US says Gaddafi is 'delusional' and unfit to lead

US says Gaddafi is 'delusional' and unfit to lead "Muammar Gaddafi is 'delusional', 'unfit to lead' and 'disconnected from reality', according to the US ambassador to the UN.

Susan Rice made the comments following an interview Gaddafi gave in which he insisted the people of Libya love him and denied that there have been any demonstrations against his regime.

'All my people love me. They would die to protect me,' the Libyan leader said, speaking to news organisations including the BBC, laughing off international pressure to step down.

'As if anyone would leave their homeland,' he replied, accusing western leaders of betrayal and of having 'no morals.'

Gaddafi's remarks were met with derision in Washington. Rice, US ambassador to the United Nations, said his assertion that his regime is not using force against its own people was 'delusional' and that his behaviour, which has included laughing on camera in interviews, 'underscores how unfit he is to lead and how disconnected he is from reality'.

During the interview, Gaddafi went onto insist that he had no official position from which he could resign: 'It's honorary. It has nothing to do with exercising power or authority.'"

Libya protests: David Cameron plans no-fly zone and threatens to send British troops | Mail Online

Libya protests: David Cameron plans no-fly zone and threatens to send British troops"David Cameron threatened Colonel Gaddafi with military action last night, promising a no-fly zone and arms shipments to his enemies.

The Prime Minister even suggested he could send British troops into Libya as a peacekeeping force to stop Gaddafi’s henchmen massacring democracy campaigners.

At a National Security Council meeting yesterday morning, he ordered military chiefs to draw up plans for the no-fly zone. If Gaddafi turned his air force on the rebels, RAF warplanes would be able to intervene.

Mr Cameron’s dramatic move, which may come to define his premiership, came on the day that papers revealed UK forces have trained Libyan troops in Britain and Gaddafi’s son Saif repeated his pledge that the regime would ‘fight to the last bullet’.

In another hard-hitting move intended to force Gaddafi to step down, the Pentagon started moving warships in preparation to police a no-fly zone and world leaders imposed a raft of diplomatic and financial sanctions."

Libyan rebel gunfire hit rescue pilot's helmet

Libyan rebel gunfire hit rescue pilot's helmet | World news : "A pilot of one of the special forces Hercules aircraft that landed in the Libyan desert to evacuate oil workers had a narrow escape when small arms fire entered the cockpit and bounced off his helmet, defence sources have confirmed.

They said a group of rebels fired at the aircraft by mistake, believing that it belonged to forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. The rebels later apologised.

The Hercules flew into Libya on Sunday to pick up people stranded in the Sarir oilfield south of Benghazi.

The Ministry of Defence said only that one of its Hercules C130 aircraft appeared to have suffered 'minor damage consistent with small arms fire'.

It said there were no injuries to passengers or crew and the aircraft returned safely to Malta.

Some of those who were rescued described the moment the Hercules was shot at, forcing it to abandon a landing."

Pearson seeks legal advice over stake held by Libyan Investment Authority

Pearson seeks legal advice over stake held by Libyan Investment Authority  "Pearson has begun a legal process to ascertain if the stake held by the Libyan Investment Authority, the fifth biggest shareholder in the Financial Times owner with a £250m investment, needs to be frozen following a government order.

On Sunday the UK government moved to freeze the assets of Muammar Gaddafi and five members of his family, a decision that has prompted Pearson's lawyers to file legal documents to determine exactly who is the beneficial owner of the stake.

'It is abhorrent to us what is happening in Libya and we have made it clear we are uncomfortable with the holding,' said Marjorie Scardino, chief executive of Pearson. 'We are in a terrible position, it is abhorrent for everyone at Pearson. We do not know what the freeze notice covers at this point.'

Libya's sovereign wealth fund, LIA, upped its stake in Pearson to marginally over 3% last year."

Egypt Issues Travel Ban, Asset Freeze on Mubarak | News | English

Egypt Issues Travel Ban, Asset Freeze on Mubarak "Egypt's top prosecutor has ordered a travel ban and an asset freeze for former President Hosni Mubarak and his family, as he considers further actions against the leader who resigned earlier this month following popular protests.

Judicial authorities say Monday's travel ban and recent asset freeze follow complaints that the former president profited illegally during his nearly 30 years as Egypt's leader.

