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	<title>J-H Post &#187; towns</title>
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		<title>Voting Begins in Egypt&#8217;s Landmark Elections</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/voting-begins-in-egypts-landmark-elections/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/voting-begins-in-egypts-landmark-elections/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:31:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Egyptians have begun voting in the first parliamentary elections since a popular uprising ended the 30-year rule of former president Hosni Mubarak in February. Voters stood in long lines early Monday, well before polling stations opened. The complex, staggered polls to elect parliament's lower house began in the main cities of Cairo and Alexandria as well as Luxor, Port Said and a number of other towns. A runoff for those areas is scheduled for December 5. Egypt's 27 provinces are voting in three separate rounds in a process that concludes in early January. Elections for the upper house will then take place, ending in March, after which the newly elected assembly will write a new constitution. The head of the ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi said Sunday the country is at a crossroads and can choose either successful elections "leading Egypt towards safety" or face dangerous hurdles that the armed forces "will not allow." He also warned of "extremely grave" consequences if the country's current political turmoil does not end quickly. Tantawi's warning came as thousands of demonstrators filled Cairo's Tahrir Square for another massive protest demanding that Egypt's military immediately cede power to a "national salvation government" that would run the country until a president is elected. A number of the revolutionary youth groups leading the protests have proposed that opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei head an interim civilian administration with deputies from across the political spectrum. The proposed body would replace the ruling military council in supervising Egypt's transition to democracy. ElBaradei said Saturday he would abandon his bid for Egypt's presidency if formally asked to lead such a government. Meanwhile, there has been another attack on a gas pipeline in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, just hours before the start of the polls. State-run news agency, MENA, reported saboteurs attacked a section of the pipeline about 60 kilometers west of the town of El-Arish early Monday. This is the ninth time this year that saboteurs have targeted the pipeline which supplies natural gas to Israel and Jordan. The last attack was carried out on Friday. Earlier this month, Egyptian police arrested a leading member of an armed Islamist group, Mohammed el-Tihi, suspected of several of the bombings. Previous attacks have disrupted fuel supplies for weeks. Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. ]]></description>
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		<title>Libyan NTC: Gadhafi-Backers Cornered in Sirte</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/libyan-ntc-gadhafi-backers-cornered-in-sirte/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:13:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Top News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[airport]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Libya's revolutionary forces say they have loyalist fighters cornered in former leader Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, where desperate civilians are still trying to flee the fierce street fighting. Burned-out vehicles blocked roads Monday as provisional government tanks and artillery pounded pro-Gadhafi positions that NTC fighters said were squeezed into two neighborhoods. On Sunday, National Transitional Council fighters in Sirte took three important landmarks - the city's main hospital, the university and the Ouagadougou convention center that Gadhafi loyalists had used as their main base of operation. Most NTC forces attacking Sirte are from other towns, putting them at a distinct disadvantage against the remnants of Mr. Gadhafi's army who know the city well. Many civilians from Sirte also are fighting alongside loyalist fighters. In the southern city of Bani Walid, the other remaining pro-Gadhafi bastion, revolutionary fighters retreated from the town center after facing heavy sniper fire and booby-traps, but they still hold the airport and two nearby villages. NTC officials say the capture of Sirte will allow them to declare the country liberated, because it will mean the provisional government controls all of the country's ports and harbors. Sirte is 360 kilometers east of Libya's capital, Tripoli, and has served as a center of support for Mr. Gadhafi. Anti-Gadhafi fighters have been trying to move into the city for three weeks. Also Monday, an NTC official said he believes Mr. Gadhafi is hiding in the southwestern desert near the borders with Niger and Algeria. Moussa al-Kouni, a minority Tuareg representative on the council, provided no evidence for his claim. He also denied that ethnic Tuaregs are protecting the fugitive leader. Some military officials have alleged that members of the nomadic community are helping Mr. Gadhafi survive. The group inhabits the desert border of Niger, Mali, Libya, Algeria and Chad and has long been among the former leader's strongest supporters. Many Tuaregs fought for Mr. Gadhafi during the civil war. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. ]]></description>
