The Star Online: World Updates
The Star Online: World Updates |
- Jalil speaks in Tripoli, Gaddafi men attack refinery
- Impotence may point to heart problems
- Perry is target of attacks in U.S Republican debate
| Jalil speaks in Tripoli, Gaddafi men attack refinery Posted: 12 Sep 2011 09:03 PM PDT RAS LANUF/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's interim leader has made his first public speech in Tripoli, warning against reprisals after loyalists of the ousted Muammar Gaddafi struck out at the revolutionaries pursuing them.
In an apparent attempt to disrupt a drive by the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) to seize the ousted leader's last bastions and revive the oil-based economy, the pro-Gaddafi fighters killed 15 guards at an oil refinery on Monday. Despite the attack, NTC chairman, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, felt confident enough to address a crowd of about 10,000 people and used the speech to call for restraint. "We seek a state of law, prosperity and one where sharia (Islamic law) is the main source for legislation, and this requires many things and conditions," he said, adding that "extremist ideology" would not be tolerated. A Syrian-based television station said it would soon broadcast another message from the fugitive Gaddafi, who has issued regular battle calls to his followers in the three weeks since Tripoli was overrun. Witnesses to the refinery attack said the assailants damaged the front gate of the facility, 20 km (13 miles) from the coastal town of Ras Lanuf, but not the plant itself, which is not fully operational. Refinery worker Ramadan Abdel Qader, who had been shot in the foot, told Reuters that gunmen in 14 or 15 trucks had come from the direction of the Gaddafi-held coastal city of Sirte. The assault occurred only hours after the NTC announced it had resumed some oil production, which had been all but halted since anti-Gaddafi protests turned into civil war in March. Graphic on rebel leadership, click http://link.reuters.com/quz33s Graphics on Libya/Middle East, click http://r.reuters.com/nym77r The interim council is struggling to assert its control over the entire country and capture a handful of stubbornly defended pro-Gaddafi towns. Human rights group Amnesty International warned on Tuesday that the security vacuum risked sending Libya spiralling into a bloody cycle of attacks and reprisals. Abdel Jalil used his first public Tripoli speech to warn NTC forces against reprisals. "We need to open the courts to anyone who harmed the Libyan people in any way. The judicial system will decide," he said, calling on NTC fighters to respect that. GADDAFI CLAN HUNTED Many senior NTC officials also see scooping up Gaddafi and the members of his family who are still on the run as crucial to finally declaring victory in the seven-month old war. Gaddafi's son Saadi arrived in neighbouring Niger on Sunday after crossing the remote Sahara desert frontier. On Monday the U.S. State Department said that the government of Niger had confirmed to it that it intended to detain the former soccer player. But a Nigerien government spokesman told Reuters that Saadi Gaddafi was only being watched for now. "Nothing has changed in the government's position. There is no international search for him. Like the others he is just under surveillance," the spokesman said, referring to other Gaddadfi loyalists who have recently fled to Niger. Two other sons and Gaddafi's only biological daughter have fled to Algeria. One son is reported to have died in the war and three others are still on the run. The NTC has said it will send a delegation to Niger to seek the return of anyone wanted for crimes. Niger, like Algeria, has cited humanitarian reasons for accepting fugitives of the former government, but has promised to respect its commitments to the International Criminal Court, which wants to try Gaddafi, son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi for war crimes. NTC forces, which seized Tripoli on Aug. 23, said they were meeting fierce resistance on the fourth day of fighting for the Gaddafi-held desert town of Bani Walid, 150 km (95 miles) southeast of the capital, and were edging towards Sirte. Libya's economy is almost entirely dependent on oil, and restarting production is crucial to restoring the economy. Interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said on Sunday some oil production had resumed, but would not say where or how much. Libya holds Africa's largest crude oil reserves and sold about 85 percent of its exports to Europe under Gaddafi. Western oil firms, including Italy's Eni and Austria's OMV, are keen to restore production. STREET FIGHTING In Bani Walid, fleeing residents reported intense street fighting while NATO warplanes could be heard overhead. Families trapped there for weeks escaped after Gaddafi forces abandoned some checkpoints on the outskirts. Dozens of cars packed with civilians streamed out of the area. "We are leaving because of the rockets. They are falling near civilian homes," said one resident, Ali Hussain. The United Nations says it is worried about the fate of civilians trapped inside besieged pro-Gaddafi towns. "Our big concern right now is Sirte, where we are receiving reports that there's no water and no electricity," U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told Reuters in Dubai. The NTC has sent extra units to Bani Walid, but some fighters said this only worsened tribal tensions between fighters from other areas and those from the town. "Our fighters are from all over Libya. There was little control over them yesterday. Today we will control them better," said NTC commander Mohamed el-Fassi. He said five NTC fighters were killed and 14 wounded in Sunday's clashes. Some NTC combatants said they suspected local fighters of the Warfalla tribe, Libya's largest, of passing tips to Gaddafi forces in Bani Walid. "We believe there are traitors among them," said Mohammed el Gahdi, from the coastal city of Khoms. NTC military spokesman Ahmed Bani told reporters the plan for Bani Walid for now was to wait. "When our forces entered Bani Walid they found the brigades of Gaddafi using citizens as shields," he said, adding that missile launchers had been placed on the roofs of homes, making it impossible for NTC forces or NATO warplanes to strike. (Additional reporting by Maria Golovnina north of Bani Walid, Emma Farge in Benghazi, William Maclean, Hisham el-Dani and Alexander Dziadosz, Mark John and Bate Felix in Niamey, Barry Malone and Sylvia Westall in Tunis, Keith Weir in London, Isabel Coles in Dubai and Andrew Quinn in Washington; writing by Alistair Lyon and Barry Malone; editing by Philippa Fletcher) Copyright © 2011 Reuters | ||
| Impotence may point to heart problems Posted: 12 Sep 2011 08:32 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Failing erections may be a harbinger of heart disease in some men, according to a review of a number of studies -- but heart-healthy lifestyle changes or cholesterol-lowering drugs could have a positive impact on men's sexual health. Scientists have long known about the link between impotence, or erectile dysfunction, and heart health. Although there is no proof so far, a common theory is that arteries supplying the penis with blood during erections may clog up earlier than those in the heart, which are larger, thus providing an early warning of possible later coronary artery disease.
