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Gaddafi’s son warns of civil war as unrest spreads
Cairo, February 21 
Libya’s anti-government protests reached capital Tripoli for the first time but Muammar Gaddafi’s son pledged to fight the revolt to the ‘last man standing’, warning protesters that Libya was neither Tunisia nor Egypt.

Saif al-Islam, son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, gestures as he speaks during an address on state television in Tripoli on Sunday. — AFP

Davis is a CIA agent: Report
London/Islamabad, Feb 21
US official Raymond Davis, arrested on charges of gunning down two men in Lahore, is a CIA agent, a media report said. The Guardian said based on interviews in the US and Pakistan, it can confirm that Davis, a former special forces soldier is employed by the CIA.

Hurley struggling to win over Warne’s kids
London, February 21
Actress Elizabeth Hurley, who is said to be dating Australian cricketer Shane Warne, is finding it hard to win over his kids. Hurley recently returned from a romantic trip to see Warne in Australia where she met his children Brooke (13), ­Jackson (11) and eight-year-old Summer for the first time.

Gaddafi’s son warns of civil war as unrest spreads

Cairo, February 21 
Libya’s anti-government protests reached capital Tripoli for the first time but Muammar Gaddafi’s son pledged to fight the revolt to the ‘last man standing’, warning protesters that Libya was neither Tunisia nor Egypt.

A wave of anti-regime protests have gripped the Arab world, but the suppression is turning out to be the most brutal in Libya, where according to Human Rights Watch at least 223 persons have been killed in five days of violence.

As people in the capital joined protests for the first time after days of violent unrest in the eastern city of Benghazi, the Libyan leader's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi appeared on television and said that the regime will not back out even to the last bullet.

“We will keep fighting until the last man standing, even to the last woman standing ... we will not leave Libya to the Italians or the Turks,” he said.

As the crackdown intensified, Libya’s justice minister Mustapha Abdeljalil resigned in protest to “the excessive use of force” while a senior Libyan diplomat in China and Libya’s Ambassador to India also quit in protest.

Libya's senior diplomat in China Hessein Sadiq al Musrati, who stepped down and called on all diplomatic staff to resign, also said that Gaddafi "may have left Libya".

Anti-government protesters, meanwhile, took to the streets of Tripoli, in a revolt that started from Benghazi, where Gaddafi's grip has traditionally been weaker.

Al Jazeera reported that tribal leaders too spoke out against Gaddafi, while some army units defected to opposition.

Protesters appeared to be largely in control in the coastal city of Benghazi, where government buildings were set ablaze after security forces were forced to retreat.

Ever since mass uprisings threw out autocratic regimes first in Tunisia and then in Egypt, the Arab world has been swept by a wave of pro-democracy protests.

While similar revolts are being witnessed in Bahrain, Yemen and Morocco, it is Libya where the maximum blood has spilled.

"We will take up arms... we will fight to the last bullet. We will destroy seditious elements. If everybody is armed, it is civil war, we will kill each other... Libya is not Egypt, it is not Tunisia," warned Gaddafi's son, while defending his father's regime.

"Our spirits are high and the leader Gaddafi is leading the battle in Tripoli, and we are behind him as is the Libyan army," he said, though he also offered some concessions, promising new constitution and more media freedom. — PTI

Davis is a CIA agent: Report

London/Islamabad, Feb 21
US official Raymond Davis, arrested on charges of gunning down two men in Lahore, is a CIA agent, a media report said. The Guardian said based on interviews in the US and Pakistan, it can confirm that Davis, a former special forces soldier is employed by the CIA.

It quoted a senior Pakistani intelligence official as saying that “it’s beyond a shadow of doubt”.

This may complicate US efforts to seek the release of Davis, who claims to have fired in self-defence when the two attempted to rob him.

Davis has been charged with murder. He shot at two men who had pulled up in front of his car at a traffic signal on January 25.

In Islamabad, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said his government would deal with the matter without compromising national interests.

“You should not be worried. There is a responsible government and it is working in the country’s interest,” he said when asked by reporters about Davis being a CIA operative.

Davis was engaged in espionage and surveillance activities and was on a mission when the incident happened, claimed Punjab’s law minister Rana Sanaullah. Davis is now lodged in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore where additional security forces have been deployed.

The Obama administration has demanded the release of Davis contending that he is an “administrative and technical official” attached to its Lahore consulate and that he enjoys diplomatic immunity.

A petition relating to his diplomatic status is pending before a Lahore court. The next hearing is on March 14.

The Guardian said the Pakistani government was aware of Davis’s CIA status but had kept quiet in the face of intense US pressure.

Another report said Davis was hired on contract by the American intelligence agency and was not a regular staff.

Efforts were also underway to see whether a “blood money” deal can be arrived at under which the families of the two victims withdraw the charges against Davis in return for money.

Discounting his contention of self-defence, police in Lahore said Davis used excessive force as he fired 10 shots and even got out of his car to shoot dead one of the two men who was fleeing.

A third man was crushed when a speeding vehicle with American officials rushed to the aid of Davis overrunning the motorcyclist. Pakistani officials believe its occupants who have since left the country were from CIA.

With Davis continuing to be in custody, the US has deferred high-level talks with Pakistan and Afghanistan amid reports that Washington may slice US aid to Islamabad. — PTI

Cameron in Egypt

Cairo, February 21
Britain’s prime minister, visiting Egypt today on the first trip by a foreign leader since President Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow, will push for an end to emergency law but will not meet Islamists.

The revolt in Egypt and uprisings across the region have prompted Western governments to rethink their policies of supporting autocratic leaders, but raised concerns about the potential rise of Islamist groups in their place.

Egypt is now governed by a military council, led by veteran Defence Minister Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who is on the list of officials British Prime Minister David Cameron will be meeting.

Hurley struggling to win over Warne’s kids

London, February 21
Actress Elizabeth Hurley, who is said to be dating Australian cricketer Shane Warne, is finding it hard to win over his kids. Hurley recently returned from a romantic trip to see Warne in Australia where she met his children Brooke (13), ­Jackson (11) and eight-year-old Summer for the first time.

She has told friends that she has a long way to go before his children accept that she is not a “scarlet woman” who stole their father from their mother Simone.

“They're very upset about the fact Shane and their mother split up and ­struggling with it all. Children and teenagers tend to see the world in black or white terms. But they acted very maturely and ­managed to be civil to Liz when they met,” mirror.co.uk quoted a friend of Hurley as saying.

“But they were very sombre and Shane noticed they weren't very happy. Liz expected it to be hard - they're not going to like her overnight. But she really has fallen for their dad and wants to make it work.” — IANS