Such allegations have been made against other officials in the Mubarak government, and the prosecutor's office has ordered travel bans and launched investigations into possible financial misdeeds of other members of Mubarak's government."

Libya crisis: Britain mulling no-fly zone and arms for rebels, says Cameron

Libya crisis: Britain mulling no-fly zone and arms for rebels, says Cameron"Britain is working on plans for a military no-fly zone over Libya and is considering whether to arm the opposition forces in the east of the country.

David Cameron, the prime minister, said the UK is 'taking the lead' on steps to isolate the 'illegitimate' Gaddafi regime.

In a statement to the Commons, Cameron said north Africa and the wider Middle East was at the 'epicentre of momentous events' sweeping through the region and that 'hopes and aspirations which have been smothered for decades are stirring'.

'For those of us who believe in democracy and open societies, [we] should be clear: this is a precious moment of opportunity,' Cameron told MPs.

He revealed that he has asked the Ministry of Defence and the chief of the defence staff to work with the UK's military allies on plans for a military no-fly zone.

And he suggested that the British government would consider arming the opposition, following violence meted out against protesters."

Revolution: One more reason to visit Egypt

Revolution: One more reason to visit Egypt "Young Egyptians have launched an 'Egypt is Safe' campaign, students are cleaning up national monuments and drivers now take visitors around Cairo's Tahrir Square as an attraction, anything to get the tourists back.

Sites around the great pyramid at Giza, a Wonder of the Ancient World, the Sphinx and the cemetery at Sakkara have been nearly empty of tourists since a revolt started a month ago that ousted Hosni Mubarak, and now Egypt wants visitors to return.

'In terms of reviving tourism, the problem is currently Libya not us. The whole region is very hot right now,' Karim Mohsen, managing director of Sylvia Tours Egypt, said, referring to an uprising against Muammar Gaddafi in the western neighbour.

'Libya is on the border with Egypt and what people see happening there is terrible and therefore they're afraid to come to the area,' Mohsen told Reuters, in a view reflected by other tour operators and guides who expected several more idle weeks"

Protests in Oman Spread

Protests in Oman Spread "Demonstrators blocked roads and clashed with police on Monday in Oman, the normally quiet oil-rich country along the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, as three-day-old protests calling for political reforms and better living conditions spread to Muscat, the capital.

In the northeast port city of Sohar, where the protests originated, demonstrators blocked roads to the port, Oman’s second biggest, and an industrial area that includes a refinery and an aluminum factory, according to two witnesses in Sohar and news agencies. They also set a supermarket on fire and clashed with the police. Protesters have also been camped out for three days in the city’s main square, called Kurra Ardiyah Roundabout, despite efforts by police and army to push them out, a resident in Sohar said by e-mail.

Television images showed a small number of protesters also gathered in Muscat; the demonstrations there appeared peaceful.

In an attempt to ease tensions, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, who has ruled for four decades since seizing power from his father, sent delegates on Monday to Sohar to negotiate with the protesters, but the outcome of those meetings remained unclear. He also promised to give more powers to the legislative council, according to ONA, the state news agency."

British Airways worker guilty of plane terror plot

 British Airways worker guilty of plane terror plot: "A Bangladeshi Islamic militant working for British Airways was found guilty on Monday of plotting to blow up a plane after conspiring with radical US-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
Rajib Karim, 31, was 'committed to an extreme jihadist and religious cause' and was 'determined to seek martyrdom', jurors at Woolwich Crown Court in London were told.
The jury convicted Karim of four counts of preparing terror attacks.
The IT worker, who moved with his wife and son to Newcastle in 2006, had admitted being involved in the production of a terrorist group's video, fundraising and volunteering for terror abroad.
Karim, a privately-educated member of a middle-class family in Dhaka, was lured into becoming a staunch supporter of a radical organisation called Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh by his younger brother, Tehzeeb.
The trial heard that he had attempted to move from his IT role within the airline to become a member of cabin crew.
Colin Gibbs, a counter-terrorism lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, described Karim's determination to plan an attack as 'frightening'."

Why a king's ransom is not enough for Saudi Arabia's protesters

Why a king's ransom is not enough for Saudi Arabia's protesters | Comment is free | The Guardian: "No kingdom is an island, particularly when it sits in a sea of revolution. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, watching the assault on Libya's strong man Muammar Gaddafi with his monarchy's usual complacency, thinks he can buy off protests with the promise of gifts.

