A little good news:

Pro-democracy fighters have regained ground in a new advance on the oil port of Brega in eastern Libya. Rebels said the loss of ground early this week to forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi is a normal occurrence in fluid desert wars, and will not prevent them from ousting the Libyan leader.

Meanwhile, NATO stepped up the pace of its air campaign over Libya on Wednesday, a day after facing fierce criticism of not doing enough to protect civilians in Misurata. The alliance dismissed opposition criticisms saying the safety of civilians is its top priority and pledged to do everything it can to ensure that. It accused Gaddafi's troops of hiding tanks, troops and heavy weapons among civilians to stop NATO aircrafts from air strikes.

But there is a new sign of vulnerability on the rebel side: