Ashish Kumar Sen

Egypt systematically oppresses Christians and minority Muslim sects, according to a congressional commission that placed a key U.S. ally in the Arab world on a blacklist of nations that routinely abuse religious liberties.

U.S. and British defense officials Tuesday declared Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s headquarters in Tripoli a “legitimate” target, but denied that NATO is trying to kill the Libyan dictator.

Southern Sudan will become Africa’s newest nation in July, but politicians are already squabbling among themselves and worrying Western supporters who hoped for a smooth passage to democracy after the continent’s longest civil war.

Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s forces have laid siege to towns in Libya’s Western Mountains, cutting off essential supplies and creating a humanitarian crisis among the mostly ethnic Berber population, rebels and other sources in Libya said.

NATO remained deeply divided over the future of the military campaign in Libya after foreign ministers meeting in Berlin Thursday debated calls for increased airstrikes against Moammar Gadhafi.

Western and Arab leaders Wednesday agreed to provide ragtag Libyan rebels with “material support” and funds, possibly from Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s frozen foreign bank accounts, as they escalated international pressure on the Libyan dictator to relinquish power.

Libyan rebels are receiving reports that female snipers from Colombia have joined other mercenaries fighting to keep dictator Moammar Gadhafi in power.

The US-Pakistan cooperation in the fight against extremism appears to be in dire straits with a Pakistani official saying joint intelligence operations have been on hold since January, while a US news report on Tuesday said Pakistan has asked the CIA to suspend drone strikes on militants on its territory.

David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, accused in the 2008 Mumbai massacre plot, are expected to tell a Chicago court that they thought they were working for Lashkar-e-Toiba as well as Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian, is to go on trial on May 16.

Pounded by Moammar Gadhafi’s forces for nearly 50 days, the largest rebel-held city in western Libya has become a symbol, a coveted prize in a civil war gripped in a bloody stalemate.

Libyan rebels, angry about a lull in NATO airstrikes on dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s forces, are directing their rage at Turkey, the only Muslim member of the alliance.

Thousands of people in Tripoli live in fear of secret police as they struggle with a shortage of food and fuel approaching a humanitarian crisis, several current and former residents of the Libyan capital said Tuesday.

Cracks are emerging in Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s inner circle, raising the possibility that the Libyan dictators grip on power may be weakening after 42 years.

Col. Moammar Gadhafi appeared to be scrambling for a political solution to the civil war in Libya, as his favorite son proposed a peace plan and a key envoy headed to Greece on Sunday with a message to the prime minister from the Libyan dictator.