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England v Ghana: all I need is 100 words of English, claims Italian manager Fabio Capello
Every silver lining has a cloud with Fabio Capello. Just when he should have been basking in the warm glow of a win over Wales, Capello lectured Andy Carroll on his drinking, claimed Jack Wilshere must improve his off-field behaviour and risked a ruckus with Jose Mourinho.
Talking tactics: Fabio Capello gets his point across, normally in 100 words or less, he says Photo: AP
By Henry Winter 11:00PM BST 28 Mar 2011
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He also claimed that a grasp of only “100 words” was sufficient to communicate with England’s players.
Talking after training at Wembley on Monday, England’s manager should have been keeping the focus on such dangerous visitors as Ghana, quarter-finalists in the World Cup and revelling in the chance to play at the home of football on Tuesday night.
Instead, as with his maladroit handling of the England armband handover, Capello kept on lighting unnecessary fires, much to the private consternation of Football Association officials who resemble Cuthbert, Dibble and Grubb with their hoses in a twist (Pugh, Pugh, Barney, McGrew had been sent back to their clubs).
For such an experienced, successful coach, Capello is acting very strangely. Opining in a television studio over the weekend, Gary Neville made the pertinent point that Capello is making ludicrous problems for himself. The England job is hard enough in terms of public and press reaction to results without the additional pressure of off-field errors by the manager.
A cynic might suggest that Capello simply did not care about the ramifications of his comments or actions. Instead, what occurred in Wembley’s third dressing room shortly after noon on Monday, the scene for his meeting with the written media, was utterly surreal.
The problem with Capello is that even when making a relevant point, such as the exhortation to Carroll to ease up on the refuelling, it comes across as a negative. Carroll does need to be more professional. The connection between a thirst for alcohol and a propensity for injury is proven. Carroll needs to listen. No question.
Yet for a coach to reveal publicly that he had held a private meeting with a player to discuss his alcoholic intake was unwise by Capello. Players do not enjoy such details being released willingly to the back pages.
“I spoke with him privately,” said Capello. “He needs to improve, to drink less. I think not only Andy likes to drink beer. Look, he’s really young. His behaviour now is really, really important. He needs to be careful at every moment. When you play with the England national team, at every moment you are the focus of the fans, the newspapers, the photographers, the people that live around him.”
This is a big night for the Liverpool striker, being given the central role in England’s new 4-3-3 system that Darren Bent filled to good effect during the 2-0 win over Wales. Another reminder of Bent’s poaching capacity should be absorbed by Carroll and company.
Carroll appears Capello’s chosen one in this spearhead position, and he needs to justify that faith against John and Jonathan Mensah.
“Carroll is a player who’s really good in the air, but not only this,” said Carroll. “The movement when he receives the ball is good. He’s strong. He’s a good forward. I hope he will fight and run and will do something during the game that I remember he can do.”
Although Capello felt the striker was too short of match sharpness to face Wales, the Italian said Carroll now “needs to play”, adding: “Liverpool will be happy for him to play.”
The FA stressed that “no deals” had been done with any clubs about how long players stay on, although it would be little surprise if Carroll was replaced by Peter Crouch in the second half.
Capello also admitted to concerns about aspects of Wilshere’s life off the pitch. “I know, I read,” said Capello, who added that he would not be talking to the Arsenal teenager. “I think the teacher of Wilshere is really good. Arsène Wenger will be a good teacher for him. It’s better for him to speak with him.”
Wilshere will start against Ghana if Scott Parker fails to shake off a calf problem. The West Ham midfielder has undergone a scan and his club, understandably, do not want him to risk aggravating the injury.
Aaron Lennon, who was due to start, returned to Tottenham with a minor hamstring complaint after feeling discomfort in Monday’s training session.
Having been in England three years, Capello was also asked the legitimate question over whether his English was good enough. The fact that the question required translating rather answered it.
Capello then shrugged. “I don’t know. I think when I speak with the players they understand everything. It’s important when you speak with the players. If I need to speak about the economy or other things, I can’t speak. But when you speak about tactics, you don’t use a lot of words. I don’t have to speak about a lot of different things. Maximum 100 words.
“I try to improve every day. I listen to radio, watch the television. I study as well. I think.”
Asked which programmes he watched, Capello retorted: “No, I put the subtitles. Is OK? Enough? Different programmes. Football, yes, always football. But other sports, some films, some different things. I understand when you come from the north, one from London, I study very well. Others are so-so.”
Capello was on the golf course on Sunday when Steven Gerrard remarked on Sky that the England coach contacted him to explain the decision to give the armband to John Terry.
