Gaddafi revives offer of vote to end Libya conflict (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – The Libyan government on Sunday renewed its offer to hold a vote on whether Muammar Gaddafi should stay in power, a proposal unlikely to interest Gaddafi's opponents but which could widen differences inside NATO.

Pressure is growing from some quarters within the alliance to find a political solution, three months into a military campaign which is costing NATO members billions of dollars, has killed civilians, and has so far failed to topple Gaddafi.

Moussa Ibrahim, a spokesman for Gaddafi's administration, told reporters in Tripoli the government was proposing a period of national dialogue and an election overseen by the United Nations and the African Union.

"If the Libyan people decide Gaddafi should leave he will leave. If the people decide he should stay he will stay," Ibrahim said.

But he said Gaddafi -- who has run the oil-producing country since taking over in a military coup in 1969 -- would not go into exile whatever happened. "Gaddafi is not leaving anywhere, he is staying in this country," Ibrahim said.

The idea of holding an election was first raised earlier this month by one of Gaddafi's sons, Saif al-Islam.

The proposal lost momentum when Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi appeared to dismiss it. At the time, it was also rejected by anti-Gaddafi rebels in the east of Libya, and by Washington.

Many analysts say Gaddafi and his family have no intention of relinquishing power. Instead, they say, the Libyan leader is holding out the possibility of a deal to try to widen cracks that have been emerging in the alliance ranged against him.

The election proposal could find a more receptive audience this time around, especially after a NATO bomb landed on a house in Tripoli on June 19, killing several civilians.

After that incident, alliance-member Italy said it wanted a political settlement, and also said that the civilian casualties threaten NATO's credibility.

SOCCER DEFECTIONS

Libyan government forces have been fighting rebels, backed by NATO air power, since February 17, when thousands of people rose up in a rebellion against his rule.

The revolt has turned into the bloodiest of the Arab Spring uprisings sweeping the Middle East.

Rebels now control the eastern third of the country, and some enclaves in the West. They have been unable though to break through to the capital, leaving Western powers banking on an uprising in Tripoli to overthrow Gaddafi.

The Libyan leader suffered a propaganda defeat when four members of the national soccer team and 13 other football figures defected to the rebels, the rebel council said.

Libyans are passionate about the sport and the national team was closely aligned with Gaddafi's rule. At one point his son, Saadi, played in the side.

Asked about the defections, government spokesman Ibrahim said: "The Libyan football team is full and functioning and performing all of its duties inside and outside Libya."

HUMANITARIAN SWAP

A momentary thaw in the fighting allowed the Red Cross to reunite people caught on the wrong side of the conflict with their families.

A ship, the Ionis, arrived in Tripoli's port on Sunday carrying 106 people from the main rebel stronghold in Benghazi. Many of the passengers were elderly, and families with small children.

A crowd of a few dozen people waited for the ship to dock, among them Mohammed Al-Gimzi. "I love Muammar Gaddafi very much," he said.

When Al-Gimzi's sister disembarked from the ship, he rushed to greet her and the two stood weeping with their heads on each other's shoulders. "I am very happy to see my sister again," he said, tears running down his face.

As part of the same exchange, a ship carried around 300 people from Tripoli to Benghazi on Friday. They included dozens of rebel supporters who had been detained.

"This is purely humanitarian, for families to meet with their loved ones and to be able to travel," Robin Waudo, a spokesman in Tripoli for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said on Sunday.

(Additional reporting by Mussab Al-Khairalla in Tripoli and Hamid Ould Ahmed in Algiers; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Ralph Boulton)

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Yemeni leader accepts Saudi offer of treatment (AP)

SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh accepted an offer from the Saudi king to get medical treatment there for wounds from a rebel rocket attack, but had not yet left his country, officials close to the president said Saturday.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters, said Saleh spoke to Saudi King Abdullah shortly after the rocket attack Friday night that wounded Saleh and five top government officials. Eleven security men were killed.

Sheik Mohammed Nagi al-Shayef, a leader of the Saleh-allied Bakeel tribe, said he met with Saleh Saturday evening at the Defense Ministry compound in the capital.

"He suffered burns but they were not serious. He was burned on both hands, his face and head," al-Shayef told The Associated Press.

He said Saleh also was hit by jagged pieces of wood that splintered from the mosque pulpit. There were about 200 people inside the mosque when the rocket landed.

