Amidst all the confusing news out of Libya the last couple of days, today's reports assert that the rebels have taken over the Tripoli compund of Gadhafi.
Meanwhile, the UNHRC adopts a resolution condemning Syria for the ongoing murder of civlians by government forces.
Yemen's Prime Minister is expected to return home soon after recovering from injuries in neighboring Saudi Arabia..
Iran announces a series of new weapons and military equipment, including a cruise missile.
Libya:
Rebel fighters have seized Moammar Gadhafi's compound in the capital, Tripoli, and are celebrating what they consider a major victory over the Libyan leader and his loyalist troops.
The rebel fighters fought their way into Mr. Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound Tuesday despite heavy gunfire from pro-Gadhafi forces. Hundreds of rebels could be seen firing their weapons in the air in celebration. Others waved flags and tore down posters of Mr. Gadhafi.
It was not clear if Mr. Gadhafi or members of his inner circle were in the compound at the time, or the city of Tripoli. U.S. officials in Washington said Tuesday they believe Mr. Gadhafi was still in Libya.
In New York, Libya's Deputy U.N. Ambassador, Ibrahim Dabbashi, told reporters he expects Tripoli to be completely liberated within the next 72 hours.
EU Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton said Tuesday the rebels' political leader, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, told her they have control of 80 percent of the Libyan capital.
Meanwhile, Libyan rebels say they also have taken control of the eastern oil port of Ras Lanuf Tuesday. The major oil port is east on the road to Mr. Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte.
Syria:
Western nations circulated a draft U.N. Security Council resolution Tuesday calling for sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, influential family members and key associates aimed at stopping the government's continued crackdown on dissent.
U.S. and European delegations at the council hope to put the draft resolution to a vote as soon as possible. But Russia, which has veto-power, said it does not think sanctioning Damascus is the right approach at the moment. Moscow's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said now is not the time to slap the punitive measures on the Syrian government.
In addition to Mr. Assad, the draft resolution calls for an asset freeze against 22 key Syrian figures including the president's brother Maher, commander of the army's 4th armored division, which is said to have played a key role in suppressing protests.
The proposed sanctions are in response to Damascus' five-month crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, which the United Nations says has left 2,200 civilians dead.
Mr. Assad's cousin Rami Makhlouf, a tycoon who controls Syria's biggest cellphone firm and other lucrative businesses, is also on the sanctions list. He has been the target of protesters' rage.
The resolution would impose sanctions on Syria's General Intelligence Directorate and other companies it says provide funding for the government. The proposed measures include an enhanced arms embargo and a travel ban on 21 individuals, but not Mr. Assad or his younger brother.
Earlier Tuesday, opponents of Mr. Assad formed a “national council” they say will coordinate efforts to oust the embattled leader. Activists meeting in Turkey announced the group's formation but they provided few details on the group's make-up.
Meanwhile, U.S. ambassador Robert Ford has made a surprise visit to the Syrian town of Jassem, where security forces have carried out several deadly crackdowns on dissent. Ford traveled to the town in the Dara'a region on Tuesday.
The visit comes a month after Ford and French ambassador Eric Chevallier angered Syrian officials by visiting the flashpoint city of Hama. The move prompted the Syrian government to impose travel restrictions on the two envoys.
In a separate development, the U.N. Human Rights Council approved a resolution that calls for an investigation into possible rights violations committed by Syrian security forces. The council's action comes one day after rights groups said Syrian forces killed eight people as hundreds of protesters rallied against President Assad.
The United States, the European Union and other Western powers have said that Mr. Assad must step down. The Syrian leader has defended his crackdown by describing the opposition as armed gangs and terrorists. He also said criticism from Western countries means nothing to him.
Yemen:
Yemen's Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Megawar is expected to return home soon after recovering from injuries in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
Government aides say Mr. Megawar could return to Yemen as soon as Tuesday. He was wounded in June when opposition fighters bombed the government compound in Sana'a. President Ali Abdullah Saleh also was wounded in the blast and is being treated in Saudi Arabia.
A number of Yemeni officials who were hurt in the attack sought treatment in the neighboring country.
On Monday, the speaker of the Yemeni parliament's upper house died from his injuries while in Saudi Arabia. Shura Council leader Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani was the first senior political official to succumb to his injuries.
Iran:
Iran has unveiled a series of new weapons and military equipment, including a cruise missile that it says has a range of 200 kilometers.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the development of the Iranian-made cruise missile on Tuesday. State-run media reports say he also unveiled a torpedo system that carries a 220-kilogram warhead and a marine engine that will be used by naval forces.
State reports say the cruise missile is called "Qader" - or "able" - in Farsi. It is described as having "high destructive power" that can be used against warships or "enemy coastal targets."
Iran periodically makes announcements about what it says are advances in its domestically-built military equipment. In July, Tehran said it had successfully test-fired two missiles with a range of 1,900 kilometers.
Information for these reports compiled from articles at VOA News.
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