Could Muammar al-Qaddafi remain in Libya if he agrees to give up power? It may sound hard to imagine, but as the conflict drags on and the stalemate shows no sign of ending, the idea is gaining traction -- even among Qaddafi's staunch opponents. Today, France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe suggested it was a possibility.

"One of the scenarios effectively envisaged is that he stays in Libya on one condition which I repeat - that he very clearly steps aside from Libyan political life," Juppe told France's LCI TV.

The solution would require some major legal maneuvering. The new Libyan government -- most likely made up of leaders of the Transitional National Council (TNC) -- would have to agree not to prosecute Qaddafi or his son for the deaths of thousands of people. Internationally, the move would certainly require some sort of Security Council agreement, since Qaddafi, after all, is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes (and since any agreement would likely require some international oversight).

The fact that France is suggesting this is significant. It was, after all, one of the first countries to recognize the TNC, and it pushed other nations into supporting the NATO air campaign against Qaddafi. Other governments have hinted at a similar solution in the past -- though mainly countries outside the coalition. Recently, Konstantin Kosachyov, the chairman of the international affairs committee in Russia's lower house of parliament, said: "Probably what can be discussed is some kind of guarantees of his personal security, the security of members of his family."

Last week, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told journalists that "an exit strategy for Qaddafi to leave power, but not necessarily the country, should be sought."

Officially, Britain and the United States want Qaddafi to be handed over to the ICC, but even their positions have softened recently. British officials say they don't regard that demand as a "red line" in negotiations with Qaddafi. And today, in response to Juppe's statement, the United States made it clear the key was getting Qaddafi to leave power, after that, all things could be considered.

"He needs to remove himself from power," White House spokesman Jay Carney said. "And then it's up to the Libyan people to decide."

Earlier this month, the head of the TNC even hinted that a solution that keeps Qaddafi in Libya was possible. Mustapha Abdul-Jalil told Reuters that the TNC had offered Qaddafi that very deal -- allowing him to stay in Libya if he resigned. (Abdul-Jalil quickly back-pedaled, however, saying the next day that while the TNC discussed that scenario internally, there was no "current or future possibility for Qaddafi to remain in Libya.")

So could a solution like this actually work? Qaddafi would need to be assured he would remain free and safe. Some reports have said he is pushing for a role for his son, Saif al-Islam, in a future government -- though it's highly unlikely the rebels would agree to that.

Another reported possibility is that the U.N. would protect him at his tribal home of Sabha in southwestern Libya. But that would require countries guaranteeing he wouldn't be handed over to the ICC at some point in the future. And that might be a step too far.

The classic American ‘donut-loving cop' stereotype is not so funny in India. Five overweight police officers collapsed during a short parade in Mumbai earlier this year due to an unfortunate heat and pot-belly combo. City commissioner Arup Patnaik was humiliated and demanded that all policemen trim their waistlines or risk enduring a sort of extreme weight loss boot camp that few police officers pass.

The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Kerala recently conducted a survey and found over 50 percent of police officers were either overweight or obese. Obesity has become one of the leading causes of death even though half of all Indian children suffer from malnourishment, reports VOA. The police chief of the western state of Rajasthan voiced his dismay over obesity in the police force:

"A fat potbellied man in uniform is a sight nobody appreciates."

Just over the border, overweight Nepali officers also face intense scrutiny. Last year, the police force pledged to institute annual health tests alongside personal fitness regimes for every officer in the force of 56,000. Bigyan Raj Sharma, a spokesman for the police force in Kathmandu, threatened overweight police officials, saying:

"Officers who fail will be barred from promotion and transferred to less well-paying posts."

An anti-obesity clinic is in the works for a police hospital in Mumbai and it seems India's officers have no choice but to slim down -- or face the wrath of their mothers. Yes, the new weight-loss campaign includes the wives and mothers of male officers to ensure that they are sticking to their diets by supporting healthier eating habits. Say bye-bye to mango lassis and hello to Atkins.

Clearly, the best part of yesterday's tense parliamentary session with Rupert and James Murdoch was when Wendi Murdoch leapt up to defend her husband after a spectator splattered a foam pie in his face. She literarily jumped over people to slap the man.

Here's the account of an eyewitness in the room:

What you might not have seen is the full instinctive and furious reaction of Mr Murdoch's wife, Wendi. Having sat through the evidence unsmiling, she moved faster than anyone else. First, she swung a slap at her husband's attacker. She followed up by picking up the plate and trying to strike him with it. And then she moved back to her husband. Sitting on the table before him, she started to clear the foam from his face, sometimes embracing him, holding his bald head in her arms.

