Libyan rebels take back oil town

    Libyan rebels took back a key oil town and pushed westward on Sunday toward the capital, seizing momentum from the international airstrikes that tipped the balance away from Moammar Gadhafi’s military.

    Brega, a main oil export terminal in eastern Libya, fell after a skirmish late Saturday and rebel forces moved swiftly west, seizing the tiny desert town of Al-Egila — a collection of houses and a gas station — on their way to the massive oil refining complex of Ras Lanouf.

    S. Korea sends home 27 N. Koreans

    South Korea repatriated on Sunday 27 of 31 North Koreans who had drifted to the South across the tense sea border last month, Seoul officials said.

    The other four who have expressed a wish to stay were taking steps to officially defect to the South, said a spokeswoman for Seoul’s unification ministry, which handles cross-border affairs.

    Liz Taylor buried near Jackson

    Film icon Elizabeth Taylor was laid to rest in the same celebrity cemetery as her long-time friend Michael Jackson.

    The legendary actress, who died last Wednesday aged 79, was sent off with an hour-long private ceremony at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park on Thursday, where generations of Hollywood stars are buried.

    During their lives, the pop icon and Hollywood legend were at times inseparable, with homes near each other in the plush Bel Air and Beverly Hills neighborhoods west of Hollywood.

    Shenzhen observes Earth Hour

    Lights were switched off at some landmark buildings and residential estates between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. in Shenzhen to observe Earth Hour on Saturday to arouse awareness of environmental protection. Dozens of skyscrapers and hundreds of companies in Futian CBD participated in the global campaign and an unplugged concert was staged to mark the beginning of low-carbon year.

    The one-hour campaign helped save an estimated 33,900 kwh, equivalent to reduced consumption of 13.56 tons of coal, Shenzhen Power Supply Co. sources said. (SD-Agencies)