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4A – Daily News – Tuesday, February 22, 2011 Gadhafi’s grip on Libya loosens CAIRO (AP) — Deep cracks opened in Moam- mar Gadhafi’s regime Monday, with Libyan government officials at home and abroad resign- ing, air force pilots defecting and a major government building ablaze after clashes in the capital of Tripoli. Protest- ers called for another night of defiance against the Arab world’s longest- serving leader despite a crackdown. At sunset, pro-Gadhafi militia drove around Tripoli with loudspeakers and told people not to leave their homes, wit- nesses said, as security forces sought to keep the unrest that swept eastern parts of the country — leaving the second-largest city of Benghazi in pro- testers’ control — from overwhelming the capital of 2 million people. State TV said the mili- tary had ‘‘stormed the hideouts of saboteurs’’ and urged the public to back security forces. Pro- testers called for a demonstration in Tripoli’s central Green Square and in front of Gadhafi’s resi- dence, but witnesses in various neighborhoods described a scene of intimidation: helicopters hovering above the main seaside boulevard and pro-Gadhafi gunmen fir- ing from moving cars and even shooting at the facades of homes to terri- fy the population. Youths trying to gather in the streets were forced to scatter and run for cover by the gunfire, said one witness, who like many reached in Tripoli by The Associated Press spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Gadhafi, whose where- abouts were not known, appeared to have lost the support of at least one major tribe, several mili- tary units and his own diplomats, including the delegation to the United Nations. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi accused Gad- hafi of committing geno- cide against his own peo- ple in the current crisis. Disclosure that official worked for CIA will complicate crisis WASHINGTON (AP) — An American jailed in Pakistan for the fatal shooting of two armed men was secretly working for the CIA and scouting a neighborhood when he was arrested, a disclosure likely to further frustrate U.S. government efforts to free the man and strain relations between two countries partnered in a fragile alliance in the war on terror. Raymond Allen Davis, 36, had been working as a CIA security contractor and living in a Lahore safe house, according to former and current U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk publicly about the incident. Davis, a former Spe- cial Forces soldier who left the military in 2003, shot the men in what he described as an attempted armed robbery in the east- ern city of Lahore as they approached him on a motorcycle. A third Pak- istani, a bystander, died when a car rushing to help Davis struck him. Davis was carrying a Glock handgun, a pocket tele- scope and papers with dif- ferent identifications. Meanwhile, the Obama administration insisted anew Monday that Davis had diplomatic immunity and must be set free. i In a hastily arranged conference call with reporters shortly after details of Davis’ employ- ment were reported, senior State Department officials repeated the administration’s stance that he is an accredited member of the technical and administrative staff of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. They said the Pakistani government had been informed of his sta- tus in January 2010 and that Pakistan is violating its international obliga- tions by continuing to hold him. Stepmother indicted in disabled NC CASHED Affordable Gifts For All Occasions • Government • Local Payroll • Tax Refunds Gold Exchange CHECKS LOW 2% FEE 530 528-8000 413 Walnut St., Red Bluff Come in and be treated like family 10 am - 5:30 pm Sat. 11 am - 4 pm Mon. - Fri. girl’s slaying HICKORY, N.C. (AP) — The stepmother of a 10-year-old disabled girl was indicted Monday on a charge she murdered the child, and officials released the latest grue- some detail in the case of little, freckle-faced Zahra Baker: Her head is miss- WORLD BRIEFING ing. Medical examiners said Zahra’s death was caused by ‘‘undetermined homicidal violence.’’ An autopsy was done even though authorities haven’t recovered many bones, most notably the girl’s skull, months after she was reported missing. Several bones showed cutting tool marks consis- tent with dismemberment. The revelation came in documents released by the state’s chief medical examiner shortly after officials in western North Carolina held a news con- ference about the second- degree murder charge. Authorities said Elisa Baker, who has been jailed since the weekend the girl was reported missing, desecrated Zahra’s remains to cover up the slaying. Prosecutor James Gaither Jr. said at the news conference that there was no credible evi- dence to suggest anyone else was involved intype:italic; Zahra’s slay- ing. Hickory Police Chief Tom Adkins called the murder charge ‘‘a mile- stone of holding someone accountable that members of team Zahra have been working toward since the first words spoken on that 911 call.’’ Attorneys for Elisa Baker did not return calls seeking comment Mon- day. Impasse over Wisconsin union rights MADISON, Wis. (AP) — No resolution appeared imminent Monday to the stalemate over union rights in Wisconsin, leaving Sen- ate Republicans resigned to forge ahead with less-con- troversial business such as tax breaks for dairy farmers and commending the Green Bay Packers on winning the Super Bowl. As the standoff entered its second week, none of the major players offered any signs of backing down in a high-stakes game of politi- cal chicken that has riveted the nation and led to ongo- ing public protests that drew a high of 68,000 people on Saturday. Thousands more braved cold winds and tem- peratures in the 20s to march again on Monday, waving signs that said ‘‘Stop the attack on Wiscon- 1010 Jefferson St., Red Bluff 527-7800 Complete Dental Care • Cosmetic Dentistry • Adults And Children • New Patients Warmly Welcomed! www.MooreandPascarella.com Furniture Depot 235 So. Main St., Red Bluff 527-1657 MON.-FRI. 9:00-6:00 SAT. 9:00-5:00 • SUN. 11:00-5:00 based opposition leader is being tried in absentia among a total of 25 Shiite activists accused of plotting to overthrow Bahrain’s Sunni rulers. But taking Meshaima into custody risks an angry backlash from protesters, whose uprising forced For- mula One organizers to call off next month’s Bahrain Grand Prix in a stinging blow to Bahrain’s efforts to court top international sporting events. At least 30 killed, 40 wounded in sin families’’ and ‘‘solidari- ty.’’ The 14 Senate Democ- rats who skipped town Thursday to indefinitely delay a vote on Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s bill stripping most collective bargaining rights from near- ly all public employees remained missing in action for a fifth day. ‘‘You have shut down the people’s government, and that is not acceptable,’’ Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said during a brief meeting Monday setting the agenda for Tuesday’s Senate ses- sion. Two of the missing Democrats participated by phone from an undisclosed location. Bahrain opposition figure plans return from London MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — A prominent oppo- sition figure accused by Bahrain of plotting against the state plans to return from London, an aide said Monday, in a move that could bolster protesters and force authorities into diffi- cult choices. Hassan Meshaima, head of a group known as Haq, is scheduled to arrive late Tuesday as the embattled monarchy tries to engage demonstrators in talks aimed at easing the week- long series of clashes and marches that have deeply divided the strategic Gulf nation. A rights activist and sup- porter, Abbas Omran, con- firmed Meshaima’s plans, but gave no further details on his objections once he returns after eight months in self-exile. Meshaima is considered by Bahrain’s officials as a potential enemy of the state. He and another London- bombing KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to an Afghan gov- ernment office Monday, killing at least 30 people — many who were waiting in line to obtain government identification cards, police said. The attack occurred around noon in Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan where there has been a sharp slide in security in recent months, said district police chief Abdul Qayum Ebrahimi. At least 40 peo- ple were wounded in the blast, he said. ‘‘We were in a meeting. It was a very powerful explosion,’’ said Ebrahimi, who works in the district police office next door to the blast site. ‘‘People had gathered in the front of the department to get identifica- tion cards.’’ He said the explosion occurred in the district cen- ter on a day when people gather to shop. ‘‘They become the target of the terror today,’’ he said. Egypt freezes Mubarak’s assets CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s top prosecutor requested on Monday the freezing of the foreign assets of ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his family, announced state TV. Security officials said that the prosecutor general asked the Foreign Min- istry to contact countries around the world so they can freeze his assets abroad. The president’s domestic assets were frozen soon after he stepped down, they added. The freeze applies to Mubarak, his wife, his two sons and two daugh- ters-in-law, said the offi- cials, who spoke on condi- tion of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk to the press. 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