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8A – Daily News – Friday, March 25, 2011 WORLD BRIEFING US pressures allies to take lead in Libya WASHINGTON (AP) — Anxious to reduce its front-line air combat role in Libya, the Obama adminis- tration pressed Thursday for the allies who first pushed for the campaign to come up with a workable alterna- tive. U.S. officials said the leadership handoff would come within a few days — with President Barack Obama facing growing con- gressional misgivings — and fellow NATO countries held crisis talks about the military operation. In Ankara, Turkey, state- run TV quoted Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as saying Turkey’s objec- tions concerning NATO’s role had been met and NATO would indeed take command. No official action on such a switch was immediately announced. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clin- ton held a conference call with British Foreign Secre- tary William Hague, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and Davutoglu on coordinating the process. The U.S. has been vague about what combat role the American military might continue to play once allies take the formal lead. American and allied planes and ships pummeled Libyan air defenses and other military targets Thurs- day as the international alliance confronting Moam- mar Gadhafi moved toward shifting its command lead from Washington to NATO. Airstrikes and embargo pressure Gadhafi BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Fighter jets hit aircraft and a crossroads military base deep inside Libya on Thursday, and $122.00 D NEWSAILY in Discount Coupons were published last week in the RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY … And that does not Count all the ads offering percentage discounts, two-for-ones and Free-with-Purchase offers! Don’t miss a Day of it! Subscribe Today 527-2151 It pays for itself. Meanwhile, more than 9 million Americans checked two or more race categories on their 2010 census forms, up 32 per- cent from 2000, a sign of burgeoning multiracial growth in an increasingly minority nation. NATO appeared poised to assume command of the international operation that is working to thwart Moammar Gadhafi’s forces by land, sea and air. A senior Pentagon official said the U.S. would likely continue fly- ing combat missions. France, meanwhile, set a timeframe on the inter- national action at days or weeks — not months. The possibility of a looming deadline raised pressure on rebel forces. So did the arms embargo, which keeps both Gadhafi and his outgunned oppo- sition from getting more weapons. The rebels were so strapped Thursday that they handed out sneakers — and not guns — at one of their checkpoints. ‘‘We are facing can- nons, T-72 and T-92 tanks, so what do we need? We need anti-tank weapons, things like that,’’ said Col. Ahmed Omar Bani, a military spokesman told reporters in Benghazi, the de facto rebel capital. ‘‘We are preparing our army now. Before there was no army, from now there is an idea to prepare a new army with new armaments and new morals.’’ The Gadhafi regime appeared equally hard- pressed, asking interna- tional forces to spare its broadcast and communi- cations infrastructure. Gaza militants send rockets, mortars deep into Israel JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a new wave of rockets that landed deep inside Israel Thursday, defying Israeli retaliatory attacks and threats. As the violence threat- ened to escalate the day after a deadly Jerusalem bombing, Israel got a boost from the visiting U.S. defense chief, who said no country could tol- erate the ‘‘repugnant’’ attacks on its soil. Police said Gaza mili- tants fired 10 rockets and mortars toward Israel Thursday, including two rockets that landed north of the city of Ashdod — a first since Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers reached an unofficial truce following a three- week war that ended in January 2009. Israeli airstrikes hit a number of Gaza targets in retaliation throughout the day. Neither side reported injuries or said they want- ed a new fight. But the new hostilities could easi- ly spin out of control, especially if civilian deaths mount. Wednesday’s bombing killed a British tourist, and five members of a Jewish family were slain while they slept in a West Bank settlement earlier this month. Israel has blamed Palestinians for both attacks. Census: Hispanics now 1 in 6 Americans WASHINGTON (AP) — Hispanics accounted for more than half of the U.S. population increase over the last decade, exceeding estimates in most states as they crossed a new census milestone: 50 million, or 1 in 6 Americans. Dr. Andrew PomazalD.O. Physician & Surgeon General Medicine Saturday Appointments Available • High Blood Pressure • Diabetes • Joint & Muscle Pain • Lung Problems We offer Osteopathic Manipulation 530 528-2066 2050 Main St, Red Bluff Accepting New Patients The Census Bureau on Thursday released its first set of national-level find- ings from the 2010 count on race and migration, detailing a decade in which rapid minority growth, aging whites and the hous- ing boom and bust were the predominant story lines. Analysts said the results confirmed a demographic transformation under way that is upending traditional notions of racial minorities, political swing districts, even city and suburb. ‘‘These are big demo- graphic changes,’’ said Mark Mather, an associate vice president at the non- profit Population Refer- ence Bureau. ‘‘There is going to be some culture shock, especially in com- munities that haven’t had high numbers of immi- grants or minorities in the past.’’ Bachmann likely to enter race for president ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Tea party favorite and Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann is feeling pres- sure from the political cal- endar to rush a decision on a White House bid and may announce her intentions as early as May, one of her top advisers said Thursday. Bachmann, a third-term congresswoman from Min- nesota, could form a presi- dential exploratory commit- tee before two televised Republican debates sched- uled the first week of May, said Ed Brookover, a Bach- mann adviser. ‘‘I’m not sure the debate is what’s going to make our final decision,’’ he said. ‘‘Is it a factor? Yes.’’ Other Republicans familiar with Bachmann’s thinking said all signs point to a White House run. They insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversa- tions with Bachmann and her advisers. For her part, Bachmann played coy. Judge weighs whether mother of triplets can visit children LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s a custody case in which no one disputes these tragic facts: A healthy young woman went to the hospital to deliver her triplets, was badly brain damaged by a series of medical errors and can no longer walk, talk or even feed herself. But Abbie Dorn’s attorney says that doesn’t make her any less a moth- er to those 4-year-old triplets, telling Superior Court Judge Frederick C. Shaller at a pre-trial hear- ing in Los Angeles Thurs- day that the 34-year-old woman has the same rights to regular visits with her children as any other parent. ‘‘They can call her mommy and, most of all, they can tell her they love her,’’ attorney Lisa Meyer said during closing argu- ments at a hearing to decide whether Dorn is allowed to see her chil- dren for two weeks every summer and a week in the spring and fall. The attorney for Dorn’s ex-husband, Dan Dorn, countered Meyer, saying that as tragic as her situation is, she is no longer capable of being a parent and that if her chil- dren are to see her it should only be under the supervision of their father and on his terms. ‘‘It’s unfortunate but it’s the truth, and we have to deal with what we know,’’ said attorney Vicki Greene. US grapples with traffic control at airports WASHINGTON (AP) — Should jetliners be landing with only a sin- gle air traffic controller on duty — even if he’s awake? Federal officials are grappling with that question following the safe landing of two jet- liners this week with no help from the lone air traffic supervisor on duty at Washington’s Reagan National Airport. He’s been suspended, and safety investigators say he has acknowledged he was asleep. The incident comes nearly five years after a fatal crash in Kentucky where a controller was working alone. Accident investigators said that controller was most like- ly suffering from fatigue, although they placed responsibility for the crash that took 46 lives on the pilots. Still, the National Air Traffic Controllers Asso- ciation warned at the time against putting con- trollers alone on shifts and assigning tiring work schedules. The union’s president, Paul Rinaldi, made the same point again on Thursday: ‘‘One-person shifts are unsafe. Peri- od.’’ Ancient animal was vegetarian but had scary saber teeth WASHINGTON (AP) — Surprised scientists have discovered the remains of a saber- toothed vegetarian. The leaf-crunching animal — about the size of a large dog — lived 260 million years ago in what is now Brazil, researchers report in Friday’s edition of the journal Science. Its upper canine teeth were nearly 5 inches long. Such large teeth are more often the mark of a meat-eating animal, used to capture and kill prey. The enormous canines were likely used by the plant-eating ani- mals to fight each other or protect against preda- tors, said research leader Juan Carlos Cis- neros of the University of Piaui in northeastern Brazil. For example, they might have fought for territory, resources or females, like the mod- ern musk deer, which also have a pair of large, tusklike teeth, he said via email. Family gathers to bury Taylor GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) — Five black stretch limousines car- rying the family of Eliz- abeth Taylor arrived for her private funeral ser- vice Thursday at a Southern California cemetery famous for being the final resting place of Hollywood celebrities, including her good friend Michael Jackson. Inside the sprawling Forest Lawn Cemetery, barricades were erected around the location of the funeral, where about four dozen family mem- bers were expected to mourn the screen leg- end. No procession was planned. Glendale police spokesman Tom Lorenz said cemetery officials called to request police assistance for the 2 p.m. service. Taylor died early Wednesday of conges- tive heart failure. NEED PAINT? Tehama County has a FREE paint swap for County residents! You can donate leftover latex paint to the paint swap at the Tehama County/Red Bluff Landfill, or you can take home paint that someone else has donated. It’s a great way to reuse leftover paint, and a great bargain, too! Donate Paint • Latex only • Paint can must have a label • Paint can must be rust and dent-free and have a tight fitting lid Pick up Paint • Tehama County residents 18 years or older • Free! Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm, Saturdays & Sundays 8am-2:30pm Location: Tehama County/Red Bluff Landfill, 19995 Plymire Road, Red Bluff Donation Limit: Maximum of 15 gallons per customer, per day, space permitting. Funded by a grant from the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle). For more information, call 528-1103