Evening Edition is an Open Thread
Now with 57 Top Stories.
1 Kadhafi son says ‘victory in sight’ as West frets
by Imed Lamloum, AFP
1 hr 14 mins ago
| TRIPOLI (AFP) – Moamer Kadhafi’s son said on Thursday victory was in sight against rebels fighting his father’s iron-fisted regime after loyalist forces retook two key towns and Western powers fretted over how to deal with the civil war while tightening the screws further.
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. |
AFP
2 Libya rebels in retreat as West ponders action
by Danny Kemp, AFP
Thu Mar 10, 12:51 pm ET
| RAS LANUF, Libya (AFP) – Relentless pounding by Moamer Kadhafi’s forces sent rebels fleeing a key oil hub on Thursday and a town near Tripoli was recaptured, as the Red Cross warned of escalating conflict in Libya and called it civil war.
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. |
3 EU consider options to resolve Libya crisis
by Roddy Thomson, AFP
Thu Mar 10, 7:45 am ET
| BRUSSELS (AFP) – Western powers lay out their arsenal against Libya’s Moamer Kadhafi on Thursday and Friday as leaders ponder military and economic options to resolve the crisis in oil-rich Libya.
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. |
4 Kadhafi, rebels battle on military, diplomatic fronts
by Antoine Lambroschini, AFP
Thu Mar 10, 6:43 am ET
| TRIPOLI (AFP) – Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi and rebels seeking his downfall were on Thursday battling each other on the military and diplomatic fronts, as government shelling rocked a rebel-held oil town.
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. |
5 Yemen leader offers to devolve power
by Hamoud Mounassar, AFP
Thu Mar 10, 8:32 am ET
| SANAA (AFP) – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh bowed on Thursday to pressure after a month of violent protests, but his pledge to devolve power to parliament was swiftly rejected as too late by the opposition.
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. |
6 Diplomatic pressure mounts on Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo
by Francois Ausseill, AFP
1 hr 14 mins ago
| ADDIS ABABA (AFP) – Ivory Coast’s months-old poll dispute came to a head Thursday as the African Union confirmed Alassane Ouattara’s election and incumbent Laurent Gbagbo defied the international community.
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. |
7 Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo rejects AU mediation’s proposal
by Francois Ausseill, AFP
Thu Mar 10, 12:40 pm ET
| ADDIS ABABA (AFP) – Ivory Coast’s incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo rejected Thursday a proposal by an African Union panel to solve the country’s months-old leadership crisis, his delegation said.
“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. |
8 Pandemic flu still a threat, warn scientists
by Marlowe Hood, AFP
2 hrs 34 mins ago
| PARIS (AFP) – The H1N1 swine flu that swept the globe in 2009/10 could easily morph into a more transmissible form, while an older, mid-20th century virus could also come roaring back, scientists warned this week in separate studies.
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. |
9 Emotions run high at hearing on US Muslims
by Michael Mathes, AFP
18 mins ago
| WASHINGTON (AFP) – The first Muslim member of Congress wept Thursday as he addressed a controversial US hearing on homegrown Islamic terrorism, amid tense accusations that the probe smacks of bigotry and McCarthyism.
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. |
10 US trade gap hits seven-month high
by Veronica Smith, AFP
Thu Mar 10, 11:43 am ET
| WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US trade deficit struck a seven-month high in January as imports from China surged and oil prices rose, overwhelming a solid gain in exports, official data showed Thursday.
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. |
11 Kloden rolls back the years in Paris-Nice cycling classic
AFP
Thu Mar 10, 12:39 pm ET
| VERNOUX-EN-VIVARAIS, France (AFP) – The RadioShack rider, a former runner-up in the Tour de France, prevailed in an eight-man sprint which notably featured Olympic road race champion Samuel Sanchez and German race contender Tony Martin.
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. |
12 Pope’s book says Jesus was no ‘political revolutionary’
by Catherine Jouault, AFP
Thu Mar 10, 11:20 am ET
| VATICAN CITY (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI has rejected the idea of Jesus as a “revolutionary”, saying he used the “power of love” in a new book in which he also says the Jews were not responsible for Christ’s death.
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.” |
Especially of teenage boys.
