A team of Norwegian experts concludes that the ‘blind-shear ram,’ which was part of the blowout preventer, was not designed to deal with the bent pipe. Their report on this aspect of the Gulf oil spill was released Wednesday.

The Obama administration has hammered out a plan that puts NATO in the driver’s seat and gives a broader range of countries, including some Arab states, ‘political leadership’ of the Libya mission.

The Arizona Legislature is considering an array of bills that would ease state gun control. The bills have generated controversy, since they were crafted only weeks after the Jan. 8 mass shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that killed six and wounded US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others.

Among the gun-related bills working their way through the Republican-controlled legislature:

AP - NATO ships began patrolling off Libya's coast Wednesday as airstrikes, missiles and energized rebels forced Moammar Gadhafi's tanks to roll back from two key western cities, including one that was the hometown of army officers who tried to overthrow him in 1993.

AP - The United States turned up the pressure on quarreling NATO allies to take command of the air war in Libya on Wednesday, suggesting the U.S. could step away from its leadership role as soon as this weekend, even with the conflict's outcome in doubt.

AP - Israeli warplanes hit Hamas targets in Gaza early Thursday, retaliating for rocket attacks on Israeli cities, as tension peaked over the first deadly bombing targeting Israelis in Jerusalem in several years.