The U.N. mission in Ivory Coast reaffirmed its neutrality Tuesday despite a brewing conflict between government troops and a rebel movement that backs the internationally recognized winner of last year's election.
The statement from the U.N. mission, known as UNOCI, follows complaints from allies of opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, who blame self-proclaimed President Laurent Gbagbo's forces for the recent killings of civilians in the West African country. The mission is "impartial and will remain so," said Axel Queval, the interim regional director for UNOCI.
"Don't get the impression that we support one candidate over the other," Queval said in a meeting with local officials in the north-central city of Bouake. "We are as concerned as you are by the violence and we are doing what we can to bring an end to it, in accordance with the mandate given to us."
The simmering conflict between forces loyal to Gbagbo and Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of November's presidential vote, has left at least 365 dead since December. At least seven women were killed during a peaceful demonstration by women in Abidjan last week, and at least one person was shot by Gbagbo's troops during new clashes Monday, according to witnesses.
The Security Council authorized an increase of 2,000 troops for the 9,000-strong UNOCI mission in January. But that reinforcement is "not imminent," as the additional troops need more equipment and training, an official at U.N. headquarters told CNN.
Member states have been slow to contributed forces to the expanded mission, the official said. The reinforcements will need a hospital unit and air support; two promised attack helicopters have arrived, but delivery of a third is still pending, the official said.
UNOCI's mission involves protecting civilians as well as enforcing the peace, and one diplomat said the troops are not currently armed for those duties.
The African Union is currently trying to mediate the brewing conflict, and the Security Council plans to give that effort until the end of the month before considering further action, the U.N. official said. The council issued a statement Thursday expressing concern about the increase in violence.
Gbagbo has had himself sworn in for a new term and has moved to nationalize the country's two main cash crops, coffee and cocoa, state-run television announced Monday. The Ivory Coast is the world's largest supplier of cocoa beans, and coffee and cocoa exports have provided the embattled leader with a source of revenue to pay loyal civil servants and military officers. In January, Ouattara called for a ban on cocoa and coffee exports in an effort to shut down that revenue stream and force Gbagbo out of office.
Last week's killings drew widespread condemnation and sparked a protest outside the United Nations on Tuesday. In Abidjan, Ivory Coast's largest city, they drew another march by women protesting the killings, as men supporting Ouattara marched alongside the women to protect them.
A mix of military and police forces patrolled the Treichville district, where the march took place, and burning tires were strewn about on the ground.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Defiant Gadhafi Calls for Countrymen to Defend Libya
In the face of relentless international pressure and a mounting death toll, a defiant Moammar Gadhafi stuck to his assertion that youths misled and drugged by al Qaeda were to blame for the spiraling civil war in Libya.
"For them, everybody's their enemy," Gadhafi said in a speech aired on Libyan state television Wednesday. "They know nothing other than killing."
The speech was pre-recorded Tuesday when Gadhafi addressed a youth group of tribal supporters, urging them to defend Libya from those who envy its standard of living.
"They want to take your petrol," he said. "This is what America, this is what the French, those colonialists, want."
Shortly before midnight Wednesday, Gadhafi arrived at a hotel in the capital city Tripoli where about 100 journalists had been waiting for nine hours.
Surrounded by his security detail, he strode into the lobby, waved at the throng of reporters, pumped his right fist several times into the air, retreated to a private room for an interview with a Turkish journalist, then left via a back door without addressing the reporters.
The interview was to air later Wednesday on Turkish television.
The brief appearance capped a day of confusion, which began with an opposition member first saying they were negotiating an exit deal with Gadhafi, and other members later denying it.
Gadhafi's regime, too, denied negotiations with a spokesman calling such reports "lies."
"We're in an atmosphere where facts are increasingly rare," David Kilpatrick, the Cairo bureau chief for the New York Times, told "AC 360" Tuesday night. "The Gadhafi state-run television seems far, far, far off base. It's also true that not everything the rebels say is iron clad either."
The confusion extended to the claims and counter-claims from the government and the opposition about gains each side made in controlling areas of the country.
Fierce battles rage on for control of key Libyan cities in the east and west. In the eastern oil city of Ras Lanuf, rebels used anti-aircraft guns to counter fresh raids by Libya's air force Tuesday.
"There is no one here with military experience, but have a strong heart," said medical student Yahya Ali, who was manning an antiaircraft battery in the eastern Libyan town of Al-Brega after four hours of training.
Fouad Ajami, a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, said he has been communicating with worried members of rebel groups who say they need a no-fly zone over the country to prevent casualties inflicted by Gadhafi forces.
"They're telling us that they can't win this fight. They're telling us patriotism is not enough," Ajami said on "AC 360" Tuesday night. "That unless you have air cover and neutralize the advantages of Moammar Gadhafi, this rebellion will be crushed."