13 Lankans beat Zimbabwe to reach W. Cup quarter-finals
by Shahid Hashmi, AFP
Thu Mar 10, 11:39 am ET
| PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AFP) – Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed 144 before taking 4-4 to help Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by 139 runs and reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Thursday.
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 |
14 Afghan forces ‘to take over up to four provinces from July’
by Sardar Ahmad, AFP
Thu Mar 10, 8:54 am ET
| KABUL (AFP) – Control of security in up to four provinces and three major cities in Afghanistan will be handed from international to Afghan forces from July, a senior government official told AFP on Thursday.
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. |
15 Dalai Lama to resign as Tibetan political leader
by Rajeshwari Krishnamurthy, AFP
Thu Mar 10, 8:21 am ET
| DHARAMSHALA, India (AFP) – The Dalai Lama announced on Thursday he would step down as political head of Tibet’s exiled government, but continue to push the Tibetan cause in his key role as its spiritual figurehead.
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. |
16 Moody’s downgrades Spain credit rating
by Katell Abiven, AFP
Thu Mar 10, 7:19 am ET
| MADRID (AFP) – Moody’s sliced Spain’s credit rating Thursday and warned it may do so again, pounding financial markets as it raised the alarm over Spanish banking woes and spendthrift regions.
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. |
Reuters
17 Gaddafi tanks, jets strike deeper into rebel heartland
By Mohammed Abbas and Alexander Dziadosz, Reuters
24 mins ago
| RAS LANUF, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan tanks fired on rebel positions around the oil port of Ras Lanuf and warplanes hit another oil hub further east Thursday as Muammar Gaddafi carried counter-attacks deeper into the insurgent heartland.
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. |
18 No consensus seen in Congress for U.S. Libya action
By Susan Cornwell, Reuters
1 hr 41 mins ago
| WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As the Obama administration wrestles over what to do about Libya, the voices on Capitol Hill offer no consensus on military action.
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. |
19 Libya plans full offensive against rebels: Gaddafi son
By Michael Georgy and Maria Golovnina, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 2:21 pm ET
| TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya is preparing full-scale military action to crush its rebellion and will not surrender even if Western powers intervene in the conflict, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s most prominent son said on Thursday.
“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).” |
20 U.S. says better-equipped Gaddafi forces may prevail
By Ross Colvin, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 11:52 am ET
| WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top U.S. spy chief said Thursday that better-equipped forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were likely to prevail in the long run against rebels fighting to end his 41-year rule.
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.” |
21 Analysis: France sees Libya as way to diplomatic redemption
By John Irish, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 11:11 am ET
| PARIS (Reuters) – Paris is playing a trail-blazing role in the international response to the Libyan uprising in the hope it can make a mark on whatever emerges from upheaval across the Arab world, and make up for lost diplomatic confidence.
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. |
22 Gaddafi forces hit oil towns in attack on east
By Mohammed Abbas and Alexander Dziadosz, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 8:49 am ET
| RAS LANUF, Libya (Reuters) – Muammar Gaddafi’s forces launched an intense bombardment around the eastern Libyan oil towns of Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Brega Thursday in a front line assault involving warplanes, tanks and ships.
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. |
23 White House defends Libya stance, debates options
By Ross Colvin and Andrew Quinn, Reuters
Wed Mar 9, 8:31 pm ET
| WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Wednesday strongly defended its response to the turmoil in Libya, insisting it has taken “dramatic action” and rebutting criticism that its consensus-based approach is too cautious.
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. |
24 Surge in Arab protests expected on Friday in Gulf
By Andrew Hammond, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 10:48 am ET
| DUBAI (Reuters) – Arab uprisings that have spread to the conservative Gulf region face a crucial test this week in Saudi Arabia where activists have made unprecedented calls for mass protests against the kingdom’s absolute monarchy.
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. |
25 House panel delves into Muslims radicalization
By Jeremy Pelofsky and David Morgan, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 2:00 pm ET
| WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Muslim Americans must do more to combat Islamic radicalization as al Qaeda targets them to help carry out terrorism plots, a lawmaker said on Thursday as he convened hearings critics said unfairly singled out Muslims.
