UNITED NATIONS

Quran burning pastor Terry Jones gives birth to new non-Taliban violence in Afghanistan as seen in Friday riots against U.N. where civilians were instigated by preachers.

At least eight United Nations staff-members and four protesters have been killed during protests in Afghanistan related to a purported burning of a Holy Quran, according to Afghan officials.

Libyan rebels have reportedly offered terms of a ceasefire if Moammar Gaddafi withdraws his soldiers from opposition-controlled cities and subsequently permits peaceful protests against the regime, according to a report in Al Jazeera.

U.S. forces will significantly dilute their role in Libya though they played crucial role in the first phase of Operation Odyssey Dawn, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told the House Armed Services Committee.

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.

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.

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.

Tesla says the popular BBC show has spread a campaign of misinformation regarding its Roadster electric car.

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.

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.

The U.S. sixth fleet has attacked Libyan ships near the port city of Misrata, where pro-Gaddafi forces had made significant advances, according to the latest reports from the Libyan war theater.

Crude prices traded below $104 a barrel on Tuesday in Asia as Libyan rebels announced resumption of oil exports from the sites controlled by them.

President Barack Obama spoke to the nation on Monday about the situation in Libya, saying the NATO alliance of nation to which the United States belongs will take over command on Wednesday and adding that the wider changes arising from popular outcry in the Middle East cannot be changed back.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Libyan's to organize a transition that will oust current Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi from power.

The tiny Persian Gulf state of Qatar has become the first Arab nation to recognize the rebels of Libya as representing that country’s legitimate ruling body.

Muammar Gaddafi's daughter Aisha Gaddafi described as the Claudia Schiffer of North Africa by the Arabic press could have easily graced the pages of Vogue magazine but she opted for a role to further her father's cause.

Protests in Libya which began on February 15 in Libya have escalated into an international conflict as Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's efforts to stay in power have triggered efforts by NATO, Arab nations, and other partners to protect civilians.