But Nicholas Burns, a former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, said implementing a no-fly zone is a complicated issue.
"There's no assurance that the imposition of even a no-fly zone would make a decisive difference in the battle," Burns told CNN. "Gadhafi has ground forces. He has artillery, he has a mercenary army. That's 95% of the fighting underway in Libya."
The head of the U.S. Marine Corps told lawmakers Tuesday that a no-fly zone would do little to thwart Libya's helicopters which he called "their greatest threat."
A no-fly zone would typically be enforced by fighter jets whose speed and altitude make it difficult to target helicopters, which move low and slow, said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos.
For its part, Libya said it was not misusing its air force. Any no-fly zone would be tantamount to an act of war, said Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Karim on Tuesday.
The military, he said, "are taking purely defensive positions; they are not taking offensive ones." He said the Libyan government has asked for international monitors to verify that assertion.
The protests against the 68-year-old Gadhafi began February 15 as anti-government demonstrators sought his ouster after nearly 42 years of rule. In its fourth week now, the clashes show no sign of ending.
Death toll estimates have ranged from more than 1,000 to as many as 2,000. And the war has forced out 215,000 people, many of them poor migrant workers who have been stranded at both the Tunisian and Egyptian borders, the U.N. refugee agency has said.
While many countries chartered planes and dispatched ships to whisk away their citizens to safety, those stuck at the border are sheltered in cramped, unsanitary quarters with little to eat.
The U.N. World Food Programme has initiated a $39.2 million emergency operation intended to provide food to more than one million people in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia over a three-month period.
"For them, everybody's their enemy," Gadhafi said in a speech aired on Libyan state television Wednesday. "They know nothing other than killing."
The speech was pre-recorded Tuesday when Gadhafi addressed a youth group of tribal supporters, urging them to defend Libya from those who envy its standard of living.
"They want to take your petrol," he said. "This is what America, this is what the French, those colonialists, want."
Shortly before midnight Wednesday, Gadhafi arrived at a hotel in the capital city Tripoli where about 100 journalists had been waiting for nine hours.
Surrounded by his security detail, he strode into the lobby, waved at the throng of reporters, pumped his right fist several times into the air, retreated to a private room for an interview with a Turkish journalist, then left via a back door without addressing the reporters.
The interview was to air later Wednesday on Turkish television.
The brief appearance capped a day of confusion, which began with an opposition member first saying they were negotiating an exit deal with Gadhafi, and other members later denying it.
Gadhafi's regime, too, denied negotiations with a spokesman calling such reports "lies."
"We're in an atmosphere where facts are increasingly rare," David Kilpatrick, the Cairo bureau chief for the New York Times, told "AC 360" Tuesday night. "The Gadhafi state-run television seems far, far, far off base. It's also true that not everything the rebels say is iron clad either."
The confusion extended to the claims and counter-claims from the government and the opposition about gains each side made in controlling areas of the country.
Fierce battles rage on for control of key Libyan cities in the east and west. In the eastern oil city of Ras Lanuf, rebels used anti-aircraft guns to counter fresh raids by Libya's air force Tuesday.
"There is no one here with military experience, but have a strong heart," said medical student Yahya Ali, who was manning an antiaircraft battery in the eastern Libyan town of Al-Brega after four hours of training.
Fouad Ajami, a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, said he has been communicating with worried members of rebel groups who say they need a no-fly zone over the country to prevent casualties inflicted by Gadhafi forces.
"They're telling us that they can't win this fight. They're telling us patriotism is not enough," Ajami said on "AC 360" Tuesday night. "That unless you have air cover and neutralize the advantages of Moammar Gadhafi, this rebellion will be crushed."
But Nicholas Burns, a former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, said implementing a no-fly zone is a complicated issue.
"There's no assurance that the imposition of even a no-fly zone would make a decisive difference in the battle," Burns told CNN. "Gadhafi has ground forces. He has artillery, he has a mercenary army. That's 95% of the fighting underway in Libya."
The head of the U.S. Marine Corps told lawmakers Tuesday that a no-fly zone would do little to thwart Libya's helicopters which he called "their greatest threat."
A no-fly zone would typically be enforced by fighter jets whose speed and altitude make it difficult to target helicopters, which move low and slow, said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos.
For its part, Libya said it was not misusing its air force. Any no-fly zone would be tantamount to an act of war, said Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Karim on Tuesday.
The military, he said, "are taking purely defensive positions; they are not taking offensive ones." He said the Libyan government has asked for international monitors to verify that assertion.
The protests against the 68-year-old Gadhafi began February 15 as anti-government demonstrators sought his ouster after nearly 42 years of rule. In its fourth week now, the clashes show no sign of ending.
