Free Sample - Caabu news digest Wednesday 16th March 2011
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Summary: Wednesday 16th March 2011
Today's papers cover a range of stories from the Middle East.
Coverage continues on the conflict in Libya with rebels fleeing the last stronghold in Benghazi as Gaddafi's forces prepare for an assault as EU leaders disagree on whether a no-fly zone should be imposed in the region.
Bahrain has declared a state of emergency and martial law as violent clashes between protesters and the security forces intensified.
In other news, Israeli commandos have seized an Iranian ship allegedly carrying weapons for Gaza, and a Yemeni tribal leader was killed in the clashes between pro-democracy protesters and supporters of president Saleh Abdullah.
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The Daily Telegraph
International
World abandons Libyan rebels to Gaddafi's marauding avengers
Henry Samuel, Rob Crilly & Richard Spencer
"Col Muammar Gaddafi annoucned an imminent assault on Benghazi last night after world leaders refused all forms of military intervention in Libya."
Manchester Islamist paraded by regime as 'proof' that Bin Laden is behind uprising
Richard Spencer
"The Libyan authorities yesterday put on show a captured Islamist activist who spent 13 years in Manchester and gained British nationality before taking part in the uprising against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi."
Israel seizes 'Iranian weapons shipment'
Foreign staff
"A cargo ship bound for Egypt allegedly carrying arms for militant groups in the Gaza Strip has been seized by Israeli commandos."
Unrest could tempt al-Qaeda kidnap gangs to target more Europeans, minster warns
Duncan Gardham
"Al-Qaeda has gained millions of pounds in ransoms by kidnapping European citizens, the security minister has disclosed as a senior official described the terrorist organisation as a 'money-making machine'."
Fresh clashes tip Bahrain into a state of emergency
Praveen Swami
"Bahrain has declared a state of emergency in an effort to contain a fresh wave of violence that has claimed the lives of at least two security personnel and a protester, and left hundreds unjured."
Tribal leader killed after days of violence
Praveen Swami
"A Yemeni tribal leader has been killed after clashes broke out between supporters of president Ali Abdullah Saleh and those demanding his resignation."
Escape from fear of Mubrark's state spies
Damien McElroy
"Egypt's military regime has dismantled the hated internal security apparatus that sustained the country's dictatorship until last month."
Comment
We don't have the luxury of an interventionist foreign policy
Simon Heffer
"It is unfortunate that the question of our foreign policy, at a time when there is a crisis in North Africa and the Middle East, should have been so concentrated in recent days on the personality and attitudes of the Foreign Secretary."
Letters
"Sir - I view the intervention of Saudi Arabian armed forces in Bahrain with huge misgivings."
Cdr Edward Featherstone RN (retd)
"Sir - I wonder what David Cameron would say of a British warplane on an enforcement mission was shot down by a British-made missile sold by Britain to Libya."
Frank Tomlin
"Sir - Can anyone explain why statements by politicians about arming rebels in Libya, or operating a no-fly zone over the territory of a sovereign state against whom we have not declared war, do not contravene the Terrorism Act 2006?"
Jack Wales
Orbituaries
"Donny George, who died on March 11 aged 60, was an Iraqi archaeologist who, following the 2003 invasion, fought a brave battle to prevent looters ransacking the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad, then led rfforts to recover thousands of stolen artefacts."
Sport
Tom Cary
"The chances of a grand prix taking place in Bahrain this season have been virtually extinguished after the island kingdom yesterday declared a three-month state of emergency, which takes it beyond the May 1 deadline imposed by the governing body to guarantee stability."
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The Financial Times
International
'Moment passed' for Libya intervention
James Blitz, Peggy Hollinger, Harvey Morris & Tobias Buck
"The UK and France have lost hope of launching military action to halt Muammer Gaddafi's attack on rebels in Libya, according to senior European officials who acknowledge he may be in a position to crush the uprising within weeks."
Bahrain declares state of emergency
Robin Wigglesworth, Najmeh Bozorghmehr & Simeon Kerr
"Bahrain has declared a state of emergency and asked the military to reassert its control over the capital Manama, as clashes between Shia and Sunni groups spread across the country."
White House warns against use of force
Daniel Dombey & Abigail Fielding-Smith
"The Obama administration has warned that the use of force would only worsen the crisis in Bahrain, after Maname declared a state of emergency on Tuesday following the entry of Saudi and Emirati troops."
Mideast Turmoil
Javier Blas
"Oil production will remain off the market 'for a considerable time', the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday in its darkest assessment yet of the impact of the uprising on the country's oil industry."
Dina Kraft
"Thousands of Palestinians rallied in the West Bank and Gaza in a call for national unity."
Syria
Reuters (unavailable online)
"About 40 people joined a rare protests on Tuesday, breifly chanting political slogans in central Damascus."
James Drummond
"In spite of a series of concessions made by Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said, protesters on Tuesday demanded that former ministers be investigated for alleged corruption."
Mideast unrest drives surge in visa inquiries by the wealthy
James Boxell
"The number of wealthy people thinking of migrating from the Middle East has surged recently because of the violence across the region and the planned easing of UK visa restrictions for the super-rich."
Editorial
Libya's rebels need more than words
"The tide of battle appears to have turned against the rebels in Libya in favour of Muammer Gaddafi."
Comment
Only a no-drive zone can stop Gaddafi's forces now
Philip Zelikow
"As people develop opinions about Libya they usually reason with historical analogies."
