15:20 BBCA former Libyan foreign minister whom Col Gaddafi had appointed as his UN ambassador, Ali Abdussalm Treki, has refused to take up any official position and condemned the “spilling of blood”, Reuters reports. Mr Treki made the remarks in a statement sent to Reuters by his nephew, Soufian Treki, a Libyan diplomat at the Arab League in Cairo. He said his uncle was in Cairo now. Mr Treki said in a statement: “I have decided not to continue work or to accept any duty. I pray to God to help me participate in saving this precious nation.” He called for a national dialogue to discuss Libyan aspirations.
14:40 BBC Coalition forces have bombed pro-Gaddafi forces near Brega, and they have been pushed back to the village of Bishr, west of the city, BBC Monitoring reports, quoting privately-owned online newspaper Libya al-Yawm. “Brega: Alliance forces bomb the hardware of Gaddafi’s brigades near the village of al-Urqub to the south of Brega… Brega: Gaddafi brigades driven back to the area of the village of Bishr west of Brega,” the paper said.
14:05 Reuters Gaddafi forces are using artillery to bombard Misrata, according to a spokesman for the revolutionaries. He adds that 20 civilians were killed in the city on Wednesday when houses were hit by shells. The shelling is still going on today, as Gaddafi’s forces have surrounded the city.
13:45 Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent has just reported that Gaddafi’s forces are bombarding the eastern entrance of the city of Brega
13:39 DIRECT from Misratah Wefaq Media confirm Gaddafi’s forces are still shelling and bombarding the city specifically in the eastern entrance near the Medical Technology College and in Tripoli Street. Eyewitness confirm that Gaddafi’s forces are using civilian cars to bring in supplies and mercenaries in an attempt to avoid being targets for air strikes.
13:31 Ny Tid Norwegian newspaper Ny Tid reports that Al Jazeera’s/Ny Tid’s journalist Ammar Al-Hamdan has been freed. He was released in Tripoli at 12:30 local time. Ammar is now back on the streets reporting, they say.
13:12 The BBC‘s Ben Brown in Ajdabiya says the rebels are still coming under ferocious fire from tanks and artillery. They appear to be losing ground quickly, he says, as the regime troops slowly but surely move eastwards.
12:19 The Guardian has been told that General Khouildi Hamidi, Muammar Gaddafi’s intelligence coordinator, is defecting from the Gaddafi regime. They’re trying to confirm this.
12:43 Reuters Nato has said it is investigating reports of civilian casualties during coalition strikes on Tripoli. “We are making inquiries to the chain of command to see if there is any substance, but don’t have information to corroborate [them],” an official was quoted by Reuters as saying. “We will do everything we can to determine if anything did happen.” A top Vatican official in Tripoli cited what they called reliable witnesses as saying at least 40 civilians have been killed in air strikes on the city.
11:56 AFP Nato’s Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said he is opposed to the idea of arming Libyan rebels, stressing Nato is in the country to protect and not to arm Libyans, AFP reports.
11:17 BBC‘s Nick Springate is between Ajdabiya and Brega, he says: “In the last few minutes, opposition forces who were travelling down the coastal road have been hit by artillery. One round landed on their lead vehicle, destroying their vehicle, and without doubt killing those inside.”
11:08 BBC Former UK foreign secretary Jack Straw says it’s important to ensure that members of the Gaddafi regime feel they can defect without facing immediate charges. “You accept certain political realities in the interests of a wider benefit – which is, in the Libyan case, the prospect of earlier stability in that country and fewer killings – and you start to embrace these individuals,” he said.
10:50 The Guardian Gaddafi’s regime has been ordered to appear before Africa’s highest court to face charges of “massive violations of human rights” for killing peaceful demonstrators. The court declares the regime must immediately stop any action that would result in loss of life or breach of human rights. The announcement from the court in Arusha, Tanzania, is likely to be welcomed by Nato.
10:15 NATO Secretary General Rasmussen has confirmed that the alliance has taken over international air operations over Libya this morning at 0600 GMT.
09:12 Reuters Revolutionaries have massed outside Brega and say their forces are still fighting Col Gaddafi’s troops for control of the east Libyan oil town.
10:06 BBC For Libyan author Hisham Mattar, Moussa Koussa is not somebody who should be feted by the UK Foreign Office (FCO): “Moussa Koussa has been called many things; the most colourful are ‘the envoy of death’ and ‘the father of Lockerbie’,” he told the BBC World Service. “Very few of Col Gaddafi’s men are associated more strongly or more directly with macabre violence than the man who now enjoys the hospitality of the FCO.”
01:26 Almanara Media Reports that coalition air strikes have targeted the source of Satellite Signal Scrambling located in Salahuddin area in Tripoli
01:13 Reuters A Reuters photographer says Mr Koussa crossed into Tunisia in a convoy of armoured limousines.
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