Libya rebels fight on in Tripoli

The UN is set to unfreeze $1.5bn (£1bn) in frozen Libyan assets to help with immediate humanitarian needs.

In an audio message, Col Gaddafi has called on Libyans to "fight and destroy" the rebels.

The message was broadcast by a pro-regime TV station and addressed to the people of Sirte, which is the rebels' next target. It was unclear when it was recorded.

"Libya is for the Libyan people and not for the agents, not for imperialism, not for France, not for Sarkozy, not for Italy," said Col Gaddafi. "Tripoli is for you, not for those who rely on Nato".

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Col Gaddafi: "Do not leave Tripoli to the rats, fight them, defeat them as soon as possible"

He urged the youth of Tripoli to fight "street by street, alleyway by alleyway, house by house" and said women too could fight "from inside their homes".

The rebels have announced an amnesty for anyone within his "inner circle" who captures or kills him and a $1.7m (£1m) reward for his capture "dead or alive".

The rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) also said they had now moved their political base to the capital from their stronghold of Benghazi.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

Thanks to the rebels, Gaddafi has been thrown into the dustbin of history”

End Quote Habib Lamine Freed Libyan prisoner

• Tripoli voices speak of torment

South Africa had been blocking the UN motion to release $1.5bn in Libyan assets frozen under sanctions - which was proposed by the US - amid concerns that giving money to the NTC implied it was being formally recognised as Libya's leader, something South Africa and the African Union have not done.

The BBC's Barbara Plett at the the UN says the US agreed to remove specific references to the NTC, enabling the motion to pass.

Mahmoud Jibril, the head of the NTC, earlier said Libya needed "urgent help" to pay salaries and enable reconstruction, to ensure the stability of Libya in the immediate future.

Italy has already promised to release more than 350m euros of Libyan assets frozen in Italian banks.

In other developments:

• The Arab League has given full backing to the National Transitional Council (NTC) as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people
• The International Monetary Fund has said it will recognise the NTC as Libya's leaders when there is "a clear, broad-based, international recognition"
• UK Defence Minister Liam Fox has confirmed that Nato is providing intelligence and reconnaissance assistance to rebels hunting Col Gaddafi
• A ship that can carry 200 people has left Tripoli for Benghazi, carrying some of the foreign nationals in Libya

Handcuffed bodies

Thursday saw gunfights erupting in the Abu Salim district of Tripoli, close to a notorious prison and one of the few remaining Gaddafi holdouts in the city.

There were further battles near the Corinthia Hotel about 1.5km (a mile) from Martyrs Square - formerly Green Square - where most foreign journalists are based.

Sporadic gunfire was also heard at Col Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound - the area is now under the control of the rebels, who have broken into the complex tunnel system below.

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes visited a hospital in the Mitiga district of Tripoli which had received the bodies of 17 rebel fighters.

One survivor said the group had been held at a makeshift prison in Tripoli where they were tortured and then sprayed with bullets as the Gaddafi forces retreated.

Dr Hoez Zaitan, a British medic working at the hospital, said about half the bodies had bullet wounds to the back of the head while others had disfiguring injuries to their limbs and hands.

He said the bodies had been examined for possible evidence to be used at a war crimes tribunal.

The Red Cross is urging all sides to respect the rules of war

Meanwhile, the bodies of at least a dozen pro-Gaddafi fighters have been found on a roundabout in the centre of Tripoli, two of whom had their hands tied behind their backs.

There were reports that one body had an intravenous drip in the arm and that others were badly burned.

Amnesty International says it has "powerful testimonies" of abuses by both sides in Zawiya, including allegations of violence by rebels African migrant workers accused of being mercenaries.

The UN has said it is looking into reports of summary killings and abuses by both sides and urged "all those in positions of authority in Libya... to take active steps to ensure that no crimes, or acts of revenge, are committed".

The Red Cross says each side is believed to have hundreds of prisoners and has urged all parties to respect the rules of warfare.

Are you in any of the areas affected by the fighting? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below.

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Internet terms make mark on new Chambers Dictionary

The cloud, paywall and tweet are all included, a "clear indication" of the influence of the web on language, publishers Chambers Harrap says.