Death toll estimates have ranged from more than 1,000 to as many as 2,000. And the war has forced out 215,000 people, many of them poor migrant workers who have been stranded at both the Tunisian and Egyptian borders, the U.N. refugee agency has said.
While many countries chartered planes and dispatched ships to whisk away their citizens to safety, those stuck at the border are sheltered in cramped, unsanitary quarters with little to eat.
The U.N. World Food Programme has initiated a $39.2 million emergency operation intended to provide food to more than one million people in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia over a three-month period.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Gadhafi Faces Investigation for Crimes Against Humanity
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and some of his sons and closest advisers face investigation for alleged crimes against humanity, International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Thursday.
"I would like to use this opportunity to put them on notice," Moreno-Ocampo told CNN. "I want to be clear: If their troops commit crimes, they could be made criminally responsible."
It is the first time the court will be investigating allegations as an event is ongoing.
They include allegations of security forces killing unarmed protesters, forced displacement, illegal detention and airstrikes on civilians.
Investigators will look at the most serious accusations in Libya since February 15, the prosecutor said, when demonstrations against Gadhafi ramped up.
Moreno-Ocampo provided a map showing the locations where alleged crimes may have been committed.
He cautioned, however, that he needed more time to review the evidence.
"This is the beginning of the investigation. I can give no details," he said.
"We cannot confirm these allegations that these civilians were bombed by planes. But we have ... confirmation that civilians that were demonstrating were shot by security forces.
"We interview people and we will present the evidence to the judges. The judges will decide who should be prosecuted," he said.
But Moreno-Ocampo warned that anti-Gadhafi protesters would also be held accountable for criminal activity.
"Now, it's not just civilian demonstrations. Now, there are people opposing Gadhafi with weapons. And also we would like to warn them, you cannot commit crimes. Our business in Libya is (to) stop the crimes," he said.
The prosecutor will offer Gadhafi and others "any opportunity they want to provide their own version (of events). Because we have to be impartial. But also, we want to warn the other parties. No one can commit crimes in Libya."
Moreno-Ocampo emphasized it was the first time the ICC was able to respond in real time to allegations, partially due to social-networking sites such as Facebook.
"This triggered a very quick reaction. The (United Nations) Security Council reacted in a few days; the U.N. General Assembly reacted in a few days. So, now because the court is up and running we can do this immediately," he said.
"I think Libya is a new world. How we manage the new challenge -- that's what we will see now."
Moreno-Ocampo, who said he plans to finish his investigation within weeks and hopes to have the judge's decision within months, also announced the probe at a press conference Thursday.
"We identified some individuals with a factor of formal authority who have authority on the security forces who allegedly committed the crimes," he told reporters.
"They are Moammar Al Gadhafi, his inner circle including some of his sons who have a facto authority, but also there are some people with formal authority that should pay attention to the crimes committed by their people because if they are not preventing stopping and punishing these crimes they could be responsible in accordance with the law.
"They are minister of foreign affairs, the head of the regime security and intelligence, the head of Gadhafi personal security and the head of Libyan external security. So we would like to use this opportunity to put them on notice. If forces under their command commit criminal acts, they could be responsible.
"I would like to use this opportunity to put them on notice," Moreno-Ocampo told CNN. "I want to be clear: If their troops commit crimes, they could be made criminally responsible."
It is the first time the court will be investigating allegations as an event is ongoing.
They include allegations of security forces killing unarmed protesters, forced displacement, illegal detention and airstrikes on civilians.
Investigators will look at the most serious accusations in Libya since February 15, the prosecutor said, when demonstrations against Gadhafi ramped up.
Moreno-Ocampo provided a map showing the locations where alleged crimes may have been committed.
He cautioned, however, that he needed more time to review the evidence.
"This is the beginning of the investigation. I can give no details," he said.
"We cannot confirm these allegations that these civilians were bombed by planes. But we have ... confirmation that civilians that were demonstrating were shot by security forces.
"We interview people and we will present the evidence to the judges. The judges will decide who should be prosecuted," he said.
But Moreno-Ocampo warned that anti-Gadhafi protesters would also be held accountable for criminal activity.
"Now, it's not just civilian demonstrations. Now, there are people opposing Gadhafi with weapons. And also we would like to warn them, you cannot commit crimes. Our business in Libya is (to) stop the crimes," he said.
The prosecutor will offer Gadhafi and others "any opportunity they want to provide their own version (of events). Because we have to be impartial. But also, we want to warn the other parties. No one can commit crimes in Libya."
Moreno-Ocampo emphasized it was the first time the ICC was able to respond in real time to allegations, partially due to social-networking sites such as Facebook.
"This triggered a very quick reaction. The (United Nations) Security Council reacted in a few days; the U.N. General Assembly reacted in a few days. So, now because the court is up and running we can do this immediately," he said.
