Gadhafi vows 'long war' as U.S., allies strike

 

 Warplanes and cruise missiles bombard Libya as Operation Odyssey Dawn heats up.

Gadhafi vows 'long war' after US, allies strike

   
REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
Ground crew transport weapons for an Italian F-16 Fighting Falcon at the Birgi NATO Airbase in Trapani in the southern Italian island of Sicily March 20, 2011. More photos »

 RIPOLI, Libya – Anti-aircraft fire erupted in the Libyan capital on Sunday, marking the start of a second night of international strikes as a defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed a "long war." The U.S. military said the allied bombardment so far, using a rain of Tomahawk cruise missiles and strikes by long-range bombers, had been successful in diminishing Gadhafi's air defenses.

Couple shares date with royal wedding

 

Scott Gunnell and Rebecca Martin had one reaction to Will and Kate's nuptials: "Please don't let it be!'"

When Scott Gunnell asked Rebecca Martin to marry him in April 2010, the first thing they did was select their wedding date. "We chose a Friday because it was less expensive," says Gunnell, 32, who lives just outside London with his fiancée. "April 29 is a special day to us."
Their special day took an unexpected turn after months of planning their English wedding. In November, Prince William and Kate Middleton broadcast their wedding date across the world.
"It was weird because suddenly it was plastered everywhere," says Gunnell. "It became everyone's day, not just ours."

Renee Zellweger, Bradley Cooper split

 

The Oscar winning actress and "Limitless" star call it quits after less than two years together. 

Bradley Cooper and Renee Zellweger have reached their limit.

After less than two years together, the couple have split, multiple sources confirm to UsMagazine.com. Reps for both Cooper and Zellweger had no comment.

PHOTOS: Hollywood's most heartbreaking splits

Limitless star Cooper, 36, first met Oscar winner Zellweger, 41, six years ago on the set of their thriller Case 39 -- but romance didn't bloom until summer 2009.

Chelsea   2 - 0   Man City

Luiz breaks the deadlock for Chelsea on 78 minutes with a fine header

Chelsea leap-frogged lacklustre Manchester City to grab third spot with two late goals securing a deserved win.

Missing injured Carlos Tevez, City rarely threatened, although Yaya Toure had a shot saved by keeper Peter Cech.
Helped by Salomon Kalou's artistry, the hosts surged forward after the break and defender David Luiz nodded in the crucial opener with 12 minutes left.
The best was yet to come as Ramires danced his way through the defence in injury time to score a stunning second.

Chocolate, beer and coffee in Lviv

Next summer the eyes of football fans from all over the world will be on Ukraine as it plays host along with Poland to the 2012 European Championships. Fiona Foster visited Lviv in western Ukraine and discovered a city full of Central European flavour and charm, keen to raise its profile. News Source: bbc

Japan warns on quake deaths rise

Police in Japan say 15,000 people may have been killed in a single prefecture, Miyagi, by the huge quake and tsunami which struck nine days ago.

The official death toll has now risen to 8,450, with 12,931 people missing.
But there was some good news after an 80-year-old woman and her grandson were found alive in the rubble of Ishinomaki city.
Attempts continue to stave off a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Engineers are still working to restore power supplies to the plant's cooling systems, which were knocked out by the tsunami.
But even when they do, there is no guarantee the cooling systems in the plant will work, says the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Toyko.
Experts say that an improvised spraying operation using fire trucks may have to continue for months, our correspondent says.
But officials said conditions in reactor 3 - which has presented engineers with the most serious problems - appeared to have stabilised on Sunday, after they warned earlier that rising pressure might require radioactive steam to be vented.
Homeless The new figure of a possible 15,000 dead comes from police in the worst-hit Miyagi prefecture, and does not include the thousands more dead and missing in areas to the north and south.

It is looking increasingly clear that the death toll will top 20,000 people at least, our correspondent says.