The recession and climate change also make a mark with quantitative easing, double-dip, and carbon offsetting among the 200 new words and phrases.

Big society and sexting were judged not to have passed the "test of time".

But they are "possible candidates for the next edition", Chambers Harrap added.

Business euphemisms

The 12th edition of the single volume edition of Chambers Dictionary, which was first published in 1901, contains 620,000 words and definitions.

The new words "herald a wave of geek chic, a more strident green agenda, and the way in which the recession has shaped how we speak today," says the publisher.

Among the other environmental words to be included are upcycle, the practise of turning waste into higher value products, and precycle - avoiding unnecessary waste by buying products with minimal packaging.

National treasure, Neet, man flu, crowdsourcing, paywall and staycation all also merit inclusion for the first time.

The MPs' expenses scandal has ensured flipping was included while the massive US government bailout of companies during the financial crisis - the Troubled Assets Relief Program - saw TARP make the pages.

And there is room for acronyms popularised by use in emails and on social networking sites such as OMG and BFF - best friend forever.

Chambers Harrap said the new dictionary takes a hard line on "cringeworthy and cliched" English and business euphemisms, citing roadmap, tsar, joined-up, and sea change as among 52 words and phrases to avoid.

David Swarbrick, managing director of Chambers, said: "With topical words like Neet and even kakistocracy - defined as government by the worst - the dictionary holds up a mirror to life today.

"But just as important is the call made for us all to cut down on befuddling English."

Where could I be buried if graveyards run out of space?

Resting beside our loved ones when the time comes is a reassuring notion for the living. Families pay thousands of pounds for land where generations can rest in peace together for eternity.

But in the UK at least, the ground is filling up.

Should I wish to, I could not be buried near to my relatives at Yardley Cemetery in south Birmingham. Space there ran out in 1962.

Similarly, I would struggle to find a place near another strand of my family in Halesowen. There is no room left underground there and other facilities at nearby Lye and Wollescote are expected to run out in the next four years.

What if I head south? I lived in Brighton once and a seaside burial sounds quite nice. But four of the seven cemeteries run by Brighton and Hove Council are already full, and of the three remaining, one is for Orthodox Jews only.

 

Planning my eternal resting place has become less morbid and more of a logistical conundrum”

End Quote

That leaves me two potentials, but as I plan to live till I am 100, there are 72 years of people dying before I can claim my spot. The odds of me being able to do that seem daunting.

Planning my eternal resting place has become less morbid and more of a logistical conundrum.

I could be cremated, as with the majority of Britons, and have my ashes scattered. Or I could leave my body to science.

One option is Promession, expected to arrive in the UK in the next 18 months, where my body would be frozen to -18C, then submerged in liquid nitrogen at -196C and vibrated until I shatter. Any metals I might have accumulated - such as a new hip or fillings in my 100-year-old teeth - would be extracted and recycled and my organic remains would go back into the life cycle of the soil.

But these alternatives are non-starters for some. Religious reasons or other long-held beliefs mean that for around 30% of the population, burial is the only option.

But in some of the crowded cities of the UK, the situation is serious.

"Quite frankly, we've run out of space," says Barrie Hargrove of Southwark Council in south London. As cabinet member for environment, he is trying to get to grips with the overcrowding issue.

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces: Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi

Mohammed Hussein Tantawi heads the military council which has been exercising power on an interim basis since President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in response to a popular uprising in February 2011.

Mr Tantawi has vowed to return Egypt to civilian rule

The council has set a tight timetable for a return to civilian rule. In March, Egyptians approved a set of constitutional changes aimed at allowing the country to move quickly to new elections.

It is hoped that a parliamentary election can be held as early as September, and a presidential vote soon after. The rapid agenda has been criticised by some in the opposition for allowing too little time for new democratic parties to organise.

Born in 1935, Mr Tantawi has been a career army officer since 1956, experiencing active service in the Suez crisis of 1956, the 1967 Six-Day War with Israel and the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

Mr Tantawi has held the post of commander-in-chief of the armed forces since 1991. Before the 2011 revolution he was also defence minister.

He is closely identified with the Mubarak era, but gained some credit with the pro-democracy campaign for refusing to fire on protestors.