To address the connection between the two, Jia-Yi Dong of Soochow University in Suzhou, China, and colleagues combined twelve earlier studies of impotence and heart disease, covering nearly 37,000 men. "This meta-analysis ... suggests that erectile dysfunction significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and all-cause mortality, and the increase is probably independent of conventional cardiovascular risk factors," they wrote in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. They found that men with erectile problems had a 48 percent increase in their risk of developing heart disease, and also had higher death rates than men who didn't have sexual problems. Traditional risk factors such as smoking, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure didn't explain the link, strengthening the case that impotence, when it isn't due to partnership problems or other psychological issues, is a risk factor for heart disease in its own right. But another study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that both lifestyle changes and cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins appeared to improve men's erectile problems -- but only a little. Men who exercises more or were put on a Mediterranean diet rich in whole grain, fruits, vegetables nuts and olive oil, for instance, reported a 2.4 point improvement on a 25-point scale of erectile problems. Those put on statins saw a similar improvement of 3.1 points, said Bhanu Gupta and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The results were based on six trials with 740 participants. "The results of our study further strengthen the evidence that lifestyle modification and pharmacotherapy for cardiovascular risk factors are effective in improving sexual function in men with erectile dysfunction," they wrote. They added that lifestyle changes appeared to work regardless of whether the men were taking Viagra, the most common drug to treat impotence, or not. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/n2AG7I and http://bit.ly/nZI6DT (Reporting by Reuters Health; editing by Elaine Lies) Copyright © 2011 Reuters | ||
| Perry is target of attacks in U.S Republican debate Posted: 12 Sep 2011 08:32 PM PDT TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - Republican front-runner Rick Perry came under heavy fire on Social Security, jobs and his record in Texas in a heated U.S. presidential debate on Monday as rivals tried to halt the governor's momentum.
Perry, who has soared to the top of opinion polls in the Republican race, renewed his fight with main challenger Mitt Romney over Social Security. They accused each other of frightening seniors about the popular retirement program. Perry's rivals questioned his claims about Texas job creation, his stance on illegal immigrants and an executive order he gave as governor, which he admitted was a mistake, that young girls be vaccinated for a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. The lively exchanges and repeated focus on Perry reinforced his growing stature as the candidate to beat in the 2012 race for the nomination to challenge President Barack Obama. Perry played defense numerous times, easing back from his earlier comments on Social Security and the Federal Reserve and deflecting where possible. He softened his harsh criticism of the Social Security retirement program and said he wanted to start "a legitimate conversation" about its future. Perry launched the Social Security fight last week when he called the program a Ponzi scheme and a "monstrous lie." "The term Ponzi scheme I think is over the top and unnecessary and frightful to many people," said Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who pressed Perry on whether he still believed the retirement program should be shifted to the states and ended as a federal program. "We're not going to take that program away," Perry said. "Rather than trying to scare seniors, like you're doing and other people, it's time to have a legitimate conversation about how to fix that program so it's not bankrupt." The Social Security debate will be watched closely in Florida, which has the country's second-biggest proportion of elderly voters and hosts a crucial nominating contest next year. 'FRIGHTENING' "We're frightening the American people, who just want solutions," said Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor, adding that Republicans could not win an election by promising to dismantle Social Security. "We've got the answers, we don't have leaders," he said. Former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich said he was not worried about Romney and Perry frightening seniors "when President Obama scares them every day." Perry, a conservative Tea Party favorite, has zoomed past Romney to lead in opinion polls since entering the race last month. He frequently drew applause from the conservative crowd at the debate, which was co-sponsored by Tea Party groups that have reshaped the U.S. political scene with their focus on limited government and reduced spending. U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann, whose campaign has faded badly in the last month after winning a straw poll in Iowa, targeted Perry over his executive order on the vaccine program in Texas. She accused Perry of issuing the order because his former chief of staff was a lobbyist for Merck & Co, the company that made the drug. "Was this about life, or was it about millions for a drug company," asked Bachmann, who has seen Perry rob her of much of her religious and social conservative support. Perry said Merck gave him a $5,000 donation. "If you're saying that I can be bought for $5,000, I'm offended," he said. Bachmann shot back: "I'm offended for all the little girls and the parents who didn't have a choice." Romney said Perry's record on job creation in Texas, which has outpaced most other states in adding new jobs, was the result of Perry's lack of an income tax, natural resources and other factors rather than his policies. "I think Governor Perry would agree with me that if you're dealt four aces that doesn't make you necessarily a great poker player," Romney said. Perry tempered earlier comments targeting Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, but again said it would be "almost treasonous" to allow the central bank to be used for political purposes. Those comments were turned back on him later during a discussion of his opposition to a border fence in Texas. "For Rick to say you can't secure the border is pretty much a treasonous comment," Huntsman said, playing off Perry's Bernanke comments, which caused a stir last month. Other candidates participating were businessman Herman Cain, U.S. Representative Ron Paul and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum. The debate was the fifth of the Republican presidential campaign. It will be followed by another debate next week in Orlando, Florida, as the White House race heats up. (Editing by Christopher Wilson) Copyright © 2011 Reuters |
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