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Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search ADVERTISEMENT Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Top Stories Most Popular Photos Full Coverage Sitemap Libya live report AFP - 18 minutes ago Send IM Story Print 1407 GMT: King Abdullah's largesse in boosting benefits to keep his people happy may prove inadequate to halt the impact on Saudis of rising demands by populations in other countries in the region for greater participation in power, analysts are telling AFP. "The measures taken this week are on the right track toward addressing economic desires of Saudi citizens," said John Sfakianakis, chief economist at the Jeddah-based Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF). "However the government will need to continue gauging popular sentiment as citizens across the region seek political reforms and development of civil society institutions," Sfakianakis wrote in a report. 1405 GMT: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has condemned the use of force and says any further violence could be classified as a crime under international law. "Moscow is seriously concerned by what is occurring in Libya," news agencies quoted Medvedev as saying. "Russia condemns the use of force against peaceful civilians sanctioned by the country's leadership." 1402 GMT: The IOM is appealing "for an initial 11 million dollars" to assist migrants caught out by the violence and who need help with evacuation and repatriation. The IOM estimated before the turmoil that about 1.5 million irregular foreign migrants were in Libya mainly for work, along with a smaller but unknown number of regularised foreign workers from countries stretching as far away as Asia. As well as Egypt, Bangladesh, Moldova, Montenegro, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam have asked for help in repatriating hundreds if not tens of thousands of their nationals from Libya, the agency says.An estimated one million Egyptians alone are in Libya, as well as 50,000 Bangladeshis. 1359 GMT: The International Organisation of Migration says the exodus of mainly foreign migrants from eastern Libya to Tunisia is increasing, and it has appealed for $11 million (eight million euros) in aid. "The situation for migrants inside Libya is extremely difficult and we are deeply concerned about their plight," said IOM Director General William Lacy Swing. IOM spokeswoman Jemini Pandya says Tunisian authorities have counted 7,408 new arrivals over a 24-hour period until early Friday at the Ras Adjir border crossing alone. That brought the total arrivals in Egypt, Tunisia and Niger to about 40,000 to 50,000, she tells AFP. 1356 GMT: Khadafi's son Saif al-Islam has reportedly told CNN-Turk: "Plan A is to live and die in Libya, Plan B is to live and die in Libya, Plan C is to live and die in Libya." 1348 GMT: The EU is ready to offer "considerable money for humanitarian aid" for the tens of thousands of people spilling across the Egyptian and Tunisian borders, says a European Commission spokesman, Raphael Brigandi. Concerns are high across the bloc over the prospect of a human tidal wave of refugees and migrants reaching Europe's Mediterranean shores from north Africa, with up to 1.5 million would-be migrants from Africa believed holed up in Libya. 1345 GMT: At least two killed by Kadhafi forces in Tripoli's Fashlum: witness 1344 GMT: Some 3,600 European Union citizens remain trapped in Libya as the 27-nation bloc prepares a package of sanctions against Moamer Kadhafi as well as humanitarian aid, officials say. 1337 GMT: Witnesses in Tripoli, where Kadhafi loyalist troops have started shooting at demonstrators, say security personnel were deployed around mosques to prevent demonstrations after the main weekly Muslim prayers. In their sermons, prayer leaders followed a text that had been imposed by the authorities calling for a "return to stability" and an end to "sedition" and "acts of sabotage," worshippers have told AFP. 1332 GMT: Oil prices may soon reach $140 a barrel, research house Capital Economics. "Given the pace at which markets are moving and events are unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa, we are of course extremely wary of making any strong calls on what happens next," it says in a research note. It also says, however: "At this rate it will not be long before prices revisit the highs above $140 seen in 2008." Concerns of a complete cutoff of Libya's 1.6 million barrels a day of light crude have driven prices sharply upwards this week. 1329 GMT: Commerzbank oil analyst Carsten Fritsch says: "Behind this volatility is the great uncertainty on the scale of supply outages in Libya