Prime Minister: Essam Sharaf

President: Muhammad Hosni Mubarak (resigned)

Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's longest-serving ruler since Muhammad Ali in the early 19th century and one of the longest-serving leaders in the Arab world, stepped down in February 2011 after 30 years in power and handed control to the army.

President Mubarak has pursued economic, but not political reform

He was responding to weeks of street protests, which began in January 2011, only days after the president of Tunisia fled a popular uprising.

In April 2011, he was arrested along with his two sons, Ala and Gamal, on suspicion of corruption during his rule as president. He reportedly suffered a heart attack during interrogation.

Mr Mubarak was charged with ordering violence against protestors during the uprising and went on trial in August.

Mr Mubarak won a fifth consecutive term in presidential elections in September 2005. The poll was the first under a new system that allows multiple candidates to stand, but the main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, was banned from open political activity and could not field a candidate.

Mr Mubarak succeeded Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981. He pursued friendly relations with the West, breaking the isolation imposed on Egypt by Arab countries opposed to peace with Israel.

Since 1952, when army officers led by Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrew the monarchy, Egyptian leaders have been drawn from the military.

"تايم" تكشف أسرار ساعات القذافي الأخيرة

كتب- جبريل محمد:

منذ 47 دقيقة 34 ثانية

كشفت مجلة "التايم" الأمريكية أسرار الساعات الأخيرة في حرب العقيد الليبي معمر القذافي ضد الثوار،

حيث أكدت أن نتائج المعركة حسمت لصالح الثوار قبل نحو أسبوعين، وأن نحو 30% من المرتزقة الذين جلبهم القذافي فروا من صفوفه وانضموا للثوار، فضلا عن أن تدخل قوات حلف شمال الأطلسي "الناتو" رجحت كفة الثوار.

نقلت المجلة عن أحد قادة القذافي - الذين جلبهم من يوغسلافيا السابقة وكانوا يقودون الحرب ضد الثوار – قوله إن الرجال الذين كانوا تحت أمرتي من الدول الواقعة جنوبي ليبيا وتشاد، وتم التعاقد معي من قبل نظام القذافي للمساعدة في محاربة الثوار، وبعد ذلك حلف شمال الأطلسي، ولقد كنت أعاني من أن جنودي كانوا أغبياء جدا لتعلم أي شيء، ولكن الأمور كانت تسير جيدا حتى بدأت ضربات الناتو".

وأضاف القائد -الذي تحدث بشرط عدم الكشف عن هويته – إنه بحلول يوليو الماضي كان أكثر من 30 ٪ من الرجال الذين تحت إمرتي فروا إلى جانب الثوار، وسجلت صواريخ الناتو ضربات مباشرة لقواتي مما تسبب في "خسائر كبيرة"، عند هذه النقطة في الحرب اضطررنا لاستخدام التمويه وتجنب الأماكن المفتوحة".

وبعيدا عن الجبهة، قال ماريو إن الحياة في مجمع القذافي والملاجئ مليئة بالحفلات والكحول والنساء والمخدرات.. كانت حياة غاية في العربدة"، كذلك ساهم التوتر بين اثنين من أبناء القذافي في تعجيل النهاية، فقد لاحظت الخصومة العميقة بين أبناء القذافي سيف الإسلام ومحمد، فقد كان هناك اشتباك مسلح بين الاثنين، حيث قامت مجموعة أحد الأخوين باستجواب الآخر تحت تهديد السلاح، ثم وصلت مجموعة الذي يستجوب واندلعت مواجهة مسلحة بين الطرفين استمرت لعدة دقائق".

وقال القائد إن القذافي استأجر العديد من المقاتلين السابقين اليوغوسلاف ومعظمهم من الصرب لمساعدته في معركته ضد حلف شمال الأطلسي، وأوضح أن هولاء المستشارين وبعض قادة ليبيا غادروا قبل أسبوعين، وقال " قبل 12 يوما تلقيت تحذيرا من أحد أصدقائي يطالبني بالرحيل عن ليبيا لأن المعركة انتهت، فمنذ أسبوعين قال لي صديق يجب أن تغادر طرابلس، لان الأمور ستتغير بسرعة، وبعدها غادر المرتزقة من جنوب أفريقيا البلاد، ثم قررت الفرار من طرابلس".