Benghazi, August 16
Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi fired a Scud missile for the first time in Libya’s civil war, a US defence official said, after rebel advances left the Libyan leader isolated in his capital.

Rebels fighting to end Gaddafi’s 41-year rule seized two strategic towns near Tripoli over the past two days, cutting the city off from its supply lines and leaving the Libyan leader with a dwindling set of options if he is to stay in power.

However, pro-Gaddafi forces were encountering a fight-back in one of those towns, Zawiyah, west of Tripoli. Snipers concealed in tall buildings were picking off rebel fighters, and salvos of Russian-made Grad rockets landed in the town.

The Scud missile was fired on Sunday morning from near Sirte, Gaddafi’s home town 500 km east of Tripoli, and landed further east between the rebel-held towns of Brega and Ajdabiyah, said the US official.

The missile came down in the desert, injuring no one, said the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity. There was no immediate comment from the government in Tripoli.

Firing the missile, which poses little military threat because it is so inaccurate, is evidence of the Gaddafi administration’s desperation, said Shashank Joshi, Associate Fellow at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute. “It’s an obvious sign that the regime’s back is to the wall,” he said.

In the six months of fighting up to now, Gaddafi’s forces have used short-range Grad rockets but have not before deployed Scud missiles, which have a range of about 300 km.

In the rebel headquarters in the eastern city of Benghazi, officials said the Scud was probably intended to hit rebel forces near Ajdabiyah.

Analysts say the rebel strategy is to isolate Tripoli and hope the government collapses, but they say it is also possible Gaddafi will opt to stage a last-ditch fight for the capital.

In a barely audible telephone call to state television in the early hours of Monday, Gaddafi called on his followers to liberate Libya from rebels and their NATO supporters. “Get ready for the fight ... The blood of martyrs is fuel for the battlefield,” he said.

He was speaking as rebels made their most dramatic advances in months of fighting, shifting the momentum in a conflict that had been largely static and was testing the patience of NATO powers anxious for a swift outcome. — Reuters

London, August 16
A teenage boy has been charged with murdering a pensioner, one of the five persons killed during England's worst riots in decades, as intelligence agency MI5 joined the hunt for rioters to help decode encrypted messages on BlackBerry used by looters to coordinate their actions.

Richard Bowes (68) was attacked in Ealing, west London, on August 8. He died of head injuries three days later. The Metropolitan Police charged a 16-year-old boy, who was not identified, with murdering him after it was authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service last night to press charges against him.

Meanwhile, the MI5 and the electronic interception centre GCHQ have been asked by the government to track down rioters and their messages that led to coordinated attacks in various parts of London and elsewhere, Guardian reported today.

The move represents a change as officially MI5 is tasked with ensuring the national security of the United Kingdom from terrorist threats, weapons of mass destruction, and espionage.

Deputy Premier Nick Clegg separately said an independent communities and victims panel will be set up to hear from those affected by the riots. It would not be a full public inquiry, but would report back to all three main party leaders. The rioters, who were not jailed, would have to take part in community payback schemes in the areas and "look their victims in the eye".

Home Secretary Theresa May told police officers that they would have political backing to use tough tactics to deal with rioting, as new guidelines were issued to forces.

May said officers were criticised for being "too tough" but would always have her backing if they acted "within reason and the law". One of the measures being considered is imposing "general curfew" in specific areas, May said.

Meanwhile, the city of London has announced a £50 million fund to help make major long-term improvements to the capital's town centres and high streets damaged by the recent disturbances. — PTI

Kathmandu, August 16
Nepal’s major political parties today staked competing claims to lead a national government as the main opposition named Sher Bahadur Deuba as its prime ministerial candidate while Maoist party endorsed Baburam Bhattarai to lead a coalition.

“The Nepali Congress will field former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as the candidate for Prime Minister,” said Bimalendra Nidhi, a member of the party’s powerful central committee after an informal meeting.

Nepal’s two largest parties — UCPN-Maioist and Nepali Congress — plan to hold talks with other parties to cobble together a coalition, but have claimed the right to lead a national unity government.

The Nepali Congress has underlined the need to form a government under its leadership as both the Maoist party and the CPN-UML have already led a coalition after the Constituent Assembly elections held in 2008.

“We will try to form a national consensus government under Deuba’s leadership, Nidhi said, underlining that there is no alternative to the national consensus government to move forward the peace process and the constitution drafting process.

The UCPN-Maoist, the largest party in Parliament, has nominated party Vice-Chairman Bhattarai as its candidate to lead a coalition.

The meeting of the party office-bearers held at its headquarters in Paris Danda today decided to take initiatives to form a Maoist-led national consensus government, secretary of the UCPN-Maoist said. The political parties have failed to find a common ground on the contentious issues of the peace process, constitution drafting and a new national government. — PTI