Four Libyan rebels were killed and 30 wounded in clashes with forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on the frontline between Ajdabiya and Brega, rebel commander Mussa el-Mograbi told AFP on Monday.

At least 140 people have been killed in two weeks of clashes between Yemeni security forces and suspected Al Qaeda gunmen in the Southern city of Zinjibar, a military official said on Monday.

Powerful explosions early on Wednesday shook the area around the residence of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the centre of Tripoli that had been targeted Tuesday by dozens of raids.

Nato air raids shook Tripoli on Thursday as the UN denounced crimes against humanity and war crimes during fighting between Muammar Gaddafi’s forces and rebels seeking to topple the Libyan strongman.

South Africa President Jacob Zuma was on his way to Tripoli on Monday for talks to end Libya's conflict, as calls mounted in the international community for Muammar Gaddafi to stand down.

Powerful explosions rocked Tripoli on Tuesday as Nato launched its heaviest bombardment yet of the capital, while France and Britain piled pressure on Muammar Gaddafi by bringing attack helicopters into the Libya fray.

Muammar Gaddafi has declared in an audio message that he was beyond the reach of Nato bombs, following a government denial of an Italian claim that the Libyan leader was wounded and on the run.

US-Yemeni cleric and terror suspect Anwar al-Awlaqi narrowly escaped a US drone attack three days after American commandos killed Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, a tribal source said on Saturday.

Hundreds of Egyptian political figures, scholars and activists gathered in Cairo on Saturday, in the biggest post-revolt meeting of political forces aimed at "protecting the revolution."

Syrians prepared on Saturday to bury scores of people killed in a "day of rage" against the regime, with activists vowing a week of new protests as the United States and Europe imposed sanctions on Damascus.