Gadhafi shows cunning in safe-passage offer for Misrata civilians

Despite the sense of relief after Monday's deal for a humanitarian corridor into the besieged city of Misrata, some rebels remain skeptical of Colonel Moammar Gadhafi's motives for the gesture.

The city's name has become a rallying cry for the rebellion, and a shorthand among international diplomats for the compelling reasons to escalate efforts in Libya. In that context, Col. Gadhafi made a politically astute decision by cutting a deal with the United Nations to allow overland shipments of food and medicine into Misrata. Such supplies are desperately needed in the embattled city, and the deliveries will soften the impression that the regime wants to wipe Misrata from the map.

Libya's third-largest city stands as the biggest exception to the east-west split emerging in the country, and it's now perhaps the most hotly contested patch of ground. Rebels hold the neighbourhoods around the port, sneaking boatloads of food and weapons into the city at night. Government troops occupy the main avenue. Nobody knows precisely how many have been killed, after almost two months, but it's easily into the hundreds.

The deal could prove tactically useful for the regime, as well, if it allows the government to eventually claim that only armed rebels remain in some areas. A spokesman in Tripoli was quoted saying the deal will allow “safe passage for people to leave Misrata,” presumably clearing the way for more intense offensives against the fighters who stay behind.

Col. Gadhafi's forces have already faced criticism for using cluster bombs in Misrata, and some rebels fear the humanitarian corridor could become a prelude to further attacks with heavy weapons. One rebel sympathizer commented on Twitter: “The UN is doing Gadhafi's work for him. What the ---- is wrong with you?”

Film fans head for 'Rio' with $40M debut

Movie fans are going to "Rio" in big numbers, but they're not quite screaming over the latest installment of a horror-comedy franchise.

Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg's animated family flick "Rio" led the weekend box office with a healthy $40 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.

But the slasher comedy "Scream 4" opened at No. 2 with just $19.3 million, a fraction of the business for the previous two sequels, which both debuted at over $30 million more than a decade ago.

After two weekends in the No. 1 spot, Russell Brand's Easter bunny tale "Hop" slipped to third-place with $11.2 million, raising its total to $82.6 million.

Suicide bomber assassinates Kandahar police chief in HQ

The assassination today of the top law enforcement official in Kandahar province signals a dangerous escalation of Taliban violence and tactical sophistication that has chilled Afghanistan’s second-largest city.

The provincial police chief, Khan Mohammad Mujahid, died inside his headquarters in the early afternoon, the victim of a suicide bomber who somehow breached what is supposed to be one of the most heavily guarded places in the city.

Over the last six months, American-led forces have concentrated on wresting rural districts near the city from the Taliban, and NATO officials have insisted they have turned a corner in disabling the insurgency. But their operations have been accompanied by a surge of suicide attacks on local police in the provincial capital, killings of Afghan officials and threats to anyone working for the government.

In an interview earlier this week, the Afghan-Canadian provincial governor, Tooryalai Wesa, worried out loud that the Taliban was switching from battles with foreign forces to targeted attacks by militants who can blend into the crowds in the city’s serpentine alleyways and markets.

That a human bomb strapped with explosives could penetrate the headquarters compound, where every man entering is usually patted down, is a devastating blow to both the Afghan and NATO attempts to demonstrate they are in control.

Mr. Mujahid had survived three other Taliban assassination attempts in the last few months, including an all-out assault by insurgents who shelled the police compound and blew themselves up at its gates.

Most U.S. adults get vitamin boost

More than half of U.S. adults age 20 and older take vitamins or other dietary supplements, a new government study shows.

The percentage who took at least one dietary supplement increased to 53 percent in 2006, up from 42 percent in 1994.

Multivitamins/multiminerals are the most common: Almost 40 percent of people reported taking them in 2006.

“The majority of dietary supplement users report using them every day over the past 30 days,” said Jaime Gahche, nutritional researcher with the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gannett News Service

Lady Gaga Feels Alexander Mcqueen's Presence

Lady GaGa has attributed her latest chart success to the late Alexander Mcqueen - the singer's convinced she's simply channelling the designer's feelings through song.

The Poker Face hitmaker developed a special bond with the Scottish fashion guru in the months leading up to his death and she believes McQueen's spirit guided her to write equality anthem Born This Way, which was released on 11 February - exactly one year after the tragic star's suicide.

She tells Harper's Bazaar magazine, "(McQueen) planned the whole thing. Right after he died, I wrote Born This Way. I think he's up in heaven with fashion strings in his hands, marionetting away, planning this whole thing."