truce

by early May, the Security Council should consider authorising military intervention.

The head of Israel's armed forces has said he doesn't think Iran will develop nuclear weapons. In an interview with an Israeli newspaper, Lieutenant General Benny Gantz said the Iranian leadership was made up of "rational people". It would not want, as he put it, to "

go the extra mile

".

In the United States, the Republican Newt Gingrich is about to withdraw from the race to be his party's presidential candidate. American media said Mr Gingrich would suspend his campaign next Tuesday. Addressing Republican supporters in North Carolina, Mr Gingrich said he still believed that he would be the best candidate, but he had to be honest about what was happening in the real world, and that he would now give his support to Mr Romney.

"I am committed to this party. I am committed to defeating Obama. We will find ways to try to be helpful. I do think it's pretty clear that Governor Romney is

ultimately

going to be the nominee, and we'll do everything we can to make sure that he is, in fact, effective. And we as a team are effective both in winning this fall and then frankly in governing." Newt Gingrich speaking earlier (And that's) This is the World News from the BBC.

The Libyan authorities have banned political parties based on religion, tribe or

ethnicity

. The announcement comes two months before elections to choose an assembly which will form a government and write a new constitution. Libya's National Transitional Council said the ban was in the interests of national unity. It's been denounced as undemocratic by the Muslim Brotherhood, which formed a political party in March and was expected to perform well in the elections.