“Yes, I phoned him, I spoke with him,” Capello confirmed. So why not call Ferdinand? “Because Rio was captain. Steve was the vice-captain. With Rio, I would prefer to speak personally. Face to face. I hope I will meet him in the next weeks.”
Communication is not Capello’s forte. The latest pronouncements from the greatest linguist to work in English football, Mourinho, also needed addressing by Capello.
Mourinho’s comment in the respected French sports daily, L’Equipe, that he was “hours away” from becoming England manager after Steve McClaren departed drew a prompt reaction from the FA. “Fabio was our first choice for England manager,” said an FA spokesman. “We have made that clear from the outset.”
Mourinho has simply confirmed that the FA was talking to him and Capello at the same time. Capello sounded unperturbed. “Every time a club or a different national team decides to choose a manager, they decide to speak with a lot of managers,” said Capello. “It’s normal.”
He did express surprise that any manager, whether him or Mourinho, would talk in public about another’s job. “I don’t speak about the relationship with the other clubs, for respect for other managers,” said Capello, although his respect for Mourinho is well known.
When reminded of Mourinho’s popularity among the English public, Capello turned tetchy. “I’ve finished to speak about this. I don’t like to speak about this. I’m finished on this. I finish. I finish.”
All very unnecessary. What really matters is what happens on the pitch. Two centre-halves, Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka, are given a chance to prove they can deal with the likes of Asamoah Gyan. “I know Jagielka very well,” said Capello. “He is in good form. Cahill is improving a lot. He will be a really interesting player. If other players like Rio, Terry, Dawson are not fit these two players are really good.”
The personnel may be changing but Capello insisted that England would stick with his 4-3-3 formation. “Three midfielders, yes,” Capello confirmed to audible sighs of relief.
The 4-4-2 system that left England so open on the Veldt has been consigned to history.
Telegraph.feedsportal.com
SULEIMANIYA, Iraq—Insurgents mounted a deadly siege on a provincial government building in northern Iraq, the latest in a series of incidents that have raised questions about the ability of Iraqi security forces to defend government facilities ahead of the withdrawal of U.S. troops at the end of the year.
The attack in Tikrit Tuesday, which lasted more than five hours, killed at least 55 people and wounded at least 96 others, including top police officials, three provincial council members and three journalists.
The attack on the provincial government building was carried out by an unknown number of men dressed in Iraqi army and police uniforms, an Interior Ministry official said.
They fired mortars before overcoming the security detail and entering the building. Top provincial police officials were killed, and a number of others were taken hostage by the attackers, the official said.
A car bomb near the entrance was detonated as other security forces arrived.
Nearby U.S. forces responded to the initial incident but didn't get directly involved, according to Col. Barry Johnson, a U.S. military spokesman.
"Our assistance has been limited to providing aerial surveillance of the scene and keeping our soldiers on site to receive further requests for assistance if needed," Col. Johnson said.
The siege ended when Iraqi forces entered the building, supported by U.S. helicopters, and killed all of the insurgents, the Interior Ministry official said.
The northern provinces of Salahadin, Diyala and Ninewa continue to be a place of frequent attacks by insurgents, including those linked to al Qaeda in Iraq.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the siege in Tikrit, the hometown of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
It follows months of high-profile and coordinated attacks throughout the country that have included killings and assassination attempts on government officials, politicians and security forces.
U.S. forces are due to withdraw from Iraq at the end of 2011, posing a further challenge to Iraqi security.
Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a siege on a church in Baghdad in October and an attack on a police recruiting center in Tikrit in January, which killed more than 50 people. Iraqi police also blame al Qaeda for the Feb. 26 bombing of the Beiji oil refinery and a separate attack on an export pipeline, both located in Salahadin province.
While violence has decreased in Iraq since the high point in 2007, when the daily death toll often reached into the hundreds, Iraq still faces huge challenges.
More than a year after national elections, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki retains the interior, defense and national security portfolios, having yet to appoint ministers to those positions.
Political factions managed to put together a fragile coalition government, but it remains subject to sectarian and ethnic in-fighting.
Iraqis still complain of a lack of basic services, and checkpoints and concrete blast walls are pervasive in a country still incapable of fully beating back insurgent groups and armed militias.
—Ali Nabhan in Baghdad contributed to this article.
Online.wsj.com
Gourock ropeworks, Port Glasgow
When the works closed in the mid-1970s the machinery was collected by Glasgow Museums, and stored at the Transport Museum. When the store was vacated in the 1980s these items were transferred to the SMM.
