W O R L D

Gaddafi’s troops take Brega
Ajdabiyah, March 13
Muammar Gaddafi's troops seized the strategic Libyan oil town of Brega on Sunday forcing rebels to retreat under a heavy bombardment while world powers considered imposing a no-fly zone.

Suspected mercenaries (C) are detained by rebels in Benghazi on Sunday. — Reuters

Yemen police opens fire on protesters, six killed
Sanaa, March 13
Yemeni security forces killed six people today and wounded hundreds in the second day of a harsh crackdown on anti-government protests, witnesses said. One of the dead was a 15-year-old student.

Gaddafi’s troops take Brega

Ajdabiyah, March 13
Muammar Gaddafi's troops seized the strategic Libyan oil town of Brega on Sunday forcing rebels to retreat under a heavy bombardment while world powers considered imposing a no-fly zone.

Losing Brega and its refinery further limits rebel access to fuel after the insurgents were pushed out of Ras Lanuf, another major oil terminal some 100 km to the west along the coast road where all of Libya's important towns are located.

"The rebels have left Brega. It is evacuated," said 33-year-old anaesthesiologist Osama Jazwi. At about 1030 a.m. the bombardment started," Jazwi told Reuters by telephone. “Brega has been cleansed of armed gangs," a Libyan government army source told state television.

Brega is 220 km (137 miles) south of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi with the town of Ajdabiyah the only sizeable town standing in the way. From Ajdabiyah there are roads to either Benghazi or Tobruk, close to the border with Egypt.

The speed of the government advance may overtake drawn-out diplomatic wrangling on whether or how to impose a no-fly zone.

The US said a call by the Arab League for a UN no-fly zone over Libya was an "important step", but while Washington said it was preparing for "all contingencies", it has remained cautious over endorsing direct military intervention.

The US does not want to appear to be leading the drive to oust Gaddafi and made no proposal for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Diplomats in New York said a Security Council meeting at the weekend was unlikely.

Even if the Security Council does come together to discuss a Libyan no-fly zone, it is far from clear whether it would pass a resolution as veto holders Russia and China have both publicly opposed the idea.

Meanwhile, fresh from crushing the revolt in Zawiyah, west of the capital Tripoli, elite government troops and tanks turned to Misrata, Libya's third biggest city and the only pocket of rebel resistance outside the east.

But a mutiny among government troops slowed the advance of a crack Libyan brigade commanded by Gaddafi's son Khamis advancing on Misrata, with 32 soldiers joining the rebels holding the city, a rebel there said. He said one defector was a general.

Rebel spokesman Gamal said the brigade, stalled about 10-15 km south of the city as fighting broke out in the ranks, with dozens of troops balking at the idea of killing civilians in theimpending attack.

The events could not be confirmed independently. Journalists have been prevented from reaching the city by the authorities. — Reuters

UK varsities pull out

London: At least five British universities have pulled out of a four-million-pound deal with trouble-torn Libya, even as figures reveal that almost every varsity in the UK is being paid by Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Manchester Metropolitan, Teesside, Liverpool John Moores, Glamorgan and Queen Margaret University announced they had ditched the deal with Libya in the wake of clashes in the nation.

Call for Islamic rule

Cairo: An Al-Qaida commander who escaped a US prison has urged Libyans to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi's regime and establish Islamic rule. Abu Yahia al-Libi says in a video posted on a militant website that after the fall of the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, it is now Gadhafi's turn. A transcript of the video was provided on Sunday by SITE Intel, a US group that monitors militant messages.

Relief to rebels blocked

Paris: Aid group Doctors Without Borders warned on Sunday that Libyan rebels are being denied medical help and urged access to treatment for the wounded regardless of political divisions. "We are deeply concerned with the denial of access to medical care and the plight of patients in public health facilities within government-controlled areas," said the group's director of operations, in a statement.

Yemen police opens fire on protesters, six killed

Sanaa, March 13
Yemeni security forces killed six people today and wounded hundreds in the second day of a harsh crackdown on anti-government protests, witnesses said. One of the dead was a 15-year-old student.

The assault with gunfire and tear gas was the toughest yet by the Yemeni government in a month of protests aimed at unseating President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for 32 years.

The violence began with a pre-dawn raid on a central square in the capital, Sanaa, where thousands of pro-democracy protesters have been camped out.

Doctors and eyewitnesses said security troops surrounded the square with police cars and armored personnel carriers shortly after midnight and began calling on protesters through loudspeakers to go home.

At 5 am, security forces stormed in, firing live and ammunition tear gas.

One protester died from a bullet to the head, which may have come from a sniper on the rooftop of a nearby building, witnesses said. Abdelwahed al-Juneid, a volunteer doctor working with the protesters, said around 250 people were wounded.

"We were performing dawn prayers when we were surprised by a sudden hail of bullets and tear gas," said Walid Hassan, a 25-year-old activist. — AP

26/11 probe: Pak rejects India’s request to quiz Lakhvi

BRIEFLY

One of the world's largest flowers, the Amorphophallus Titanum, at the National Botanic Garden in Meise near Brussels on Sunday. The rare phallus-like flower survives for about 72 hours only. The flower is expected to blossom in the coming hours. — Reuters

Gunmen kill 8 in Pakistan
Peshawar: Eight persons were killed and six more injured today when unidentified gunmen attacked a bus in an area in northwest Pakistan that has been affected by sectarian violence in recent months, officials said. The gunmen targeted the bus near Mammo Khwar area on the Peshawar-Parachinar road in Hangu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. — PTI

‘Dog owners are healthier’
London: They are known as the man's best friend. But scientists say dogs are more than just a faithful companion to their owners. A new study by a team from the Michigan State University found that dog owners are more likely to reach recommended fitness levels than people without a pet.People who own and walk their dogs regularly are 34 per cent more likely to hit exercise targets, they found. — PTI

Now, heart surgery through wrist!
London: You can now get your heart surgery done through an incision in your wrist — all thanks to British cardiac surgeons who have embarked on this unique technique to carry out angioplasty. a team of cardiologists in Britain is now using the radial artery in the wrist to carry out life-saving operations after a major heart attack. — PTI

Veena Malik receives death threats
Lahore: Pakistani actress Veena Malik has received a "death threat" from a purported Taliban commander for appearing on the Indian reality TV show "Big Boss", her media manager has said. "Self-styled Taliban commander Ahmed Masood issued the death threat in a hand-written letter sent to Veena for appearing on the Indian show," Sohail Rashid, her media manager, said. — PTI