LIBYA

A top NATO official on Thursday said there is no purely military solution to the crisis in Libya, as the coalition of North American and European nations took control of protecting civilians while rebels fighting Gaddafi-backed forces suffered setbacks after gains earlier in the week and talk of arming them grew.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

As soldiers loyal to Moammar Gaddafi appear to have retaken the city of Bin Jawad through a violent counter-offensive against rebel forces, fears are growing that Libya has sunk into a stalemate that could split the country apart into two nations.

France, which has been the most aggressive foreign nation to move against Libya, said it was prepared to discuss providing weapons to the Libyan opposition – even if the UN mandate on Libya did not specifically provide for this feature.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in London on Tuesday at an international gathering focusing on the political future of Libya, said no decision has been made as to arming Libyan rebels but said such an option was a possibility under a United Nations resolution passed last week.

While Western powers and some of their Arab allies are meeting in London to discuss military action in Libya and that country’s future, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron told the gathered parties there were better days ahead for Libya and that coalition forces will continue to impose ther no-fly zone over the North African country.

The International Community is meeting to support Libya's people to find a political transition away from current leader Muammar Gaddafi, a move President Barack Obama backed in a speech Monday as he outlined a support role the U.S. will play while an international coalition carries out military attacks on Libyan defenses to enforce a no-fly zone.

There has been twister postings suggesting that Libyan foreign minister Mousa Kousa has fled the country and probably defected. The BBC cited a twitter posting saying that Kousa has been cited in Tunisia with family and luggages. BBC said it can’t verify the authenticity of the information.