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Libyan leader laughs off international pressure to step down while speaking to news organisations Muammar Gaddafi has insisted that the people of Libya love him and denied during an interview that there have been any demonstrations against his regime. "All my people love me. They would die to protect me," said the Libyan leader, speaking to news organisations including the BBC, laughing off international pressure to step down. "As if anyone would leave their homeland," he replied, accusing western leaders of betrayal and of having "no morals." Besides, he insisted, he had no official position from which he could resign: "It's honorary. It has nothing to do with exercising power or authority." "In Britain who has the power, is it Queen Elizabeth or is it David Cameron?" he asked. Throughout an interview, conducted at a Tripoli restaurant overlooking a port on the Mediterranean coast, he appeared to be in denial about the strength of

Rolling coverage of all the day's political developments as they happen 3.41pm: Cameron says "momentous" events are taking place in North Africa and the Middle East. This is "a precious moment of opportunity" for those who believe in democracy. We must not remain silent in our belief [in freedom and the rule of law]. Freedom and human rights are values that apply as much in Tahrir Square as in Trafalgar Square, he says. Now is not the time to park the Middle East peace process. Democracy will not be build over night. It requires "patient craftsmanship". But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he says. 3.37pm: David Cameron is still speaking. He says Colonel Gaddafi must leave. Britain is taking various steps, including freezing assets, to help to bring this about. Today the EU has agreed to extend the freeze on assets. A ban has also been imposed on various Libyans entering the EU. Further steps will be taken to isolate the regime. The use of mil

International action to pressure Gaddafi into surrendering gathers momentum with Russia and China joining the west in backing calls to prosecute him for war crimes The European Union has agreed sanctions against the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, including an arms embargo, asset freeze and visa ban. EU ambassadors agreed the sanctions at a meeting to assess the deteriorating situation in the north African nation. An announcement confirming the decision is expected later on Monday. William Hague, the British foreign secretary, warned there would be a "day of reckoning" for anyone involved in supporting Gaddafi's human rights abuses against protesters in Libya. Hague, who is attending a meeting of the UN human rights council in Geneva to discuss the crisis, called on other countries to join Britain in backing a resolution being debated by the UN general assembly in New York on Tuesday which would make Libya the first nation ever to be suspended from membership of the counc

The renowned street photographer is celebrated at the Format international photography festival and will be on show at the Quad Art Gallery in Derby from 4 March

CAIRO: Egypt on Monday slapped a travel ban on ousted president Hosni Mubarak and his family, and also imposed a freeze on his assets, judicial officials said. Besides Mubarak, who stepped down on February 11 following weeks of protests, the decision also applied for his wife Suzanne, his two sons Ala and Gamal, and their wives, the same source said.

A Chinese navy frigate, which had been on an escort mission in the Aden Gulf, passed through Egypt's Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday. The frigate, the Xuzhou, is expected to reach waters close to Libya on Wednesday to provide support and protection for the ships evacuating Chinese nationals from Libya. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, more than 29,000 Chinese had been evacuated from riot-torn Libya as of Monday morning.

MANAMA: Hundreds of anti-government protesters have blocked access to Bahrain's parliament and forced officials to cancel a meeting of the ruler's hand-picked envoys. The demonstration appears part of a strategy to hold rallies at sensitive locations in the capital Manama. The idea is to boost pressure on the monarchy following two weeks of marches and clashes that have left seven dead. The parliament became a target Monday to coincide with a meeting called by the 40-member upper chamber, which is appointed by Bahrain's ruler. The session was called off after protesters formed a human chain to block the entrance. Bahrain's embattled monarchy is appealing for talks with opposition groups to try to end the crisis.

Clashes erupted on Sunday between protesters and security forces in Oman, state-run ONA news agency said, adding casualties were reported among policemen and protesters. The agency said protesters blocked the main road in the industrial town of Sohar, more than 200 kilometers northwest of Muscat. It said a group of protesters attacked government and private buildings including the house of Sohar's Walli (the governor), adding a police station was set ablaze. The agency did not give the figure of the casualties. The protests started Saturday, the same day which witnessed a government shake-up by Oman's ruler, and were ongoing Sunday. Last week, about 300 Omanis staged a peaceful protest to demand political reforms and better pay. The agency said the government took into account these demands.

BRITISH filmmaker Tom Hopper won the Academy Award for directing "The King's Speech," marking the second win for the Oscars front-runner yesterday. The British royals drama, which led the field with 12 nominations, remains a contender for the best picture race. Even though Hooper recently won the bellwether prize from the Directors Guild of America, the Oscar race was seen as a toss-up with David Fincher of "The Social Network." But some of the excitement was taken out of the battle after "Inception" director Christopher Nolan failed to secure a nomination. "The King's Speech," a drama revolving around the efforts of the future King George VI to overcome a crippling stammer, was Hooper's third feature film. He made his name in the United States directing the HBO miniseries "John Adams." He has said he signed on for "The King's Speech" at the insistence of his mother, who saw a stage version of the story. Beside

Turn on our auto-refresh tool for the latest updates Email rob.smyth@guardian.co.uk with your observations Buy The Ashes over-by-over book 3rd over: England 23-0 (target 339, Strauss 17, Pietersen 5) Strauss edges Zaheer short of slip, works a couple of twos into the leg side and then misses a swipe on the run. Hang on, Strauss hit the ball and nobody appealed! Bizarre. There was a definitely a noise, and it can't have been anything else, but as the ball went through to Dhoni he merely oooohed with frustration. "In his last 52 ODIs, Strauss has raised his strike rate by almost five whole runs," says Gary Naylor. "That's a very fine effort from a man whose game must have been fairly settled. I'm not sure I can think of many batsmen who have sped up so much on passing thirty. He's going to get us home isn't he? Well, maybe not this time." It's a mighty effort, although he couldn't have done it without the other Andy freeing his mind. 2

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa sacked four ministers, an attempt could be seen as a gesture of goodwill as the kingdom kicked off a national dialogue after days of protests against the government, local daily Al- Wasat reported Saturday. The paper said those who have been sacked were the ministers of cabinet affairs, housing, health and electricity. No official confirmation or statement has been issued to confirm the cabinet mini-reshuffle. The shake-up could be an attempt to appease the Shiite opposition in the tiny Gulf nation ruled by the Sunni Muslim al- Khalifa family where the majority Shiite population says they are facing discrimination in jobs and other services. The kingdom strongly denies such claims. But last week, a wave of protests have been staged and seven people were killed, the worst unrest in the kingdom since the 1990s.