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		<title>Britain to send military advisers to Libyan rebels (AP)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/britain-to-send-military-advisers-to-libyan-rebels-ap/</link>
		<comments>http://www.j-hady.com/britain-to-send-military-advisers-to-libyan-rebels-ap/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2011 05:27:38 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[ TRIPOLI, Libya &#8211; Britain is sending up to 20 military advisers to help Libya's ragtag rebel force break a military stalemate with Moammar Gadhafi's army, even as NATO acknowledges that airstrikes alone cannot stop the daily shelling of the besieged opposition-held city of Misrata. Gadhafi's troops have been pounding Misrata indiscriminately with mortars and rockets, a NATO general said Tuesday, and residents reported more explosions and firefights in Libya's third-largest city. Hospitals are overflowing and 120 patients need to be evacuated from the city that has been under siege for nearly two months, the World Health Organization said. The plight of Misrata's civilians and the battlefield deadlock are raising new questions about the international community's strategy in Libya. The leaders of the U.S., Britain and France have said Gadhafi must go, but seem unwilling to commit to a more forceful military campaign. NATO's mandate is restricted to protecting civilians. Adm. Giampaolo Di Paola, chairman of NATO's military committee, said that even though the military alliance's operations have done "quite significant damage" to the Libyan regime's heavy weaponry, what Gadhafi has left is "still considerable." Asked if more airpower is needed, Di Paola said any "significantly additional" allied contribution would be welcome. The rebels seized control of most of eastern Libya shortly after the uprising began in February, while Gadhafi is entrenched in the west, but the front line hasn't changed dramatically since then. "I am very optimistic. We will win," Gadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam, said on state television, referring to the fighting. "The balance changes every day in our favor," he said in a joking but defiant manner during a televised town hall meeting that lasted two hours. Frustration over the stalemate has spurred talk in the West of new tactics, including dispatching military personnel to Libya. Britain took the lead Tuesday, saying it is sending up to 20 senior soldiers who will help organize the rebels, many of whom have had little military training or battle experience. However, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain would not arm the opposition or assist in military operations. Britain has already sent non-lethal support, including 1,000 sets of body armor and 100 satellite phones. "As the scale of the humanitarian crisis has grown, so has the urgency of increasing our efforts to defend civilians against the attack from Gadhafi forces," Hague said. Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said Britain's attempt to help the rebels is futile. "This is not in the interest of the U.K.," Kaim told The Associated Press. "This is an impossible mission. To organize who? They (the rebels) are different groups. There is no leader. They are not well-organized, and I am sure it will be a failure." Allies would also consider supplying Libya's rebels with technical equipment such as radars or systems to intercept and block telecommunications, said Italian Foreign Minster Franco Frattini. He said this would be discussed at a meeting next month of the international contact group on Libya. "We have condemned the regime's violence, the presence of snipers on the rooftops of Tripoli's houses and in the besieged cities," Frattini said. "We cannot say this isn't our problem." However, both Italy and France remain opposed to sending ground troops. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Tuesday he is "totally hostile" to the idea. Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, a rebel leader touring Europe in search of more logistical support, said the Libyan opposition is not looking to other nations to remove Gadhafi. "We are not looking or inviting anybody to kill him, and we don't have such a possibility, but we hope he and his regime can leave Libya as soon as possible," Abdul-Jalil said in Italy. The European Union, meanwhile, said it is ready, in principle, to provide armed escorts to secure U.N. aid convoys in Libya, but U.N. officials said they don't need such guards for the time being. The proposal drew a warning from Kaim that sending armed escorts would be tantamount to a military operation. The U.N. Security Council resolution bans the use of foreign troops in Libya. Russia &#8212; a veto-wielding