If you feel like watching her moves repeated in an endless loop, check this out.

Before today, when most people wrote about Mrs. Murdoch, descriptions like "much younger," "third wife," and "social climber" were pretty much de rigueur. And, along with those phrases came negative connotations, of course. Wendi Murdoch, 43, was born Deng Wen Ge in an isolated eastern Chinese city. Her father was a manager at a nearby factory.  She left for the United States in 1987 after meeting an older American couple in China who agreed to sponsor her. She moved in with them in California and attended college (she also eventually married the husband and became an American citizen).

That marriage fizzled, as did a subsequent one, before she met Murdoch when she was 30 and he was 68. Though she's remained busy -- even producing a movie in China -- her public persona has mainly been the woman standing by Murdoch's side at various events.

So, it was interesting to see some of the reaction in China, where her slap quickly became the number one trending topic on a popular micro-blogging service.

The Nanfang website posted a few translated tweets.

• Deng Wendi is a pearl among women!
• Every woman has to learn from Deng Wendi. Be an original wife; be a good step mother; slap protesters; be good in social accessions as well as in the kitchen. She's cunning on the inside and strong on the outside. Act like a tiger woman! Holy cow!
• Deng Wendi is so strong and aggressive! I highly doubt she directed the whole scene to show it to Murdoch! Otherwise, her reaction was unbelievably fast, and she was so brave!
• Mrs Deng Wendi, you are my idol from now on!
• She's a former volleyball player, not an ordinary woman! Whoever fights her will end up losing! That slap just drove up the stock price of News Corp.
• Deng Wendi not only has business wisdom, she is also a good bodyguard! Hey you professionals in the work place, how many skills do you have?
• I am starting to like Deng Wendi now. She is really aggressive! I think her action was out of instinct. She just wants to protect her family. I don't think she lost the faces of Chinese women!

Those who have lamented the decline of the book have an unlikely new friend. From Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency:

Tehran, July 20, IRNA -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday urged the cultural institutes to spare no efforts to promote culture of reading books and encourage the youth to make optimum use of libraries....

The Supreme Leader said that reading is the best means to propagate modern ideas and enlighten the society and nothing else than replace the merits of books, a reference to the prevalence of audio-visual media posing threat to the role of books as the major means of communication in the society.

No doubt this will go down in the annals of Iran's efforts to promote reading, along with moments like this:

The Teheran [sic] radio quoted Ayatollah Khomeini as asking ''all the Muslims to execute them,'' referring to Mr. [Salman] Rushdie [author of The Satanic Verses], who lives in London, and the publishers of the book, Viking Penguin, ''wherever they find them.'' He said that anyone killed carrying out his order would be considered a martyr.

Or this:

In 2007, Iran's ultra-conservative daily Kayhan called Harry Potter "a billion-dollar Zionist project" and a "destructive bomb" for children's minds. It alleged that the author J.K. Rowling had links to Zionists and that was how she became so well known.

But hey, anything that gets kids to read.

You can't even blame this one on Murdoch (we think). The Taliban denied today reports that its leader, Mullah Omar, had died. Spokesmen for the group said their mobile phones, email accounts, and a website they operated had been hacked into, and false messages were sent to media outlets.

Text messages sent from phone numbers belonging to Taliban spokespeople said, "Spiritual Leader Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid has died" and "May Allah bless his soul."

The Taliban in recent years has expanded its media presence with websites, mobile phone ring tones and social media accounts. The group updates its websites frequently and sends messages to media outlets in several languages publicizing their attacks, according to Reuters.

"This is the work of American intelligence, and we will take revenge on the telephone network providers," a Taliban spokesman told Reuters.

A statement said that the "technical workers of the Islamic Emirate's Information and Cultural Commission" were looking into the matter. Yes, apparently the Taliban has an IT department.  

The group also said there would be an investigation into the hacking. Hopefully, they will do a better job than Scotland Yard.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters today that he is considering a visit to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, a move that would likely rankle the Israeli government, which considers Hamas a terrorist organization. "If the conditions allow, I'm thinking of visiting Gaza. The foreign ministry will be working on it. I wish to make such a visit, depending on the outcome," he said.