A secretary in Saleh's office and a member of his ruling party said the president's plane was still at the Sanaa airport.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Officials close to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh say he has accepted an offer from the Saudi king to travel there for medical treatment for wounds from a rebel rocket attack, but has not yet left Sanaa, the capital.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters, said Saleh spoke to Saudi King Abdullah shortly after the rocket attack Friday night that wounded Saleh and five top government officials. Eleven security men were killed.

A secretary in Saleh's office and a member of his ruling party said the president's plane was still at the Sanaa airport.

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New terrorism alert system will offer specific warnings

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the new alerts will contain "as many details as we can provide." STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Secretary Napolitano says people ignored the old systemNapolitano says the new system will take effect April 26The new system has only two levels, compared to the previous system's fiveThe alerts have an expiration, unless new information comes to lightRELATED TOPICSTerrorismJanet NapolitanoU.S. Department of Homeland SecurityDomestic Security Policy New York (CNN) -- A new terrorism warning system will provide the public with information on specific threats, replacing the color-coded alerts put in place after the September 11, 2001, attacks, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday.

In announcing the new system at New York City's Grand Central Terminal, commonly known as Grand Central Station, Napolitano said a main goal was to provide better understanding of the nature of the specific threat, what people should do in reaction to it and how they could help security officials in responding.

"It will provide alerts based on specific, credible information about potential terrorist activity," Napolitano said, adding that the alerts would contain "as many details as we can provide."

Right now, she said, there is no threat that would reach the level to warrant one of the new alerts, which will take effect on April 26.

Napolitano made the announcement in the city where more than 2,700 people were killed when two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center's twin towers.

She was joined by New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and Republican Rep. Peter King of New York, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, who both praised the new National Terrorism Advisory System as an upgrade that enhances current security efforts.

However, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, cautioned that the new system must "effectively disseminate threat information in a timely manner and provide sound guidance to the public and affected homeland security partners on the actions they should take to protect themselves and the nation."

Collins urged Napolitano's department "to keep communication lines open with our state and local homeland security officials and with the private sector so that implementation of the system meets the vision" set by the secretary.

The new system has two levels of alerts, compared to the previous system's five levels, Napolitano said.

The two alert levels of the new system are "elevated threat," which "warns of a credible terrorist threat" to the United States; and "imminent threat," which "warns of a credible, specific and impending terrorist threat," according to a Department of Homeland Security statement.

Any alert will automatically expire after a two-week period, although they could be extended if new information shows a threat persists, DHS said.

Napolitano told reporters in a morning briefing that the alerts posted on a department website -- www.dhs.gov/alerts -- will provide details to show the nature, location and other information about terrorism threats. Therefore, she said, a specific warning may apply to a particular address, community, city or region, rather than the non-specific general warnings of the color-coded system.

Alerts also will be announced by her office and made public via traditional media such as television announcements and radio broadcasts, as well as social media, Napolitano said.

She conceded that the color-coded system "has faded in utility except for late-night comics," noting that the warning level at airports had been at orange since 2006.

"That's one of the reasons why people (stopped) paying attention to them," Napolitano said. Instead of a constant state of undefined warning, she said, the new system will react to actual threats.

"We don't want people to live in fear," she said. "We want people to live in a state of alert and awareness."

Her department is asking the public to be on alert for any suspicious activity, incorporating the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority's trademark slogan "If You See Something, Say Something" into its alerts.

Evaluating the current threat for Wednesday under the old system, the Department of Homeland Security put it at yellow, or elevated. Under the new system, it does not warrant an alert.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve contributed to this story.

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Bones may offer clues in N.Y. slayings

Grisly mystery on N.Y. beachSTORY HIGHLIGHTSPolice and federal agents are searching for skeletal remains on Long IslandThe remains of at least eight bodies have been found since DecemberAuthorities are awaiting test results from bones found in the water along Long IslandAn FBI Black Hawk helicopter is expected to join the expanding investigation this week New York (CNN) -- Authorities are awaiting test results from bones found in the water near Long Island, New York, as they investigate possible serial killings.

"Bones were found in the water off of Oak Beach, and the physician's assistant will make a determination on whether or not they're human," Miros Kroupa, spokeswoman for the Suffolk County Police Department, said Sunday.

Four bodies were found on Oak Beach in December, prompting federal agents to join the search.

An FBI Black Hawk helicopter is expected to join the expanding investigation this week.

Their efforts are part of a probe into suspected serial killings linked to at least eight bodies -- four of them identified as prostitutes -- found since December 2010.

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