I spoke with BBC Radio WM tonight about Muammar Qaddafi and the coalition efforts to remove him from power, talking about the Libyan leader's background and attempting to answer the question, "How long can this go on?"
The item starts at the 1:17.00 mark.
Libya, Muammar Qaddafi 
2020 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The chair of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, former MP, and university professor Mohsen Mirdamadi has been released on bail.
1120 GMT: A Death at the Fire Festival. A close friend of university student Behnoud Ramezani describes the 19 year-old's death at the hands of security forces a week ago during the celebration of Chahrshanbeh Suri.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 11:10 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 1957 GMT: Protesters gathered for a fifth day in Deraa, Syria, where authorities have arrested a leading opposition figure, Louai Hussein. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that, "his house was broken into. The door was smashed. His fate is unknown."
Hundreds gathered under very tight security, and the AFP is reporting that their photographer and videographer were attacked by security forces.
Perhaps the most important news, however, is the rumor that the region's governor, Faisal Kalthoum, has been fired, which was one of the demands of the protesters. This has not been confirmed.
1930 GMT: Al Jazeera English's James Bays filed this report earlier today from the front line outside Ajdabiya in eastern Libya. He reports an attack near his position and says, "No one really is making any progress. The opposition are where they were 24 hours ago....They are lightly armed volunteers....A professional officer on the rebel side told me they're very brave but to the point of being suicidal. Gaddafi forces are much more heavily armed. The opposition have the numbers and they seem to have the momentum but on the other side the Gaddafi forces have the power."
1915 GMT: Thanks to James Miller for taking the LiveBlog through the afternoon.
Libyan State TV is claiming live coverage of the capital under fire, with the presenter saying, "Tripoli is being bombarded now." The sky was lit with fire and the sound of anti-aircraft weaponry could be heard.
1. The action in Libya was authorized by the United Nations Security Council. That in Iraq was not. By the UN Charter, military action after 1945 should either come as self-defense or with UNSC authorization. Most countries in the world are signatories to the charter and bound by its provisions.
2. The Libyan people had risen up and thrown off the Qaddafi regime, with some 80-90 percent of the country having gone out of his hands before he started having tank commanders fire shells into peaceful crowds. It was this vast majority of the Libyan people that demanded the UN no-fly zone. In 2002-3 there was no similar popular movement against Saddam Hussein.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 6:39 | Scott Lucas in EA Iran, EA USA, Middle East and Iran, Music and Culture The Onion explores the success of the US Central Intelligence Agency with its programme "Facebook":
CIA's 'Facebook' Program Dramatically Cut Agency's Costs
Ahh, we have some sceptical readers who are pointing out that The Onion is a satirical non-CIA operation poking fun at "news".
Really? Let's consult our colleagues in Tehran:
Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, The Onion 
UPDATE: I spoke with BBC Coventry and Warwickshire later in the morning about the coalition approach and the airstrikes, assessing the chances for Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's survival. The item begins at the 1:45.00 mark.
I spoke to BBC Radio WM this morning about the latest coalition attacks on the Libyan regime. Beyond the chat about the specifics --- interestingly, US officials have said the British were behind the strike on Muammar Qaddafi's compound --- the talk turned to the aims of the coalition mission.
And that is where I think it gets interesting: my reading is that the US, Britain, and France have gone far beyond the notion of a no-fly zone to protect civilians and the Libyan opposition. The strikes on Tripoli are trying to encourage regime change, preferably by a coup within Qaddafi's inner circle and/or a rising of the Libyan people.
The item begins just after the 0:35.00 mark.
Al Jazeera English, Libya, Yemen Monday, March 21, 2011 at 8:56 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 
1930 GMT: Libyan State TV is reporting coalition airstrikes on Tripoli.
1920 GMT: Army Officers: Al Jazeera English offers a list of recent resignations and defections by Yemeni officials to the opposition, including six military commanders, dozens of officers, 17 Ambassadors, the entire staff of the Yemeni Embassy in the US except the Ambassador, three MPs, and the leader of Yemen's most powerful tribe.
1910 GMT: President Obama, on a visit to Chile, has spoken to reporters about Chile. He reiterated that "it is U.S. policy" that Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi "has to go" and the international community "can't stand by with empty words" in the face of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe.
At the same time, Obama anticipated that the US would step back from leading the Libyan military mission when Libya's air defences were disabled: "We anticipate this transition to take place in a matter of days, not weeks."
Monday, March 21, 2011 at 7:52 | James Miller in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, EA USA, Middle East and Iran, US Foreign Policy 
Photo: Getty ImagesThe US and Europe are stuck in a quagmire in a region overwhelmed by sudden change. The only rule that can be reliably followed is that all of the old rules do not apply. It is only slight hyperbole to say that Tunisia and Egypt have changed the entire face of US foreign policy, developed over the course of 60+ years, in a matter of 60 days. Perhaps the only thing that is clear is that the region is undergoing a fundamental shift, away from dictatorship and towards democracy. At the end of the day, the Western powers need to be on the side of the people, and not the side of repression.
So, now what? Well, now is the hard part. This is the part where we stop playing revolution, and start playing politics for the sake of the country. This means caring more about perception and public support over righteous and legitimate demands. Do you know what that means? Well, if you do, but think that the revolution must continue on the street, well, congratulations, you are the reason why we are losing. If you don’t, well, please relax and keep an open mind, cause this is about to get really uncomfortable.