member of the Council &#8212; already has complained that the NATO action in bombing Libya's military has overstepped its mandate, and therefore is unlikely to approve any further extension of the alliance's operations. In Misrata, an opposition bridgehead in western Libya, rebels have held out despite daily rocket and artillery barrages, in part because they continue to get supplies by sea. The rebels hold positions near the port, while Gadhafi's forces control parts of Tripoli Street, a downtown thoroughfare. NATO Brig. Gen. Mark van Uhm said his forces have destroyed more than 40 tanks and several armored personnel carriers in Misrata. However, there's always concern of inadvertently harming civilians in such airstrikes, he said. "There is a limit to what can be achieved by airpower to stop fighting in a city," said van Uhm. Fighting has been intense for the past 10 days and Gadhafi's forces have shelled Misrata indiscriminately, he said. "The situation on the ground is fluid there, with ground being won and lost by both sides," van Uhm said at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Human rights activists have said at least 267 people have been killed in Misrata, with the final toll likely higher, and many more people wounded. Hospitals in Misrata have difficulties conducting surgeries because "the capacity is overstretched and 120 patients need evacuation," said WHO spokesman Tariq Jasarevic Supplies have so far reached Misrata by sea, including three ships that delivered a total of some 1,500 tons of supplies such as medicine and food. Two of the ships have evacuated nearly 2,000 people from Misrata, including migrant workers and Libyans, among them wounded people. UNICEF is sending a ship Wednesday with supplies for 15,000 to 25,000 people, including first aid kits, drinking water and water purification tablets. Misrata has about 300,000 people. Over the weekend, the U.N. humanitarian chief said she was assured by Libyan authorities that the U.N. would be permitted to visit Misrata and other towns to assess the humanitarian need. The World Food Program, a U.N. agency, said it has signed an agreement with the Libyan Red Crescent to deliver aid in western Libya. "We received an indication that the government did not have any objection," said agency spokeswoman Emilia Casella. WFP trucks are already bringing food to feed 50,000 people for a month, Casella said. The food will be distributed by the Libyan Red Crescent in Tripoli, Zintan, Yefrin, Nalut, Mizda, Al Reiba and Zawiya. ___ Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb in Cairo; Frances D'Emilio and Alessandra Rizzo in Rome, David Stringer in London and Slobodan Lekic in Brussels contributed to this report. Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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		<title>Air strikes resume as outgunned Libyan rebels scatter (AFP)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/air-strikes-resume-as-outgunned-libyan-rebels-scatter-afp/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:55:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NN</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ AJDABIYA, Libya (AFP) &#8211; Libyan battered rebels, driven back some 200 kilometres by the superior firepower of Moamer Kadhafi's forces on Wednesday, were cheered by the first air strike in two days against loyalist positions in the east. Kadhafi's forces overran the towns of Ras Lanuf, Uqayla and Brega, scattering outgunned rebels as world powers mulled arming the rag-tag fighters seeking to oust the Libyan strongman. AFP reporters and rebel fighters said Kadhafi's troops swept through the oil town of Ras Lanuf, 300 kilometres (185 miles) east of Kadhafi's hometown Sirte, soon after dawn, blazing away with tanks and heavy artillery fire. But later, an air strike about 10 kilometres (6.5 miles) west of Ajdabiya, where rebels are sheltering, sent a huge plume of smoke rising into the sky and brought cries of jubilation from the rebel fighters, who had been calling for renewed air support. Panicked rebels called for air strikes as they fled in their hundreds eastwards through Uqayla, where they briefly regrouped, then on to Brega, where they also halted temporarily before charging to the main city of Ajdabiya, 120 kilometres away. "We want two things: that the planes drop bombs on Kadhafi's tanks and heavy artillery; and that they (the West) give us weapons so we can fight," rebel fighter Yunes Abdelghaim told AFP. The 27-year-old, who was holding a Russian AK-47 assault rifle and French flag, said it seemed as if the coalition had halted its air strikes for two days coinciding with a London conference on the Libyan crisis. "We want the French to bomb the (Kadhafi) soldiers," said another fighter, Ali Atia al-Faturi, as the sound of shelling and gunfire grew louder. By nightfall, the town of Brega, which also has an oil refinery, was in the hands of loyalists, rebels said, and the sound of artillery fire could be heard on the outskirts of Ajdabiya. Angry mumblings against French President Nicolas Sarkozy, hitherto seen as the rebel's principal protector, were heard. "Why aren't they bombing? We've