Reporting from Tripoli, chafing on Gadhafi's leash

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — At the Rixos Hotel, Moammar Gadhafi's gilded cage for foreign journalists, fistfights break out. Paranoia is high. And the Libyan government is on unblinking watch for any deviation in the official script.

Waitresses who serve coffee with smiles on their faces act more like trained intelligence agents hours later, when a woman bursts in claiming that militiamen had raped her. They expertly wrestle her to the ground.

Government minders feed reporters the narrative of a nation united behind its longtime leader, then arrest or even expel those who sneak away to find out for themselves. Government-led trips dubbed "magical mystery tours" by the press corps …

Germany welcomes Karzai decision on runoff vote

A government spokeswoman says German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomes the Afghan leader's decision to accept a runoff election in the war torn country.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday he had accepted a United Nations recount that threw out about one-third of the votes he received in the September …

Graves to leave Bears

Rod Graves resigned as the Bears' director of player personnel,effective May 31, the team announced today.

Graves has been with the Bears in various capacities for 13seasons, the last four as player personnel chief. His primary dutywas to coordinate the team's college draft.

…

Subscription music's Oi Rdio expands to Brazil

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Rdio, an all-you-can-listen music service, is launching in Brazil under the brand Oi Rdio, in partnership with Brazil's largest telecommunications company, Oi.

The service will be available this week to 67 million Oi subscribers and others.

Oi Rdio offers on-demand access to over 12 million songs, mostly from the major recording companies, but also with Brazilian distributors …

A victorious year for Ochoa, but still some lingering memories to overcome

Lorena Ochoa can make it look so easy.

She already has done more in five months than most players accomplish in five years. In just 11 tournaments, Ochoa already has captured a major championship among her six victories. She has finished out of the top 10 only once, and she set a U.S. LPGA Tour record as the fastest to earn $2 million (1.3 million).

But rarely has a year been so difficult on the 26-year-old from Mexico.

Coming off her sixth victory, she withdrew from the Ginn Tribute when her uncle died in Mexico. She returned to the McDonald's LPGA Championship to continue her pursuit of a Grand Slam, and learned only after she finished one shot out …

Currency futures on cards ; The RBI is keen to launch exchange-traded currency futures contracts in India soon. In a recent report, the central bank has advocated the launch of forex futures in domestic exchanges under the purview of markets regulator SEBI.

The RBI is keen to launch exchange-traded currency futurescontracts in India soon. In a recent report, the central bank hasadvocated the launch of forex futures in domestic exchanges underthe purview of markets regulator SEBI.Already the exchanges and SEBIare reported to be working on the …

editor's note

Winter is the season of holiday cheer, fireplace chats and snowy adventures. It is the time to hibernate a few nights of the week under a blanket on the couch and to force yourself to venture outside a few nights a week to see a new play or attend an art opening, in spite of the blistering cold. This edition of Idaho Arts Quarterly is your ticket to not being a complete homebody this winter--it's loaded with enticing concerts, art exhibits, theater productions, festivals and author readings. It also features a great lineup of sundry stories, to fill you in on both new and old artists and art forms in a variety of genres. Idaho Arts Quarterly continues to mature …