Libyan rebels claim advances

Libyan rebels claim advances

TRIPOLI, Libya

Rebels in Libya’s western mountains said they have advanced and are battling Moammar Gadhafi’s forces in a strategic town southwest of the capital, ramping up pressure against government troops on a second front. The rebels’ claim of an advance into the outskirts of the town of Bair al-Ghanam, some 50 miles from Tripoli, follows weeks of intense fighting in the Nafusa mountains in which opposition forces have pushed Gadhafi troops slowly back toward the capital.

Thoughts turn to recovery in Minot

MINOT, N.D.

The Souris River began a long, slow retreat in Minot on Sunday, leaving behind an arduous rebuilding job for more than 4,000 home-owners and hundreds of business operators, most of whom lack insurance to pay for it. Because they don’t have coverage, federal assistance could amount to as little as a few thousand dollars apiece. Loan and grant programs will provide some help, as will an emergency relief fund just being set up.

Chavez kin talks of armed struggle

CARACAS, Venezuela

One of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s brothers said Sunday that backers of the hospitalized leftist leader should not rule out armed struggle in the future, though they prefer to maintain power at the ballot box. Adan Chavez’s statement came as speculation mounted about the health of the president, who has been convalescing at an undisclosed location in Cuba after reportedly undergoing emergency surgery 16 days ago.

Preschool fights gender bias

STOCKHOLM

At the “Egalia” preschool, staff avoid using words such as “him” or “her” and address the 33 kids as “friends” rather than girls and boys.

From the color and placement of toys to the choice of books, every detail has been planned carefully to make sure the children don’t fall into gender stereotypes.

“Society expects girls to be girlie, nice and pretty and boys to be manly, rough and outgoing,” says Jenny Johnsson, a 31-year-old teacher. “Egalia gives them a fantastic opportunity to be whoever they want to be.”

The taxpayer-funded preschool that opened last year in the liberal Sodermalm district of Stockholm for kids age 1 to 6 is among the most-radical examples of Sweden’s efforts to engineer equality between the sexes from childhood onward.

Breaking down gender roles is a core mission in the national curriculum for preschools, underpinned by the theory that even in highly egalitarian-minded Sweden, society gives boys an unfair edge.

25 killed in Nigeria in 3 bomb attacks

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria

Men riding motorcycles threw bombs into outdoor beer gardens Sunday night in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 25 people in attacks bearing striking similarities to others carried out by a radical Islamic sect in the region, police said.

The bombs exploded in the restive city of Maiduguri, home to the sect known locally as Boko Haram. Though the sect did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack late Sunday, the assault bore the hallmarks of the group now waging assassinations and attacks against the Nigerian government.

The bombs exploded around 5 p.m. at several outdoor beer gardens in Maiduguri, which is about 540 miles from Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. Borno state, where Maiduguri is the capital, is under Muslim Shariah law, but several outdoor beer gardens exist.

Associated Press