The struggle to oust Muammar Qaddafi from power in Libyan has essentially become a civil war, and anti-government protests are showing few signs of letting up from Algeria to Iraq. Here's the latest from the Middle East and North Africa.

Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi offered his own theory about the causes of the revolution sweeping his country on Thursday: "They [al Qaeda] give them pills at night, they put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe." Indeed. CNN foreign correspondent Ben Wedeman (whose Twitter account of the Arab-world democratic movements is fascinating) and crew were the first to enter the liberated city of Benghazi with a camera, and witnessed firsthand the effects of hallucinogenic Nescafe: Jubilation, singing, peace signs, and, at least once, chants of "CNN! CNN!" [video via CNN]

Two ships from the Iranian navy passed through the Suez Canal today en route to the Mediterranean. Quick — someone check John Bolton's blood pressure!

Confronted with rumors that he'd fled Libya for Venezuela, embattled and increasingly violent Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi released a short, 40-second video to Libyan state television, in which he denounces the reporting of the "dogs in the media" while sitting inside a van outside his home, and holding an umbrella. It appears to be his CalArts senior thesis project?

There's not exactly a surplus of news cameras in Libya right now, so plenty of reports are flying around and it's not clear which of them are true. But we can say with enough confidence that it's absolute hell over there. Muammar Qaddafi is pulling out every nasty little trick to protect his regime, assuming he's even in the country. It could always be that smarmy kid of his doing the unconscionable.

South Korean military sources claim that North Korea is working at the site of its two previous nuclear bomb tests — "obvious" proof that they are "preparing for a third nuclear test." Oh, great.

The Times of London is reporting that Gen. David Petraeus will leave his spot as the head of the U.S. Afghan Command at the end of the year, not that anyone blames him. Petraeus replaced Gen. Stanley McChrystal in the difficult, thankless job in July of 2010 after McChrystal was fired over a Rolling Stone article; a search is apparently already on for a replacement, who would theoretically be overseeing the withdrawal of American troops and thinking a lot about how great it will be when he can retire and maybe play a little golf. [Times via The Daily Beast]

Around 50 members of Iran's parliament today called for the execution of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi for being "corrupt on earth" — a charge that carries the death penalty — after the two men urged their supporters to protest in support of the revolution in Egypt. Tehran's police chief claims that "some police and security personnel were shot by [protesters] and nine security forces men and some other people were wounded in this incident."

Poor Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna! He gave a speech to the U.N. on Saturday about poverty and social unrest—only it was actually the Portuguese Foreign Minister's speech. Luis Amado, Portugal's Foreign Minister, had spoken before Krishna but ditched the prepared remarks; Krishna, apparently, picked up one of the circulated copies of Amado's speech and, not paying very much attention, dove right in, at one point noting his "satisfaction regarding the happy coincidence of having two members of the Portuguese speaking countries addressing the 15-nation council."

What's former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak up to? According to an Egyptian newspaper, he's been in a coma since Saturday and is "currently receiving medical treatment." The Egyptian government says that Mubarak has been in the resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh (and not in Germany or Saudi Arabia, as has been rumored) since his Thursday speech, during which, according to rumors, he fainted twice. Mubarak is 82, and underwent gall bladder surgery in Germany in 2010. [al-Arabiya]

Whatever coalition remains from the defeated Iranian uprisings of 2009 hit the streets again today for demonstrations, hoping to build on momentum from the 2011 Tunisia-Egypt Wave of Freedom Everywhere. After all, the Iranian regime had been encouraging the demonstrations in Egypt; why shouldn't it allow such protests in its own streets? Because then the Iranian regime might get overthrown, duh.

In its new role as caretaker government, Egypt's military suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament today, and Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq promised that previously scheduled elections will be held in September. Let's just hope that the country's temporary rulers remain temporary. Here's a round up of today's other news out of Egypt.

Egypt has finally dumped its arrogant, paternalistic dictator of three decades in the largest country in the Arab world. That's quite an achievement for a suppressive police state after only two to three weeks of protests that weren't very organized to begin with. But what comes next? Will pure democracy just kind of "appear"? Or does an impossible process of constitutional negotiations between the people, the army, the Muslim Brotherhood, business leaders, and foreign powers need to take place over the next year before anything even approaching a stable and responsive political system emerges? Unfortunately it's that second scenario, the "impossible process of constitutional negotiation" one, that's realistic.

The story in Egypt has taken another hairpin turn—but for the better this time. The protesters have finally kicked out their old man, (ex-)President Hosni Mubarak. He's stepped down and retreated to his estate at Sharm el-Sheik, on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula.

Who thinks Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's hilarious fake-out announcement that he's staying in office was good idea? Well, Mubarak, probably, and his vice president, Omar Suleiman. And, apparently, Egyptian military leaders, who, in a statement read aloud on national television, backed Mubarak's "plan" for a peaceful transfer of power, encouraging protestors to go home.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak just finished his long-delayed speech to the country and, to everyone's surprise, he had no change of plans to announce. He's not stepping down tonight, or tomorrow.

Various reports are swirling around about Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak planning to step down from power in the very near future. NBC News' Richard Engel hears from two independent Egyptian government officials that Mubarak would leave tonight, under an agreement with Army leaders.

The United States already has a major image problem in the Arab world, and a new State Department report on the abuse of foreign workers at U.S. embassies in the region is sure to make it worse.

Frank Wisner, our special envoy to Egypt and Barack Obama's point man for managing the ongoing crisis there, planted a big wet kiss on Hosni Mubarak over the weekend when he told attendees of a German security conference that Mubarak "must stay in office," which is not even remotely close to what Barack Obama has been saying.

Google marketing executive Wael Ghonim, who went missing for two weeks, is extremely "happy and emotional" following his release today by Egyptian authorities. Indeed: Ghonim promptly asked for the resignation of the ruling party figure who sprung him from jail.