heard things like Sarkozy is backing out of this situation," said Abdullah Shwahdi, a 25-year-old fighter. On Tuesday the rebels came within 100 km of Sirte before encountering fierce resistance which reversed an advance launched when Britain, France and the United States started UN-mandated air strikes on March 19. The ceding of almost all the flat, arid terrain the rebels had taken control of just five days ago was an unplanned, almost panicky affair. Talk by the rebel Transitional National Council in its Benghazi stronghold of a "tactical retreat" was clearly hollow. The insurgents -- most of them overconfident young men with no military training or discipline whatsoever -- know nothing of tactics. Britain is expelling five Libyan diplomats including the country's military attache, for intimidating opposition groups in London, Foreign Secretary William Hague said, while the Netherlands has frozen more than three billion euros ($4 billion) of assets as part of EU sanctions against the Libyan regime. "We informed the parliament that 3.1 billion euros of Libyan assets have been frozen since March 2," a spokesman for Dutch Finance Minister Niels Redeker told AFP. NATO began to take command of Libyan air operations from a US-led coalition as warplanes and other assets from several allies came under the military organisation's control. "Today NATO aircraft are flying under NATO command in the Libyan sky," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu told AFP. "This is a phased process, which will be completed as soon as all allies and partners have transferred authority for their assets," Lungescu said. As the insurgents were being routed, British Prime Minister David Cameron said in London the option of arming the rebellion had not been ruled out. Asked in parliament what Britain's policy was on arming the rebels, given the existence of a United Nations arms embargo on Libya, Cameron replied: "We do not rule it out but we have not taken the decision to do so." French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe had set the tone at a London conference on Tuesday when he said France is prepared to hold discussions on delivering arms to the rebels. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said however Moscow believed that foreign powers did not have the right to do this under the mandate approved by the UN Security Council. Belgium, too, voiced its opposition to sending arms to Libya, warning that the move could alienate Arab nations. And in Beijing, China's President Hu Jintao warned French President Nicolas Sarkozy that air strikes on Libya could violate the "original intention" of the UN resolution authorising them if civilians suffer. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that although UN sanctions prohibit the delivery of arms to Libya, the ban no longer applies. "It is our interpretation that (UN Security Council resolution) 1973 amended or overrode the absolute prohibition on arms to anyone in Libya, so that there could be a legitimate transfer of arms if a country should choose to do that," she said. A spokesman for the rebel Transitional National Council, Mustafa Ghuriani, told reporters in the Benghazi "it would be naive to think we are not arming ourselves" to match the weaponry deployed by Kadhafi loyalists. But he declined to confirm or deny that France and the United States were offering to supply arms, saying only that unspecified "friendly nations" were backing the rebels. US President Barack Obama, who has laid out a moral imperative for protecting Libyan civilians caught in the battle, also said he did not rule out arming the rebels. "I'm not ruling it out. But I'm also not ruling it in. We're still making an assessment partly about what Kadhafi's forces are going to be doing," Obama said. Obama said the "noose" was tightening around the Libyan strongman, but noted that Kadhafi did not appear to be seeking to negotiate an exit from Libya yet, despite the bombardment of his forces. But he added he believed Kadhafi would eventually quit. "Our expectation is that as we continue to apply steady pressure, not only militarily but also through these other means, that Kadhafi will ultimately step down," he said. Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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		<title>Pilots give first description of Libya air assault (AP)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/pilots-give-first-description-of-libya-air-assault-ap/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:40:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JH</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy &#8211; U.S. fighter jet pilots, in first accounts of their sorties over Libya in the U.S.