"I think Libya is a new world. How we manage the new challenge -- that's what we will see now."
Moreno-Ocampo, who said he plans to finish his investigation within weeks and hopes to have the judge's decision within months, also announced the probe at a press conference Thursday.
"We identified some individuals with a factor of formal authority who have authority on the security forces who allegedly committed the crimes," he told reporters.
"They are Moammar Al Gadhafi, his inner circle including some of his sons who have a facto authority, but also there are some people with formal authority that should pay attention to the crimes committed by their people because if they are not preventing stopping and punishing these crimes they could be responsible in accordance with the law.
"They are minister of foreign affairs, the head of the regime security and intelligence, the head of Gadhafi personal security and the head of Libyan external security. So we would like to use this opportunity to put them on notice. If forces under their command commit criminal acts, they could be responsible.
North Korea Wants All of Its Citizens Returned
"The South Korean authorities should immediately halt their despicable unethical acts contrary to international practice and unpardonable from a humanitarian standpoint and send back home unconditionally and immediately all the unreasonably detained 31 inhabitants and their ship through the waters to which they had gone," KCNA said.
The defection of the four North Koreans could spark tensions on the peninsula, where joint U.S.-South Korea military drills kicked off this week.
The South will return the remaining 27 members of the group through Panmunjom, a truce village on the ground border between the two sides, and send the fishing boat back through the waters in the
There are currently more than 20,000 North Korean defectors in
Defectors who are forcefully repatriated to the North after attempting to cross over into third countries such as China , Mongolia or Southeast Asia are commonly sent to prison camps as a punishment. Many defectors who live in South Korea
South Korean Government Sites Targeted in Cyber Attack
A cyber attack Friday morning hit 40 South Korean websites, including those of several government agencies and major banks, the country's internet security agency said.
The government detected the first wave of the attack Thursday. It was coordinated from outside South Korea
Infected computers directed a giant traffic surge to targeted websites. That's called a DDoS attack, short for distributed denial-of-service -- and it's hard for most sites to defend against.
By Friday, South Korea
Software company AhnLab said it developed the anti-virus program after receiving reports of the attack from the South Korean government Thursday. The company warned that another attack would hit websites at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Targeted sites include South Korea
No severe damage has been reported so far, but the government said it was monitoring the attack.
During a similar attack in 2009, 17 South Korean websites were hit over a three-day period.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Libya's Aerial Onslaught Steps Up Pressure for No-Fly Zone
The Libyan military bombed two key towns in the east again Thursday, stepping up efforts to reclaim a region lost to rebels.
The aircraft targeted al-Brega and Ajdabiya, both of which were hit with bombs Wednesday.
Opposition forces told CNN they were forging ahead, working to maintain their positions and fend off attacks by pro-Gadhafi forces. Rebels have armed themselves in some cases by raiding military installations and police stations.
Morale on the part of the opposition seems to be high, while morale among Gadhafi's forces -- which have seen defections as some members of the military have joined the protests -- seems low, CNN's Ben Wedeman reported from eastern Libya
Libyan jets Thursday dropped two bombs over al-Brega -- one near a military checkpoint and one near the main gate to a refinery, witnesses reported.
In Ajdabiya,a tribal leader said the military dropped two bombs on military camps. Witnesses told CNN one bomb was near an ammunition depot.
The situation in Libya is different from those in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt Libya
The more Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi uses aerial attacks, the more pressing discussions become in the West about imposing a no-fly zone over the country.
"If it's ordered, we can do it," Gates said, but imposing a no-fly zone "begins with an attack on Libya
U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday the United States Libya , he said, adding that he wants to be sure the United States
"Col. Gadhafi needs to step down from power and leave," Obama said. "It's the right thing to do." The president also warned that advisers to Gadhafi need to understand that they will be held accountable for any violence they perpetrate against civilians. "They should know history is moving against Col. Gadhafi," Obama said.
The Arab League Wednesday rejected foreign intervention, saying Libya
But the league cannot ignore the suffering of civilians and would consider the imposition of a no-fly zone in coordination with the African Union if fighting were to continue, said Hisham Yousef, chief of staff of the Arab League.
Gadhafi's regime Thursday sought to create an impression that it still controls the vast majority of the country, with rebels in charge of only pockets.
The government organized a trip for a CNN crew to visit a refinery in Zawiya controlled by the government. Rebels control the center of the city, but the refinery is on the outskirts.
The refinery, Libya
Protesters calling for the ouster of longtime leader Gadhafi have taken to the streets for a third week amid clashes with government forces. He has been in power for nearly 42 years.
Musa Ibrahim, a spokesman for Gadhafi's regime, told CNN, "We need tribal intervention, social intervention to help us convince these people to come to the negotiating table."
