Six In The Morning

'Gaddafi's men had heavier weapons but we had more to fight for'

Rebel forces have repelled attacks by troops.
By Kim Sengupta on the front line of a civil war, and Catrina Stewart in Brega Friday, 4 March 2011
Rebels pursuing the retreating troops of Muammar Gaddafi have set up a new frontline in regime-held territory in preparation for an offensive which they claim will significantly change the course of the conflict.
After repulsing an attack on Brega, a strategic town and oil production centre, the revolutionary forces have moved on to Agheila, 40 miles further west towards Sirte, Colonel Gaddafi's birthplace and a loyalist stronghold.
Although the outcome of what is now a civil war is far from certain, the failure of the regime to take Brega and push on to Benghazi, the capital of "Free Libya", has provided a great boost to the morale of the dissident movement.

Women killed by army fire at Abidjan rally against violence


The Irish Times - Friday, March 4, 2011
ABIDJAN – Seven women have been killed in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital Abidjan, as security forces opened fire on a rally to protest against violence in their neighbourhood, according to a local opposition spokesman.
The women gathered at a traffic circle in Abobo at 10am to call for an end to the violence that has rocked the city, said Ahmed Coulibaly. His opposition group, RHDP, supports Alassane Ouattara.
“Two armoured vehicles from the army and several pick-up trucks arrived and after a little while they opened fire without any warning.”

The Radical Islamist Roots of the Frankfurt Attack


By Matthias Bartsch, Matthias Gebauer and Yassin Musharbash
The alleged perpetrator, Arid U., who admitted on Thursday to having carried out the attack, appears to have had extensive contact with radical Islamists via his Facebook page. SPIEGEL ONLINE has also learned that the shooting, which killed two American airmen and injured two others, possibly came after the gunman, identified as Arid U., was unable to leave Germany and travel to Afghanistan. Instead, the 21-year-old airport employee opted to attack US troops in Germany, according to a jihadist website. No proof for the assertion is offered, but the jihadists claim to have been in contact with acquaintances of Arid U.
SPIEGEL ONLINE has learned that Arid U., told police that he acted alone. He says that one day before the attack, he watched a video on YouTube which he says showed the rape of Muslim women.

Up to Aust to make Timor case: Indonesia


Karlis Salna, AAP South-East Asia Correspondent.
March 4, 2011
Indonesia says it will be up to Australia to make a case for a refugee processing centre to be built in East Timor when the region's foreign ministers meet in Bali at the end of this month.
East Timor's Foreign Minister Zacarias da Costa and his Indonesian counterpart, Marty Natalegawa, both refused to directly answer questions about support for the plan on Friday, instead saying it will be addressed at the Bali Process meeting.
The comments follow reports that Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's plan for a regional asylum seeker processing centre to be built in East Timor was destined to be rejected after a senior Timorese politician said it had "no momentum".

Denial also flows through China

By Peter Lee
Denial is not, as they say, just a river in the land of the great Arab awakening.

China is tempted to overlook the profound and dangerous contradictions in its society and polity and rely on economic growth as the magic elixir.

The United States is not immune, either.

In fact, America's response to the calamities it has experienced and inflicted over the last decade appears to owe more to fear and befuddlement than clarity and determination.

Obama administration prepares for possibility of new post-revolt Islamist regimes



By Scott Wilson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 4, 2011; 12:00 AM
The Obama administration is preparing for the prospect that Islamist governments will take hold in North Africa and the Middle East, acknowledging that the popular revolutions there will bring a more religious cast to the region's politics.
The administration is already taking steps to distinguish between various movements in the region that promote Islamic law in government. An internal assessment, ordered by the White House last month, identified large ideological differences between such movements as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and al-Qaeda that will guide the U.S. approach to the region.