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.” |
26 Ex-McKinsey partner tells jury he tipped Rajaratnam
By Grant McCool and Basil Katz, Reuters
58 mins ago
| NEW YORK (Reuters) – A disgraced former partner at McKinsey & Co told jurors he leaked stock tips about the elite consulting firm’s clients to Raj Rajaratnam, in dramatic testimony at the biggest U.S. insider trading trial in years.
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. |
27 Wisconsin at epicenter of drive to curb unions
By James Kelleher, Reuters
2 hrs 31 mins ago
| MADISON, Wis (Reuters) – Wisconsin lawmakers, after three weeks of angry protests, were expected on Thursday to vote on, and likely approve, Republican Governor Scott Walker’s plan to curb public workers’ union rights.
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. |
28 Bank of Spain and Moody’s differ on bank funding needs
By Elisabeth O’Leary and Sonya Dowsett, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 1:46 pm ET
| MADRID (Reuters) – Moody’s downgraded Spain’s sovereign debt rating on Thursday as it more than doubled its estimate on the banking sector’s funding needs, but the Bank of Spain said the shortfall was much less.
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. |
29 Euro zone debt crisis intensifies on summit eve
By Elizabeth O’Leary and Julien Toyer, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 9:40 am ET
| MADRID/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Germany refused to be rushed into boosting the euro zone’s rescue fund after Moody’s cut Spain’s credit rating on Thursday and markets piled pressure on Portugal on the eve of a summit of the currency bloc.
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. |
30 Tea Party pressures Boehner in budget battle
By Thomas Ferraro, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 12:27 pm ET
| WASHINGTON (Reuters) – House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner is under pressure from fiscal conservatives in his own party to push steep spending cuts, with a Tea Party stalwart likening the Ohio Republican to “a fool” for not taking a sharper knife to public programs.
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. |
31 Biden meets Putin, opposition leaders in Moscow
By Steve Gutterman, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 9:15 am ET
| MOSCOW (Reuters) – Vice President Joe Biden told Vladimir Putin on Thursday the United States was determined to strengthen economic ties with Russia, but gently rebuffed the prime minister’s call for visa-free travel between the nations.
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. |
32 Special Report: Risk, reward and Kurdistani oil
By Tom Bergin, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 7:49 am ET
| TAWKE, Iraq (Reuters) – In this part of Iraq, the hillsides sweat oil. Without any coaxing, the sticky black treasure oozes from the layered rock and gathers in pools that bubble as dissolved gases surface. Gradually, as the crude slips down the hillsides, it solidifies into a grey mass that resembles a hardened lava flow.
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. |
33 Dalai Lama plans to quit as Tibet political leader
By Abhishek Madhukar, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 7:24 am ET
| DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) – The Dalai Lama said on Thursday he would step down as Tibet’s political leader, a move seen as transforming the government-in-exile into a more assertive and democratic body in the face of Chinese pressure.
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. |
34 Consumers lay path to wealth for many Asian billionaires
By Tony Munroe, Reuters
Thu Mar 10, 6:45 am ET
| MUMBAI (Reuters) – Voracious consumers in Asia laid the path for many of the region’s newcomers to the world’s billionaire club.
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. |
35 China and Russia drive growth in world’s billionaires
By Michelle Nichols, Reuters
Wed Mar 9, 8:35 pm ET
| NEW YORK (Reuters) – Rising steel and oil prices in Russia, more honest disclosure in Brazil and booming economies in China and India have fueled a spike in billionaires in the so-called BRIC countries.
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. |
AP
36 Rebels retreat from Libyan oil port amid barrage
By PAUL SCHEMM, Associated Press
37 mins ago
| RAS LANOUF, Libya – With fierce barrages of tank and artillery fire, Moammar Gadhafi’s loyalists threw rebels into a frantic retreat from a strategic oil port Thursday in a counteroffensive that reversed the opposition’s advance toward the capital of Tripoli and now threatens its positions in the east.
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. |
37 US, Europe increase diplomatic pressure on Libya
MATTHEW LEE and BRADLEY KLAPPER, Associated Press
Thu Mar 10, 1:02 pm ET
| WASHINGTON – The Obama administration cut ties Thursday with Libya’s embassy in the United States and announced high-level meetings with opposition leaders, as France became the first nation to recognize the governing council fighting against Moammar Gadhafi’s regime.
