LIBYA

The energy-thirsty United States is on the hunt for a game-changing energy source or energy usage technology -- and batteries and fuel cells are strong candidates. But their mass use could be 20 years away. Meanwhile, a conventional source may bridge that gap, or provide even more upside: natural gas.

Diehard loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi threw rockets, mortars and heavy gunfire at Libyan fighters who pushed into two besieged towns on Friday in a bid to end months of civil war and capture key figures from the old ruling system.

Photos of the final phase of the Libyan revolution

The miners became trapped almost 300 feet underground when a tunnel collapsed and flooded the Gleision Colliery near Pontardawe on Thursday morning.

Forces loyal to Libya's new rulers surged into the desert town of Bani Walid Friday in a fierce attack on one of the last strongholds still in the hands of Moammar Gadhafi loyalists that could prove a major turning point in the war.

Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron landed in Libya to a heroes' welcome on Wednesday, promising help for the new rulers that French and British air power helped to install and being told the favour may be repaid in business contracts.

Gadhafi told the world that his four-year-old girl died during the Regan-era bombing raids on Libya in 1986. But is she alive, living in Tripoli as a doctor?

The two politicians had strong words for Moammar Gadhafi, wherever he is hiding, saying that is it time to give up.

The Kabul attack is now over, but the Middle East and Arab worlds are still overflowing with violence, social unrest and international tension. Here is the round up of news from Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

The United States gave Libya's new rulers a very visible show of support on Wednesday when a senior envoy visited the capital and praised their efforts to assert control of armed groups three weeks after Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown.

The Arab Spring revolutions could enable sectarian and religious violence in countries where civil society has collapsed, the U.S. State Department said in its annual report on religious freedom.

During every presidential campaign season, a number of underdog candidates decide to run for the White House – most of whom have no hopes of ever getting elected.

Brent crude fell slightly on Wednesday pressured by a gloomy demand outlook and expectations of increased supply from the North Sea and Libya.

Canada has obtained U.N. approval to unfreeze $2.2 billion in Libyan assets for humanitarian aid and reestablished its diplomatic mission in Tripoli on Tuesday, government officials said.

New al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri voiced support in an Internet video for popular revolts shaking the Middle East, saying Arabs no longer feared the United States 10 years after the country was targeted by the militant network.

The World Bank on Tuesday said it officially recognized the ruling National Transitional Council as Libya's government and had been asked to help lead efforts to restore vital services and develop jobs programs as the country tries to return to normal after a six-month war.

Libyan transitional forces besieging a bastion of forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on Tuesday gave residents two days to leave before a threatened onslaught, and fears rose for the fate of civilians trapped in the last redoubts of the fallen strongman.

A timeline of Moammar Gadhafi's rise to power and this his fall from power.

Terming the dialogue initiated by the British government with Colonel Gaddafi in 2003 as right decision, the former MI5 chief Lady Eliza Manningham-Buller today acknowledged that though it was difficult, but the decision to engage in dialogue with Gaddafi in 2003 was right.

World oil consumption will increase more slowly than expected this year and next as the pace of global economic growth eases, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday.

Libya's interim leader has made his first public speech in Tripoli, warning against reprisals after Moammar Gadhafi loyalists struck out at the revolutionaries pursuing them.