and as to which country can compensate for these losses." "Saudi Arabia has declared its willingness to compensate for the supply losses from Libya. However, many refineries in Europe that obtain their oil from Libya can only process light oil. It is questionable whether Saudi-Arabia can deliver this oil." 1327 GMT: World oil prices are rising again today as supply worries persist due to escalating unrest in the oil-rich Middle East and North Africa, traders said. Brent North Sea crude for delivery in April rose 76 cents to $112.12 per barrel, having rocketed yesterday to $119.79 -- the highest level since August 22, 2008 -- before sliding lower as many traders took profits. New York's light sweet crude for April, known as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), has gained 76 cents to $97.47 a barrel today. 1324 GMT: Hamzah Mansur, chief of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, tells the crowds in Amman: "reforms have become a necessity that cannot be delayed." "We want immediate constitutional change to help create productive governments and a truly representative parliament. These are the demands of all Jordanians." Holding national flags and pictures of King Abdullah II, the protesters chanted: "The people want to reform the regime, dissolve parliament and amend the constitution." They carried banners reading "we have no place for corruption and the corrupt," and "enough bullying, we want democracy, not a security mentality." They also called for scrapping amendments to the 1952 constitution, which was promulgated by King Abdullah II's grandfather King Talal. The document has been amended 29 times, giving greater power to the monarch and weakening the legislature, experts say. Police say 6,000 people took part in the demonstration, the largest since last month, while organisers put the figure at more than 10,000 supporters of the Islamist movement and 19 political parties. 1321 GMT: Several thousand people are demonstrating in the centre of the Jordanian capital Amman in a "Day of Anger" to call for political reforms organised by the power Islamist opposition and other parties. There is a strong security presence, but police have stayed on the sidelines and have even given bottles of water and juice to the protesters. "We are demonstrating today against the official bullying and to demand reforms," leading trade unionist Maisara Malas told AFP. "We seek regime reforms. We want a true parliamentary monarchy. The monarchy should not dominate parliament." 1318 GMT: AFP's 'Quotes of the week' feature, unsurprisingly has plenty of quotes on LIbya. Here are a few of them: I'M YOUR MAN: "Moamer Kadhafi is the leader of a revolution; Moamer Kadhafi has no official position in order for him to resign. He is the leader of the revolution forever. This is my country, my country." -- Embattled Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi addresses to the nation RATS: "Capture the rats ... Go out of your homes and storm them." -- Kadhafi, in his address to the nation, of anti-regime supporters BALANCED APPROACH: "We have not yet used force." -- Kadhafi, in the address, after widespread reports that hundreds of protesters had been killed in a brutal crackdown. DESCENT INTO HELL: "Libya is descending into hell. The airport is like nothing I've ever seen in my whole life. It's absolute chaos. There's just thousands and thousands of people trying to get out." -- A relieved Helena Sheehan, 66, arrives in London aboard the first British rescue flight from Tripoli. END GAME: "Today we are being beaten by his regime, by his mercenaries. But he (Kadhafi) will end. His mercenaries will shoot with their guns until they finish their munitions. After that, it's game over." -- Local resident in Tajura suburb of Tripoli. 1305 GMT: As Kadhafi's loyalist troops turn their guns on their fellow citizens demonstrating in Tripoli after Friday prayers, witnesses contacted by AFP have given the first details: "The security forces fired indiscrimately on the demonstrators," said a resident of one of the eastern suburbs that had seen previous clashes between opponents of the regime and its remaining loyalists. "There were deaths in the streets of Sug al-Jomaa," the resident said. Residents of other eastern suburbs, including Ben Ashur and Fashlum, said they have witnessed "sustained gunfire against anyone in the streets." 1300 GMT: In northern Iraq, where clashes have left seven dead, protesters have set fire to provincial government offices in Mosul and the city council building in Hawija. In the southern port city of Basra, the provincial governor resigned after 3,000 protesters gathered. Soldiers and police fired into the air to disperse the rally. No injuries were reported. Crowds chanted, "Liar, liar, Maliki!" in the southern cities of Nasiriyah, Karbala and Kut, where security forces arrested 14 demonstrators. 