Libyan rebel PM calls for unity

Libyan rebel PM calls for unity

TRIPOLI, Libya

A hunted Moammar Gadhafi called on his remaining loyalists Thursday to keep fighting, as the country’s acting premier appealed from the capital for national unity to rebuild the North African nation after six months of civil war.

Rebel forces effectively ended Gadhafi’s rule last month when they seized the capital Tripoli, sending the 42-year autocrat into hiding. Libya’s new rulers have been searching for him while trying to negotiate the surrender of towns still held by Gadhafi supporters.

On Thursday, Gadhafi loyalists fired at least 10 rockets from inside one of the towns at former rebel forces amassed outside.

2 hurt when crane falls at cathedral

WASHINGTON

Two workers were injured Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral as they were dismantling a massive collapsed crane that had been used to repair earthquake damage to the landmark building.

An ambulance took the two men away, Cathedral spokesman Richard Weinberg said. Officials didn’t immediately release how the men were hurt or how severely.

Wednesday morning’s crane collapse also has forced a Sept. 11 commemoration with President Barack Obama to change venues, organizers said.

Sunday’s “Concert for Hope” will take place at the Kennedy Center. The president still is expected to speak at the event, which includes performances by Patti LaBelle, Alan Jackson and mezzo soprano Denyce Graves.

‘Squaw’ erased from Maine place names

PORTLAND, Maine

The word “squaw” has finally disappeared from the names of all public places in Maine 11 years after state law aimed to wipe the word deemed offensive by Native Americans off maps. But the owner of a private ski resort with the word in its name refuses to go along, saying it’s a tribute to American Indians.

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names this summer approved name changes for a half-dozen locations in northern Maine’s Aroostook County that still contained a variation of the word “squaw,” which many Indians say is offensive and translates to prostitute or whore.

The law doesn’t affect Big Squaw Mountain Resort, perhaps the best known place with the word in its title. And James Confalone has no intention of changing the name of his small ski resort outside Greenville.

Ex-governor: Cuba turns down meeting

HAVANA

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Thursday that Cuban officials denied his request to meet with a U.S. government subcontractor who has been jailed since 2009, dashing hopes that the man might be freed soon. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Richardson repeatedly described 62-year-old Alan Gross as an “American hostage.” He said he would not leave the island until he was allowed to see the Maryland native at a military hospital where he is being held.

Book: JKF scorned idea of LBJ at top

NEW YORK

President John F. Kennedy openly scorned the notion of Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson succeeding him in office, according to a book of newly released interviews with his widow, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

The book, “Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy,” includes a series of interviews the former first lady gave to historian and former Kennedy aide Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. shortly after her husband was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963.

The book will be published by New York-based Hyperion Books on Wednesday.

Associated Press