LIVE Libyan Unrest: July 16, 2011

We are tracking the latest developments to keep you updated on the situation on the ground. There are interactive maps located in the Protest map page to keep up with the latest movements. Also check out the featured twitters on the sidebar. On the Go? Follow us on Twitter @Feb17Libya for the Live updates and discussion. All updates are in Libyan local time (GMT+2)
12:00pm: Meet an inspirational son of Libya: Ali. Misrata freedom fighter hit by Gaddafi Grad on May 13. Both legs amputated. via @wheelertweets

11:30am: The UAE highlights the role the international parties can
play now for effective preparation and coordination to achieve stability and reconstruction in Libya,” foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan was quoted by state-run Wam news agency.
Sheikh Abdullah welcomed the rebels-led Libyan National Transitional Council’s (NTC) ambassador-designate to the country and said he will receive full support.
The foreign minister, who co-chaired the fourth meeting of the Libya Contact Group in Istanbul, Turkey along with Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutolu, also warned that Gaddafi’s continuous hold on power is a recipe for insecurity and instability in Libya.
The NTC’s increasing recognitions as the sole, legitimate representative of the Libyan people by members of the international group is one of the major milestones the group has made, he said.
“The political transition must be initiated based on the inclusive approach expressed in the Transitional National Council’s Road Map on Libya. We are looking forward to see a united Libya, enjoying peace and stability and striving to employ its natural resources to achieve a true renaissance for its suffering people,” he added.
11:20am: A Libyan medical official says 10 rebel fighters seeking to oust ruler Muammar Qaddafi have been killed in an attack on a strategic eastern oil town.
Mohammed Idris said Saturday that rebel forces entered the front-line town of Brega the night before and that government shelling and land mines killed 10 fighters.
He said rebel forces captured four government soldiers. It was unclear whether any other government troops were killed and whether the fighting had advanced the rebel front line.
11:00am: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon  appealed to the international community to support the efforts of his special envoy tasked with helping to resolve the crisis in Libya to have both parties engage in direct talks.
“Finding a political solution to the crisis in Libya remains our top priority, and our efforts have intensified,” Mr. Ban said in a message sent to the meeting of the International Contact Group on Libya that was held today in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
10:07am: Heavy clashes were under way on Saturday morning on the front line in Libya’s Western Mountains at the town of Bir Ghanam, a Reuters correspondent in a neighbouring village reported.
Sustained gunfire and volleys of artillery could be heard from the village of Bir Ayad, 15 km (9 miles) south of Bir Ghanam. Rebels at Bir Ghanam hold the high ground on the outskirts of the town, their closest position to the capital Tripoli, about 80 km away.
Fighters in Bir Ayad said forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi were sending a column of reinforcements to Bir Ghanam.
Rebels in the Western Mountains have made steady progress in recent weeks after repelling assaults by Gaddafi’s forces. Their target is the town of Garyan which controls the highway south from Tripoli.
But the rebels have been hampered by divisions, ill-discipline and supply problems.
9:47am: A Libyan medical official says 10 rebel fighters seeking to oust ruler Moammar Gadhafi have been killed in an attack on a strategic eastern oil town.
Mohammed Idris said Saturday that rebel forces entered the front-line town of Brega the night before and that government shelling and land mines killed 10 fighters.
He said rebel forces captured four government soldiers. It was unclear whether any other government troops were killed and whether the fighting had advanced the rebel front line.
Libya’s opposition received a boost Friday when more than 30 nations including the U.S. recognized their National Transitional Council. But the civil war has fallen into a stalemate, with rebel forces unable to make significant advances, even while NATO bombs Gadhafi’s troops under a U.N. mandate to protect civilians.
4:02am: Canada cannot unlock frozen assets to help fund the Libyan rebels even after world powers on Friday recognized the National Transitional Council (TNC) as the country’s legitimate government.
Foreign Minister John Baird said any attempt to free up locked Libyan government money unilaterally could run up against complex legal constraints and conflict with United Nations sanctions, leaving it helpless to act on its own. Read full story here.
2:00am: A group of US senators on Friday called on President Barack Obama to open a US embassy in Benghazi, the capital of rebel-held Libya.
The move comes after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Istanbul announced that Washington recognized Libya’s Transitional National Council (TNC) as the country’s de facto government.
Republican Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio and Independent Joe Lieberman welcomed the move, saying it “demonstrates America’s commitment to support the Libyan people as they fight to liberate their country from the Kadhafi regime and establish democracy.”
In a statement, the senators urged the Obama administration “to increase our diplomatic presence in Benghazi, designate a US ambassador to the TNC, and give the TNC’s representatives in Washington and New York full diplomatic rights and privileges.” Read full story