Tripoli/Washington, March 25
NATO is set to take over the policing of Libyan skies to enforce a no-fly zone after overcoming objections (mainly from Turkey), as French and British fighters pounded the strategic eastern town of Ajdabiya where rebel fighters have mounted an offensive to recapture it.

NATO, which operates by consensus, reached an agreement on Libya after marathon talks to discuss objections raised by the group’s only Muslim nation Turkey, as the UAE became the second Arab nation to commit fighters for Operation Odyssey Dawn.

Ankara had earlier refused to support any plan unless it was given assurances that the operation would be limited to protecting civilians, enforcing an arms embargo and a no-fly zone, and providing humanitarian aid.

There was, however, no agreement yet on whether the 28-member North Atlantic Treaty Organisation would take over complete command of the West-led military operations in Libya.

Fighting, meanwhile, continued for control of major cities between the rebels and the forces loyal to Gaddafi.

Reports from the crucial city of Ajdabiya, which is located at a strategic point on the roads to the eastern rebel strongholds of Benghazi and Tobruk, said the rebels were being held off at the gates of the town.

Fighting also raged in the rebel-held Misurata town where a French warplane destroyed a Libyan military aircraft as it was landing at an airbase.

An armed forces spokesman said a patrol of Rafale fighters spotted the Libyan plane that was breaching a no-fly order and shot it down, Al Arabiyah reported.

“The French patrol carried out an air-to-ground strike with an AASM weapon just after the plane had landed at the Misrata airbase,” the spokesman said.

A spokesman for the Libyan government, meanwhile, accused the Western governments of fighting on the side of the rebels and put the civilian death toll from five days of coalition air strikes at 100.

Director, Joint Staff Vice Admiral Bill Gortney said in Washington, “We are vigorously planning to enable the delivery of humanitarian assistance by interested governments and non-governmental agencies.” — PTI

Tokyo, March 25
Radiation fears escalated in Japan on Friday after workers suffered burns as they tried to cool an earthquake-crippled nuclear power station, while the government sowed confusion over whether it was widening an evacuation zone around the plant.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan, making his first public statement on the crisis in a week, said the situation at the Fukushima nuclear complex north of Tokyo was "nowhere near the point" of being resolved.

"We are making efforts to prevent it from getting worse, but I feel we cannot become complacent," he told reporters. "We must continue to be on our guard." The comments reflected a spike of unease in Japan after several days of slow but steady progress in containing the nuclear accident, which was triggered by a devastating earthquake and tsunami two weeks ago.

The 9.0 magnitude quake and giant waves it triggered left more than 10,000 persons dead and 17,500 missing. As shocking as that toll is, much attention since the March 11 disaster has been on the possibility of a catastrophic meltdown at Fukushima, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo.

The government prodded tens of thousands of people living in a 20 km-30 km (12-18 mile) zone beyond the stricken complex to leave, but insisted it was not widening a 20 km evacuation zone.

Three workers trying to cool one of the most critical reactors at the plant were exposed to radiation levels 10,000 times higher than normal, raising the possibility of a leak of radioactive material through a crack in the core's container. That would mean a serious reversal following slow progress in getting the plant back under control.

The government has called for an investigation into why such high levels of radiation had suddenly appeared. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

13 Shias gunned down in Pak
PESHAWAR: Thirteen persons were killed and 16 kidnapped in separate attacks by pro-Taliban militants on two convoys of vehicles carrying members of the minority Shia community in the tribal belt of northwest Pakistan on Friday. In the first incident, militants ambushed a convoy of vehicles in the Kurram tribal region killing 13 persons killed and injuring eight. In the second incident, militants targeted another convoy at Medani Dam in Kurram Agency at noon and hijacked a vehicle with 16 persons in it. — PTI

A Buddhist monk looks at a damaged pagoda after an earthquake at Wat Chedi Laung, north of Bangkok, on Friday. — Reuters

UK bravery award for Gurkha
LONDON: A Gurkha soldier who single-handedly fought off up to 30 Taliban militants in Afghanistan, even using his gun's tripod when he ran out of bullets, was on Friday awarded Britain's second highest medal for bravery. Acting Sergeant Dipprasad Pun (31) used up all of his ammunition and resorted to using his machine gun tripod to repel an attack in Afghanistan in September. Pun said he was a "lucky guy" and very proud to get the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. — PTI

Myanmar quake toll reaches 74
MAE SAI (THAILAND): At least 74 deaths have been reported in the earthquake that struck Myanmar on Thursday. A series of aftershocks caused panic in Thailand and Laos, too, but the damage was limited. The death toll due to Thursday's 6.8 magnitude tremor in Myanmar was expected to rise as there were reports that 225 homes and nine government buildings had been destroyed in the quake. Over 100 persons were injured. — Reuters