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8A – Daily News – Monday, March 21, 2011 WORLD BRIEFING Gadhafi vows ’long war’ TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi vowed a ‘‘long war’’ as allied forces launched a second night of strikes on Libya on Sunday, and jubilant rebels who only a day before were in danger of being crushed by his forces now boasted they would bring him down. The U.S. military said the international assault would hit any Gadhafi forces on the ground that are attacking the opposi- tion. The U.S. military said the bombardment so far — a rain of Tomahawk cruise missiles and preci- sion bombs from Ameri- can and European air- craft, including long- range stealth B-2 bombers — had succeeded in heav- ily degrading Gadhafi’s air defenses. But the international campaign went beyond hitting anti-aircaft sites. U.S., British and French planes blasted a line of tanks that had been mov- ing on the rebel capital Benghazi, in the opposi- tion-held eastern half of the country. On Sunday, at least seven demolished tanks smoldered in a field 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Benghazi, many of them with their turrets and treads blown off, alongside charred armored personnel carri- ers, jeeps and SUVs of the kind used by Gadhafi fighters. ‘‘I feel like in two days max we will destroy Gad- hafi,’’ said Ezzeldin Hel- wani, 35, a rebel standing next to the smoldering wreckage of an armored personnel carrier, the air thick with smoke and the pungent smell of burning rubber. In a grisly sort of battle trophy, celebrating fighters hung a severed goat’s head with a ciga- rette in its mouth from the turret of one of the gutted tanks. The strikes that began early Sunday gave imme- diate, if temporary, relief to Benghazi, which the day before had been under a heavy attack that killed at least 120 people. The city’s calm on Sun- day highlighted the dra- matic turnaround that the allied strikes bring to Libya’s month-old upheaval: For the past 10 days, Gadhafi’s forces had been on a triumphant offensive against the rebel-held east, driving opposition fighters back with the overwhelming firepower of tanks, artillery, warplanes and warships. Libya bombing successful WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Sunday claimed initial success two days into an assault on Libya that included some of the heaviest fire- power in the American arsenal — long-range bombers designed for the Cold War — but Ameri- can officials said Sunday it was too early to define the international military campaign’s endgame. The top U.S. military officer suggested that Libyan strongman Moam- mar Gadhafi might stay in power in spite of the mili- tary assault aimed at pro- tecting civilians, calling into question the larger objective of an end to Gadhafi’s erratic 42-year rule. Other top U.S. offi- cials have suggested that a weakened and isolated Gadhafi could be ripe for a coup. A second wave of attacks, mainly from American fighters and bombers, targeted Libyan ground forces and air defenses, following an opening barrage Saturday of sea-launched Toma- hawk cruise missiles. At the Pentagon, Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, staff director for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news conference that the back-to-back assaults Saturday and Sunday had inflicted heavy damage. They largely silenced Gadhafi’s air defenses, blunted his army’s drive on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and confused his forces. ‘‘We judge these strikes to have been very effective in significantly degrading the regime’s air defense capability,’’ Gort- ney said. ‘‘We believe his forces are under signifi- cant stress and suffering from both isolation and a good deal of confusion.’’ Drogress in Japan’s efforts to ease crisis FUKUSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Japanese officials reported progress Sunday in their battle to gain con- trol over a leaking, tsuna- mi-stricken nuclear com- plex, though the crisis was far from over, with the discovery of more radiation-tainted vegeta- bles and tap water adding to public fears about con- taminated food and drink. The announcement by Japan’s Health Ministry late Sunday that tests had detected excess amounts of radioactive elements on canola and chrysanthe- mum greens marked a low moment in a day that had been peppered with bits of positive news: First, a teenager and his grand- mother were found alive nine days after being trapped in their earth- quake-shattered home. Then, the operator of the overheated nuclear plant said two of the six reactor units were safely cooled down. ‘‘We consider that now we have come to a situa- tion where we are very close to getting the situa- tion under control,’’ Deputy Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama said. Still, serious problems remained at the Fukushi- ma Dai-ichi nuclear com- plex. Pressure unexpect- edly rose in a third unit’s reactor, meaning plant operators may need to deliberately release radioactive steam. That has only added to public anxiety over radiation that began leaking from the plant after a monstrous earthquake and tsunami devastated northeastern Japan on March 11 and left the plant unstable. The safety of food and water was of particular concern. The government halted shipments of spinach from one area and raw milk from another near the nuclear plant after tests found iodine exceeded safety limits. But the contamination spread to spinach in three other prefectures and to more vegetables — canola and chrysanthe- mum greens. Tokyo’s tap water, where iodine turned up Friday, now has cesium. Rain and dust are also tainted. AT&T to buy T-Mobile USA for $39B NEW YORK (AP) — AT&T Inc. said Sunday it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion that would make it the largest cellphone compa- ny in the U.S. The deal would reduce the number of wireless carriers with national cov- erage from four to three, and is sure to face close regulatory scrutiny. It also removes a potential part- ner for Sprint Nextel Corp., the struggling No. 3 carrier, which had been in talks to combine with T-Mobile USA, according to Wall Street Journal reports. AT&T is now the country’s second-largest wireless carrier and T- Mobile USA is the fourth largest. 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But when and if it closes, T- Mobile USA customers would get access to AT&T’s phone line-up, including the iPhone. The effect of reduced competition in the cell- phone industry is harder to fathom. Public interest group Public Knowledge said that eliminating one of the four national phone carriers would be ‘‘unthinkable.’’ Egypt amendments approved CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian voters over- whelmingly approved changes in the constitu- tion, opening the way for parliamentary and presi- dential elections within months, according to final results from a landmark referendum announced Sunday. Opponents fear the swift timetable could boost the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood and members of the former ruling party. The Brotherhood had campaigned heavily for a ‘‘yes’’ vote in the referen- dum. Critics say that since it and the former ruling party are the best organized political forces in the country, they stand to gain the most in an early election — which will bring in Egypt’s first democratically elected government to replace the regime of ousted Presi- dent Hosni Mubarak. The results are likely to open a frenzied campaign season, with liberal pro- democracy forces scram- bling to put together polit- ical parties to contest the upcoming races. Shady Ghazali, one of the organizers of the protests that forced Mubarak out after 18 days, said the youth coali- tion that led the demon- strations is discussing putting forward a national list of candidates for the parliamentary elections under its name. WE STAND BEHIND YOUR RETURN. GUARANTEED. Best of Tehama County Will be announced in a special section on Digital Edition will stay online through March, 2012 2011 Winners Thursday, March 31, 2011 D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY Have Your Party at