LIBYA

On the heels of the defection of former foreign minister Moussa Koussa, more high-level associated of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi have apparently abandoned him, according to a report in Al Jazeera.

Minister Louis Farrakhan, the leader of Nation of Islam (NOI) in the U.S., has defended his brother” Moammar Gaddafi and blasted U.S. military action in Libya.

American military bosses have warned that Moammar Gaddafi’s army remains very strong, despite hundreds of allied strikes on Libyan targets by western coalition forces.

Oil prices jumped to their highest close in 2-1/2 years on Thursday in thin end-of-quarter trading that left Brent near a record quarterly rise of more than $22 as Libya's conflict and Middle East unrest kept supply threats in focus and U.S. economic data added lift.

Forces loyal to Moammar Gaddafi are making an aggressive eastward advance into Brega, Libya, where there are battling back undermanned rebel forces for control of the key coastal city.

Oil prices rose on Thursday on the last day of the quarter, with Brent heading for its second biggest quarterly rise as Middle East protests and unrest and Libya's conflict kept threats to supply in focus.

Amidst reports that Libyan rebels are retreating in the face of the superior firepower of Moammar Gaddafi’s armies, the head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has ruled out the possibility of providing weapons to the beleaguered rebel groups.

Oil prices rose over $2 on Thursday, led by Brent which was heading for its second biggest quarterly rise, touching $117.70 a barrel as Middle East supply worries led concerns.

Moussa Koussa, Libya’s former foreign minister who defected to the U.K., has been questioned and debriefed by British authorities.

Amidst reports that the Libyan foreign minister has defected to the west, soldiers loyal to Moammar Gaddafi have recaptured the strategic oil city of Ras Lanuf from rebel factions.

The British foreign ministry is reporting that Moussa Koussa, Libya's former foreign minister, has arrived in the UK and is resigning from his post.

Oil prices eased on Wednesday in choppy, thin trading, pressured by record high stockpiles at the Cushing delivery point for U.S. crude even as Libya and Middle East uncertainty supported oil, which remained on track to end the first-quarter up more than 10 percent.

House Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday said President Barack Obama had not been able to answer a question about how long NATO would enforce a no fly zone over Libya if Col. Muammar Gaddafi did not leave the country.

Libya’s foreign minister Moussa Koussa is reportedly on a plane flying to London after he spent a two-day visit in Tunisia, according to a report from the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) news agency.

Crude oil prices hovered near unchanged on Wednesday in choppy, thin trading after slumping on data showing rising U.S. crude stockpiles even as Libya and Middle East uncertainty limited losses ahead of the close of first-quarter 2011.

A slideshow showcasing Gaddafi's sons and their varied engagements.

Oil fell on Wednesday, weighed down by swelling crude inventories in the United States, while President Barack Obama was expected to set an ambitious long-term goal to cut oil imports.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has vowed that all the illegal immigrants who have arrived on the island of Lampedusa from North Africa will soon be deported.

The British government has expelled five Libyan diplomats who allegedly could pose a threat to UK national security.

The East African country of Uganda is reportedly willing to allow Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi to live there in exile, according to spokesman for Ugandan president.

Gold shot up by nearly one percent on Wednesday, after four sessions of losses amid broad support from unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, but gains may stay limited by expectations monetary policy in key regions may tighten. Spot gold was bid at $1,430.55 an ounce at 1344 GMT, against $1,415.95 late in New York on Tuesday.