BBC News with Marion Marshall

Rebels in western Libya say they are

consolidating

positions on the approaches to the capital Tripoli. The rebels are now battling with Colonel Gaddafi's forces just 50km outside the capital, from where Mark Doyle reports.

The rebel frontline in this part of the country is a series of simple defences - mounds of earth to protect the rebels from incoming fire. In the distance, I can hear the boom of artillery and the loud rattle of automatic weapons. There's the

occasional

background rumble of aircraft, Nato jets flying overhead. The rebels in this area fought their way down from their strongholds in the western Libyan mountains in early June. They say they are on their way to Tripoli, but Colonel Gaddafi's men are resisting this opposition advance strongly.

The Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has said China will lend a helping hand to European countries experiencing financial difficulties. During a visit to Britain, he told the BBC that China had increased its investments in government bonds from some EU countries, demonstrating Beijing's continuing confidence in the eurozone. He also

acknowledge

d that China's massive trade surplus was bad for global stability.

"We've set ourselves the goal of tackling the financial crisis that we need to achieve strong, balanced and sustainable growth in the world. To achieve this goal, China will play its part. At home, we are going to further