A bomb blast at a police beer garden killed at least 10 people Sunday in the troubled northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, a military source and a witness said.
“The bomb was planted at the middle of the ‘mammy market’ and at least 10 people have been killed and several others seriously injured from the explosion,” said an army officer who preferred not to be named.
The so-called mammy market beer gardens are open air pubs and eateries found around police or military barracks and are open to both security personnel and civilians.
Commander of a special military crack unit deployed a week ago to curb the unrest in the area, Brigadier-General Jack Okechukwu Nwaogbo confirmed the attack, but was unable to immediately give details of casualties.
“There has been a bomb explosion at a market belonging to the police in Wulari area of the city. I’m right now at the scene,” Nwaogbo told AFP on the phone from Maiduguri.
It was just the latest in a series of attacks in the troubled region.
An attack on a civilian beer garden in the same city last Sunday, left at least 25 dead.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Darey Art Alade and Amber Rose will be the host, top Nigerian finest artiste; Dr Sid, Whiz Kiasha, Darey, Tiwa Savage, Naeto C, Duncan Mighty, D’ Prince, Shank, Show Dem Camp, Dotstar from the UK, and a new artist Davido will be performing and 10 haute designers whose creativity is easy to relate will be showcasing diverse and trendy styles ranging from lingerie wears to haute couture; all on one runway and all in one show tagged ‘Music Meet Runway’, happening live in Lagos on Saturday, July 9, at the EXPO CENTRE, Eko Hotel by 6pm. This event is poised to create awareness for the laudable and fledging growth the Nigerian fashion industry has recorded in recent times. It will be a great networking opportunity for fashion industry, professionals including educators, retail buyers, fashion journalists, trendsetters and consumers.
Organized by La Reve Events, a foremost event company in Nigeria, ‘Music Meets Runway’will also be showcasing creative and elegant styles from some amazing new talents including up and coming fashion designers, music artists, international acts, stylists, make-up artists and more.
Promising to unveil a lot of fashion attires amidst loads of fun, ‘Music Meets Runway’ has gained the support of top brands like MTN, Samsung Mobile, SKYY Vodka, Bella Naija, Style House Files, MUD Make Up, Perfect Lash and more.
Tickets for the show are already on sale at the cinemas, eateries and hot outlets across Lagos.
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Re-DAREY TO HOST MUSIC MEET RUNWAY
We acknowledge our error in the publicity material issued out on Darey Art Alade’s involvement in the highly anticipated show, Music Meets Runway. For avoidance of doubt Darey will not be co-hosting the show with international model and celebrity, Amber Rose, Banky W will now be doing that. The press release was sent out due to the fact that talk with Darey had reached an advanced stage and we were almost sure he would be part of the show. We were pressed for deadline hence the need to send out the material. It is regrettable that our client, La Reve Events and Darey couldn’t reach an agreement. We did not in any way intend to misinform the public or embarrass Darey. We hold Darey in high esteem and assure the public that we conduct our business with high sense of professionalism. We sincerely apologise to Darey, his team and fans. The development is regrettable. However, the show, Music Meets Runway will still hold comeSaturday, July 9, at Expo Center, Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos. International celebrity, Amber Rose will host the show alongside R and B crooner, Banky W. Music Meets Runway is an event is designed to create awareness for the laudable and fledging growth the Nigerian fashion industry has recorded in recent times. The event won’t be all about fashion as 10 musical artistes will also grace the occasion dishing out hits after hits. It will be a great networking opportunity for fashion industry, professionals; including educators, retail buyers, fashion journalists, trendsetters and consumers. The 10 artistes that has been pencilled down to perform are Naeto C, Duncan Mighty, Dr Sid, D’ Prince, Sasha, Shank, Show Dem Camp, Tiwa Savage, Dotstar, Wizkid. The 10 fashion designers that will be strutting their out-of-the-box designs are Tsemeya, Vonne Couture, Meena, Viva La Resistance, Toju Foyeh, Babuhska, Grey, Virgos Lounge, Obsidian and Republic Of Foreigner.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
“The continent of Africa was the cradle of human life. Each stage in the development of humankind can be traced in the African record. The ancient civilization of Egypt flourished there. In the classical world of Greece and Rome, Africa was regarded as a source of wisdom. Many great yet viable kingdoms and states once thrived on the African continent. Much of South and Central Africa’s history took place in comparative isolation from the rest of the world, while sub-Saharan Africa traded with the North Mediterranean and North East Africa traded with the Middle East and with India. European attitudes towards Africa changed with the Christianization of Europe so that by the Middle Ages, Africa became associated with darkness and heathen religious practices,†History Of Africa – New World Encyclopaedia.
