Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/22/2011

The news feed is light tonight for some reason — maybe some of our regular tipsters are away on an equinoctial holiday. I doubt they’re swimming in the sparkling surf and basking in the sun of the Barbary Coast, however — chances are they chose a different destination.

The air war in Libya continues, with more of Libya’s military assets being bombed by NATO forces. An American jet had mechanical trouble and crash-landed in rebel-held territory, but the pilot and co-pilot ejected safely and were rescued. Anti-aircraft fire was heard over Tripoli.

Col. Muamar Qadhafi continues to be defiant, and made a televised speech in which he said, “I do not fear storms that sweep the horizon, nor do I fear the planes that throw black destruction. I am resistant, my house is here in my tent… I am the rightful owner, and the creator of tomorrow. I, I am here! I am here! I am here!”

I’m going to miss the Man of Many Spellings when he finally exits from the stage of history. There’s no one else quite like him.

The news from the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan is cause for optimism. All six reactors now have electrical power, and the effort to restore their cooling systems can proceed. The situation continues to stabilize, despite several new earthquakes, including a couple with magnitudes of 6.6.

To see the headlines and the articles, open the full news post.

Thanks to AC, C. Cantoni, Fausta, heroyalwhyness, Insubria, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.