by Philippine Daily Inquirer
![gaddafi](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vNh_Xjta8EoDkhBpgicL7uTcHM-HwBIO8bkM79odtxQOfVHS4Myl-4heQBACLkkbk9qEsSyNgLgaMjpWqQsWSiP5iT6d2YyPrWk1yfPDOjpCiggVHPVAU=s0-d)
Fighting raged around Libya’s rebel stronghold of Benghazi yesterday as Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi gave a defiant response to world leaders planning military action against him.
A huge plume of smoke rose over Libya’s second largest city as hundreds of people fled eastward after a series of air strikes and sustained shelling.