This 30 minutes video is a reaction to the view of many that Africans are black people, as though the purported blackness of Africa and Africans were convincing enough to stand as the identity of the African people. This is been carefully executed by examining how some western scholars and politicians have managed to use the black colour in corrupting, not only the history of Africa but also the identity of the same (African) people. Having consulted with different scholars, both Africans and the Europeans alike, this documentary is aimed at demonstrating that what is generally understood as black colour is grossly insufficient to describe the visible (phenotypic) characteristics of an African, let alone defining who he really is as a person.
To further clarify the argument, we decided to trace the blackness of Africa to where it does make some sense – within the geopolitical sphere and therefore the true resonance of the term: “political B-blackness of Africaâ€Â. This was to show that such loose expressions as “Black Raceâ€Â, “White Race†really do not exist. Especially that what has become accepted as either Black or White race cannot be proved to be black or white within the scientific, cultural or genetic parameters. It’s of course needless extending the argument to include such categories as, “Red Raceâ€Â, supposedly in America and “Yellow Race†in Asian?
In fact, it should be important to note that among some westerners (only few years ago), the Chinese people were called the Small Yellows, but now that China has become a major world economic power and by extension a political power, the Chinese people have simply become Chinese. The question is: “if Chinese were truly a yellow people some years ago, what is the convincing explanation that they are no longer yellow today?â€Â
The truth been told; the Chinese, just like the Africans were never qualified as people of colours; they never were. They have long evolved as the people that they are, and they have established their own human identity, beyond the superficialities of colours. That they were later shrouded in the flawed philosophy of colours, as their identity was simply and solely to relegate them and at the same time help justify their human exploitation.
In this documentary therefore, we are trying to separate the illusion from reality – differentiate between DARKNESS and AFRICA and the DARK CONTINENT from the AFRICAN CONTINENT because they are not interchangeable.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Finland has won the Wife Carrying World Championships held in the town of Sonkajärvi for the third consecutive year. Victory went to the Finnish couple of Taisto Miettinen and Kristiina Haapanen.
The annual event attracted contestants this year from fifteen countries including Finland, Spain, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Estonia, and the USA.
Contestants must carry their wife, with a minimum weight of 49 kilos, over a course of just over 250 metres. She must be at least 17 years of age. The winner is the couple who complete the course in the shortest time.
The Wife Carrying Championship event has been organized at Sonkajärvi since 1992. Prior to the recent three Finnish victories, Estonia held the title for 11 years.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
You’ve probably heard that men cheat for physical reasons, women for emotional reasons. Sure, there’s some truth to that, but when we asked real women around the country to share why they strayed from their boyfriends, we learned they had a whole host of explanations  from bad kissing to sheer revenge. Read on for the truth about why women have given in to temptation.