The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council Friday adopted a resolution calling on the UN General Assembly to consider suspending Libya's right to membership in the Geneva forum. The resolution was made at the council's special session on the Libya situation, during which participating members unanimously agreed to send an independent investigation team to Libya. The document also voices grave concern over the Libyan unrest, and urges the Libyan authorities to ensure the safety of civilians and allow free entry of international human rights and humanitarian groups. The proposal to suspend Libya's membership was pushed by Britain, France, Belgium and other European countries at the session, while other members such as Angola and Cuba called on internal dialogues among various Libyan entities and a solution reached among Libyans themselves without external interference. The Chinese delegation told the session that China is very concerned about the situation in Libya and stro

A plane carrying 61 Chinese evacuees from Libya arrived in Malta yesterday afternoon, according to the Chinese embassy here. Most of the Chinese nationals left the airport and entered the country without delay. Four of them were stopped for while at the border control for having no entry visas, but their entry were finally allowed after the Chinese embassy intervened. An official in charge of consular protection at the embassy said the embassy has been asking the Maltese government to facilitate the entry of those evacuated Chinese nationals whose documents are incomplete. The embassy will make all-out efforts to help the evacuated Chinese nationals if they have any trouble while entering Malta, the official said.

TRIPOLI: A son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Friday that his forces were holding back in fighting with rebels in western Libya and hoped that a negotiated ceasefire could be in place by Saturday. Speaking in English to foreign journalists flown to Tripoli under official escort, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said of fighting in two western cities: "In Misrata, in Zawiya, we have a problem. "We are dealing with terrorists ... The army decided not to attack the terrorists, and to give a chance to negotiation. Hopefully we will do it peacefully and will do so by tomorrow."

Over 2,200 Chinese workers from China Communication Constructions Engineering Company started embarking on the chartered Greek vessel "Hellenic Spirit" at the Libyan port of Benhgazi at 12:00 GMT on Friday.

NATO will convene an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss unfolding situations in Libya. Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who is in Hungary to attend an informal meeting of EU defense ministers, called for an emergency session on Libya. "The situation in Libya is of great concern. NATO can act as an enabler and coordinator if and when member states will take action," he said in Godollo, a town near Budapest. But any intervention must be based on a United Nations mandate, he added. The UN Security Council will also meet Friday in New York to mull possible actions against Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi's regime. Many nations continued their efforts on Friday to evacuate their citizens from the North African country, as Gaddafi loyalties engaged in fierce fight with opposition forces.

It's Hollywood's biggest night of the year on Sunday. Prepare for all the drama with our interactive guide to the nominees, our video hustings series, and Tom Shone's look at who makes up the all-powerful Academy

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Thursday admitted that he holds a British nationality but has never taken any benefit of being a citizen of the U.K. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is seen at the parliament in the capital city of Bankok, Feb. 24, 2011. Abhisit on Thursday admitted that he holds a British nationality but has never taken any benefit of being a citizen of the U.K. [Rachen Sageamsak/Xinhua] Abhisit told the parliament that he was born in Newcastle in England and at the time, he automatically became a British national. Both of his parents are Thai. "When I was studying in English, I studied as a foreigner," the premier said. "If I had made use of being a British national, I would not have had to pay any tuition." Members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday deliberated on the Abhisit government's performance in 2009, a belated agenda that the House was supposed to deliberate last year. The meeting was televised live nationwide

Nearly 1,000 Chinese nationals working in Libya arrived on Thursday at Tunisia's Ras El Jedir border check point, some 600 km from the capital. They were met with a warm welcome of Chinese embassy staff. With the help of the Chinese embassy in Tunis, the Chinese expatriates who work for two Chinese companies, were driven to hotels on the island of Djerba. They arrived at the Tunisian-Libyan border on Wednesday at 13: 30 p.m., but were only allowed to cross the border into Tunisia 10 hours later due to the turmoil prevailing in Libya and the lack of cooperation of Libyan customs. Tens of thousands of people have crossed the Ras El Jedir cross point which is witnessing an increasing influx of migrants fleeing from the violence in Libya.

No-fly zone or sanctions among options being considered as world bids to force Libyan leader to end the violence International efforts to respond to the Libyan crisis are gathering pace under US leadership after a still defiant Muammar Gaddafi launched counterattacks to defend Tripoli against the popular uprising now consolidating its hold on the liberated east of the country. The White House said Barack Obama planned to call David Cameron and France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to discuss possible actions, including a no-fly zone or sanctions to force the Libyan leader to end the violence. Switzerland said it had frozen Gaddafi's assets. Gaddafi, in power for 42 years, has used aircraft, tanks and foreign mercenaries in eight days of violence that has killed hundreds in the bloodiest of the uprisings to shake the Arab world. Up to 2,000 people may have died, it was claimed by a senior French human rights official. But there was no sign Gaddafi was prepared to change course. I