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The Guardian
International
Libya braced for battle of Benghazi as rebels retreat
Chris Mcgreal
"Libya's revolution was facing collapse last night as Muammar Gaddafi's forces broke through the last major line of resistance before Benghazi, the heart of the uprising and the seat of the rebel administration."
US backs no-fly zone over Libya but rebels fear aid will come too late to stop Gaddafi
Ewen McAskill, Simon Tisdall & Nicholas Watt
"Muammar Gaddafi's effort to defeat the rebels before international support can be galvanised seems to be paying off, with the uprising close to collapse."
Impasse over intervention leaves EU pretensions cruelly exposed
Simon Tisdall
"Disagreement between European countries over Libya has moved from the merely embarrassing to the wholly humiliating, after Germany again blocked Anglo-French no-fly zone proposals at yesterday's G8 meeting in Paris."
Three killed as Bahrain's king declares martial law
Martin Chulov
"The sectarian standoff between Bahrain's Shia majority and its Sunni elite deteriorated further yesterday when the king declared martial law and security forces clashed violently with protesters throughout the capital, Manama."
Comment
We have been insulted and humiliated. But finally history is bringing us dignity.
Ahemt Davutoglu
"The wave of revolutions in the Arab world was spontaneous."
G2
Blue sky thinking
Julian Borger
"In three short words, 'no-fly zone', sums up the latest moral quandary for the world on where and when the global responsibility to save lives should trump the supposed sanctity of national borders."
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The Independent
International
Bahrain in state of emergency as crowd marches on Saudi embassy
Patrick Cockburn
"The king of Bahrain has declared martial law, giving the military authority to end pro-democracy protests with the backing of 2000 troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates."
Washington knows it can do very little to rein in Saudi repression
David Usborne
"If Washington is uneasy about a Saudi-led foreign force of 1000 soldiers crossing the causeway from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, it is nonetheless keeping its criticism muted for two reasons."
Overpowered rebel fighters flee stronghold
Kim Sengupta & David Usborne
"The last rebel stronghold before Benghazi, the capital of 'Free Libya', came under a fierce onslaught from Muammar Gaddafi's forces yesterday."
Captured Libyan from Manchester shown on TV
Donald Macintyre
"A Libyan who has lived in Manchester for a decade and was arrested in Zawiya 10 days ago said yesterday that he was sorry for his part in the uprising and had a change of heart because of foreign intervention in the country's internal affairs."
No welcome for refugees as Italy turns boat away
Michael Day
"The North African refugee crisis dramatically worsened yesterday as a boat-load of Tunisian migrants sank in rough seas killing 35 on board, while a ferry carrying 1800 people fleeing unrest in Libya was turned away by authorities in Malta and Italy."
Syria
"Supporters of the Syrian government broke up a small pro-democracy demonstration in Damascus yesterday by punching and attacking the protesters."
Yemen
"Anti-government tribesmen in northern Yemen stormed a security building and shot dead four soldiers in a revenge attack after government troops opened fire on opposition protesters calling for the president to go, witnesses said."
Egypt
"Egypt's interior minister yesterday dissolved rhe country's hated state security agency, which was accused of torture and other human rights abuses in the suppression of dissent against ousted President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule."
Leading Article
Europe has an obligation to these desperate people
"Fortress Europe has closed its gates."
Letters
The world must not take its eyes off Libya
"Apocalyptic events in Japan have dominated the headlines and news bulletins over the past few days."
Paul Connew
"It is increasingly clear that the situation in North Africa in general and Libya in particular is of much greater interest to the major European states that it is to our US allies - but that because of reductions in defence expenditure, we Europeans have practically no independent ability to do anything other than wail and wring our hands."
R.S. Foster
"So the Arab League has voted for a no-fly zone to be enforced over Libya and to denounce the Gaddafi regime."
Andrew Morrison
"For the Arab League to claim that Gaddafi lacks legitimacy is akin to the kettle calling the pot black."
Yugo Kovach
"Its very odd that while the Arab League want a no-fly zone over Libya, its members don't seem to want to risk doing it themselves."
Tim Brook
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The Times
International
We were certain that Gaddafi's forces were miles away. How wrong we were
Jack Hill
"Death came slowly in the dull, sultry morning."
Father who left Manchester to join rebellion held by regime
Deborah Haynes
"Manchester is a long way from Libya's front line but one man from the city decided to leave his home, four children and pregnant wife last month to join the uprising against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's 41-year rule."
Cameron fights UN on no-fly zone plan
Roland Watson
"Britain, Lebnanon and France tabled a UN resolution last night targeting Colonel Muammar Gaddafi as David Cameron made a last-ditch effort to rally world opinion behind a no-fly zone."
Security squads take to streets after king declares martial law
Hugh Tomlinson
"The Bahraini royal family declared martial law yesterday, launching a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters as violence across the island kingdom left at least three dead and hundreds injured."
Weapons 'headed to Gaza' seized
Sheera Frenkel
"Israeli naval commandos who intercepted a ship in the Mediterranean yesterday said that they found weapons that they believed were bound for Gaza."
Editorial
"Time is runnint out for the exhausted and poorly trained rebels pitted against the Libyan Army."
Comment
Don't let the scars of Iraq deny justice in Libya
Ken MacDonald
"Huda Ben Amer is an instructive figure in modern Libya, for she had her master's number and her rise to power was swift."
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