The government spokesman denied any attacks on peaceful protesters despite numerous reports from the country of unarmed demonstrators being shot indiscriminately.
More than 1,000 people are reported to have been killed and many more injured during the protests, according to the United Nations. Libya 's ambassador to the United States
The International Criminal Court Thursday said Gadhafi and some of his sons and advisers are under investigation for alleged crimes against humanity.
"I would like to use this opportunity to put them on notice," ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told CNN. "I want to be clear: If their troops commit crimes, they could be made criminally responsible."
It is the first time the court will be investigating claims as they are allegedly occurring.
Nations have scrambled to evacuate hundreds of citizens as the unrest continues.
The Netherlands
Libyan state TV said the personnel were in a fighter helicopter and did not have permission from Libyan authorities to enter. The state TV report showed pictures of those believed to be the crew, as well as the helicopter and images of weapons.
The U.N. refugee agency reported that nearly 150,000 people had crossed Libya 's borders into Egypt and Tunisia
Obama said he approved the use of U.S. military aircraft to help return to Egypt those Egyptian citizens who have fled to Tunisia to escape the unrest in Libya
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
New Wisconsin Budget Due As State Tries to Patch Old One
Facing a flood of red ink and embroiled in an effort to curb the collective bargaining rights of most public workers, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is scheduled to unveil his new state budget on Tuesday.
The spending plan is being rolled out as protesters enter a third week of demonstrations at the state capitol, and Democratic lawmakers stay as far away from the building as possible.
The state's 14 Democratic senators have fled to neighboring Illinois to prevent a quorum of 20 votes needed for a budget repair bill that would require public employees -- with the exception of police and firefighters -- to cover more of their retirement plans and health care premiums.
Passage of the budget repair bill, which would apply to the current spending plan, would limit collective bargaining to wages. Any pay increases beyond the rate of inflation would be subject to voter approval.
"There are plenty of states that do not have collective bargaining," Republican Gov. Scott Walker said Monday. "We have a right to do this with the statutes and that's what we're doing."
Union leaders have agreed to pay more for benefits, but oppose restricting bargaining rights that the governor argues is needed for meaningful fiscal reforms.
Wisconsin is confronted with a $137 million budget shortfall by June 30.
The embattled governor has defended his budget repair bill, saying the measures are needed to head off a $3.6 billion budget gap by 2013 that could result in thousands of layoffs.
The state had faced a suggested Friday deadline to balance the budget, but the crucial date is March 16, officials said.
The budget bill was passed by lawmakers in the state assembly early Friday and must still clear the Senate, where AWOL Democrats have stalled the legislative process.
Walker has called on the lawmakers to "come back and do their job," sending state patrol officers to Democrat homes in an effort to pressure their return.
"If we fail to pass this bill by Tuesday, we lose $165 million worth of savings. If we continue down that path we start seeing layoffs," he warned.
Meanwhile, some of the hundreds of demonstrators who had filled the Capitol building -- gathering inside the rotunda in daily protest of the proposed legislation -- had left the building by Monday at the request of state police, said state Department of Administration spokeswoman Jodi Jensen.
"Of those who remained, all but a few have voluntarily complied with the request of law enforcement to remain in a designed area of the building," Jensen said. "No additional protesters will be allowed into the building until this situation is resolved."
Hundreds gathered outside the Capitol building later on Monday, chanting, "Let us in!" Their yells were met by a group of protesters who remained inside, chanting, "Let them in!"
Representative Peter Barca, the Democratic leader in Wisconsin's state assembly, called the lock-down unacceptable.
"Politicians may not always enjoy hearing what the citizens of this state have to say, but it is wrong to block elected officials from their constituents," Barca said. "There are a number of scheduled meetings in the building today and the public has a right to attend them and visit their legislators."
A pro-union political action committee called "Defending Wisconsin" filed a lawsuit Monday in a U.S. District Court against the state of Wisconsin for not letting people to enter the capitol building, said the group's director Jeremy J. Ryan.
Authorities had initially given demonstrators until late Sunday afternoon to leave the building, saying it needed to be cleaned after roughly two weeks of protests.
And while many people left, others defied the order and remained inside. Some said they were willing to risk arrest to make their point.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers said Sunday that workers in Wisconsin have sent a message to Walker that "'we understand and we will do our fair share.'" But Walker is sending a different message, Weingarten said: "'I'm just taking away your voice at work.'"
In the long term, that message "is ridiculous because collective bargaining is the way to increase quality," she said.
President Barack Obama also weighed in on Monday, appearing to allude to the growing controversy by telling a group of governors that while "everybody should be prepared to give up something" in the face of new budget realities, "I don't think it does anybody any good when public employees are vilified" or their rights are infringed upon.
The president has publicly expressed support for those fighting to keep collective bargaining in Wisconsin.