The announcement comes at a sensitive juncture in Turkish-Israeli diplomacy: The two countries are just now beginning to mend ties after Israeli commandos killed 9 Turkish activists aboard the Freedom Flotilla last year. The flotilla, which was carrying humanitarian aid and construction supplies, was attempting to contravene Israel's controversial blockade of the Gaza Strip.

After the incident, Erdogan called Israel's actions "absolutely illegal" and lambasted the Israeli government for "spilling the blood of innocent humans" and embracing "violence, and despotism." 

The Turkish prime minister's Gaza announcement comes only a day after Ozdem Sanberk, Turkey's representative on the United Nations committee of inquiry into the flotilla raid, expressed willingness to end animosity between the two countries, but demanded that Israel apologize for the death of Turkish citizens.

Israel's official line has been that its soldiers acted in self defense after encountering armed resistance from activists carrying clubs and knives.

Since the flotilla incident, Erdogan has polished his image as champion of the Palestinian cause, repeatedly lashing out against Israel in statements to the press and defending Hamas as "resistance fighters who are struggling to defend their land." Last month, he called on Israel "to lift as soon as possible the inhumane and unlawful blockade" of Gaza, according to the AFP.

The trip to Gaza has yet to be scheduled, but would likely be tacked onto the end of a trip to Egypt, which recently opened the Rafah border with Gaza. It would make Erdogan the first world leader to visit Gaza in an official capacity since Hamas swept into power in 2007.

Pakistan made news today appointing the first female foreign minister in the country's history. But there is something else ground-breaking about Hina Rabbani Khar -- her age. At 34, she is the youngest foreign minister in the world. In fact, there are only a handful of other chief diplomats under age 40.

Below, a list of a some top diplomats who also happen to be members of Generation X.

Maxim Gvinjia (age 35) -- Abkhazia

Before being appointed foreign minister in February, 2010 of the breakaway territory (which is considered by many nations to be a part of Georgia), Gvinjia served as deputy foreign minister since 2004. He's been involved in high level diplomacy with major international consequences since his mid 20s.

Antonio Milošoski (age 35) -- Republic of Macedonia

He's been foreign minister since August, 2006, meaning he was only 30 when he took office. But then, he was the government's chief spokesman when he was just 24 years old.

Aurelia Frick (age 36) -- Liechtenstein

Back in March, 2009, not only was she given control of the foreign ministry, she was also appointed head of the ministries of justice and cultural affairs. Of course, there are only 35,000 people in the country, so maybe it's not that shocking that government ministers have to triple up.

Vuk Jeremi (age 36)-- Serbia

Since his appointment in May, 2007, Jeremi has conducted a foreign policy "on steroids," according to the Economist. Early on, most of his diplomacy had to do with trying to dissuade other nations from recognizing an independent Kosovo, which Serbia sees as part of its territory. He's also pushed for better relations with the United States.

Urmas Paet (age 37) -- Estonia

Another diplomatic wunderkind, Paet assumed office in April, 2005 at the tender age of 31. He was a journalist before entering politics in 1999 and speaks five languages. When he's not accusing Russia of waging cyber war, he does show his age every once in while, like when he parachuted out of a plane (we haven't seen William Hague do that recently).

Carolyn Allison Rodrigues-Birkett (age 37) -- Guyana

Even before she became foreign minister in April, 2008, Rodriques was known as the "iron woman" of Guyana for her relentlessness in pushing through projects in remote parts of the country, to help out indigenous communities (she was previously minister for indigenous affairs, a position she was appointed to in her mid-20s).  

Roosevelt Skerrit (age 39)-- Dominica

You can't exactly call Skerrit a slacker. Upon taking over as prime minister in 2004, he also appointed himself foreign minister and finance minister. Skerrit is the second youngest head of state in the world, behind Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina.

Nickolay Mladenov (age 39) -- Bulgaria

With a background serving in international organizations like the Open Society and the World Bank, Mladenov entered parliament in 2001, before his 30^th birthday. He was appointed foreign minister last year.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan (age 39)-- United Arab Emirates

The son of the founder of the UAE, Sheikh al Nahyan is a key advisor to the country's current leader (who happens to be his older half brother). Other older brothers serve as the crown prince and deputy prime ministers. In the foreign ministry since February, 2006, al Nahyan's vigorous diplomacy caused a bit of a stir last year, when a Wikileaks cable revealed he had developed a "good and personal relationship" with his Israeli counterpart at the time, Tzipi Livni. The cable said, they would not "do in public what they say behind closed doors."