Six In The Morning

U.S.-Led Assault Nears Goal in Libya

By ELISABETH BUMILLER and KAREEM FAHIM
Published: March 22, 2011
WASHINGTON — An American- led military campaign to destroy Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s air defenses and establish a no-fly zone over Libya has nearly accomplished its initial objectives, and the United States is moving swiftly to hand command to allies in Europe, American officials said, despite some fighting reportedly continuing on Tuesday.
But the firepower of more than 130 Tomahawk cruise missiles and attacks by allied warplanes have not yet succeeded in accomplishing the more ambitious demands by the United States — repeated by President Obama in a letter to Congress on Monday — that Colonel Qaddafi withdraw his forces from embattled cities and cease all attacks against civilians.

Opposition to Libya assault grows as allies battle to protect united front

By David Usborne, US Editor, and John Lichfield in Paris Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Serious fractures emerged in the international community yesterday over the military intervention in Libya, with some nations asking such basic questions as what the end-game is and how long it will take.

Just days after forsaking its chance to veto the United Nations resolution that authorised the air strikes, Russia offered the most jarring commentary, with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin saying: "The resolution is flawed. It allows everything and is reminiscent of a medieval call for a crusade. In fact, it allows intervention in a sovereign state."

Afghan troops to begin takeover from coalition forces from July
Hamid Karzai criticises international security effort while announcing transition to Afghan control in seven areas starting in July
Associated Press
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 March 2011 08.16 GMT
Afghan president Hamid Karzai has said his forces will soon take charge of security in seven areas around the country, the first step towards his goal of having Afghan police and soldiers protecting the entire nation by the end of 2014.

In a speech in Kabul, Karzai said control of the provincial capitals of Lashkar Gah in southern Afghanistan, Herat in the west, Mazer-e-Sharif in the north and Mehterlam in the east is to be transferred from Nato-led forces to Afghan soldiers and police from July.

In addition, all of Bamiyan and Panshir provinces, which have had little to no fighting, are on the transition list.

Trend towards rising global temperatures

March 22, 2011 - 4:52PM
Global temperatures are on the increase, with a new study showing a rise of about half a degree Celsius over the past 160 years.

An Australian National University (ANU) report on global temperature found a trend towards a rise in worldwide temperatures since 1850, with a steeper increase since the mid 1970s.

Professor Trevor Breusch, of the Crawford School of Economics and Government at ANU, studied three series of recorded global temperature data to look for clear evidence of a trend in global temperatures.

Did Dawood men fix Australia-Zimbabwe match?

Prashant Dayal , TNN | Mar 22, 2011, 07.11am IST
AHMEDABAD: The Mumbai crime branch busted a match fixing racket from a hotel in Ahmedabad involving three Dawood men, who sneaked into the hotel where the Australian team was put up to play Zimbabwe in the World Cup game on February 21.

The tip-off from Mumbai police exposed Gujarat police's tall claim that foolproof security has been provided for the quarterfinal match to be played here on March 24. Sources told TOI that the three D-company men stayed with the Aussie team in a five-star hotel in Satellite area and met them in the lobby where the deal was struck for spot fixing. Australia won the match.