These are the three mechanical parts of one of three of the longest ropewalks in Scotland, which were used to make hemp mooring ropes for the largest class of vessel, such as the ‘Queens’. These rope walks were on a historic site, going back to the mid-18th century. The Gourock Ropeworks Co Ltd was the largest business of its kind in the world for many years
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Misty Night At The Falls
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Baker County Tourism – basecampbaker.com 1472
Baker County Oregon is a winter recreation paradise with more than 900 miles of groomed snowmobile trails and the award winning Anthony Lakes Ski Area.
For more information about snowmobiling and other winter recreation opportunities in Baker County including annual snowmobiling events in the towns of Halfway and Sumpter, visit www.basecampbaker.com or become a fan at www.facebook.com/basecampbaker
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associao dos Dadores de Sangue de Beja IPBeja8579
No dia 24 de Maro de 2011 a Presidncia do IPBeja, associou-se Associao de Dadores de Sangue de Beja e ao Servio de Imunohemoterapia da ULSBA para mais uma “Recolha Benvola de Sangue “
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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
www.sfmoma.org
151 Third Street San Francisco CA 94103
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Abandoned summer camp seen from the beach in front of the buildings in decay.
Colonia Marina "Varese" vista dalla spiaggia
Hdr-Nikon D90 -Samyang 8mm fisheye
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San Francisco Legion of Honor
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Lincoln Park | 100 34th Avenue | San Francisco, California 94121 USA
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![[SP_PARTY]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-BB386_SP_PAR_G_20100228180256.jpg)
Geoffrey A. Fowler
Lululemon party at Club Bud
VANCOUVER, British Columbia—There were parties galore at the Winter Games, from intimate corporate shindigs to flashy red-carpet affairs. By far the most exclusive one happened on the rink at Canada Hockey Place, where the Canadian women's hockey team celebrated on the ice—with beer and cigars—after their gold-medal win over the U.S. on Thursday.
Over the past two weeks, Wall Street Journal reporters scattered to sample the best—and most Canadian—of parties. One constant: beer. The luckiest parties lured "The Great One," Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky.
WSJ's Jessica Marmor talks with Olympic silver medalists Katherine Reutter and Charlie White, and freestyle skier Scotty Bahrke, at the Club Bud Lululemon party in Vancouver.
Here's how we judged them, on a scale of one maple leaf (a dud) to four (a bash):
Club Bud Lululemon
Overall rank:
![[mapleleaf3_A]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-HS075_maplel_A_20100228205937.jpg){kind=small}
This star-studded nightclub boasted a red carpet and bumping dance floor. Countless athletes stopped by, including ice-dancing gold-medal winners Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, plus the rock group Barenaked Ladies. Food: Budweiser and more Budweiser.
Sochi World
Overall rank:
Downstairs had exhibits on the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. Upstairs, clowns cavorted and guests taste-tested five varieties of vodka. VIPs included Prince Albert of Monaco and—best of all—Mr. Gretzky.
Irish House
Overall rank:
![[mapleleaf1_A]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-HS073_maplel_A_20100228205934.jpg){kind=small}
Americans aren't the only ones who reduce Irish culture to beer and bagpipes. No celebrities showed up when we were there—not even an Irish athlete on this particular night, though, to be fair, Ireland has only six competitors here. Molson and Guinness on tap, but not a Canadian—or Irish—delicacy in sight.
Molson Canadian Hockey House
Overall rank:
![[mapleleaf2_A]](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-HS074_maplel_A_20100228205936.jpg){kind=small}
A Canadian frat party multiplied by 10. Plenty of celebrities showed up, including Mr. Gretzky and hockey stars Grant Fuhr and Lanny McDonald. Comedian Seth Meyers, rock god Bryan Adams and actor Donald Sutherland also were there. No surprises on the buffet: Canadian beer, cheese and wine.
Holland Heineken House
Overall rank:
Part Disneyland, part beer garden, part high-school gym. When speed skating was on, the place filled up with orange-clad mobs hoping for another Dutch medal. The Dutch royal family, Dutch athletes and Dutch artists ate potato-sauerkraut "hotchpotches," which turned out to be mashed potatoes with a hot dog. Tasty anyway.
Alberta Train
Overall rank:
Ritzy passenger cars with glass-roofed upper decks. Most cars were leased to corporations for private schmoozing on this three-hour Vancouver-to-Whistler trip. A bevy of Albertan officials rode the train, feasting on "mountain pass pancakes" made with Aprikat beer.
Omega Party
Overall rank:
A luxury party for a luxury brand that could have been held at an Applebee's. Pretty dull unless you like journalists.
