World News Briefs -- March 30, 2011 (Evening Edition)

Libya Rebels Lose Almost All Ground Won With West's Help -- NBC

'Withdrawal until we can think of better tactics,' rebel spokesman says

AJDABIYA, Libya — Moammar Gadhafi's ground forces recaptured a strategic oil town Wednesday and moved within striking distance of another major eastern city, nearly reversing the gains rebels made since international airstrikes began.

Rebels pleaded for more help, while a senior U.S. intelligence official said government forces are making themselves harder to target by abandoning tanks for civilian "battle wagons": minivans, sedans and SUVs with makeshift armaments.

The change not only makes it harder to distinguish Gadhafi's forces from the rebels, it also requires less logistical support, the official said on condition of anonymity.

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MIDDLE EAST

Syrian president blames protests on 'conspirators'. U.S. dismisses Assad's speech, conspiracy theory.

Yemen's Saleh makes new offer: opposition snub it. Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh loses grip on several provinces. Huge Yemeni crowds press on for president's ouster.

Death toll hits 57 in Iraqi hostage siege. At least 9 Iraqi officials dead in hostage siege.

Kuwait condemns three to death in Iran spy ring.

Senior U.S. diplomat vents frustration at Iranian intransigence.

ASIA

UN atomic watchdog raises alarm over Japan evacuations. Japan considers entombing nuclear plant as workers fight to stop radiation. Setbacks mount in Japan at leaking nuclear plant.

China warns UN not to interfere as dissidents are rounded up.

Taliban seizes Afghan district in rare show of force.

Pakistan captures accused plotter in 2002 Bali bombings. Official: CIA tipoff led to Pakistan arrest.

U.S. tactical nukes needed in South Korea, lawmaker says.

Burma swears in civilian President, ending overt military rule. Burma transfer of power complete.

China executes Filipino drug couriers.

AFRICA

Libyan rebels flee east from Gaddafi bombardment. Outgunned Libyan rebels on the run as air strikes resume. Gadhafi's forces adapt to airstrikes, pound rebels. US forces fire on Libyan vessels: command. Libyan rebels flee east from Gaddafi bombardment. A day of battle shows Libyan rebels' weaknesses. US set to give arms to Libyans. FACTBOX-Western military assault on Libya's Gaddafi.

Ivory Coast capital falls to rebels. Gbagbo has "hours" for peaceful Ivorian exit -Soro.

Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo eyes cease-fire as troops near capital. Ivory Coast rebels advance toward capital.

Egypt's military issues interim constitution. Egypt's presidential vote to be held by November.

South Sudan training Darfur rebels - Bashir adviser.

EUROPE

Kosovo court orders President to resign. Kosovo president quits after ruling, to run anew.

Chechen warlord accused of staging airport bombing.

Portugal and Greece downgraded on debt worries. Debt-laden Portugal's borrowing rates hit new high .

Berlusconi: Migrants to leave Lampedusa in 48 hours. 'You deserve Nobel Peace Prize': Berlusconi pays homage to locals on tiny Italian island overrun with 6,000 illegal immigrants fleeing Tunisia and Libya during visit.

George Clooney called as witness in Berlusconi sex trial. George Clooney says it is 'odd' he is linked to Silvio Berlusconi investigation.

Spain to miss deficit targets: central bank.

EU talks on food from cloned animals collapse.

AMERICAS

Obama sets ambitious goal to reduce US oil imports. Two-thirds of oil and gas leases in Gulf inactive. Obama to outline energy plan.

Poll: Mexicans think cartels are winning drug war.

Colombia expects final victory over FARC rebels.

Population near Ground Zero has DOUBLED since 2000 making it one of the fastest-growing places in New York City.

Israel angered by Argentine 'deal' to stop Iran terrorist inquiry.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Panel rejects detainee’s ‘Gump’ defense. Judges overturn ruling granting his release from Guantanamo

Qaeda: Arab revolts herald "great leap forward".

Appeals court overturns Gitmo detainee release.

