End of an era: Moammar Gadhafi, who ruled Libya with a dictatorial grip for 42 years until he was ousted by his own people in an uprising that turned into a bloody civil war, was killed today when revolutionary forces overwhelmed his hometown, Sirte, the last major bastion of resistance, two months after his regime fell. The 69-year-old Gadhafi is the first leader to be killed in the Arab Spring wave of popular uprisings that have swept the Middle East, demanding the end of autocratic rulers and greater democracy. “We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Moammar Gadhafi has been killed,” Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril told a news conference in the capital city of Tripoli. Gadhafi had been one of the world’s most mercurial leaders, dominating Libya with a regime that often seemed run by his whims and bringing international condemnation and isolation on his country for years. Read more from The Associated Press here.
Taking a big bite: Apple says the country’s eighth-largest phone company, C Spire Wireless—known as Cellular South until a month ago—will start selling the iPhone 4S in a few weeks. It’s a major coup for the small company, which provides service in Mississippi and surrounding states. So far, only the three biggest carriers sell the iPhone in the U.S. C Spire is bypassing the rest, including T-Mobile USA and U.S. Cellular, in getting the right to sell it. Neither C Spire nor Apple explained why C Spire was getting the phone rather than the nation’s No. 4 carrier, T-Mobile. C Spire is based in Ridgeland, Miss., and has subscribers in Mississippi, Memphis, Tenn., Mobile, Ala., and Pensacola, Fla.
Small growth anticipated: A gauge of future economic activity edged up at a slower pace in September, signaling modest economic growth in coming months. The Conference Board reports today that its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.2% in September. It was the fifth consecutive gain but was weaker than increases of 0.3% in August and 0.6% in July. The September increase reflects increases in five of the 10 indicators that make up the index. Economists predict an annual growth rate of roughly 2% in the second half of this year. The economy grew at a rate of just 0.9% in the first six months of the year.