Reason #1: There’s no passion “I had been with John for about three years  he was a really nice guy, and I enjoyed being with him, but there wasn’t a ton of passion. Most everyone we knew had gotten engaged, and though John would have proposed in a second, whenever he brought it up, I’d change the subject. I took a trip to Australia for work and while I was gone, I got together with a coworker to whom I’d always been insanely attracted. I had a fantastic trip, probably because for the first time in a long time I experienced that excitement I’d been missing. I broke up with John soon after I returned home and began dating the guy from the trip. Even though I’m not super-proud of my actions, things ended up for the best: after dating for a few years, the guy from the trip and I got married and we’re incredibly happy together.†– Giselle, 30, Montvale, NJ
Reason #2: To delay a breakup “Right before I was going to break up with my ex, Sean, he found out that he had to put his beloved dog to sleep. He was so broken up about it that I didn’t have the heart to end things, so I waited a month or so until he was in better shape. When things seemed to be better and I was ready, he lost his job, so I felt like I was back to square one! By that time I had met someone else that I really wanted to start seeing, so I went ahead and did it. I eventually ended things, never telling Sean about my extracurricular dating. I think I rationalized that I was trying to spare his feelings.†– Stacy, 30, Lexington, KY
Reason #3: Because absence doesn’t make the heart grow fonder “My boyfriend Greg and I decided to do the long-distance thing after I was accepted to a graduate program 200 miles from where we lived. The first few months were fine, but I soon found myself becoming extremely attracted to my lab partner, Henry. What began as innocent flirting eventually wound up with us getting physical. After the program was over, I returned home to Greg. Being with him was really difficult, but I didn’t break up with him initially because I was still attracted to him, too. I visited Henry a few times and realized that he was really more of a fling, probably done out of boredom, and that Greg was the one for me. I eventually stopped communicating with Henry. I never told Greg about what happened, which occasionally makes me feel guilty, but I chalk my cheating up to being young and silly. He and I are still together, four years after my program ended.†– Tamara, 33, Portland, OR
Reason #4: To avoid being left out in the cold “I began dating Eric shortly after I had been dumped by Dave, my boyfriend of two years. I was devastated and Eric was definitely a rebound thing. After Eric and I had dated for five months, Dave came back and wanted to give things another shot. I still really missed him, so I began seeing him, but never ended things with Eric. I think I sort of kept Eric around for insurance purposes, just in case things didn’t end up well with Dave. Dave and I didn’t make it on round two, and after Eric discovered through mutual friends that I had been seeing him again, he ended things with me. I definitely learned my lesson about dating two guys at the same time, not to mention trying to rekindle a relationship that’s just plain over.†– Jen, 28, Oak Park, IL
Reason #5: To make a break from a bad relationship “When I was younger, I dated a guy named Ethan who was really critical of me. He constantly made little snide comments about my weight, how stupid I was and how clumsy I was. For whatever odd reason, I was into him, despite the fact that all of my friends and family hated him. One weekend when he was away, I met Will at a party and we completely hit it off. He was the complete opposite of Ethan  kind, sweet and generous, yet completely cool and fun, too. We hung out all weekend and it was like a light bulb went off in my head: This is how mature, relationship-worthy guys act. I kissed Will the night before he left and broke up with Ethan soon after. Will and I dated for three years and now we’re married.†– Allison, 30, New York, NY
Reason #6: To find that missing piece “I’m from Florida, so I adore going to the beach and boating, but my former boyfriend, Chris, a total city boy, hated it. We always argued about where we’d take trips, and he always won. About eight months into our relationship, I took a trip to Key West with my friends and we chartered a boat for the day. The captain of the boat was this totally hot, complete ‘beach guy for life’ type, and I spent the whole day flirting with him. We met him out that night and spent time alone together. I never told Chris about it after I got home and I never felt guilty; I think part of me felt like that’s what Chris got for being so stubborn! Chris and I didn’t make it, and after we broke up, I made sure any future boyfriends loved the beach!†– Lizzie, 32, Chicago, IL
Reason #7: To give him a taste of his own medicine “My last boyfriend was a total player before we got together. I thought I could change him but I was wrong. I always heard rumors that he was seeing other girls while we were dating, but he always denied it. One night, I got a call from a girl he had been secretly dating, and she detailed their three-month-long relationship to me and told me about another girl she had discovered he was seeing as well. I was so mad that I went out with my friends that night, dressed to kill, and spent time with the most attractive guy; I felt like it was the least he deserved! I loved seeing the look on his face when I told him about what I did and that I knew about the other girls. And then I dumped him!†– Ashante, 25, College Park, GA
Chelsea Kaplan is a Senior Editor at The Family Groove. Her blog, “I’m Somebody’s Mother?†can be found at www.rumymother.blogspot.com. For the other side of the story, read Confessions: 8 reasons men cheat.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP)  NATO said Saturday it has begun ramping up its airstrikes on military targets in the western part of Libya, where rebel forces claim a string of advances through territory still largely under Moammar Gadhafi’s control.