Walker, in the meantime, is getting an assist from national Republicans.
The Republican Governors Policy Committee, a wing of the Republican Governors Association, will launch a new television ad Tuesday defending Walker's rigid stance on his budget bill.
The ad claims that Walker is simply trying to balance the budget without raising taxes and asking state employees to contribute more to their own benefits, "just like everyone else."
Several labor groups have already run ads attacking Walker.
The spending plan is being rolled out as protesters enter a third week of demonstrations at the state capitol, and Democratic lawmakers stay as far away from the building as possible.
The state's 14 Democratic senators have fled to neighboring Illinois to prevent a quorum of 20 votes needed for a budget repair bill that would require public employees -- with the exception of police and firefighters -- to cover more of their retirement plans and health care premiums.
Passage of the budget repair bill, which would apply to the current spending plan, would limit collective bargaining to wages. Any pay increases beyond the rate of inflation would be subject to voter approval.
"There are plenty of states that do not have collective bargaining," Republican Gov. Scott Walker said Monday. "We have a right to do this with the statutes and that's what we're doing."
Union leaders have agreed to pay more for benefits, but oppose restricting bargaining rights that the governor argues is needed for meaningful fiscal reforms.
Wisconsin is confronted with a $137 million budget shortfall by June 30.
The embattled governor has defended his budget repair bill, saying the measures are needed to head off a $3.6 billion budget gap by 2013 that could result in thousands of layoffs.
The state had faced a suggested Friday deadline to balance the budget, but the crucial date is March 16, officials said.
The budget bill was passed by lawmakers in the state assembly early Friday and must still clear the Senate, where AWOL Democrats have stalled the legislative process.
Walker has called on the lawmakers to "come back and do their job," sending state patrol officers to Democrat homes in an effort to pressure their return.
"If we fail to pass this bill by Tuesday, we lose $165 million worth of savings. If we continue down that path we start seeing layoffs," he warned.
Meanwhile, some of the hundreds of demonstrators who had filled the Capitol building -- gathering inside the rotunda in daily protest of the proposed legislation -- had left the building by Monday at the request of state police, said state Department of Administration spokeswoman Jodi Jensen.
"Of those who remained, all but a few have voluntarily complied with the request of law enforcement to remain in a designed area of the building," Jensen said. "No additional protesters will be allowed into the building until this situation is resolved."
Hundreds gathered outside the Capitol building later on Monday, chanting, "Let us in!" Their yells were met by a group of protesters who remained inside, chanting, "Let them in!"
Representative Peter Barca, the Democratic leader in Wisconsin's state assembly, called the lock-down unacceptable.
"Politicians may not always enjoy hearing what the citizens of this state have to say, but it is wrong to block elected officials from their constituents," Barca said. "There are a number of scheduled meetings in the building today and the public has a right to attend them and visit their legislators."
A pro-union political action committee called "Defending Wisconsin" filed a lawsuit Monday in a U.S. District Court against the state of Wisconsin for not letting people to enter the capitol building, said the group's director Jeremy J. Ryan.
Authorities had initially given demonstrators until late Sunday afternoon to leave the building, saying it needed to be cleaned after roughly two weeks of protests.
And while many people left, others defied the order and remained inside. Some said they were willing to risk arrest to make their point.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers said Sunday that workers in Wisconsin have sent a message to Walker that "'we understand and we will do our fair share.'" But Walker is sending a different message, Weingarten said: "'I'm just taking away your voice at work.'"
In the long term, that message "is ridiculous because collective bargaining is the way to increase quality," she said.
President Barack Obama also weighed in on Monday, appearing to allude to the growing controversy by telling a group of governors that while "everybody should be prepared to give up something" in the face of new budget realities, "I don't think it does anybody any good when public employees are vilified" or their rights are infringed upon.
The president has publicly expressed support for those fighting to keep collective bargaining in Wisconsin.
Walker, in the meantime, is getting an assist from national Republicans.
The Republican Governors Policy Committee, a wing of the Republican Governors Association, will launch a new television ad Tuesday defending Walker's rigid stance on his budget bill.
The ad claims that Walker is simply trying to balance the budget without raising taxes and asking state employees to contribute more to their own benefits, "just like everyone else."
Several labor groups have already run ads attacking Walker.
Fast-Moving Wildfire Engulfs 10,000 Acres in Florida
Firefighters along the Atlantic coast of Central Florida were battling a fast-moving wildfire early Tuesday that shut down roads and threatened neighborhoods, authorities said.
By midnight, the blaze had engulfed 10,000 acres and at least one residence, the Brevard County Emergency Management Office said.
Authorities shut down part of U.S. 1 and a 18-mile stretch of Interstate 95 in Volusia and Brevard counties.