Of course, the scale of the bribes the king offered last week to his country's alienated young generation – £22bn – is something only an oil-rich monarch could deliver. The Saudi king speaks as a father to the youthful population – after all, this is the only royal family to give its name to its people – and he expects them to obey the name al-Saud as they would their own father.

But the king has compromised his authority by combining it with the role of 'sugar daddy'. Nowhere else are subjects promised such largesse to not rock the boat."

Witnesses say the Libyan town of Misrata and its airport are under the control of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's opponents

Witnesses say the Libyan town of Misrata and its airport are under the control of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's opponents, according to Reuters news agency.
Anti-Gaddafi protesters took control of Zawiyah on Sunday
The rebels reportedly held off an attack by pro-government forces near the town, which is 125 miles (200 km) east of the capital Tripoli, and shot down a military aircraft.

"An aircraft was shot down this morning while it was firing on the local radio station. Protesters captured its crew," one witness told Reuters.

"Fighting to control the military air base (near Misrata) started last night and is still going on.

Kolotnytska is the Ukrainian nurse that U.S. Ambassador Gene Cretz dubbed the “voluptuous blonde” dictator Moammar Gaddafi depended on for his health

I know there are issues of breathtaking import unfolding in Libya, but spare a few moments to bid adieu to Galyna Kolotnytska.

Kolotnytska is the Ukrainian nurse that U.S. Ambassador Gene Cretz dubbed the “voluptuous blonde” dictator Moammar Gaddafi depended on for his health, well-being ( and, probably, drug-stabilization programme) for most of the past decade.

Kolotnytska gained a certain notoriety when her role in Gaddafi’s weird world was revealed in one of the U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks last November.

Here’s what the September 2009 report from Ambassador Cretz had to say:

“Qadhafi (sic) relies heavily on his long-time Ukrainian nurse, Galyna Kolotnytska, who has been described as a ”voluptuous blonde.” Of the rumored staff of four Ukrainian nurses that cater to the Leader’s health and well-being, XXXXXXXXXXX emphasized to multiple Emboffs that Qadhafi (sic) cannot travel without Kolotnytska, as she alone “knows his routine.” When Kolotnytska’s late visa application resulted in her Security Advisory Opinion being received on the day Qadhafi’s (sic) party planned to travel to the U.S., the Libyan Government sent a private jet to ferry her from Libya to Portugal to meet up with the Leader during his rest-stop. Some embassy contacts have claimed that Qadhafi (sic) and the 38 year-old Kolotnytska have a romantic relationship. While he did not comment on such rumors, a Ukrainian political officer recently confirmed that the Ukrainian nurses “travel everywhere with the Leader.”

Well, Gaddafi is on his own now.

Libya protests: SAS 'Blades' rescue 150 terrified Britons from desert nightmare |

Libya protests: SAS 'Blades' rescue 150 terrified Britons from desert nightmare "SAS has staged a dramatic evacuation of 150 civilian workers from the Libyan desert.

The Special Forces soldiers landed in two C130 Hercules military transport aircraft on a landing strip near remote oilfields south of the eastern port of Benghazi.

The SAS men – known as ‘blades’ because of their role at the sharp end of the mission – had flown from Malta’s Valletta airport, where, in meticulous detail, they planned the rescue of the stranded workers, many of them British."

Libya towns fall to rebel as world moves to isolate Gaddafi

Libya towns fall to rebel as world moves to isolate Gaddafi : "Gaddafi loyalists had been evicted from Nalut, 145 miles west of Tripoli. 'The city has been liberated since February 19. It has been run by a revolutionary committee named by the town's communities,' said Shaban Abu Sitta, a local lawyer and member of a revolutionary committee.
'The towns of Rhibat, Kabaw, Jado, Rogban, Zentan, Yefren, Kekla, Gherien and Hawamed have also been free for days. In all these towns, Gaddafi's forces have gone and a revolutionary committee put in place,' he said.
Libyan rebels established a transitional national council to coordinate administration in several cities seized from the Gaddafi regime, and have called on the army to help them take Tripoli, the capital.
The cities now controlled by the opposition include al-Zawiyah, less than 30 miles west of Tripoli, where thousands have taken to the streets to welcome visiting journalists. There was no sign of Libyan security services, who had waged bitter battles with anti-government forces in the town last week, leading to at least 35 deaths.
Abdel Hafiz Ghoqa, a rebel leader in Benghazi, announced that the new national council would be the 'face of Libya in the transitional period.'"