In a boost for Gadhafi, meanwhile, the African Union called on member states to disregard an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against the Libyan leader. That could enable Gadhafi to travel freely on the continent. The warrant was issued for his alleged role in a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters earlier this year.
Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim praised the AU’s decision, saying “we salute their courage.” He said Gadhafi had no immediate plans to leave the country, however.
“We are at war with the mightiest armies in the world, and the safety of the leader is a must for us. So we need to keep him safe to lead us through this difficult time,” he said.
Libya welcomed a road map for dialogue drafted by the AU that outlines plans for negotiations between the government and rebels, Ibrahim said.
He confirmed that Gadhafi would not be involved in the proposed talks, and expressed hope that a cease-fire could be reached “in the next few days, or weeks at most.”
While he gave no indication that Gadhafi was prepared to step down, Ibrahim said the government might agree to a deal that would constitutionally prevent the leader from having any direct political powers.
Gadhafi’s regime is determined to stand firm against opposition fighters moving from southern and eastern fronts toward the capital, Tripoli. The rebels have largely solidified control over the eastern third of Libya but have struggled to push out of pockets they hold in the west.
NATO’s comments about its latest airstrikes suggest the alliance is hoping to tip the balance further in the rebels’ favor despite threats by Gadhafi to carry out attacks in Europe unless the airstrikes stop.
The coalition said it has destroyed more than 50 military targets in the west this week. It says it is targeting government forces in cities and along “major lines of communication.”
“We are engaging all military assets that are being used to indiscriminately target the civilian population throughout Libya,” Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard, commander of NATO’s Libya mission, said in the statement sent Saturday but dated the previous day.
NATO said more than 1.8 million civilians are at risk from a buildup of forces loyal to Gadhafi in western cities along the coast and in the Nafusa mountain range southwest of the capital.
Rebels control several Nafusa mountain towns and the vital port city of Misrata. The rest of western Libya, including the heavily protected capital Tripoli, remain under Gadhafi’s control.
Col. Ahmed Bani, a rebel spokesman, said Saturday that rebel fighters have pulled back in some parts of the west, in what he described as a “strategic retreat,” but said they would go on the offensive again in the coming days. Asked about the NATO attacks in the area, he said they have been helpful to the rebels, but did not elaborate.
Bani told a news conference in the rebel-controlled eastern city of Benghazi that the rebels are not sending reinforcements to the west and that the fighters there don’t need more weapons.
A coalition including France, Britain and the United States began striking Gadhafi’s forces under a United Nations resolution to protect civilians on March 19, giving the rebels air support. NATO assumed control of the air campaign over Libya on March 31. It is joined by a number of Arab allies.
In recent days, NATO said it has repeatedly hit Tripoli and Gharyan, a city at the eastern gateway to the Nafusa mountains and on a major road to capital. Gharyan sits about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Tripoli.
It also claims to have struck a network of tunnels storing military equipment about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of the capital.
NATO said in a separate statement it struck two armed vehicles Friday near Bir al-Ghanam, a town rebels from the mountains have been trying to take along a road leading toward the capital.
Gadhafi threatened Friday to target European “homes, offices, families” unless NATO halts its bombing campaign. His defiant audio address was played to thousands of supporters packed into Tripoli’s main square during on of the biggest pro-government rallies since the airstrikes began.
It’s not clear whether Gadhafi can make good on the threats.
In the past, the Libyan leader supported various militant groups, including the IRA and several Palestinian factions, while Libyan agents were blamed for attacks in Europe, including a Berlin disco bombing in 1986 and the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people, mostly Americans. Libya later acknowledged responsibility for Lockerbie.