The disaster dwarfs anything Japan has seen since World War II and people are beginning to talk of the disaster in similar terms, he says.
In a rare story of survival, an elderly woman and a 16-year-old boy, believed to be her grandson, were found alive in a house in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, nine days after the quake, said Japanese media and police.
Sumi and Jin Abe were trapped when their home collapsed in the quake but were able to get food from the refrigerator. They are both being treated in hospital.
The authorities have begun building temporary homes for some of the hundreds of thousands of people - including an estimated 100,000 children - still sheltering at emergency evacuation centres.
Many survivors have been enduring freezing temperatures without water, electricity, fuel or enough food.
The destruction of the mobile phone network means people are queuing for hours to make their allocated phone call of one minute.
And crippling fuel shortages mean long queues at some petrol stations.
Meanwhile, at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, firefighters have continued to spray water at the dangerously overheated reactors and fuel rods, in a desperate attempt to avert a meltdown.

 

Anti-nuclear protesters took to the streets of Tokyo and Taipei on Sunday

Engineers hope that restoring power will allow them to restart pumps to continue the cooling process, and have attached power lines to reactors 1 and 2, but it is unclear when they will attempt to turn the power back on.

Musician Wyclef Jean treated for gunshot wound to hand

 

Wyclef Jean had originally intended to run as president in Haiti's elections

Haiti-born hip-hop star Wyclef Jean has been released from hospital after being treated for a gunshot wound to his hand, his spokesman has said.

The shooting took place after 2300 local time on Saturday near the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, said Joe Mignon, senior programme director for Jean's Yele Foundation.
The shooting comes on the eve of presidential elections in Haiti.
Jean, 41, is supporting fellow musician Michel Martelly.
Jean's brother, Samuel, confirmed his sibling was shot but had no further details.
Jean's Twitter feed stated: "We have spoken to Wyclef, he is OK. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers - Management."

Cricket World Cup: India win sets up Australia showdown

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Group B, Chennai:
India 268 (49.1 overs) beat West Indies 188 (43 overs) by 80 runs
Match scorecard

Yuvraj survived two dropped catches on his way to a first World Cup century

By Peter Scrivener

India set up a World Cup quarter-final against holders Australia with a 80-run victory over West Indies, who will face Pakistan in the knockout stages.

West Indies paceman Ravi Rampaul took 5-51 on his World Cup debut including the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar for two.
Yuvraj Singh, who was dropped twice, hit 113 and shared a third wicket stand of 122 with Virat Kohli (59) before India collapsed from 218-3 to 268.

2011 Budget: Osborne says 'huge mistake' to slow cuts

   

George Osborne has said it would be "a huge mistake" for the government to water down its spending cuts as he prepares to deliver his second Budget.

The chancellor told the BBC deficit-cutting measures announced last year had helped "rescue" the economy.

Prince William meets Australia flood victims

Prince William is said to have been "incredibly moved" while meeting people affected by the devastating floods in the Australian state of Queensland.

 

Prince William is due to attend a fundraising event in Brisbane for victims of the floods

He met a man whose wife and two children were swept to their death in the town of Toowoomba.
The prince also visited the towns of Ipswich and Grantham in the south-east of Queensland which were flooded at the end of last year.
Around 30,000 homes and businesses were destroyed and 35 people died.
The prince will also travel to southern Australia to see flood-hit areas in Victoria.
Prince William was reported by an aide to be "incredibly moved" by the stories he has heard while on the trip to the state, where he is representing the Queen.
In the town of Grantham - which was flooded on two occasions - he met resident Ian Pinkerton who told the prince how he watched helplessly while his neighbours were swept away.

Libya: RAF 'comfortable' with outcome of airstrikes

Military spokesman Major General John Lorimer says all aircraft returned safely to the UK - Footage of Tornados courtesy MoD

The UK Ministry of Defence has said it is "entirely comfortable" with the outcome of the airstrikes on Libya.

RAF Tornados carried out a bombing mission, while a British submarine fired Tomahawk missiles.
The government is due to hold a meeting of its emergency management committee Cobra at 1800 GMT.
France, the US, Canada and Italy have also joined the UN-backed operation to protect civilians from attacks by Col Gaddafi's forces.

French jets resume Libya sorties

 

Anti-Gaddafi rebels have welcomed the air strikes and no-fly zone over Libya

French jets have begun a second day of operations over Libya to enforce a no-fly zone against Col Muammar Gaddafi's forces.