-led airstrikes, say teamwork with other nations has minimized the threat from the anti-aircraft weaponry of forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi's regime. Some of the pilots and other crew based at Aviano, in northeastern Italy &#8212; from where F-16s took off for night missions over Libya earlier in the week &#8212; were allowed to speak to reporters by U.S. military officials. Air Force Capt. Ryan Thulin, an F-16 pilot, recalled on Friday the challenge of picking out targets while peering through the jet-black night sky. All the missions are run at night and "we have to wear night vision goggles for the duration of the sorties," Thulin said. "It's very dark in Libya, you can see the desert, you can see the towns, but that's about it. It's much darker than I expected to be. It's much darker than our training in northern Italy." Pilots weren't allowed to give all mission details, but Thulin said they were working with their partners to minimize the threat from anti-aircraft weapons arrayed by the Libyan regime's forces intent on beating back insurgents. "Obviously, it's in the forefront of our mind every time we fly," the pilot said of the danger of artillery or missile fire. "It is the highest threat to our aircraft there. We modify our tactics in response to the threats that are on the ground. We work as a team with our coalition partners to minimize those threats as much as possible." Thulin, 28, from Michigan, has flown some 800 sorties in his career. No U.S. casualties have been reported in the air missions involving American and European jets. The air strikes were launched to enforce a U.N. Security Council resolution for humanitarian purposes. But an F-15E Strike Eagle jet that was hitting Gadhafi's air defenses on Monday crashed, apparently because of an equipment problem. The jet went down in eastern Libya, where rebels are based. The two crewmen ejected, sustaining minor injuries, U.S. officials said. Maintenance of the U.S. jets is considered so crucial that officers who take care of the jets at Aviano say maintenance goes on around the clock. "The planes have to be in order for the mission," said Bryan Alexander, a senior maintenance officer. Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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		<title>Libya cease-fire aims to outflank no-fly zone (AP)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/libya-cease-fire-aims-to-outflank-no-fly-zone-ap/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:34:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JH</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[ TRIPOLI, Libya &#8211; Trying to outmaneuver Western military intervention, Moammar Gadhafi's government declared a cease-fire on Friday against the rebel uprising faltering against his artillery, tanks and warplanes. The opposition said shells rained down well after the announcement and accused the Libyan leader of lying. Wary of the cease-fire, Britain and France took the lead in plans to enforce a no-fly zone, sending British warplanes to the Mediterranean and announcing a crisis summit in Paris with the U.N. and Arab allies. In Washington, President Barack Obama ruled out the use of American ground troops but warned that the U.S., which has an array of naval and air forces in the region, would join in military action. There should be no doubt about the Libyan leader's intentions "because he has made them clear," Obama said. "Just yesterday, speaking of the city of Benghazi, a city of roughly 700,000, he threatened `we will have no mercy and no pity.' No mercy on his own citizens." In a joint statement to Gadhafi late Friday, the United States, Britain and France &#8212; backed by unspecified Arab countries &#8212; said a cease-fire must begin "immediately" in Libya, the French presidential palace said. The statement called on Gadhafi to end his troops' advance toward Benghazi and pull them out of the cities of Misrata, Ajdabiya and Zawiya, and called for the restoration of water, electricity and gas services in all areas. It said Libyans must be able to receive humanitarian aid or the "international community will make him suffer the consequences" with military action. Parts of eastern Libya, where the once-confident rebels this week found their hold slipping, erupted into celebration at the passage of the U.N. resolution. But the timing and consequences of any international military action remained unclear. Misrata, Libya's third-largest city and the last held by rebels in the west, came under sustained assault well after the cease-fire announcement, according to rebels and a doctor there. The doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared reprisals, said Gadhafi's snipers were on rooftops and his forces were searching homes for rebels. "The shelling is continuing, and they are using flashlights to perform surgery. We don't have anesthetic to put our patients down," said the doctor, who counted 25 deaths since the morning. The rebels still hold eastern Libya, which has most of the country's oil reserves. Oil prices slid after the cease-fire announcement, plunging about $2.50 in the first 15 minutes of New York trading. They were down slightly for the week, settling at $101.07 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Mustafa Gheriani, a spokesman for the rebels, said the opposition is considering calling Gadhafi's bluff by holding new protests in Tripoli and elsewhere in Gadhafi's western strongholds to see if his forces open fire. "The idea is that when he cannot bomb civilians, the whole world will see that Libya does not want him," Gheriani