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. |
38 Top intel official in hot water over blunt remarks
EILEEN SULLIVAN, Associated Press
12 mins ago
| WASHINGTON – The government’s top intelligence official fumbled the Obama administration’s message Thursday about embattled Moammar Gadhafi’s fate, telling Congress that the Libyan leader will prevail in his fight with rebel forces there. It was the latest in a series of public gaffes for James Clapper, the director of national intelligence.
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. |
39 US, Europe pressure Libya but ease off militarily
By BRADLEY KLAPPER and ROBERT BURNS, Associated Press
1 hr 11 mins ago
| WASHINGTON – The Obama administration cut ties with Libya’s remaining representatives in the U.S. on Thursday and France became the first nation to recognize Moammar Gadhafi’s opponents, adding diplomatic pressure on the Libyan government even as trans-Atlantic leaders stepped back from imminent military intervention.
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. |
40 Tears, shouts as terror hearing becomes political
By EILEEN SULLIVAN, Associated Press
1 hr 8 mins ago
| WASHINGTON – Congress pushed deep into a raw and emotional debate Thursday over American Muslims who have committed terrorist attacks in the name of religion, in a hearing punctuated by tearful testimony, angry recriminations and political theater.
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. |
41 Wis. defeat could help launch counterattack on GOP
By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press
1 hr 1 min ago
| MADISON, Wis. – With the labor movement heading to an epic defeat in Wisconsin and perhaps other states, union leaders plan to use the setback to fire up working people nationwide and mount a major counterattack against Republicans at the ballot box in 2012.
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!” |
42 Protesters removed from Wis. Capitol before vote
By DINESH RAMDE, Associated Press
56 mins ago
| MADISON, Wis. – Police carried dozens of protesters from a hallway leading to the Wisconsin Assembly on Thursday morning as Democratic representatives pounded on the locked door of the chamber, demanding to be let in before a historic vote on an explosive bill taking away public workers’ collective bargaining rights.
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!” |
43 As competitors pop up, iPad keeps price advantage
By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer
Thu Mar 10, 1:08 pm ET
| NEW YORK – The new iPad model hitting stores Friday comes with several improvements over the original version but the same price tag, hobbling efforts by rivals at breaking Apple Inc.’s hold on the emerging market for tablet computers.
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. |
44 Obama to bullying victims: I know what it’s like
DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press
35 mins ago
| WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama smiled when he said his large ears and funny name once made him a target of school-yard harassment. But he was all seriousness Thursday when he told a White House conference on bullying that torment and intimidation must not be tolerated.
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. |
45 Freshman center leads Syracuse over St. John’s
By JIM O’CONNELL, AP Basketball Writer
4 mins ago
| NEW YORK – Syracuse is back in the Big East tournament semifinals. The players who came up big for the Orange in the quarterfinals don’t have any experience in those kind of games.
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. |
Go Orange! If they could only shoot from the line.
46 Walker shoots No. 21 UConn past No. 3 Pittsburgh
By DAVE SKRETTA, AP Sports Writer
1 hr 38 mins ago
| NEW YORK – Jim Calhoun drew up a play in the Connecticut huddle that gave Kemba Walker two options for the final shot. He could either take it himself in the closing seconds against Pittsburgh, or kick it to Jamal Coombs-McDaniel if he was covered.
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. |
Consistently over rated cheaters.
47 Stocks plunge on economic news, oil price swings
By FRANCESCA LEVY and MATTHEW CRAFT, AP Business Writers
1 hr 42 mins ago
| NEW YORK – Weak economic news from China, the U.S. and Spain combined with a slump in oil companies sent stocks sharply lower Thursday. The Dow Jones industrial average had its biggest one-day drop since August.
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. |
48 More people sought unemployment aid last week
By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, AP Economics Writer
Thu Mar 10, 12:50 pm ET
| WASHINGTON – The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose last week. But the rise comes after applications hit their lowest level in nearly three years, and economists expect further declines as the economy improves.
