LIVE Libyan Unrest: July 8, 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)
10:10am: The House is pressing to finish a $649 billion defense spending bill that sends mixed messages on the U.S. military operation against Libya.
The bill provides money for the Pentagon and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan beginning Oct. 1. It’s $9 billion less than President Barack Obama sought but $17 billion more than current levels.
Lawmakers hope to wrap up the bill Friday. The Senate still must pass its version and then reconcile it with the House legislation.
On Thursday, the House voted to prohibit military aid to Libyan rebels fighting Moammar Gadhafi but stopped short of cutting off funds for U.S. participation in the NATO-led mission, now in its fourth month.
Obama angered lawmakers by not seeking congressional consent for the operation.
9:40am: NATO has denied the Libyan government’s charge that it intentionally carried out air raids to aid rebel advances, saying it is sticking to UN mandate to protect civilian lives.
Wing Commander Mike Bracken, an alliance spokesman in Naples, Italy, said on Friday that NATO is “not involved in the ground battles”.
However, he acknowledged that NATO is tracking the fighting between Libyan opposition fighters and forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the country’s long-time leader.
8:00am: A move to stop funding for President Barack Obama’s military intervention in Libya was narrowly defeated in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, underscoring Congress’ unhappiness with the undeclared war.
Both political parties split over the measure, highlighting how tensions over U.S. involvement in Libya’s civil war have crossed party lines and created unusual alliances.
Republicans and Democrats argued that President Obama violated the U.S. Constitution and the 1973 War Powers Resolution by failing to secure congressional authorization for U.S. military operations in the north African country. Read full story here.
5:19am: As of Thursday Poland’s ambassador in Libya Wojciech Bozek resides in Libya’s second-largest metropolis Benghazi instead of the capital Tripoli, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said here on Thursday.
The embassy move was necessary as Poland saw no possibility for cooperation with Muammar Gaddafi and considered the country’s Benghazi-seated Provisional Council as the only credible dialogue partner, Sikorski said after talks with visiting Algerian counterpart Murad Medelsi.
Sikorski added that Poland wished the Libyan conflict be resolved by political and not military means. Medelsi supported Sikorski’s view on Libya, stressing that the country is an important partner for Algeria. He also said military solutions in the Libyan conflict “should not be promoted”.
“The Libyan people will strive for reconcilement and normalcy,” Medelsi said.
Medelsi also stressed that Algeria had the “political will” to deepen relations with Poland.