said. "I believe his troops in Tripoli will leave him. We want to make our revolution a peaceful one again, just surround his compound and make him leave." Gheriani and Khaled Sayh, another rebel spokesman, said shelling continued late Friday in Zintan, a western mountain town; Misrata and Ajdabiya, an eastern city that has been surrounded by government forces. But even in advanced militaries, orders can take time to make it through the ranks, and it wasn't clear if all of Gadhafi's front-line troops had received the cease-fire directive by late Friday. In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the immediate objective of any intervention was to halt violence against civilians, but insisted that the "final result of any negotiation would have to be the decision by Col. Gadhafi to leave." The U.N. Security Council resolution, which passed late Thursday, set the stage for airstrikes, a no-fly zone and other military measures short of a ground invasion. Within 12 hours, Gadhafi's government announced "an immediate cease-fire and to stop all military operations," said Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa. The U.S. was proceeding cautiously in the face of Libya's announcement, as Obama attempted to navigate between exercising too much U.S. military power and doing too little to help rebels seeking Gadhafi's ouster. "The driving consideration is what comes next if a no-fly zone doesn't work," said Aaron David Miller, a former Mideast adviser to six U.S. secretaries of state. "I think Gadhafi's capacity to survive has little or nothing to do with us. If anything, we've lent to his bizarre system of government through the way we've demonized him in the past. To some degree, we've played into his hands," said Miller, now with the Woodrow Wilson Center think tank. After the resolution passed, a crowd watching the vote on an outdoor TV projection in Benghazi &#8212; the first city swept up in the uprising that began Feb. 15 &#8212; burst into cheers, with green and red fireworks exploding overhead. In Tobruk, another eastern city, happy Libyans fired weapons in the air to celebrate. "We think Gadhafi's forces will not advance against us. Our morale is very high now. I think we have the upper hand," said Col. Salah Osman, a former army officer who defected to the rebel side. He was at a checkpoint near the eastern town of Sultan. Western powers faced pressure to act quickly as Gadhafi's forces gained momentum. "We're extremely worried about reprisals by pro-government forces and security agents in Libya. No one knows what's going on in the towns recaptured, and what's going on in prisons and other state security premises across the country," said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. "We are very concerned that the government could resort to collective punishment and we have no illusions about what this regime is capable of." More than 300,000 people have fled Libya since fighting began, the U.N. said Friday, and the exodus shows no signs of slowing. The U.N. said between 1,500 and 2,400 people have been crossing the borders with Egypt and Tunisia each day. Melissa Fleming, the spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency, said officials were working with Egypt &#8212; which borders eastern Libya &#8212; to prepare for a potentially "massive influx of people fleeing the violence in Libya." "It is also possible that the current conflict could cut off access to safe places and passage out of the country," she said. ___ Lucas reported from Benghazi, Libya. Associated Press writers Slobodan Lekic in Brussels; Jill Lawless in London; and Jamey Keaten in Paris contributed to this report. Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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		<title>Obama calls charges against Rangel &#8216;troubling&#8217; (AP)</title>
		<link>http://www.j-hady.com/obama-calls-charges-against-rangel-troubling-ap/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:27:32 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[ WASHINGTON &#8211; President Barack Obama on Friday called ethics charges against Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel "very troubling" and said he hopes the longtime lawmaker can end his career with dignity. Several House Democrats went further, flat-out urging the New York congressman to resign. "He's somebody who's at the end of his career," Obama said in an interview that aired Friday on "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric." "I'm sure that what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity. And my hope is that it happens." Obama, speaking on the issue for the first time, praised the 20-term Rangel for serving his constituents well but called the more than one-dozen tax and disclosure charges against him "very troubling." It was hardly an endorsement for the veteran lawmaker, but fell well short of the calls for resignation Rangel received on the eve of the House's August recess. As House Democrats headed home, they wrestled with how to handle the matter in their districts ahead of the midterm elections. Republicans, meanwhile, raced ahead with plans to make Rangel the