Airstrikes hit the Libyan capital early today, apparently near Bab al-Aziziyah, the sprawling compound of Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy.
At least two more rumbling blasts could be heard in the east of the city.
Libyan television said an “imperialist Crusader” bombardment had struck the neighborhood of Ain Zara, in southeast Tripoli.
WASHINGTON: Frozen funds still not to Libyan rebels.
Despite its decision to grant diplomatic recognition to Libya’s rebels, the Obama administration is struggling to find ways to provide them with the $34 billion in frozen Libyan assets held in U.S.-controlled bank accounts, officials say.
So far, State and Treasury department officials have identified only a small fraction of the vast Libyan holdings — estimated by some officials to be as little as a few hundred million dollars — that can be quickly freed, according to current and former officials familiar with the talks. The administration is studying a variety of options to work around the obstacles.
EGYPT: Protests end in clashes, injuries.
More than 200 people were injured in clashes Saturday in Cairo between supporters and opponents of Egypt’s military rulers, according to medical sources and the official MENA news agency.
“The number of people injured in clashes during Saturday’s protests in Cairo rose to 231,” the agency said.
According to the medical sources, the clashes erupted in Abbasiya in central Cairo, where protesters gathered to march to the nearby Defense Ministry headquarters to push the ruling military council to deliver on promises of reform.
SAUDI ARABIA: Proposed law draws debate on free speech.
Saudi Arabia denied allegations by Amnesty International that an anti-terrorism law under consideration will be used to suppress dissent in the kingdom, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
The proposed law will pose “a serious threat to freedom of expression in the kingdom,” Amnesty International said in a statement on its website after reviewing a copy of the draft.
Saudi Arabia “would like to point out that Amnesty’s concerns about this law are baseless,” the news service said today. An anti-terrorism draft law is under review at the Saudi Shoura Council, an appointed advisory body, SPA added.
SYRIA: Train derails, stirs up controversy.
A passenger train derailed and caught fire in central Syria on Saturday, killing the driver, authorities said. The regime blamed the crash on “saboteurs” tied to the country’s four-month-old uprising, but opposition figures dismissed the accusation.
The train was carrying 485 people when it derailed about 3 miles outside the central city of Homs, a flashpoint in the uprising against President Bashar Assad. The driver was killed instantly and 14 passengers were injured, rail officials said.
Denver Post wire services
