. As the lawmakers left the Assembly, the protesters exchanged high-fives with the Democrats and chanted “thank you” as they wound through the crowd.

The Republicans left the Assembly under heavy guard as protesters shouted “Shame!”

Competitors such as Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. can’t seem to match the iPad’s starting price of $499. Tablets that are comparable to the iPad in features cost hundreds of dollars more, while cheaper tablets are inferior to the iPad in quality.

This is highly unusual in the gadget business, where early products, such as the first Blu-ray players or digital cameras, are expensive. Competition then gradually brings prices down. With the iPad, the reverse is happening.

Some 13 million students, about a third of all those attending school, are bullied every year, the White House said. Experts say that puts them at greater risk of falling behind in their studies, abusing drugs or alcohol, or suffering mental or other health problems. Kids who are seen as different because of their race, clothes, disability or sexual orientation are more likely to be bullied.

“If there’s one goal of this conference,” Obama said, “it’s to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It’s not.” He spoke to more than 100 parents, students, teachers and others gathered to discuss the problem and share ideas for solutions.

Sophomore guard Brandon Triche had a season-high 22 points and freshman center Fab Melo scored a career-high 12, including two layups in the final 2 minutes, and No. 11 Syracuse beat No. 17 St. John’s 79-73 on Thursday.

The fourth-seeded Orange (26-6) will meet ninth-seeded and 21st-ranked Connecticut (24-9) in the semifinals Friday night. The Huskies beat top-seeded Pittsburgh 76-74 on Kemba Walker’s buzzer-beating jumper Thursday.

As soon as Walker put the ball on the floor, Calhoun knew which choice he’d made.

The star point guard used a crossover and shoulder roll to shuck his defender right to the ground, then stepped back and swished the winning basket at the buzzer, lifting the No. 21 Huskies to a 76-74 victory over the third-ranked Panthers in the Big East quarterfinals.

Investors were jarred when China reported a surprise trade deficit. China’s exports fell in February as businesses closed for the weeklong Lunar New Year holiday, but imports of higher-priced oil and other goods jumped, widening the country’s deficit to $7.3 billion.

Moody’s downgraded Spain’s debt, re-igniting fears about Europe’s debt crisis. In the U.S., the government reported that new applications for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week.

Applications increased by 26,000 to a seasonally adjusted 397,000 during the week ended March 5, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The latest report covers the week after the Presidents’ Day holiday, when many government offices were closed. Applications usually rise in weeks following holiday-shortened weeks.

After two extensions, the collective bargaining agreement is now due to expire Friday. If a new deal isn’t reached by then, there could be another extension. Or, talks could break off, possibly leading to a lockout by owners or decertification by the union followed by antitrust lawsuits by players – actions that could threaten the 2011 season.

Other committee members present: Jerry Jones of the Cowboys, John Mara of the Giants, Art Rooney II of the Steelers, Clark Hunt of the Chiefs, Mark Murphy of the Packers, Dean Spanos of the Chargers and Mike Brown of the Bengals. Eagles president Joe Banner and Redskins general manager Bruce Allen also were there with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

It’s a delicate balancing act for members of Congress, particularly senators facing re-election next year. Some lawmakers, mainly Democrats, bucked their parties in a pair of votes Wednesday that both rejected the House’s deep spending cut plan and killed a less onerous Senate alternative.

The two versions were nearly $50 billion apart on how to cut over the next seven months, through the current budget year that ends Sept. 30. Neither stood a chance of passing. Senate Democrats brought them up to cancel each other out and move forward with negotiations on a compromise.

“Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection,” is the second installment of Benedict’s planned trilogy on Jesus. Part I, which covered Jesus’ early ministry, shot to the top of the best-seller lists in Italy when it was published in 2007.

Already, 1.2 million copies of Part II have been printed in seven languages, editions in Arabic, Greek, Korean and Japanese are planned, and reprints of 100,000 more are planned for the Italian editions and 50,000 in German.

And to a man who was sentenced to die for a crime he didn’t commit, it’s a civilized step that may inspire other states to halt executions.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature on legislation getting rid of the death penalty provoked an extraordinary array of emotions Wednesday – almost all of them intense.

The Southern Poverty Law Center said Kevin Harpham, 36, made more than 1,000 postings on the Vanguard News Network site, many of them under the pseudonym “Joe Snuffy.”

“I can’t wait till the day I snap,” said a 2006 message attributed to Harpham.

Some critics of Gov. Tom Corbett are frustrated that he won’t tap such a rich source of tax revenue when the state is looking at a projected deficit next year of $4 billion.

“This is the most irrational public policy I’ve ever seen in my life,” Democratic state Sen. Daylin Leach said Thursday. “He’s supposed to be fighting for Pennsylvania. He’s saying that Pennsylvania can’t have this money.”

Anil Kumar, 52, of Saratoga, Calif., testified for the prosecution at the trial of Raj Rajaratnam, supporting government claims that Rajaratnam was on the prowl for an edge in the trading of stocks for his hedge funds and was willing to break the law to get it.

Kumar, who worked for McKinsey & Co. for more than 23 years before his October 2009 arrest, pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges last year and testified in the hopes of leniency at sentencing.

The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to hear several hours of testimony on the measure Thursday night. Opponents of the bill lined the hallways outside the committee room.

The Senate is seen as the main obstacle to passage of the legislation. Democratic Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed opposes the bill.

At stake is $16 billion annually that the Federal Reserve says stores pay to banks and credit card companies when customers use the cards – fees the Fed has proposed cutting.

Cut the fees, banks say, and they’ll have to abandon free checking and boost other charges to consumers to recover lost revenue. Merchants say lower fees would help them drop their prices and expand their businesses.