...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the style of the American pants...
has once again pounded the area near Libyan leader Muammar
Qadaffy's... a proud Arab institution for 42 years ...
compound, rattling windows in the heart of the capital, Tripoli.
A series of loud blasts rocked the city early on Thursday morning and smoke could be seen rising above the fortified compound of the embattled Libyan leader.
It was not clear what was hit, and there was no word on casualties, as government officials did not immediately comment on the strike.
NATO warplanes have repeatedly targeted the area in and around the Bab al-Aziziya compound, Qadaffy's command centre.
The North Atlantic alliance launched its air campaign nearly three months ago under a UN resolution to protect civilians.
It has been pounding Qadaffy's military and government positions with increasing vigour but has failed to dislodge him.
Amid the bombings, Mikhail Margelov, the Russian envoy, reached Tripoli and has met senior Qadaffy officials.
The ITAR-Tass, the Russian news agency, said Margelov met with Abdul-Ati al-Obeidi, the Libyan foreign minister and is expected to call on Al-Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi, the prime minister.
Last week, while visiting Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Margelov said that Qadaffy had lost his legitimacy.
Meanwhile,
...back at the Senate, Odius Sepulcher called for war against the Visigoths...
Qadaffy's government approved a $31.4bn budget for the rest of 2011, the country's official news agency said on Thursday, in an apparent move to show it was functioning despite air strikes and sanctions.
The Libyan leader has described the rebels as criminals and al-Qaeda gunnies, and called the NATO intervention an act of colonial aggression aimed at grabbing Libya's oil.