The 15 planes patrolled Libyan airspace but did not open fire because they met no resistance, a spokesman said.
France also says Qatar is to about to deploy four planes to the operation.
The move would make Qatar the first Arab country to play an active part in the campaign against Col Gaddafi, who has been battling a month-long revolt.
Spain, Italy, Denmark and Norway have also committed more military assets, after more than 120 missiles were fired overnight against Libyan targets.

Gadhafi vows 'long war' as U.S., allies strike

 

Western warplanes and cruise missiles bombard Libya as Operation Odyssey Dawn heats up.
 

TRIPOLI, Libya – A defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed a "long war" after the U.S. and European militaries blasted his forces with airstrikes and over 100 cruise missiles, hitting air defenses and at least two major air bases early Sunday, shaking the Libyan capital with explosions and anti-aircraft fire.
Despite the strikes, Gadhafi's troops lashed back, bombarding the rebel-held city of Misrata with artillery and tanks on Sunday, the opposition reported.

GOP convention kicks off

SACRAMENTO -- As Republican party delegates arrived Friday intent on delivering an anti-tax message during their three-day convention here, incoming Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro said he is confident that Republican legislators will rebuff Gov. Jerry Brown's bid for a special election on tax extensions.

Del Beccaro, the former Contra Costa County GOP chief, is running unopposed to take the reins from outgoing chairman Ron Nehring amid inner-party rancor over the five Republican senators who have been negotiating with Brown.
Delegates are considering a resolution branding as "traitors" any Republican who signs onto a deal that allows a special election on taxes to go forward, though the issue may be moot since no deal is expected to be consummated before the convention ends Sunday.

"I don't want taxes on the ballot," Del Beccaro said in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency, the site of the convention, "But I don't think Jerry Brown is serious about reforms at all. So, I don't think they'll vote to put them on the ballot."

Del Beccaro, who was non-committal on the "traitor" resolution, said he has "no problem" with the so-called GOP 5 negotiating with Brown.

"That's the only way we'll be able to persuade them with our ideas about what truly needs to be done," he said. "I'm fine with it."

The five Republicans negotiating with Brown -- Sens. Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo; Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres; Tom Harman,

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R-Huntington Beach; Bill Emmerson, R-Hemet; and Tom Berryhill, R-Stockton -- successfully delayed any potential deal heading into the convention.

They reportedly wanted to avoid the kind of direct confrontations that embarrassed some of the six GOP legislators who voted for taxes before the 2009 GOP convention.

Teachers flood San Jose job fair despite looming school cuts

The first thing one might have wanted to ask the folks milling about Saturday's Santa Clara County Teacher Recruitment Fair was: "Are you nuts?"

After all, local school districts are handing out pink slips like hall passes. Because of a crushing state deficit, South Bay districts are preparing to ax the equivalent of 700 full-time positions -- a number that's almost sure to swell if Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to ask voters to extend temporary taxes fails.
School officials at the event acknowledged the seeming contradiction of hiring amid so much red ink, yet state law requires them to fill certain positions, such as slots for special-education teachers.
The dire budget outlook didn't stop Genia Orlova and hundreds of other hopefuls from trolling the job fair's kiosks.
Orlova, 37, was a physician before she and her husband came here from Siberia in 2000. Armed with a master's degree in special education from San Francisco State, she worked for several years with preschoolers before leaving the work force to raise her daughter.
With little Uliana set to start first grade this fall, Mom is ready to work again full time.
But as Orlova surveyed the first of several sprawling conference rooms where people waited in lines 10 deep, she said: "I think I don't have many chances."
Her first stop was the desk manned by the county Office of Education, which hosted the event at its San Jose headquarters. Though the county has

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several special-ed jobs posted, they all require a credential to work with moderate-to-severe disabilities. Orlova doesn't have that certification.Nancy Guerrero, a county special-ed specialist, said lots of people are in Orlova's boat. But she was taking résumés "just in case," knowing that retirements or downsizing at individual schools will create openings for the county office to fill.

San Jose Mercury News

Q You asked for memorable movies filmed along roadways in our great Bay Area.

Clarence Converse

San Jose

A Indeed I did, both scenes we love and goofs we remember.