Threats claim nuclear bombs hidden all over U.S.

‘Freelance jihadists’ join Libyan rebels.

Turkish, Afghan, Pakistan forces hold anti-terror exercise.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

Number of problem banks in America nears 1,000.

Sovereign ratings ‘theater’ adds to instability in Europe, IMF paper says.

China economist blasts dollar dominance on eve of G20.

Libya threatens to sue firms over rebel oil deals.

Opec set for $1,000bn in export revenues.

Microsoft co-founder hits out at Gates.

Japan nuclear crisis: Has the US industry learned something?

Secret Support For Libya Rebels Authorized By President Obama

Obama Authorizes Secret Support For Libya Rebels -- Reuters

President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing covert U.S. government support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, government officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

Obama signed the order, known as a presidential "finding", within the last two or three weeks, according to four U.S. government sources familiar with the matter.

Such findings are a principal form of presidential directive used to authorize secret operations by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA and the White House declined immediate comment.

Read more ....

My Comment: Is this a surprise? No .... what I would like to know is to what extent this secret assistance is. But I guess I will only find out long after this war is over.

For Sale On eBay. One U.S. Spy Plane

Soldier holding unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) RQ-11 Raven. TPM

Man Caught Selling U.S. Military Spy Plane On eBay -- MSNBC

A man was recently arrested after selling a U.S. military spy plane on eBay. Apparently the Homeland Security Department was not amused by his attempt to make a buck.

Reuters reports that the plane in question is an unmanned light-weight drone which 47-year-old Henson Chua tried to sell for $13,000:

The Raven is a four-pound plane equipped with three cameras that U.S. troops use for battlefield surveillance. It can be taken apart and carried by troops and then reassembled for use.

Unfortunately for Chua, his buyers turned out to be undercover federal agents:

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Update #1: Man Charged With Trying To Sell Military Spy Plane On EBay -- TPM
Update #2: Philippine man arrested for selling U.S. spy plane on eBay -- Wire Update
Update #3: Indictment follows eBay listing of military drone -- TBO

My Comment: It is amazing on what you can find on military auction sites.

India And Pakistan Agree To Establish A Counter-Terrorism Hotline

Smoke rises from Taj Mahal Hotel. The 2008 Mumbai attacks had destroyed trust between the two countries Photo: Reuters

India And Pakistan To Establish Counter-Terrorism Hotline -- The Telegraph

Pakistan has agreed to establish a counter-terrorism hotline and allow Indian detectives investigating the 2008 Mumbai terror plot to visit the country, in the most significant confidence-building measures since the massacre.

In a statement following two days of talks in New Delhi, India's home secretary and Pakistan's interior secretary said on Tuesday that the hotline would help "facilitate real-time information sharing with respect to terrorist threats."

Security analysts said the moves were a major concession by Pakistan, aimed at persuading India of its sincerity in tackling terrorism and preventing any further attacks being plotted from its territory.

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My Comment: Considering their history, this is an incredible accomplishment. If they follow through with this investigation, then I would say that this is really forward progress.

The Growing Conflict Between North And South Sudan

South Sudan Training Darfur Rebels - Bashir Adviser -- BBC

An adviser to Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has accused southern leaders of training rebels from Darfur in order to destabilise the north.

Mustafa Ismail Osman was responding to accusations from the south that the north was stirring up trouble ahead of southern independence in July.

He warned the south that its support for Darfur would not be tolerated.

Tensions are again rising between north and south, after years of war which left some 1.5 million people dead.

Read more ....

More News On The The Growing Conflict Between North And South Sudan

Sudan's north, south militarise disputed Abyei - U.N. -- Reuters
North, south Sudan militarising Abyei, warns UN general -- AFP
North, South Sudan Build Up Military Forces in Abyei, UN Commander Says -- Bloomberg
South Sudan landmines threaten aid convoys: UN -- AFP
South Sudan: Will Freedom Just Lead to Civil War? -- Alan Boswell, Time

Civil War In Ivory Coast -- News Updates March 30, 201

Ivory Coast: Ouattara Fighters 'Capture Ivory Coast's Capital Yamoussoukro' -- BBC

Forces loyal to UN-backed President-elect Alassane Ouattara have captured Ivory Coast's capital, residents of Yamoussoukro say.

