New rebel recruits vow to overthrow Gaddafi
As funerals were held in the city of Benghazi for those killed in recent violence, word began to spread about pro-Gaddafi forces attacking the port town of Brega, some 200 kilometres away.
Amid the grief and the emotion of buring their dead, the anti-Gaddafi insurgents made preparations for a possible attack.
However, later in the day news came through that the pro-Gaddafi forces had been repelled. Leaders made the announcement to those gathered in a main square.
euronews reporter Mohamed Elhamy in Benghazi said: “Morale is high after the news that Brega is back in the hands of the rebels.” He says the insurgents’ military council believes it “can stop any kind of attack against the eastern region.”
“They can’t come into our region,” one man told euronews. “We have men who are going to defy this dictator, no matter what, no matter what.”
“Are you ready?” we asked another man. “Of course,” he said. “Of course we are ready.”
People are lining up to join the insurgents. Former senior military personnel in Gaddafi’s army are helping with the recruitment.
One man joining the rebels said: “We are here to be trained by army officers to free Tripoli and its suburbs.”
Gwyneth Paltrow in ‘Country Strong’
In “Country Strong” Gwyneth Paltrow is a country singer fresh out of rehab who is trying to pull her life, her career and her marriage back together.
To play the role she had to learn guitar and immerse herself in the world of country music.
Malta at centre of operations in Libyan crisis
Over the last seven days at least 8,000 foreigners with more than 50 different nationalities between them have been evacuated from Libya and brought to the island of Malta.
Whether it be by air or by sea, the country has welcomed them as part of a full scale international operation.
The Maltese government has set up a command centre to manage the crisis.
Malta’s Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said: “The more difficult areas are the oil fields in the desert, and I say this because there is not just one but there are a lot of installations if you look at a map. So those are more difficult to evacuate and we not have evacuated everyone.”
Two more catamarans with more than 500 passengers on board are due to arrive later today.
Malta’s Prime Minister Laurence Gonzi said a quick conclusion to the operation would be essential.
“We are foreseeing a scenario where it will be absolutely vital for us to provide basic essential needs for the Libyan people in Libya.”
The UK has not waited for Gaddafi to go.
Once more its military planes flew into Libya without permission and picked up civilians from the desert oil fields.
EU in knots over Libya
The European Union’s foreign ministers have been grasping for a common strategy over Libya. They are grappling with a threat by its leader, Muammar Gaddafi, to end efforts to hold back illegal immigration to Europe from north African shores, if Europe supports the opposition surge in Libya.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague told journalists:
“You asked me earlier about whether Colonel Gaddafi is in Venezuela. I have no information that says he is, but I have seen some information that suggests he is on his way there.”
Venezuela has denied this.
With the Europeans struggling to form a united front, foreign policy high representative Catherine Ashton left the ministers’ meeting in Brussels to fly to Egypt.
Ashton said: “We are extremely concerned by the events which are unfolding in Libya. We condemn the on-going repression against demonstrators, and deplore the violence and the death of civilians.”
Ashton is scheduled to meet Egyptian officials, opposition leaders, youth groups and women’s groups. British Prime Minister David Cameron, at the start of a Middle East tour, got to Cairo before her, the first leader to visit Egypt since Hosni Mubarak was forced out as president.
Berlusconi in new bid to reform Italian justice system
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday put forward plans to reform his country’s justice system just days after being charged with having sex with an underage prostitute.?�Proposals if approved by the cabinet would re-instate parliamentary immunity for the 74-year-old,?�along with all other members of parliament.?�?�Earlier this week, a court ruled Berlusconi should stand trial from April?�6 on charges of having sex with a 17 year-old prostitute known as Ruby.?�Both deny any sexual relationship.?�Sex with a prostitute is not illegal in Italy but those found guilty of having sex with one under the age of 18?�can be?�punished with a jail term.?�Amid calls from the opposition for him to quit, Berlusconi’s?�colourful private life has also come under fire from the Catholic Church.?�But the billionaire premier put on a brave face at the Vatican on Friday.?�He met some of those bishops who have attacked his behaviour in an event marking?�the 82nd anniversary of a treaty that governs relations between the Holy See and Italy.
UK military release pictures of daring rescue
The British military have released pictures of a second daring mission to rescue oil workers from the remote Libyan desert.
Read our news file
In an operation led by elite SAS special forces teams three C-130 Hercules aircraft flew at low level to pick up a total of 150 civilians trapped by Libya revolution. A similar rescue had been carried out the day before.
The aircraft had no permission, and one sustained minor damage from small arms fire.
A further 200 evacuees from several countries also arrived in Malta after being picked up by the British Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland on its latest trip to Benghazi.
The passage to Malta took 18 hours.
One British evacuee praised the people of Benghazi saying: “We made our own way to Benghazi and the people we met there were just fabulous. We couldn’t get on the boat that night so they took us in, four of us and they gave us dinner and a room for the night, did some ringing around for us, took us to the port, you couldn’t have wished more.”
It was the Cumberland’s second foray into the Libyan port since the revolution began.
There were 27 nationalities on board this latest mercy mission. 50 evacuees were UK citizens.
Seeing is believing: DIY glasses bring sight to thousands
These people in Malawi are queuing up to try on glasses that they can adjust themselves to suit their own eyesight. This means there is no need to see an optician.
New Zealand quake toll rises as hopes fade for survivors
In New Zealand a fresh attempt is being made to find survivors from Tuesday’s deadly earthquake in Christchurch.
A team from Britain is joining others from Australia, Japan, the United States and Taiwan in search and rescue efforts. But cold weather is dimming hopes of finding any more people alive.
Much of the country’s second largest city resembles a war zone. It is now known that 113 people died but that figure is expected to rise with more than 200 others still missing.
A return to normality is too far off to envisage for many but some have been trying to resume their lives. Earthquake survivor Emma Howard escaped unharmed from a collapsed building after being trapped for six hours and was able to wed her fianc?� Chris Greenslade as planned.