1258 GMT: In Zouara, further west towards Libya's border with Tunisia, fleeing Egyptian workers say the town was in the control of civilian militias after fierce fighting. 1255 GMT: Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi opened fire on protesters who have gathered in several areas of the capital Tripoli after prayers, witnesses have told AFP by telephone. 1253 GMT: US-chartered ship with 300 passengers departs Tripoli: official 1251 GMT: Kadhafi forces open fire on protesters in several areas of capital: witnesses 1245 GMT: AFP's reporter at the Tunis rally says it is swelling. A Red Crescent worker says more than 30 people have fainted because of the huge number of people, who include youths draped in the Tunisian flag. 1243 GMT: Tunisians "are living in a political vacuum," a law student who gave his name only as Ramzi told AFP as an estimated 100,000 people rallied in Tunis. "We demand the firing of the whole government and of (Prime Minister Mohamed) Ghannouchi," he said. Ghannouchi's caretaker government, tasked with leading Tunisia to elections due in about five months, has faced regular protests demanding it root out vestiges of the old regime. These include Ghannouchi, who was prime minister under Ben Ali for over a decade since 1999, and several ministers. 1240 GMT: Al Jazeera citing reports that protests have begun in Tripoli and witnesses have heard gunfire 1234 GMT: Tripoli's ambassadors to Paris and UNESCO have resigned today to condemn "acts of repression in Libya", they said in a statement read out on public radio, adding they "were joining the revolution." "We strongly condemn the acts of repression in Libya. We declare our unity with the people, our support for the people's revolution," Paris ambassador Salah Zaren and UNESCO envoy Abdul Salam el Galali said. "We are joining the revolution. We have resigned from our official posts," the said in a joint statement read out in front of Libya's Paris embassy, and broadcast by France Inter. 1229 GMT: From Misrata, the resident contacted by phone by AFP says some 500 troops of Kadhafi's Hamza Brigade are still defending the air base against regime opponents. "There have been 30 martyrs among our fighters," he said, adding that thousands of people are expected to turn out for their funerals and a new assault on the air base is prepared. 1222 GMT: Libya's Quryna newspaper says that in Az-Zawiyah, west of Tripoli, 23 people were killed and 44 wounded when regime loyalists mounted a ferocious rearguard action against protesters in the key oil refinery town. "The wounded cannot reach the hospitals because of shots being fired in all directions," said the paper, based in the opposition-held eastern city of Benghazi quoting its correspondent in Az-Zawiyah. 1220 GMT: Libya's envoys to Paris and UNESCO resign: report 1217 GMT: Fewer than 500 British nationals remain in Libya, a Foreign Office spokesman tells AFP, including oil workers in remote desert camps. Although as more Britons are evacuated, more are coming forward, he says. "There are still people in Tripoli, in the area surrounding Benghazi and in the deserts. The security situation at the airport has been deteriorating in recent hours and the route to the airport is becoming more precarious." 1214 GMT: Prime Minister David Cameron is back in Britain to take control of London's response to the Libya crisis as further rescue planes brought back badly shaken British nationals. Cameron, who has been on a tour of Gulf states, took command as newspapers blasted his government's comparatively sluggish response in getting Britons out of the widening chaos engulfing Libya. A third British-chartered plane landed at London Gatwick Airport on Friday with 130 passengers on board, including 53 Britons. More than 300 Britons have now been evacuated from Tripoli by air on special flights, with the Foreign Office saying they have helped more than 500 British nationals to leave Libya. A further 68 Britons and 139 others are on board HMS Cumberland heading to Malta. The navy frigate's progress has been hampered by bad sailing conditions. 1211 GMT: A resident of Misrata, Libya's third biggest city, 150 km east of Tripoli, says Kadhafi loyalists have deserted the city and clashes are taking place at an airbase nearby. If correct, it means the anti-Kadhafi movement is approaching Tripoli along the east coast. 