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. |
49 NFL owners’ labor committee at mediation
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Pro Football Writer
Thu Mar 10, 3:05 pm ET
| WASHINGTON – With the sides far apart on key economic issues, nine of the 10 members on the NFL owners’ labor committee, including co-chairmen Jerry Richardson of the Panthers and Pat Bowlen of the Broncos, attended Thursday’s negotiating session with the players’ union.
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. |
50 Spending fight: Back to the bargaining table
By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press
2 hrs 11 mins ago
| WASHINGTON – After dispensing with their opening gambits, lawmakers are renewing budget-cutting bargaining, as voters demanded in the last election and will scrutinize in the next one.
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. |
51 Pope’s new book: Violence never in God’s name
By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press
Thu Mar 10, 1:44 pm ET
| VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI rejects the idea of Jesus as a political revolutionary and insists that violent revolution must never be carried out in God’s name in a new book that was released Thursday amid great fanfare at the start of Lent.
“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. |
52 Illinois abolishes death penalty, clears death row
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press
Thu Mar 10, 12:50 pm ET
| SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – For a mother who lost her son to violence, Illinois’ decision to abolish the death penalty is a betrayal. But to a father who lost two daughters and a grandson, it’s simply the Christian thing to do.
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. |
53 Group: MLK parade bomb suspect was avid neo-Nazi
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS and GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press
8 mins ago
| SPOKANE, Wash. – A man accused of trying to bomb a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Spokane was an avid poster on a white supremacist Internet forum, where he referenced bomb-making and alluded to attacking anti-racist demonstrators, a national organization that tracks hate groups said Thursday.
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. |
54 Pa. gov’s deep higher-ed cuts draw protests
By PETER JACKSON, Associated Press
29 mins ago
| HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvania’s new Republican governor is under fire for proposing the nation’s biggest cuts in higher education – more than 50 percent for some universities – while refusing to tax the gas drilling that is fast becoming one of the state’s largest industries.
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.” |
55 Ex-biz school friend testifies at NY Galleon trial
By LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press
37 mins ago
| NEW YORK – A former business schoolmate of a one-time billionaire hedge fund boss took a starring role Thursday at an insider trading trial, testifying that he agreed to accept $500,000 annually eight years ago to reveal secrets about public companies to his longtime friend.
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. |
56 Standing-room only at RI gay marriage hearing
By DAVID KLEPPER, Associated Press
50 mins ago
| PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Dozens of supporters and opponents are testifying on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Rhode Island before a standing-room only crowd in the Statehouse.
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. |
57 Who’ll pay bigger fees for your debit card use?
By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press
1 hr 31 mins ago
| WASHINGTON – Bankers and merchants, pillars of the business world and frequent allies, are embroiled in a bitter lobbying battle over something Americans do 38 billion times a year – swipe their debit cards. Both sides vigorously claim to speak for consumers.
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. |
On this day in 1959, 
On 1 March 1959, an unusual invitation to attend a theatrical performance at the Chinese military headquarters outside Lhasa was extended to the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama, at the time studying for his 
On 12 March, protesters appeared in the streets of Lhasa declaring Tibet’s independence. Barricades went up on the streets of Lhasa, and Chinese and Tibetan rebel forces began to fortify positions within and around Lhasa in preparation for conflict. A petition of support for the armed rebels outside the city was taken up, and an appeal for assistance was made to the Indian consul. Chinese and Tibetan troops continued moving into position over the next several days, with Chinese artillery pieces being deployed within range of the Dalai Lama’s summer palace, the Norbulingka. On 15 March, preparations for the Dalai Lama’s evacuation from the city were set in motion, with Tibetan troops being employed to secure an escape route from Lhasa. On 17 March, two artillery shells landed near the Dalai Lama’s palace, triggering his flight into exile. On 19 March the Chinese started to shell the Norbulingka, prompting the full force of the Uprising. According to the freetibet website, on 21 March 800 shells rained down on the palace, including the shelling of the Norbulingka and Lhasa’s major monasteries, slaughtering thousands of Tibetan men, women and children. Combat lasted only about two days, with Tibetan rebel forces being badly outnumbered and poorly armed.
Recent Comments