French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron are hosting Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) at a summit with world leaders in Paris today. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in attendance, as are representatives from China and Russia. The NTC, Libya's transitional government, is expected to ask for international aid for providing security and request that Libyan assets in foreign banks be unfrozen.

NATO defense ministers have a lot to discuss as they meet today in Brussels, following 60 air strikes in Tripoli, their most concentrated attack on the Libyan capital since air strikes began in March. Jonathan Marcus, BBC Defense and Diplomatic correspondent, joins us from the NATO meeting.

Another senior official defects from Col. Gadhafi's government. Does this mean that Gadhafi's regime is falling apart? Jonathan Marcus, BBC reporter, has more.

The defection of Libya's foreign minister, Moussa Koussa may signal that Col. Gadhafi's regime may be weakening. Mr. Koussa’s defection sent shockwaves through Tripoli on Wednesday night after it was announced by the British government. Mr. Koussa had been a pillar of his government since the early days of the revolution, and previously led the fearsome intelligence unit.

The rebels in Libya are having trouble holding their ground against Gadhafi's forces and the question has arisen as to whether the international community should step in to arm the rebels. Speaking Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested that this might be possible, saying "There could be legitimate transfer of arms if a country were to choose to do that, as I said, we have not made that decision at this time.”

North Korea's Minister of Armed Forces, Kim Yong-chun, says the North is prepared to wage a "holy war" against South Korea after what he called the South's attempt to initiate conflict. The threat is a response to the South's largest military exercises of the year — conducted earlier this morning — just 12 miles from the border with the North.

Reverend Terry Jones, leader of the Dove World Outreach Center, a tiny Pentecostal church in Gainesville, has backed down from his plan to burn the Quran. Reverend Jones’ plan to burn copies of the Quran on the ninth anniversary of September 11^th lit an international firestorm. Now Reverend Jones says he will not burn any Qurans – and he doesn’t think anyone else should, either.

As Iran and the U.S. continue to square off over Iranian pursuit of nuclear power and more U.N. sanctions, Turkey has offered to try and be a mediator between the two countries. It's a complicated proposal; Turkey depends on its less-secular Middle Eastern counterpart for trade that could be threatened by sanctions. But it's also a potential win-win for all countries involved. Is Iran serious about wanting to work with the U.S.?

It's Monday, which means it's time to take a look at what's ahead this week with Marcus Mabry of The New York Times and Jonathan Marcus of the BBC World Service. This week, what's in store for a post-election Iraq; the U.N.'s aid conference for Haiti; Russia and the U.S. discuss the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

In this week's agenda, Marcus Mabry, international business editor for the New York Times, and Jonathan Marcus, BBC diplomatic correspondent, look at what to expect this week. They'll look at the aftermath of Iraq's national elections, Vice President Biden's visit to the Middle East, and the latest news on financial reform.

Our weekly look ahead at the news for the next seven days with Marcus Mabry, international business editor for The New York Times, and Jonathan Marcus from the BBC. This week: the fallout from a NATO air strike that killed a number of Afghan civilians; what's in store for Toyota executives as they face a grilling from U.S. lawmakers; and how Republicans are preparing to face President Obama at his health care summit.

An international conference is taking place in London today aimed at charting a stable and secure future for Afghanistan. The focus will be on helping Afghanistan set milestones in improving its security forces, tackling corruption and building better cooperation with its regional neighbors.

We give you all you need to know about the news we expect to come in the next seven days. This week, we take a look at what to expect in President Obama's first State of the Union address. We'll also look ahead at how the president  is planning to stop what appears to be a tailspin for the Democrats; Ben Bernanke's confirmation as Fed chairman; the relief effort in Haiti; and the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

This week we take a look at the week ahead with Marcus Mabry, international business editor for our partner, The New York Times; and Jonathan Marcus, correspondent for our partner, the BBC.  They'll discuss President Obama's meeting with intelligence heads; the upcoming court appearance of Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab; and Elvis Presley's 75th birthday.

We've uncovered our crystal ball and are peeking into the week ahead with our Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, and Jonathan Marcus, BBC diplomatic correspondent.  They'll discuss what's next for health care reform in the Senate as Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) throws a wrench into the works ... again; President Obama's meeting with some of the heads of the largest American banks; the continuing climate talks in Copenhagen; and continuing nuclear troubles with Iran.  All that and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi getting socked in the face with a statuette.

Marcus Mabry, international business editor for our partner The New York Times, and Jonathan Marcus, diplomatic correspondent for the BBC, take a look at the week ahead as President Barack Obama continues his trip through Asia, making stops in China and South Korea. They also examine what's ahead this week for health care reform, the start of Hamid Karzai's second term as president of Afghanistan, and the Republican Governors Association's annual conference.

Marcus Mabry, international business editor for our partner, The New York Times, and Jonathan Marcus, diplomatic correspondent for our partner, the BBC, look at the week ahead, primarily at the violence in central Asia. They will also peek ahead at what's going to happen with Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Eastern Europe, and examine the latest on Afghanistan's election controversy and how that will affect the White House's decision on troop levels there. All that and how the latest bombings in Iran affect ongoing meetings about their nuclear program.

We look at what's coming up this week with Marcus Mabry, international business editor for The New York Times; and from London we speak to Jonathan Marcus, diplomatic correspondent for the BBC. On the agenda: the latest with Iran and their nuclear program; the eighth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan; China Premier Wen Jiabao's visit with Kim Jong Il in North Korea; and the Supreme Court's new term with new Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

For this week's agenda we speak to Marcus Mabry, international business editor for The New York Times; and from London, Jonathan Marcus, diplomatic correspondent for the BBC World Service. We look at Iran and what the international community's response will be to Tehran's test-firing short- and medium-range missiles, and the acknowledgment of a second nuclear enrichment plant. We also consider whether President Obama will follow requests from General McChrystal and Republicans about sending more troops to Afghanistan. And, China celebrates 60 years of communist rule.

[In one mention of this story this morning, we said that Roman Polanski was picked up on a "31-year-old charge," which a listener correctly pointed out was incomplete: Polanski was charged, tried, pleaded guilty, and fled the country before being sentenced. -Eds]

As the U.N. General Assembly convenes, it brings together all of its 192 member countries; this year, the U.S. is playing a larger role than usual. President Obama will attend some of the proceedings this week, starting with a summit on climate change. Then the General Assembly debate takes place, where a speech by Obama is scheduled to follow a speech by Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi. We talk to BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus, who is in New York covering the events.