In recent years, however, Gadhafi was believed to have severed his ties with extremist groups when he moved to reconcile with Europe and the United States.
___
Associated Press writer Rami al-Shaheibi in Benghazi, Libya, contributed to this report.
(This version CORRECTS Adds further government comment on negotiations. Corrects spokesman’s name in in 5th graf.)
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Alex and Miss P managed to pit the girls against each other way before the Housemates caught on. What game are these two playing? Alex, aka Bomaye is one slick character. Since the game started, he has played the cool, calm and collected brother figure that all the girls trust with their deepest darkest secrets.
Alex however, has managed to use a lot of what he is told in confidence, to add fuel to the fires which rage endlessly in the House. It would seem this is his strategy. Is it working for him though? Our guess would be yes. Last night, Alex told Vimbai how Vina had warned him against trusting her. Vimbai did not take this lying down and confronted Vina, leaving her in tears.
Miss P managed to convince Alex to open up so that the girls trust him and think he likes them, so that he uses that to pit them against each other. Vimbai confronted Alex about this and told him how he and Miss P had been overheard plotting at night. Alex quickly notified a shocked Miss P who was stunned that they had been busted. Miss P expressed how fearful she was to even join her Housemates in conversation because everyone knows their game plan. Alex told her to relax and said they would discuss the issue later.
What are these two up to and will their strategy work?
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Fear pervades the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri where hundreds of troops have been deployed after a wave of bombings and shootings by the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram.
A week after at least 25 people died and dozens were injured in a single attack, the beer garden where it took place stands scorched and empty, strewn with blackened debris. A few goats attracted by heaps of corn grain are the only sign of life.
Scores of military checkpoints have sprung up around the city.
“The city has been under siege from Boko Haram and the military following these senseless attacks that have put everybody on edge,” said resident Hadi Sadiq.
The attack, in which Islamists hurled explosives and fired indiscriminately, came on the day a joint military task force was launched to combat a spate of earlier bomb and shoot-and-run assaults.
The initiative saw hundreds of military, navy, air force, police, immigration and customs personnel deployed to quash the sect on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Boko Haram launched a short-lived armed uprising two years ago in a doomed bid to establish an Islamic state.
Although the rebellion was crushed in a military assault that killed hundreds, mostly sect members, it failed to deter further attacks.
“What is more frightening to residents of this city is the bomb attacks that continue to increase in frequency, magnitude and sophistication despite the deployment of troops,” said Khalifa Dikwa, a linguistics professor at Maiduguri University.
Last year, the sect began to launch shoot-and-run killings, targeting police and military personnel, community and religious leaders as well as politicians. It also added to its guerrilla tactics, bomb attacks on police and government facilities, as well as churches.
“Nowhere is safe in Maiduguri even with the military presence,” Jummai Musa, a beer seller, said. A checkpoint erected 500 metres from the beer garden was like “medicine after death”, she added.
A day after the beer garden attack, suspected sect members detonated a bomb concealed in a car parked outside the customs office, killing two girl vendors.
On Tuesday gunmen opened fire on a military checkpoint around the same area leading to a shootout with soldiers but there were no casualty.
Troops that have been deployed in the city are on edge and do not leave anything to chance.
Motorcyclists have to disembark 500 metres (550 yards) from checkpoints and push their bikes until they pass the checkpoints as a precaution against attacks by the Islamists.
Searches of vehicles are stepped up at night and troops fire sporadic warning shots in the air to scare away potential attackers, an AFP reporter witnessed.
“We can’t take any chances,” said a soldier at a checkpoint.
The unrest has also taken a toll on the economy of the city. Businesses are gradually closing and relocating to other cities while social activities have been grounded.
“I have relocated my business…. I’m here to pack my remaining personal effects because I can’t operate in this atmosphere of insecurity,” said Umar Mudassir, an IT consultant.
A group of residents aired their complaints in an open letter to President Jonathan in the Daily Trust newspaper on Thursday.
“Continuation of this situation will ultimately lead to the collapse of the local economy, leading to more despair and further conflict.