1208 GMT: "In brazen and continuing breach of international law, the crackdown in Libya of peaceful demonstrations is escalating alarmingly with reported mass killings, arbitrary arrests, detention and torture of protestors," Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, warns at the start of a meeting of the 47 member human rights council." "According to some sources, thousands may have been killed or injured," she told envoys packed into the council room, although the Libyan delegation was notably missing. 1201 GMT: The situation at midday: - The uprising grows across Iraq but Moamer Khadafi's regime is attempting to cling on, with pledges of a $400 gift for each family and big pay rises for government workers. - Mass demonstrations are taking place in Tunisia, Yemen, Bahrain and across Iraq, where seven protesters have died in confrontations with security forces in two northern cities. 1159 GMT: Protesters in Baghdad's Tahrir Square hold up placards that read, "No silence, we must speak". "We don't want to change the government, because we elected them, but we want them to get to work!" Darghan Adnan, a 24-year-old student, tells AFP. "We want them to enforce justice. We want them to fix the roads. We want them to fix the electricity. We want them to fix the water." 1157 GMT: Rallies in Iraq are bringing together a range of causes, from railing against poor public services to demands for broader political reforms. Rated the fourth-most corrupt country in the world by Transparency International, Iraq suffers from poor electricity and water provision, as well as high unemployment nearly eight years after the 2003 US-led invasion. MP Sabah al-Saadi, who turned up at the Baghdad protest, was met with shouts and jeers, with one protesters asking: "Why are MPs taking millions of dinars (thousands of dollars) in salaries?" "You have to cut your salary -- we have nothing! Why are you taking so much money when we have no money?" 1152: More from the 'Day of Rage' in Iraq, where seven people have died in demonstrations in the north of the country: An AFP journalist in Baghdad's Tahrir Square reports that around 5,000 demonstrators have gathered there, with many of them angrily throwing stones, shoes and empty plastic bottles at riot police and soldiers blocking off Jumhuriyah bridge. Demonstrators overturned two concrete blast walls, which had been erected to seal off access to Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone, home to the US embassy and parliament, the journalist says. 1149 GMT: The Philippines government today announced plans to evacuate 13,000 Filipinos from Libya by boat and plane, but is unable to say when this will occur. The plight of the estimated 60,000 Bangladeshis in Libya appears even bleaker with the government in Dhaka saying it has no firm evacuation plans for them. "It is still not clear what measure we will be able to take to evacuate them, we are hoping to move them to safety," foreign ministry spokesman Syed Masud Khandker tells AFP . In Thailand, relatives of the 23,000 Thais working in Libya lobbied local employment offices this week demanding help for their loved ones, amid reports those stranded were running low on food and water. The Thai government has begun evacuation efforts, with a ship expected to collect around 2,000 people from worker camps in Tripoli later today. 1143 GMT: Another Al Jazeera headline: the Benghazi interim coalition says nearly all oil fields in east Libya under rebel control... 1140 GMT: More about Italy's plans to rescue its citizens from Libya: Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa says: "I have already agreed the plans for the rescue operation with the generals in charge. Clearly it's not a decision that I want to take on my own. When the time is right and unavoidable we will go in." Italy says around 1,500 Italians are permanent residents in Libya and there are hundreds of other visitors including oil workers and archaeologists. Italy has already deployed two ships to the Libyan coast and sent two C130 military transport planes yesterday to bring back around 141 people. Italian media say around 400 Italians remain stranded in Libya. 1135 GMT: In Tunis, police estimate the number of demonstrators at more than 100,000, while army helicopters hover overhead. Protesters and Red Crescent workers says it is the biggest rally since the fall of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on January 14 after weeks of demonstrations. 1132 GMT: Garry Martinez, chairman of Migrante International, a support group for Philippine workers abroad, says he has received similar reports of hundreds of Filipinos being abandoned by employers across Libya. "They are very afraid, very hungry, very tired," Martinez told AFP. "They are panicking. They can hear gunfire. They are calling on the government to send some help to them." Martinez says he has been in contact with 145 Filipinos abandoned by their South Korean construction company employers along the Libyan border with Tunisia. 