face of corrupt Washington under the rule of Democrats who had vowed to clean up Congress. For his part, Rangel met with perhaps his staunchest supporters, members of the New York state delegation, in the stately Capitol parlor named for the Ways and Means Committee that he headed until March. "He indicated there was some sloppiness" in his official papers, Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., told reporters, "but, you know, there's no criminality here." House rules and credibility &#8212; not criminality &#8212; were the reasons cited by more than a half dozen House Democrats known to have called for Rangel's resignation by late afternoon Friday. A House panel on Thursday made public for the first time 13 charges of misusing his office and tax and disclosure violations against Rangel, 80, as it opened the trial phase of the ethics proceedings against him. If Rangel and the ethics committee do not settle the case, it goes to a public trial this fall, at the height of an election season in which every member of the House, 36 in the Senate and the Democratic majorities of both chambers are on the line. Either conditionally or outright, Democrats calling for Rangel's resignation included Rep. Walter Minnick of Idaho, Betty Sutton of Ohio, John Yarmuth of Kentucky, Zack Space of Ohio, Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona and Mary Jo Kilroy of Ohio. "Too many politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, have fallen victim to the idea that they are 'different' than regular folks and nothing could be further from the truth," Kirkpatrick said in a statement. "It is our job as members of Congress to hold each other accountable to a higher standard regardless of party," she added. "If the serious charges against (Rangel) are accurate, he needs to resign." Rangel denies the charges and says the indictment released Thursday contains factual errors. "We've heard Charlie in the Ways and Means Committee, and he's addressed these charges. He never denied they happened. He always has an explanation. You can excuse one or two, but not 13," Yarmuth told the Louisville Courier-Journal in an interview published Friday. "I don't see how he can stay if they're true. I believe they are." Back home in Rangel's Harlem district, he remains revered and could well win reelection if his political career survives the ethics probe. One constituent said Friday she had mixed feelings after reading news accounts of the allegations against him. "I don't think he is 100 percent honest, but he's no worse than other politicians," said Charynda Morez, a college student, who was buying groceries at a deli. She said that she didn't know how he should be punished, but that Rangel should resign anyway. Rangel has four apartments "when there are people who don't have a home," she said, citing allegations that Rangel lived in four combined rent-stabilized apartments instead of one, in violation of New York City law. Democratic leaders are urging their members to cast the election as one about a choice between their party, which under President Barack Obama has overhauled health care and Wall Street, and a GOP-tea party combination that wants to roll back Democratic accomplishments. House Republicans relished using Rangel to change the subject &#8212; especially if he does not reach a settlement with the ethics committee. A public trial equates to a free media presentation of the misdeeds of one of the most senior Democrats in the House. The House Republicans' campaign arm released a list of Democrats who have not returned campaign contributions they received from Rangel during their careers and said those lawmakers would face questions about the matter from constituents during the August break. "It's very difficult for Democrats to make the case that this is a 'choice' election when the national headlines are focused around an ethics scandal that has clearly impacted the party in power," said Ken Spain, spokesman for the National Republican Campaign Committee. Rangel retained many supporters Friday. The New York delegation and the Congressional Black Caucus, which was co-founded by Rangel, urged their colleagues not to rush to judgment. House leaders eager to avoid alienating black voters remained mum on what Rangel should do. Some Democrats privately said they took a small measure of comfort in one revelation. Rep. Gene Green, the Texas Democrat who led the four-member bipartisan panel of investigators, told reporters that his committee recommended a relatively mild punishment for Rangel &#8212; reprimand, a statement of wrongdoing voted by the whole House that carries no other penalty. But statements continued to trickle out that left no doubt that at some point, Democrats would have to look out for No. 1 - themselves. "If at the trial's conclusion Mr. Rangel is found guilty by his peers, then he should incur the full punishment allowed by the House, including removal from office," said Rep. Bobby Bright, D-Ala. ___ Associated Press writers Larry Margasak and Ben Evans contributed to this report. Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook ]]></description>
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