“More indiscriminate military and police intervention will lead to an angry population which will sympathise with, aid and assist the young as they take up arms against authority,” the group said.
But the military commander of the special crack unit, Brigadier-General Jack Okechukwu Nwaogbo, is determined to end Boko Haram’s reign of terror.
“My mandate is to end this Boko Haram issue, I’m not here to curtail it but to end it and restore peace and order in Borno State,” Nwaogbo told AFP in Maiduguri.
“It is a difficult mandate, given the type of adversary we are dealing with,” Nwaogbo admitted.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP)  A defiant Moammar Gadhafi threatened Friday to carry out attacks in Europe against “homes, offices, families,” unless NATO halts its campaign of airstrikes against his regime in Libya.
The Libyan leader, sought by the International Criminal Court for a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters, delivered the warning in a telephone message played to thousands of supporters gathered in the main square of the capital Tripoli.
It was one of the largest pro-government rallies in recent months, signaling that Gadhafi can still muster significant support. A green cloth, several hundred meters long and held aloft by supporters, snaked above the crowd filling Tripoli’s Green Square. Green is Libya’s national color.
Gadhafi spoke from an unknown location in a likely sign of concern over his safety. Addressing the West, Gadhafi warned that Libyans might take revenge for NATO bombings.
“These people (the Libyans) are able to one day take this battle … to Europe, to target your homes, offices, families, which would become legitimate military targets, like you have targeted our homes,” he said.
“We can decide to treat you in a similar way,” he said of the Europeans. “If we decide to, we are able to move to Europe like locusts, like bees. We advise you to retreat before you are dealt a disaster.”
It was not immediately clear whether Gadhafi could make good on such threats.
In the past, Gadhafi supported various militant groups, including the IRA and several Palestinian factions, while Libyan agents were blamed for attacks in Europe, including a Berlin disco bombing in 1986 and the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people, mostly Americans. Libya later acknowledged responsibility for Lockerbie.
In recent years, however, Gadhafi was believed to have severed his ties with extremist groups when he moved to reconcile with Europe and the United States.
Al-Qaida and other jihadi groups have opposed Gadhafi since he cracked down in the late 1990s on the Islamist Libyan Islamic Fighting Group which sought to replace his regime with an Islamic state.
In Tripoli, supporters unleashed repeated barrages of defiant gunfire into the air after Gadhafi’s speech.
A series of powerful explosions later rattled the heart of the capital as supporters cheered and honked car horns in the street. Black smoke could be seen rising from the area near Gadhafi’s Bab al-Aziziya compound. It wasn’t clear whether the blasts signaled renewed NATO airstrikes or were bursts of celebratory fireworks.
A U.S. State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said the U.S. would take Gadhafi’s threat of attacks seriously, as his regime carried out such actions in the past. Toner said he did not know if there was intelligence to indicate Gadhafi’s regime would be able to carry out such attacks.
“This is an individual who’s obviously capable of carrying these kinds of threats, that’s what makes him so dangerous, but he’s also someone who’s given to overblown rhetoric,” Toner told a news conference in Washington.
Friday’s rally came just four days after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Gadhafi, his son Seif al-Islam and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanoussi for crimes against humanity. International prosecutors allege government troops fired on civilian protesters during anti-Gadhafi street demonstrations earlier this year.
The popular uprising has since turned into a protracted civil war, with anti-government rebels controlling much of eastern Libya and parts of Libya’s western mountains. NATO has been bombing government-linked targets since March.
In his speech Friday, Gadhafi denounced the rebels as traitors and blamed them for Libya’s troubles.
He said Libyans who fled to neighboring Tunisia are now “working as maids for the Tunisians.”
“Tunisians used to work for Libyans. What brought you to this stage? The traitors,” he added.
He called on his supporters to march on rebel strongholds, including the western mountain area and the port city of Misrata, both in the otherwise Gadhafi-controlled western Libya. “We must end this battle fast,” he said of the attempts to oust him from power, which began with an uprising in mid-February.
Gadhafi’s speech signaled that mounting international pressure, including the arrest warrants against him, have made him only more defiant.