Flames, fueled by heavy winds and dry conditions, were threatening a nearby neighborhood, Florida Division of Forestry spokesman Cliff Frazier said.
Heat from the fire was causing higher wind gusts late Monday, the National Weather Service reported.
Bright orange flames and blue police lights lit the night sky as residents evacuated from an RV park.
Harold Lacoste and his wife packed their car with pictures and family heirlooms as they prepared to evacuate their neighborhood Monday.
"It didn't look like it was going to hit us all afternoon, then all of a sudden it flared back up," Lacoste told CNN affiliate WFTV.
Lacoste told the station that he had been a victim of wildfires in the past and he didn't want to risk being trapped.
Leo Patterson said he was worried as he prepared to head to a shelter after authorities evacuated the Crystal Lake RV Park Monday night.
"Last year we were here and we had to worry about a tornado that went through, and now we have a fire going on, and a motor home sitting back there that's $180,000," he told WFTV.
The fire was first reported around 10 a.m. Monday, according to the station.
By midnight, the blaze had engulfed 10,000 acres and at least one residence, the Brevard County Emergency Management Office said.
Authorities shut down part of U.S. 1 and a 18-mile stretch of Interstate 95 in Volusia and Brevard counties.
Flames, fueled by heavy winds and dry conditions, were threatening a nearby neighborhood, Florida Division of Forestry spokesman Cliff Frazier said.
Heat from the fire was causing higher wind gusts late Monday, the National Weather Service reported.
Bright orange flames and blue police lights lit the night sky as residents evacuated from an RV park.
Harold Lacoste and his wife packed their car with pictures and family heirlooms as they prepared to evacuate their neighborhood Monday.
"It didn't look like it was going to hit us all afternoon, then all of a sudden it flared back up," Lacoste told CNN affiliate WFTV.
Lacoste told the station that he had been a victim of wildfires in the past and he didn't want to risk being trapped.
Leo Patterson said he was worried as he prepared to head to a shelter after authorities evacuated the Crystal Lake RV Park Monday night.
"Last year we were here and we had to worry about a tornado that went through, and now we have a fire going on, and a motor home sitting back there that's $180,000," he told WFTV.
The fire was first reported around 10 a.m. Monday, according to the station.
'Pizza Bomber' Conspirator Gets Life Behind Bars
Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years on Monday for her role in an Erie, Pennsylvania, bank robbery that led to the death of a pizza deliveryman who had a pipe bomb fastened around his neck, a prosecutor said.
Diehl-Armstrong was convicted on November 1 of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery, armed bank robbery in which death resulted, and use of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton.
"She was motivated by greed and completely characterized by evil," Assistant U.S. Attorney Marshall Piccinini said during Monday's sentencing.
Diehl-Armstrong appeared in federal court in Erie and was sentenced for aiding Kenneth Barnes, 55, in the deadly 2003 robbery, Hickton said in a written statement.
She said she was convicted unfairly and "was not part of this conspiracy."
"I am not a crazed killer," Diehl-Armstrong said in court. "The true killers are still out there."
Co-conspirator Barnes was sentenced to 45 years in prison for taking part in what the judge in the case described as an "incredibly bizarre" plot in which Brian Wells died when the bomb affixed to his neck exploded.
At Barnes' sentencing in December 2008, prosecutors repeated their contention that the pizza deliveryman was involved in planning the robbery attempt but wore a live bomb only after being threatened by his co-conspirators.
Prosecutors said Barnes and three co-conspirators -- one of whom was Wells -- planned to rob a PNC Bank on the outskirts of Erie.
On August 28, 2003, authorities said, Wells walked into the bank with the pipe bomb locked to his neck and gave a teller a note demanding money. The robbery netted about $8,700.
Wells died when the bomb exploded as he sat in a parking lot after being stopped by police shortly after the robbery.
The case drew national attention and was the subject of intense investigation and questions about whether Wells was a willing participant or a murder victim.
Prosecutors said after Barnes' sentencing that Wells was involved in planning the robbery but balked when he realized that the bomb he was supposed to wear was real. He was threatened with a gun to make him wear the bomb, according to prosecutors.
Diehl-Armstrong's case was delayed because she underwent treatment at a federal facility in Texas after the judge in the case found her mentally incompetent to stand trial.
The fourth suspect died of a drug overdose three days after the robbery, officials said.
Diehl-Armstrong was convicted on November 1 of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery, armed bank robbery in which death resulted, and use of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton.
"She was motivated by greed and completely characterized by evil," Assistant U.S. Attorney Marshall Piccinini said during Monday's sentencing.
Diehl-Armstrong appeared in federal court in Erie and was sentenced for aiding Kenneth Barnes, 55, in the deadly 2003 robbery, Hickton said in a written statement.
She said she was convicted unfairly and "was not part of this conspiracy."