imminent Cabinet shuffle in Morocco

Several Moroccan Websites are reporting an imminent Cabinet shuffle in Morocco. According to a reliable online newspaper, King Mohammed VI will announce the selection of Mustapha Tarab as a new Prime Minister to replace Mr. Abbas EL-Fassi. The same source indicated that the Moroccan Monarch will replace several key ministers with some new faces while some former cabinet members will be brought back.

A new non-partisan government will be the right decision in light of the preparations for the 2012 elections. Mr. Tarrab, who is currently the CEO of the very important Moroccan Office of Phosphate (OCP), is a well respected economist who worked at the World Bank. Mr. Tarrab is known for his intelligence, integrity, humility and discipline."

Morocco protests halted by police violence

 Morocco protests halted by police violence: "Several Moroccan cities saw attempts to organise follow-up pro-democracy protests today brutally stopped by riot police. Organisers denounce 'a climate of fear' in the country.

Following the large, nation-wide protests one week ago, on 20 February and smaller protests yesterday, big pro-democracy manifestations were planned for today. However, contrary to one week ago, today's protests were mostly banned by local authorities and police in the last moment.

In Kenitra, a major town just north of Rabat, hundreds of protesters were gathering at a central square as suddenly buses full of armed riot police arrived. Police troops kicked and beat protesters with batons, as documented on a video secretly made in the town. Protesters were chased away before a major manifestation even could start."

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Two RAF Hercules rescue 150 Britons from Libya as British Embassy evacuates all staff

Two RAF Hercules rescue 150 Britons from Libya as British Embassy evacuates all staff "British special forces today rescued 150 trapped UK citizens after launching an audacious rescue mission across the Libyan desert.

Two RAF Hercules retrieved the terrified oil workers from remote outposts south of the country's second city of Benghazi.

The rescue mission was made up of around two dozen members of special forces with the team including 12 SAS and eight men from the Special Boat Service.

The Daily Mail understands that the team infiltrated the area overland before securing a section of the volatile desert to use as a landing strip."

Britain persuades Gaddafi loyalists to defect

Britain persuades Gaddafi loyalists to defect  "British officials are trying to persuade key figures of the Libyan regime to defect from their leader Muammar Gaddafi and thus evade trial for crimes against humanity alongside him, the Guardian reported on Saturday.

With British troops on standby to rescue an estimated 150 Britons in Libya, measures were being drawn up to close the British embassy in Tripoli.

However, the Foreign Office denied reports that the embassy would be closed as soon as this weekend.

'We will react to the situation as it unfolds on the ground. If it gets too dangerous for our people to be there, of course we will pull them out of there. But are we planning to close the embassy down? No,' a spokesman was quoted as saying."

Qaddafi Placed 3 Billion Pounds in London Last Week, Times Says

Qaddafi Placed 3 Billion Pounds in London Last Week, Times Says  "Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi deposited 3 billion pounds ($4.8 billion) with a private wealth manager in Mayfair, London last week with the help of a Switzerland-based intermediary, the Times reported, without saying where it got the information.

The intermediary initially attempted to deposit the Libyan funds with an unidentified stock broking firm in the City of London five weeks ago, however it was turned down, the newspaper said, citing the chief executive officer of the company, which it didn’t name.

The CEO, who wasn’t named, was quoted as saying he’d said “no” because he wasn’t comfortable dealing with people with blood on their hands. He was cited as saying Qaddafi is believed to have “about 10 billion in the City.”"

RAF planes in Libya desert rescue

RAF planes in Libya desert rescue: "Two RAF Hercules aircraft have evacuated more than 150 civilians to Malta from desert locations south of Benghazi in Libya, Defence Secretary Liam Fox said.
Meanwhile, the operations of the British Embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, have been temporarily suspended and its staff have been evacuated on the last Government-chartered flight, which took off for London's Gatwick Airport with 53 British nationals on board, the Foreign Office said.
The dramatic evacuation came as Britain worked with international partners on a co-ordinated rescue mission for the last foreign nationals stranded in the North African state amid fast-deteriorating security conditions."