Q One of the classics was "Bullitt" in 1968. During the chase scene between Steve McQueen and the bad guys up and down the streets of San Francisco, you will, in certain shots supposedly on different streets, see the same green VW bug being passed by both cars. Look closely at the cars parked along the streets, and you'll see some of the same cars also parked on different streets. It is still a classic and inspired Ford to make a 2008 Bullitt Mustang using the original exhaust sounds from the movie so it would sound the same as the '68 model.

Clarence Converse

A "Bullitt" takes top honors for many.

Q Herb Caen decades ago in the '70s pointed out all of the "Bullitt" miscues. Who would know better than Herb (RIP)?

Richard Olson

San Mateo

A A legend, and so missed. Now to another McQueen flick.

Q My No. 1 goof: "Towering Inferno" with McQueen and a million other stars. Remember when Fred Astaire approaches the huge Bank of America building by way of escalator? He looks up at the huge, black, intimidating structure, enters, looks

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up again and it's the Hyatt Regency lobby on Market Street. You see the cascading plants coming down from the atrium-like setting. The scene had folks in the San Francisco audience pointing at the screen laughing.

Richard Olson

Setback reported at Japanese reactor

Officials: Pressure rises again in Japan reactor

 

AP – In this image taken from footage

released by the Japan Defense Ministry,

a fire engine from the Japan … 

 

FUKUSHIMA, Japan – Japan prepared another risky venting of radioactive gas to relieve a new spike in pressure in one of its troubled nuclear reactors Sunday, a setback in efforts to bring the crippled, leaking plant under control just after some signs of improvement.
The planned release into the air of what officials said would be a densely radioactive cloud comes as traces of radiation are turning up well beyond the leaking Fukushima Dai-ichi plant after its cooling systems were knocked by the massive March 11 quake and tsunami on Japan's northeast coast.

U.S., allies strike targets in Libya

First wave of allied assault: 112 cruise missiles

AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus

Libyan rebels celebrate on a captured Government tank in the outskirts of Benghazi, eastern Libya, Saturday, March 19, 2011. More photos »

WASHINGTON – U.S. and British ships and submarines launched the first phase of a missile assault on Libyan air defenses Saturday and a senior American defense official said it was believed substantial damage was inflicted.
In the strikes, 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired at more than 20 coastal targets to clear the way for air patrols to ground Libya's air force.
While U.S. defense officials cautioned that it was too early to fully gauge the impact of the onslaught, the official said that given the precision targeting of the Navy's cruise missiles, they felt that Libya's air defenses suffered a good deal of damage.
Explosions continued to rock the coastal cities, including Tripoli. Navy Vice Adm. Wiliam E. Gortney, director of the Pentagon's Joint Staff, would not discuss future operations But defense officials said military action was likely to continue.
The official spoke on grounds of anonymity because the ongoing mission.
In announcing the mission during a visit to Brazil, President Barack Obama said he was reluctant to resort to force but was convinced it was necessary to save the lives of civilians. He reiterated that he would not send American ground troops to Libya.
"We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy," he said in Brasilia.
While U.S. defense officials said it was too early to gauge the impact of the onslaught, one senior official said that given the precision targeting of the Navy's cruise missiles, they believe Libya's air defenses suffered a good deal of damage.
It was clear the U.S. intended to limit its role in the Libya intervention, focusing first on disabling or otherwise silencing Libyan air defenses, and then leaving it to European and perhaps Arab countries to enforce a no-fly zone over the North African nation.

Click image to see photos of protests in Libya

AFP/Patrick Baz

Gortney told reporters the cruise missile assault was the "leading edge" of a coalition campaign dubbed Operation Odyssey Dawn. Its aim: prevent Moammar Gadhafi's forces from inflicting more violence on civilians -- particularly in and around the rebel stronghold of Benghazi -- and degrading the Libyan military's ability to contest a no-fly zone.

20-minute standoff on an NBA court

Knife-wielding intruder creates a scare at Staples Center

By Kelly Dwyer

An armed intruder stormed onto the Staples Center court just over an hour before Saturday's matinee matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Though authorities don't know what the man's intentions or motivations were, he was brandishing a knife, and was eventually brought down after a hail of rubber bullet fire from security guards and police officers after a 20-minute standoff and led into custody. No fans, authorities, or members of either organization were hurt or seriously threatened.