Write to Jessica Marmor at Jessica.Marmor@wsj.com
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BP PLC came within 1.4 inches or less of preventing the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, say engineers studying the safety device that failed in last year's Gulf of Mexico disaster.
The device, known as a blowout preventer, was a massive set of valves that sat on the sea floor nearly a mile beneath the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which floated on the surface. It was equipped with powerful shears designed to cut through pipe and seal off the well in an emergency. Why the device failed has been one of the central mysteries of last year's disaster.
In a report released Wednesday, engineers hired by U.S. investigators say they have solved it: The force of the blowout bent the drill pipe, knocking it off-center and jamming the shears. Rather than seal the well, the blades got stuck 1.4 inches or less apart, leaving plenty of space for 4.9 million barrels of oil to leak out.
The investigators concluded the blowout preventer failed as a result of a design flaw, not because of misuse by BP or any of the other companies involved, and not because of poor maintenance. The fail-safe device, the last line of defense against a disaster, wasn't designed to handle a real-world blowout, according to investigators, who called for further study of the devices.
"They have to rethink the whole design," said Elmer P. Danenberger III, who is not involved in the investigation, but oversaw U.S. offshore drilling rules until he retired in December 2009.
The Final Moments
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The investigators' finding could be a problem for the oil industry. Drilling rigs around the world rely on blowout preventers, most of them with the same basic design as the one that failed on the Deepwater Horizon.
The report doesn't address what caused the blowout itself. That has been the subject of several other major inquiries, which all have found that a series of decisions by BP and its contractors set the disaster in motion.
Even if the device had worked, it wouldn't have saved the lives of the 11 rig workers killed in the accident. That's because no one even tried to activate the shears until after massive explosions killed the men and crippled the rig. But the device could have mostly prevented the oil spill that began when the Deepwater Horizon sank two days after the initial explosion.
Drilling critics say the report is evidence of the industry's endemic problems.
"This report calls into question whether oil-industry claims about the effectiveness of blowout preventers are just a bunch of hot air," Rep. Edward Markey (D., Mass.) said Wednesday.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, the offshore drilling regulator, declined to comment on the report, but pointed to new, tougher safety rules adopted in the wake of the Gulf spill. Those rules require increased testing of blowout preventers, but don't require that those tests be performed on bent or off-center pipe.
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Erik Milito, head of exploration and production for the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, said companies were still studying the report's findings, but were confident existing blowout preventers were up to the task. He added that the industry has introduced new measures to make a blowout less likely and to contain a spill should one occur.
The new study was conducted by engineers from Norwegian risk-management company Det Norske Veritas, which was hired by federal investigators to examine the blowout preventer and figure out what went wrong.
Its engineers found that when workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon first detected a problem within the well on the night of April 20, they initially activated parts of the blowout preventer meant to grab onto the pipe and cut off the flow around it, but that don't take the more extreme step of cutting the pipe entirely.
Those parts of the blowout preventer worked, but they couldn't do anything to stop the explosive natural gas that had already flowed past the blowout preventer and were racing up to the surface. Once it reached the rig, the gas ignited, setting off a massive explosion that killed the 11 workers and knocked out the rig's power, leaving survivors with no way to trigger the final fail-safe on the blowout preventer, the pipe-cutting shears known as blind-shear rams, while they were still aboard the rig.
Investigators aren't sure when, but at some point, the blind-shear rams were finally activated. That could have been done either by the rig's dead-man switch, which is meant to automatically trigger the shears when the rig loses its connection to the blowout preventer, or it could have triggered two days later when remote-controlled robots arrived on the scene. The shears activated successfully, but they didn't seal the well. The investigators found that the shears didn't work because they are designed to cut through pipe that is centered in the well. But the force of the blowout deformed the pipe, bending it and knocking it out of center, where the blades couldn't fully cut it.
The findings could be good news for BP, which has argued the disaster was at least partially attributable to the failure of the blowout preventer, which was owned and maintained by rig owner Transocean Ltd. and built by Cameron International Corp. A BP spokeswoman said: "We support efforts by regulators and the industry to make BOPs more reliable and effective."
The report could also be good news for Transocean, which said Wednesday the "findings confirm that the BOP was in proper operating condition and functioned as designed." Earlier investigations have questioned the company's maintenance of the blowout preventer. But the new study found that any maintenance flaws didn't explain the device's failure.
The report could turn attention back to Cameron, which has until recently escaped most scrutiny. The company said Wednesday the device "was designed and tested to industry standards and customer specifications."