They have continued their advance from the north despite incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo's ceasefire appeal.

Mr Gbagbo refuses to stand down despite the UN saying he lost November's poll.

Abidjan is Ivory Coast's main city, but a BBC reporter says Yamoussoukro's capture is a major symbolic victory for the pro-Ouattara forces.

The pro-Ouattara soldiers are also reported to be 100km (60 miles) north of the port of San Pedro, a major cocoa exporting centre.

One million people have fled the violence - mostly from Abidjan - and at least 462 people have been killed since December, according to the UN.

Read more ....

More News On Ivory Coast's Civil War

Ivory Coast Rebels Seize Cocoa Hub -- Wall Street Journal
Pro-Ouattara forces enter Ivory Coast capital -- Yahoo News/AP
Pro-Ouattara forces seize Ivory Coast capital -- Houston Chronicle/AP
Pro-Ouattara forces parade in Ivory Coast capital -- AJC/AP
Ouattara forces seize Cote d'Ivoire's capital -- Al Jazeera
Ouattara's forces take Ivorian capital -- UPI
Ivory Coast rebels advance on capital -- The Guardian
I. Coast town under control of Ouattara army -- AFP
Ivory Coast Rebels Rapidly Advance -- Voice of America
Heavy Fighting Pushes Ivory Coast To Brink Of War -- NPR
Ivory Coast civil war "reignites" as forces seize key towns -- The Telegraph
Rights Group: Ivory Coast Journalists At Risk -- Voice of American
Shades of civil war seen in Ivory Coast -- CNN
Is Ivorian conflict a civil war? -- UPI
Ivory Coast's conflict and Rwanda's genocide: Key differences -- Christian Science Monitor
Q&A: What's at stake as Ivory Coast teeters on the verge of civil war -- The Telegraph

Cartoon Pic For Today

Libya War News Updates -- March 30, 2011

Libya: Rebels Retreat From Ajdabiya In See-Saw Battle -- The Telegraph

The latest swing of the pendulum saw panicked rebel fighters fleeing their fleetingly-held gains in the west of Libya.

"Back to Benghazi!, defend Benghazi!" yelled one young man from the back of his pickup as it tried to force its way through a traffic jam at a squalid checkpoint strewn with rubbish.

Only five days earlier rebels had burst out of their eastern base of Benghazi following a storm of Nato air strikes that had left Col Muammar Gaddafi's tanks and armour as smoking wrecks.

That five-day Libyan rebel offensive ended yesterday in desperate flight as the rebels hour-by-hour deserted all their gains to fall back once again to their stronghold. The total reverse was the latest tilt of the see-saw: eastern rebels have twice approached Col Muammar Gaddafi's home town of Sirte and twice fled back. They are starved of weapons and unprotected by more attacks from British, French and American warplanes.

Read more ....

More News On The War In Libya

Rebels retreat from Libya oil port under attack -- Yahoo News/AP
Libyan rebels flee east from Gaddafi bombardment -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Libyan rebels scatter, world mulls sending arms -- Yahoo News/AFP
Bombs blast new front after Gaddafi forces fight back -- Sydney Morning Herald
Gaddafi forces push rebels back -- BBC
Libya rebels, under fire, beat rapid retreat east -- Reuters
Gaddafi's forces roll back rebels -- Press Association
Gaddafi offensive pushes rebels back further east -- Reuters
Pro-Qaddafi Forces Push Rebels Into Chaotic Retreat -- New York Times
Gadhafi Forces Close in on Rebels in Libyan Oil Port -- Voice of America
Gaddafi troops retake key oil port of Ras Lanouf -- The Guardian
Libya rebels flee as Gaddafi retakes Brega -- The Guardian
Misrata battle killed 18 residents on Tuesday:rebels -- Reuters
Gaddafi's stand risks stalemate in the east -- Al Jazeera
Rebels say Gadhafi uses rape as fear tactic in war -- Washington Times

