In brief: Gadhafi loyalists repel joint attack

Tripoli, Libya – Libyan forces repelled a coordinated attack by NATO forces and rebels against a strategic oil town in the east of the country, the government spokesman said Thursday.

The announcement came as Libya also barred Italy, one of the country’s largest investors, from its oil sector because of Rome’s role in the NATO airstrikes.

Moussa Ibrahim told journalists that rebel forces attacked the town of Brega backed by NATO forces in the sea and air in a coordinated attack that he said violated the alliance’s U.N. mandate to protect civilians.

Ibrahim’s assessment of the fighting could not immediately be verified.

Chavez approves oil-price agency

Caracas, Venezuela – Ailing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez capped a busy Thursday full of pronouncements and speeches by signing a decree that creates a new state authority to oversee prices.

The action aims to attack one of the biggest challenges facing the oil-exporting country: annual inflation hovering near 24 percent that is the highest in Latin America.

Chavez also rallied supporters and expressed confidence that he will survive cancer, a day after saying he expects to eventually undergo chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

“I’m facing one of the biggest battles of my life,” Chavez told the crowd in a downtown Caracas plaza. “With the grace of God we will also win it.”

The newspaper Estado de S. Paulo in Brazil reported on its website Thursday night that Chavez would seek treatment at Hospital Sirio Libanes, a facility in Sao Paulo known as one of the best hospitals for cancer treatment in Latin America.