The oil industry has long known that blowout preventers were prone to failure, especially as drilling has moved into deeper water, requiring thicker, tougher pipe. In 2004, a study commissioned by federal regulators found that only three of 14 newly built rigs had blowout preventers that could squeeze off and cut the pipe at the water pressure likely to be experiencedat the equipment's maximum water depth.
"This grim snapshot illustrates the lack of preparedness in the industry to shear and seal a well with the last line of defense against a blowout," the study said. The Wall Street Journal first reported the study's findings in a story last May.
The study singled out Cameron for relying on calculations to determine the needed strength of shear arms using "shear forces lower than required or desired in many cases."
In testimony before the presidential commission investigating the spill last year, Bill Ambrose, a Transocean executive, said blowout preventers weren't designed to cut off a flowing well.
"It is somewhat like snipping a fire hose with a pair of scissors," Mr. Ambrose said. "The blind shear ram is not designed for that particular condition."
Some experts said the report emphasized the need to avoid blowouts in the first place.
"The issue is not the BOP," said Tadeusz Patzek, chairman of the petroleum engineer department at the University of Texas, "but making sure the BOP never has to be activated in such circumstances. You don't want to rely on a single device between you and eternity."
Online.wsj.com
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Josh Lewsey will make an instant impact for Wasps, insists former England team-mate Jason Robinson
Jason Robinson has backed Josh Lewsey to have an instant impact for Wasps following his former England team-mate’s shock decision to come out of retirement on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
Impact: Josh Lewsey will make an instant impact for Wasps, insists his former England team-mate Jason Robinson Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Gavin Mairs 4:58PM GMT 24 Mar 2011
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Robinson, who came out of retirement himself last summer to sign for National League Two North side Fylde having turned down offers from the Premiership, however warned his former World Cup winning team-mate that he faces a tough baptism on his return to the top flight after almost two years away from the game.
“He is coming back into the Premiership, which is the elite and the opposition players have had a three-quarters of the season to become well-oiled and well-drilled, so he will have a bit of catching up to do in a short space of time,” Robinson told Telegraph Sport.
“But if he didn’t think he could contribute, I doubt if he would have taken up the challenge. He has reputation for being one of the best and has played in World Cups so for him to come back if he didn’t feel like it would be a silly move as you wouldn’t want to destroy his wonderful reputation in a couple of months.
“The one thing about Josh, he is a highly-dedicated trainer and he will have kept himself in great shape while he has been working doing a normal day job.
“He will know physically he is up for it and if mentally he wants that challenge then why not.
“One of the things to come out of England’s defeat by Ireland is the importance of experience. As long as you are physically fit, if you can add that experience you will have a positive impact on any side.
“Josh has been there and done it and he will calm any nerves in the squad and will give the younger players advice on day-to-day things. But it is going to be tough for him, having been away from the game. He knows that.” Lewsey, who has been working full-time as a management consultant at an accountancy firm, has committed himself to Adams Park until the end of the season.
The 34-year-old has been recruited to provide cover in the back three following an injury to winger Tom Varndell, while knocks to other players could cause further problems.
“This isn’t a long-term thing but after playing in a couple of recent charity games, [interim director of rugby] Leon [Holden] and [head coach] Shaun Edwards contacted me to see if I could assist the club for the remainder of the season,” said Lewsey.
“If they think I could positively contribute to my old club in any way – be it on the field or around the dressing room on match days – then I’d be happy to do so.”
Holden insists Lewsey is the ideal solution to the club’s injury problems.
“This is a fantastic short-term signing and I have no doubt Josh will make a huge contribution to the squad in what’s left of the season,” he said.
Sale Sharks have been hit by the news that flanker Kris Chesney will not be joining them and has decided to remain at French side Toulon instead.
Chesney, 37, had verbally agreed to join the Premiership side on a two-year deal earlier this month.
Executive director of sport Steve Diamond said: “I was clearly told by the agent and the player verbally that he agreed to join us. I have now been told that the player had agreed to stay at Toulon. It’s a lack of integrity from the player.”
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A quiet view
Davanti al porto di Gaeta, a fine agosto, verso le 7 di sera. Una calma... e questo colore che insieme conferivano un'aria da paesaggio fantastico a tutta la vista. Le barche dei pirati?
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Roberto Carlos racially abused by fan waving banana in Russia
Russia's ability to stamp out racism before it hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2018 has been called into question after Brazilian football star Roberto Carlos was taunted by a fan with a half-peeled banana.