"I am not a crazed killer," Diehl-Armstrong said in court. "The true killers are still out there."
Co-conspirator Barnes was sentenced to 45 years in prison for taking part in what the judge in the case described as an "incredibly bizarre" plot in which Brian Wells died when the bomb affixed to his neck exploded.
At Barnes' sentencing in December 2008, prosecutors repeated their contention that the pizza deliveryman was involved in planning the robbery attempt but wore a live bomb only after being threatened by his co-conspirators.
Prosecutors said Barnes and three co-conspirators -- one of whom was Wells -- planned to rob a PNC Bank on the outskirts of Erie.
On August 28, 2003, authorities said, Wells walked into the bank with the pipe bomb locked to his neck and gave a teller a note demanding money. The robbery netted about $8,700.
Wells died when the bomb exploded as he sat in a parking lot after being stopped by police shortly after the robbery.
The case drew national attention and was the subject of intense investigation and questions about whether Wells was a willing participant or a murder victim.
Prosecutors said after Barnes' sentencing that Wells was involved in planning the robbery but balked when he realized that the bomb he was supposed to wear was real. He was threatened with a gun to make him wear the bomb, according to prosecutors.
Diehl-Armstrong's case was delayed because she underwent treatment at a federal facility in Texas after the judge in the case found her mentally incompetent to stand trial.
The fourth suspect died of a drug overdose three days after the robbery, officials said.
One Person Dead, 130,000 Acres Burned in Texas Wildfires
Firefighters in Texas worked Monday to contain fast-moving wildfires that had destroyed at least 60 homes, burned more than 130,000 acres, and caused an accident that killed a 5-year-old child, state forestry officials said.
The fires broke out about noon on Sunday, said Lewis Kearney, a spokesman for the forest service's Texas State Lone Star Incident Management Team. Officials believe many were started by power lines that fell from high winds.
Since Sunday, forestry officials, who were called in to assist local fire departments, responded to 63 fires covering 132,854 acres, the Texas Forest Service said on its website. Most of the fires were across the Texas Panhandle, Kearney said.
Potter County Sheriff Brian Thomas said a 61,000-acre fire in his county was ignited when a man cut pipe with a metal grinder in high wind Sunday. Austin Lynn Stephens, 52, was arrested and charged with criminal trespass because he was on private property when he was using the grinder.
Firefighters battled blazes in a dozen other counties including a 35,000-acre fire in Matador West in Motley County, and a 21,000-acre fire in Andrews County. They also fought fires in the counties of Haskell, Tom Green, Randall, Howard, Midland, Scurry, Motley, Crockett, Mitchell and Eastland.
Crews that worked through the night to douse the flames got a little help from the weather Monday. The wind that propelled the fires was somewhat calmer, although it was still breezy and parts of the area remained under a fire-weather watch.
Kearney said Sunday's high winds made it difficult for firefighters to use aircraft to battle the blaze.
Interstate 20 was shut down for several hours Sunday after heavy smoke from the fires limited visibility. Authorities in Midland County responded to numerous accidents along the highway, including an eight-vehicle crash in which a little girl died, according to Sgt. Pete Cordova.
One wildfire destroyed a dog kennel near Amarillo, said Capt. Wes Hall of the Amarillo Fire Department. Authorities were trying to account Monday for the animals missing or dead after the fire tore through the Willow Creek Kennel. Firefighters were able to open cages to free at least some of the dogs before the flames overtook the facility.
As many as 27 homes were destroyed in the area and "the fire was on the kennel in a matter of minutes," employee Chance Smith said, adding he did not have an exact number of dogs lost.
In the community of Matador, north of Lubbock, families could do nothing but watch as their homes burned to the ground.
The Segovias hadn't been gone 20 minutes when they returned to a panic-stricken neighborhood and found they had lost everything they owned.
"To know everything you worked so hard for, it's all gone," a tearful Juan Segovia told CNN affiliate KCBD. He and his wife, Rosemary, stared in disbelief at the blaze.
The family of seven is without a home, but grateful for what was not lost.
"I'm glad our family wasn't home when it happened," Rosemary Segovia said before falling into her husband's arms. "That's all I care about is I have my family."
One firefighter sustained second-degree burns battling a blaze near Colorado City, where a nursing home had to be evacuated before the fast moving flames swept through.
And a Potter County sheriff's deputy narrowly escaped the flames while searching homes after a mandatory evacuation was ordered for the Mesilla Park area. Deputy Kevin Parvin entered a home as the flames were bearing down on the neighborhood, Thomas said, and by the time he left the home, the smoke was so thick he couldn't find his patrol car.
Parvin had left the car running, and he followed the sound of a squeaking engine belt to find it and radio for assistance, Thomas said. He was treated for minor smoke inhalation.
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