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07 Mar 2011 16:00

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World: Libyan rebels fight to hold front line territories

  • Libya may be in for a long haul: As the conflict drags on, battles to establish and maintain front lines are becoming increasingly chaotic and difficult for the Libyan rebels to manage, spread as they are across a broad swath of the country’s east. And based on the unstable, defiant personality dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s been flashing, this has the look of a protracted, bloody civil war unless something critical soon breaks. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2011 15:38

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World: Exactly what aim does Hugo Chavez have for Libyan negotiations?

  • Not to belabor the point: In a story that we’ve mentioned in days past, Hugo Chavez has been making noise about wanting to function as a peace negotiator in Libya. Setting aside for a moment arguments about the merits or lack thereof of the way Chavez runs Venezuela, you know what doesn’t bode well for this endeavor? Having your big time negotiator, who was a recipient of the self-evidently ridiculous “al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights,” call reports of Gaddafi’s forces firing on citizens “a great lie.” Also, saying that “Gaddafi is not going anywhere, I’m sure. Gaddafi is among those men who die fighting.” So, that said, what exactly does Hugo hope to achieve for the people of Libya? source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Mar 2011 10:54

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World: Libya: Pro-Gaddafi troops’ gains cheered, then disputed

  • Today, there was celebration in Tripoli by pro-Gaddafi supporters who heard that troops made significant gains over the rebel forces throughout the country. Guns were everywhere, even in the hands of little kids – as you might notice in the utterly shocking photo above. The BBC, however, reports that the excitement appears misguided, as the gains against rebel forces weren’t nearly as successful as originally reported. “Tripoli is full of rumours, and versions of the truth,” writes BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen. “Some are closer to reality than the others.The regime does appear to feel much more secure than it did 10 days ago when I arrived, even though it is more isolated. More of day-to-day life in Tripoli has resumed.” (Photo by Ben Curtis/AP) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Mar 2011 10:29

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World: British official: Sudden drop in Libyan refugees worrying

  • That is a matter of some anxiety … Two days ago there were 10,000 or 11,000 people coming across (the border). Yesterday there were only 1,863 people who came across That is an artificial flow. Something has happened.
  • British International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell • Expressing worry over the sudden drop of refugees coming out of Libya. Mitchell expressed concern about what he saw happening in the country: “I met people on the border who had been robbed by Gaddafi loyalists…, who said they had had in some cases their papers removed, any money they had, their watches, their goods.” Mitchell says that the world at large should prepare to expand the humanitarian effort in Libya at a moment’s notice. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Mar 2011 10:51

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World: Hugo Chavez gains support for mission to Libya, wants all-star team

  • What do Jimmy Carter, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Danny Glover and Sean Penn have in common? Word is that they’re on Hugo Chavez’s short list of a commission to go to LIbya to mediate peace. Confused about how Danny Glover fits into that mix? Well, it’s worth pointing out that Chavez is friends with Glover and has even offered money to help pay to make a Danny Glover movie. Anyway, Chavez earned some key local support for his endeavor from ALBA, or the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our Americas. (The countries in the group include Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras and Ecuador, and the group itself was founded by Chavez.) Hugo’s all about making this happen. “We must make a very large effort, very large. We cannot lose even one day,” he said. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2011 19:48

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Politics: P.J. Crowley: Gaddafi just “forfeited his right to lead Libya”

  • Based on what he has done in turning his weapons against his people, rather than engaging them, we believe that he has forfeited his right to lead Libya.
  • State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley • Speaking from the American view of what Muammar Gaddafi should do next in Libya. Nothing against the U.S. sentiments, but we’re pretty sure that this isn’t how it works. Running a country isn’t like letting a coupon expire. It isn’t like not showing up for a basketball game with five players, either. More goes into it than that. Power has to be negotiated or wrestled away. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2011 10:28

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World: Roundup: Who wants Chavez to mediate in Libya (hint: just Gaddafi)

  • no The outside world has no interest in having Chavez involved in talks with Libya.
  • no The rebels have rejected talking to Chavez – Gaddafi’s ally – in any sort of negotiations.
  • no Gaddafi’s own son Saif doesn’t think bringing Chavez in to mediate is a good idea.
  • yes… However, Gaddafi thinks that Chavez would be a great fit for the negotiations. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

03 Mar 2011 21:52

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U.S., World: Obama: “Full range” of military options on the table in Libya

  • YES Obama could bring U.S. military action to Libya source
  • » It’s not off the table: “We are looking at every option that’s out there,” he said, “in addition to the non-military actions that we’ve taken. I want to make sure that those full range of options are available to me.” He’s stressing great care, however, and it doesn’t sound like the first option on the table. (Nor does it sound like it would necessitate a large military campaign.) Do you guys think that Obama should lead us in this direction? Should this be our role in this particular crisis?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2011 16:08

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World: In wake of broad criticism, President Obama speaks out on Gaddafi

  • then President Obama had absorbed criticism over his lack of forceful public remarks towards Muammar Gaddafi, and the need for the dictator to give up power.
  • now The President spoke out on Gaddafi, calling on him to leave while affirming that he’s sent refugee aid and airlift support to Libya’s crowded border. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2011 10:45

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World: United Nations: Libyan refugees leaving country en masse

  • 180k number of people who have fled Libya, the United Nations says
  • 95k of those refugees have crossed into Tunisia from Western Libya
  • 83k of those refugees headed into Egypt from Eastern Libya source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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