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Roberto Carlos of FC Anzhi Makhachkala in action against FC Zenit St. Petersburg Photo: AFP / GETTY
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Roberto Carlos of FC Anzhi Makhachkala in action against FC Zenit St. Petersburg Photo: AFP / GETTY
By Andrew Osborn, Moscow 4:09PM GMT 24 Mar 2011
The incident, which took place in St Petersburg last Monday before a match between Zenit St Petersburg and the Brazilian's new club, Anzhi Makhachkala, is the latest racism scandal to hit Russian football.
The 37-year-old Brazilian and former World Cup winner said he was unfazed by the abuse from an FC Zenit fan but urged the Russian authorities to get serious about tackling racism.
"This kind of behaviour by fans is unacceptable," Carlos told Russian media.
"I am sure my club and FC Zenit will do everything they can to find the culprit. That is the only way to get rid of the problem." FC Zenit, which could be punished for the incident by the Russian Football Association, said it was "deeply sorry" for any offence the unidentified fan had caused. It knew the name of the culprit and had passed it to the police but would not make it public for security reasons, it added.
The club, which is supported by much of Russia's elite including President Dmitry Medvedev, said it would ban the fan from its matches for life. It was fined £36,000 in 2008 after its fans threw bananas and made monkey chants at three black French players, while the club's previous manager, a Dutchman, has said he feared signing black players because of the fans' racist views.
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DAMASCUS, Syria—Government forces cracked down on demonstrators in Daraa on Wednesday, leaving 15 dead and dozens wounded as President Bashar al-Assad's government tries to prevent the small uprising from turning into a widespread revolt, activists said.
Security forces used live ammunition and tear gas to dispel demonstrators guarding al-Omari mosque, a focal point of the protests which began Friday after the detention of teenagers from the southern Syrian city.
Six people initially died during the attack, which began at 12.30 a.m. Wednesday, witnesses told the activists. The death toll climbed in the morning when bodies were found in the streets and later in the day after residents came under fire when they attempted to return to the mosque after funerals, said Malath Aumran, the spokesman for a group of Syria-based online activists, in an interview. Mr. Aumran uses a pseudonym for fear of government reprisal.
Nadim Houry, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said he reached two people in Daraa by telephone who described the attack on the mosque. Mr. Houry said he heard "the sound of gunfire" in the background during the call.
The Syrian government on Wednesday disputed the activists' version of events. Its official news agency said "an armed gang" attacked an ambulance in Daraa and security forces pursued the shooters. State TV released a video showing guns, AK-47s, hand grenades and other ammunition as well as stashes of cash that security forces allegedly found in the mosque.
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Ahmad Al Siyasaneh, the imam of al-Omari mosque, told Al Arabiya TV the protesters didn't stash weapons in the mosque and there were no armed gangs near it. "The youth have been peaceful," he said.
Mssrs. Houry and Aumran said they were told by witnesses in Daraa that the attacks were unprovoked.
The Daraa uprising poses the first serious threat against Assad and his Baath party in over two decades. Mr. Assad, who assumed the presidency after the death of his father Hafez in 2000, has been able to maintain domestic stability as wars erupted in neighboring Iraq and Lebanon and has strong support from minorities who fear an Islamist state.
Analysts said the Syrian government would continue to use violence against protestors, applying the lessons learned from successful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt and the quashed ones in Iran and Bahrain.
"They have seen the outcome of being a little too hesitant in Tunisia, where the authorities probably didn't give firm orders to the armed forces on what to do," said Fred Lawson, a professor of government and a Syria expert at Mills College in Oakland, Calif.
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Demonstrators in Daraa, who last week initially began protesting the arrest of a group of students who allegedly sprayed antigovernment graffiti on walls, soon began calling for wider political freedoms. Security forces, which the government said weren't following state orders, tried to quash the uprising, killing at least six people on Friday.
As news of the latest casualties emerged, people from the nearby villages of Inkhil, Jasim, Khirbet Ghazaleh and al-Harrah tried to march on Daraa Wednesday night but security forces opened fire as they approached, an activist told the Associated Press. It wasn't clear if there were more deaths or injuries.
Meanwhile, the government also is clamping down on the few publicly known human rights activists. Mazen Darwish, the head of the Damascus Center for Freedom of Expression, who was briefly detained on March 16, was arrested again on Wednesday, Mr. Aumran said.
The unrest hasn't spread to other cities in Syria despite the efforts of online activist to push people to action. "Syrians generally have a disdain for engaging in activities that could produce instability and chaos," said David Lesch, a professor of Middle East History at Trinity University. "But rather than trying to muddle his way through, Mr. Assad should consider measures of true political reform rather than bits and pieces of co-optation masquerading as reform."
Mr. Assad fired the governor of Deraa province, and the government formed a committee to investigate "the unfortunate events" there, promising to hold to account those found responsible.