His son, Seif al-Islam, who like his father is a wanted man, denied in a TV interview that either of them ordered the killing of civilian protesters in Libya, as prosecutors charge.
The younger Gadhafi told Russian news channel RT in an interview posted online Friday that “most of the people” died when they tried to storm military sites, and that guards fired on them under standing orders to protect the bases and themselves.
However, documents from the International Criminal Court outline multiple instances in which the tribunal prosecutors allege government troops fired on civilian protesters during anti-Gadhafi street demonstrations earlier this year.
The younger Gadhafi had once been viewed as a reformer by the West and was being groomed as a possible successor to his father.
Seif al-Islam wore a thick beard and traditional clothes in the interview. He denounced the international court seeking his arrest as controlled by the NATO countries now bombing Libya.
“This court is a Mickey Mouse court … For me to be responsible for killing people, it was a big joke,” he told the Russian state-funded network.
The Netherlands-based tribunal on Monday issued arrest warrants against the Libyan leader, his son Seif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanoussi.
The three are accused of orchestrating the killing, injuring, arrest and imprisonment of hundreds of civilians during the first 12 days of an uprising to topple Moammar Gadhafi from power, and for trying to cover up their alleged crimes.
Presiding Judge Sanji Monageng of Botswana has said that hundreds of civilians were killed, injured or arrested in the crackdown, and there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that Gadhafi and his son were both responsible for their murder and persecution.
But Seif al-Islam denied that he and his father specifically ordered protesters to be killed.
“Of course not,” he said, arguing that government troops fired on protesters out of self-defense.
“Nobody ordered. Nobody. The guards fired. That’s it. … The guards were surprised by the attacking people and they start … firing. They don’t need an order to defend themselves,” he said.
Seif al-Islam accused Western nations of intervening in Libya because they are after the country’s oil and other resources. He said the goal is “to control Libya,” and he vowed to fight on.
“Nobody will give up. Nobody will raise the white flag,” he said. “We want peace, but if you want to fight, we are not cowards. … We are going to fight.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
MALABO, Equatorial Guinea (AP)  Africa’s heads of state signed off on a road map designed to help Libya emerge from civil war, but carefully dodged the issue of what role the country’s entrenched dictator Moammar Gadhafi should play in its future government.
The proposal adopted by the 53-nation body comes after a delegation from the African Union traveled to Libya, meeting both with Gadhafi and the rebels attempting to overthrow him in an effort to mediate a solution. The rebels had said that a precondition was that Gadhafi must leave power before any negotiations can take place.
The road map agreed upon by the African leaders at this week’s African Union summit states that Gadhafi has agreed to “an inclusive dialogue process” that will include the rebels. He had furthermore agreed not to take part in these negotiations.
However, the AU proposal does not say that Gadhafi should step down, and it does not make clear whether he would be allowed to play a part in the proposed transitional government, whose shape is to be determined during the talks.
Among the only guidance it provides is that the transitional period “will be underpinned by … inclusivity in order to bring on board all stakeholders” and “consensus as a way to providing broad based support to all decisions that will be undertaken during the transition.”
AU leaders refused to answer whether or not that language opens the door for Gadhafi to be a member of the new government, even if he did not take part in the negotiations to create it.
Gadhafi’s chief of staff Bashir Saleh and the other representatives of the Libyan government called it a step forward. “I think it’s a good thing as it will allow all the parties to come together and find a solution.” The spokesman for the rebel delegation could not immediately be reached for comment.
Saleh denied that support for Gadhafi among his African peers is waning, even though several diplomats said that a majority of AU leaders are now in favor of him stepping down, even if they are not willing to say so publicly.
Several Western observers including one that was inside the closed-door session during the debate said that the AU was divided between those wanting the body to issue a statement calling for Gadhafi’s departure and those arguing that Gadhafi is an elected head of state and cannot be forced out.
“The idea of his departure is illogical,” said Saleh. “He’s the head of state,” said Saleh. “How can you ask someone to leave his own house?”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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