Obama: Can't back Libyan rebels "with both feet" -- CBS News
Supply of arms to rebels possible despite embargo -- Sydney Morning Herald
US set to give arms to Libyans -- Sydney Morning Herald
Western leaders consider arming Libyan rebels -- CNN
Libya: Britain backs Clinton view that UN has sanctioned arming rebels -- The Guardian
Confusion Reigns Over Arming Libyan Rebels -- SKY News
US paves way to arm Libyan rebels -- The Guardian
US and Britain may arm Libya rebels if Gaddafi clings to power -- The Guardian
Washington in Fierce Debate on Arming Libyan Rebels -- New York Times
Libya warns against arming anti-Gaddafi rebels -- MSNBC/Reuters

Allies Intensify Call for Gadhafi to Step Down -- Wall Street Journal
Libya: Cameron and Sarkozy demand that 'Gaddafi must go' -- The Guardian
At London Libya meeting, the 'soft power' side of international action -- Christian Science Monitor
"One voice" at Libya conference sounds dissonant -- CBS News
Questions remain after London Libya conference -- BBC
London Libya conference leaves Gaddafi's fate undecided -- The Guardian

Libya threatens to sue firms over rebel oil deals -- Reuters
Polls show public divided on military action in Libya -- Washington Post
Uncertainty Surrounds Libya Mission, Polls Show -- Real Clear Politics
Uganda would welcome Libya's Gaddafi -- Daily Nation

Commentaries, Opinions, Editorials, And Analysis On the War In Libya

Why more weapons wouldn't help Libya's rebels – at least not right away -- Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor
Mission Unaccomplished -- Ross Kaminsky, American Spectator
Arming Libya's rebels: A cautionary tale -- Jonathan Marcus, BBC
Jumping the gun in Libya -- Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, Washington Times
Team Obama, world police -- Washington Times editorial
Hillary's War -- Victor Sharpe, American Thinker
Two Libyan States? -- J.R. Dunn, American Thinker
Assassinating Gaddafi -- Paul Kengor, American Thinker
Double vision over Libya -- Donald Lambro, Washington Times
Libyan Rebels no Bargain for U.S. -- Chris Stirewalt, FOX News
Did Barack Obama channel George W. Bush in his Libya speech? -- Andrew Malcolm, L.A. Times

What Is A 'Freelance Jihadist'?

‘Freelance Jihadists’ Join Libyan Rebels -- Washington Times

Ex-al Qaeda member speaks out.

A former leader of Libya’s al Qaeda affiliate says he thinks “freelance jihadists” have joined the rebel forces, as NATO’s commander told Congress on Tuesday that intelligence indicates some al Qaeda and Hezbollah terrorists are fighting Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.

Former jihadist Noman Benotman, who renounced his al Qaeda affiliation in 2000, said in an interview that he estimates 1,000 jihadists are in Libya.

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My Comment: How can a Jihadist view his life calling as a 'freelance' activity?

With Three Wars And Other Crises Ongoing, President Obama Prays 'A Lot'

Amid Crises, President Obama Prays 'a Lot' -- ABC News

Obama Says Faith in God, Prayer Keys to Tough Presidential Decisions

President Obama says he's been doing "a lot of praying" in recent weeks while faced with tough choices on Libya and other crises at home and abroad.

"I am praying that I'm making the best possible decisions, and that I've got the strength to serve the American people well," he said in an interview Tuesday with ABC News' Diane Sawyer.

While the president has not shied away from openly discussing his prayer life, Obama's comments are the latest reminder that he believes faith in God has helped him navigate the presidency's difficult moments.

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My Comment:President Obama is not the only one praying .... check out the last sentence in Thomas Friedman's commentary on President Obama.

Amazing .... in the Op-ed of The New York Times they are calling for prayer.