The most recent threat to the Assad government was when Rifaat al-Assad, the exiled uncle of the current president, attempted to grab power from his brother Hafez in 1984. Two years earlier, the Syrian government stamped out the Muslim Brotherhood, which had waged a campaign to overthrow the government since the 1970s, killing an estimated 20,000 people in Hama in 1982.
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Allied forces resumed airstrikes on Wednesday against Libyan government targets involved in the siege of the coastal city of Misrata, east of Tripoli, according to several residents who also recounted a grim humanitarian situation and atrocities still being committed by Col. Moammar Gadhafi's troops.
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said allied forces remained concerned about the regime's actions in Misrata, although military strikes have been successful in forcing Col. Gadhafi's forces to retreat from the eastern city of Benghazi.
Residents in Misrata said fighter jets were heard starting at about 1:30 a.m. Libya time, and that this was followed by the sound of multiple explosions. In one instance they said the sky was lit up and a flame rose briefly from the direction of the air-force academy and airport south of the city where a large contingent of Col. Gadhafi's troops has been hunkered down for weeks.
The sound of intermittent explosions continued until about 11:00 a.m., local time, said the residents who were reached by telephone.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi says the West will wind up in the 'dustbin of history' as the allies enter day 5 of the No-Fly Zone patrol. Also WSJ's Peter Landers reports Japanese plans to revamp nuclear cooling plans did not include existing plants.
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It's not possible for journalists based in Tripoli to go anywhere near Misrata, about 125 miles to the east, because of checkpoints and a heavy presence by Col. Gadhafi's forces and the fact that key areas around the city—such as Zlitin to the west, Bani Walid to the southwest and Tawurgha to the southeast—remain loyal to the regime.
Government officials in Tripoli have insisted over and over again that the situation was calm in Misrata and that they were only confronting a small band of Islamic extremists.
Misrata, Libya's third-largest city and an important commercial hub, rose up against the regime when the first wave of protests swept the country last month. As in many other places in Libya, the protesters were brutally suppressed, prompting a violent backlash. Rebels subsequently took control of Misrata's center and formed local military and civilian councils to manage their affairs.
Since then Col. Gadhafi's forces have encircled the city center from all directions and have tried to isolate it from the outside world by cutting water and electricity supply, preventing food and medicine shipments, and disconnecting the cellular telephone network there. Residents now rely on water pumped from deep wells and distributed by tanker trucks.
Col. Gadhafi's forces have relentlessly shelled the city center with heavy artillery and have made several incursions that have triggered street battles with the rebels. The violence, including the use of sniper fire by Col. Gadhafi's troops, has resulted in the death of dozens of people, according to two doctors in the city. One said the overall death toll has reached at least 170 since late February. This couldn't be independently confirmed.
Government forces now control one of the city's major arteries known as Tripoli Street and have moved into the sprawling central hospital which has been under reconstruction since 2007, according to witnesses. They said government forces have posted snipers on rooftops and tanks in front of the hospital.
In London, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said the United Nations-mandated military action in Libya has made good progress, but it is clearly in the early stages and a lot more remains to be done.
Speaking in Parliament, he said a no-fly zone was now in place over the country, with 11 nations contributing more than 150 aircraft towards the effort.
"Any idea that the second cease fire was any more meaningful than the first cease-fire, we can see that is complete nonsense," he said. "So I think we made good progress in the no-fly zone, good progress in terms of turning those forces back and protecting civilians, but clearly this is early stages and a lot more remains to be done."
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Syrian Protests Spread Despite Governor's Firing
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Coalition members haven't been able to agree on whether the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should take charge of the mission. France, seen by some diplomats as trying to mend fences with Arab neighbors while leading the fight to protect Libyan rebels against the Tripoli regime, has proposed a command structure with NATO in a subsidiary role.
NATO did agree Tuesday to enforce an arms embargo, but not on its role in the no-fly zone. So far, the Libya operations have been led by U.S. Adm. Locklear, coordinating with military commanders of France, Britain and the other armed forces involved.
A NATO official Wednesday said NATO warships has begun patrolling off Libya's coast to enforce the U.N. arms embargo on the country, the Associated Press reported. The naval mission will be commanded from NATO's operational center in Naples, Italy, and will consist of two frigates, six minesweepers and a supply ship, the official told AP.
The Obama administration has indicated it wants to hand over command, preferably to NATO, in coming days—an objective backed by Britain, Italy, Norway and others. Speaking in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, on Tuesday just before ending his Latin American trip, Mr. Obama said the U.S. could cede control soon.
