LIBYA

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the holy period in Islam when devotees fast during the day. On Tuesday, Muslims across the globe celebrated, but in Syria, Somalia and Libya, the atmosphere was not completely one of joy.

Rejecting the notion that he called the shots and thus pulled the strings for President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney defended the Iraq War, saying it was the president's decision to invade and go after Saddam Hussein in 2003.

On Monday, rebels showed off Gadhafi's $120 million private jet, giving visiting journalists tours of the leather-trimmed bedroom and living quarters. The plane's interior was decorated in silver and red, and rebels were careful not to disturb the 24 karat gold china.

For the third time, rebels claimed that Khamis Gadhafi has been killed. The two previous times, the 28-year-old Gadhafi appeared on state television shortly after.

Libya's rebel forces were pushing hard on Tuesday to take control over Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte, even as the fallen despot's family members fled to Algeria and one of the sons was reportedly killed and buried by the rebels near Tripoli.

Libya's new rulers accused Algeria of aggression Monday for admitting the fleeing wife of Moammar Gadhafi and three of his children, but the whereabouts of the former strongman himself remain a mystery a week after his overthrow.

As the endgame in the long-drawn Libyan struggle to break free from Moammar Gadhafi's 40-year regime played out, reports said Khamis, the despot's son who commanded the elite Khamis brigade, has been killed and buried near Tripoli, while Gaddafi's wife, two other sons and their families have crossed the border into Algeria.

Gadhafi escaping to Zimbabwe is not entirely far-fetched

Ibrahim said he was in Tripoli and had seen Gadhafi on Friday.

Moammar Gaddafi, who has long helped to bankroll the AU, has recruited fighters from sub-Saharan African countries as his soldiers and bodyguards.

It is not clear if Moammar Gadhafi himself was part of the group or not.

The Khamis Brigade, which is known to be fiercely loyal to fallen Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, killed around 50 detainees and then set the Tripoli warehouse where they were lodged on fire on Aug. 23. The Khamis Brigade is run by Gaddafi’s youngest son Khamis, and is often considered to be the most dreaded militia in the country. Khamis Gaddafi was reportedly killed in a NATO airstrike on a military outpost at Zlitan near Misrata in the beginning of this month, but the Khamis Brigade has de....

Here is a brief rundown of important events around the world Monday morning, August 29, 2011.

Abdelbaset Ali al - Megrahi, who was convicted over the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103, is harking on death's door. The Libyan citizen jailed for 270 counts of murder for the bombing of Lockerbie is currently under the care of his family members at his Tripoli home in Libya.

Convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel basset al-Megrahi, who had been released by the Scottish government in 2009, is nearing his death and is oscillating in and out of a coma, according to reports.

Syrian armor surrounded a town near Homs Monday after the defection of tens of soldiers from the area, activists and residents said, in the latest operation to counter dissent within the military.

The Libyan convicted in the 1988 bombing of a U.S.-bound airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, has been found in Tripoli and appears at death's door, CNN reported Sunday.

Libyan rebel forces were converging on Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte Monday morning, hoping to deliver the coup de grace of their revolution but uncertain if the fallen strongman was holed up there.

Conventional wisdom in legal circles has long held that Goldman Sachs (GS.N) might escape further large fines or criminal charges for its role in the 2007-2009 financial crisis after reaching a $550 million settlement with securities regulators in July 2010.

Libyan forces closed in on Muammar Gaddafi's home town Sunday, vowing to seize it by force if negotiations failed, and their leaders ruled out any talks with the deposed ruler.

Algeria's Foreign Ministry denied on Saturday a report that a convoy of six Mercedes cars had crossed its border from Libya.