Late Tuesday, President Barack Obama called French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron as he sought to resolve the dispute over the control structure. The president and other top U.S. officials called on other leaders to contribute forces to the cause.
Another looming question is how the U.S. and its partners would proceed in case of a long military standoff in which the allies succeed in protecting civilians and rebel forces, but Col. Gadhafi remains in power. The allied nations have each offered different interpretations of the campaign's end goals.
A U.S. warplane crashes in Libya overnight. The pilot and crew members ejected safely. WSJ's Stephen Fidler reports.
Coalition forces are going to "great lengths" to avoid civilian casualties as they carry out a series of air strikes against Gadhafi's army in Libya, U.S. Secretary of State Robert Gates said Tuesday on a visit to Russia.
Col. Gadhafi made a defiant appearance late Tuesday in front of a clutch of diehard supporters from impoverished Tripoli neighborhoods at his headquarters in Bab Azizya, two days after allied forces struck a building there, which caused significant material damage but no casualties, Libyan officials said.
France, which recently rejoined NATO's military command structure after more than 30 years, has insisted it doesn't want to give the organization a central command-and-control role. French officials have said Arab countries are against NATO involvement, and that the current command structure is working fine.
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Other diplomats said the Arab League doesn't object to NATO's role. They are also concerned that the operation is taking big risks already by not having a unified command. Some officials described it as being barely coordinated on Saturday when French jets launched attacks in Libya hours ahead of allies.
In Paris on Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé proposed a new political steering committee to oversee military operations over Libya. The new body would include foreign ministers of participating states, such as Britain, France and the U.S., as well as the Arab League.
"For us, this operation is carried out by a coalition," Mr. Juppé told the French National Assembly, the lower house of the country's parliament. "So it's not a NATO operation."
Turkey, another NATO member, has expressed strong reservations about the no-fly zone. But several diplomats said they expected Ankara would eventually agree to NATO participation, subject to conditions.
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On the Ground in Libya
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![[SB10001424052748703858404576214412120987404]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-ND300_0321li_D_20110321091441.jpg)
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Libyan army soldiers stood on a building, destroyed in what the government said was a western missile attack, inside Bab Al-Aziziyah, Col. Gadhafi's heavily fortified Tripoli compound Monday.
Battle for Benghazi
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A senior U.S. official said the Obama administration was still cobbling together a command structure for the Libya operations. The official said the U.S. expects NATO to be central, but also believes Muslim countries such as Turkey and Qatar will play a larger part. "NATO obviously has a key role here," said the official. "But that's part of a broader effort and that's not to say it's NATO only."
The U.S. has sought participation by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have among the region's most modern militaries, largely equipped with U.S.-made equipment. So far, though, both Arab countries have declined to participate militarily, despite the support that their own regional bloc, the Gulf Cooperation Council, has expressed for the intervention. Only Qatar among the six GCC nations is sending jets.
The U.A.E., which had led Arab nations' calls for allied military action, surprised coalition members by holding back from deploying its own aircraft. The former commander of its airforce said Tuesday that was because of dissatisfaction with U.S. and European complaints about regime violence against protesters in its ally Bahrain.
South Africa and China criticized the allied airstrikes over Libyan claims of civlian casualties, which U.S. officials denied. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the pace of airstrikes should decline in the next few days and cautioned against believing what he called Col. Gadhafi's "outright lies."
Germany, which abstained from the U.N. vote, Wednesday approved the use of Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, or AWACs, over Afghanistan to free up military resources of other countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for their mission in Libya.
Up to 300 soldiers, coming from a flexible reserve of German troops for Afghanistan, could be used in Afghanistan in relation to the AWAC use, said Steffen Seibert said, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The mission is approved until Jan. 31, 2012.
The government Wednesday will table the AWACs decision for approval in Germany's parliament.
Germany's offer to use AWACs in Afghanistan comes as Mrs. Merkel tries to avoid the impression that Germany is isolated among its Western allies.
—Stacy Meichtry and Bernd Radowitz contributed to this article.
More
Yemeni President Refuses to Quit
Former U.A.E. Official Blames U.S., EU for Libyan Pullout
Syrian Protests Spread Despite Governor's Firing
Protesters Set Egypt's Interior Ministry Ablaze
With Crackdown, Bahrain Returns to Old Playbook
NATO Agrees to Enforce Libyan Arms Embargo
U.S. Elaborates on Jet Mishap
Allies Spar but Renew Airstrikes on Libya
Write to Sam Dagher at sam.dagher@wsj.com, Stephen Fidler at stephen.fidler@wsj.com and Stacy Meichtry at stacy.meichtry@wsj.com
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