1128 GMT: "The protesters shoot people on sight, it's not safe to go out. We don't have food and money. We are almost starving. Nobody can imagine how dangerous the situation is," Bangladeshi worker Kabir Hossain tells AFP by telephone. Hossain, 24, says he and 17 other Bangladeshi construction workers are trapped inside a Libyan desert work site after their employers abandoned them. "They told us we would have to find our own way out of the country," he says via a scratchy mobile-phone connection. An estimated 100,000 workers from the Philippines and Bangladesh remain stuck in Libya more than a week after the violence erupted, with their governments unable to mount quick or extensive evacuation programmes for them 1127 GMT: Tens of thousands of Tunisians, most of them students, are rallying to call for the resignation of the country's transitional goverment, an AFP correspondent reports from the scene. 1125 GMT: Libyan official newsagency Jana claims "terrorists" have slit the throat of several soldiers in Zawiyah, 60 km west of Tripoli. 1123 GMT: In Tripoli, there is an eerie silence. Streets are quiet and shops are closed, people in the Libyan capital tell AFP. 1121 GMT: Tens of thousands demonstrate in Tunis calling for government's resignation 1117 GMT: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokeswoman Melissa Fleming says the organisation fears that many people who want to flee the country, especially Libyans, are trapped. "We're getting accounts from people coming over that the journey is terrifying, that they're being harassed on the way, they are being robbed of all their possessions, they're coming with just the clothes off their backs," Fleming says. "Libyans in particular are being hindered, particularly if you are coming from further inside the country" she told journalists. 1114 GMT: "Libya is a net food importer and the food supply chain is at risk of collapsing," UN World Food Programme spokeswoman Emilia Casella tells journalists. Imports are not reaching ports and distribution around the country are reportedly hampered by violence. "They do have limited production of wheat, barley and olives mainly in a small area around Benghazi, but that is not enough to meet the population's needs," she adds. WFP was not delivering food aid in Libya before the turmoil, but a supply corridor from the northeastern coastal city of Benghazi across the desert for 260,000 people in Chad has been halted after ships were diverted because of the turmoil in Libya, the spokeswoman said. 1112 GMT: Just one more Al Jazeera headline: The new authorities in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi says they will recognise existing oil agreements. 1106 GMT: Other Al Jazeera headlines: the Libyan city of Zuwarah has fallen to the rebels... Libyan tribal leaders are meeting to form a provisional government... 1059 GMT: Al Jazeera says Saudi Arabia announces it will raise its oil output to 9 million barrels a day. 1056 GMT: Al Jazeera TV shows a crowd of several thousand people waving placards as they march through Yemeni capital Sanaa. 1049 GMT: British newspapers today slam the government for its handling of the Libya crisis, branding the response a "fiasco" marked by dithering and a lack of urgency. The Daily Mirror's front page reads: "Hundreds of Brits are in peril in Libya, David Cameron's off flogging weapons, William Hague's lost the plot, Nick Clegg has forgotten he's supposed to be manning the fort, and, oh, Liam Fox has gone down the pub." The Daily Mail says: "As the Libyan rescue finally limps into action, Cameron and Hague apologise for (the) fiasco, Clegg admits he forgot he was in charge and a minister makes a gaffe over the SAS -- makes you proud to be British!" 1042 GMT: EU governments are making "contingency plans" to police Libyan airspace but "the EU needs a UN Security Council resolution first," a diplomat has told AFP on condition of anonymity. The idea of a no-fly zone has been evoked as part of a set of international measures to punish the Kadhafi regime. 1039 GMT: Protesters calling themselves the "children of the revolution" have occupied Libya's embassy in Paris, an AFP journalist reports. "We've taken over the embassy," a spokeswoman for the group told AFP, asking not to be named. French police were stationed outside the embassy. "They're threatening a mass suicide if police intervene," the spokeswoman says. The group hoisted the old Libyan flag pre-dating Kadhafi's 1969 coup d'etat over the embassy. "The ambassador no longer has legitimacy because he refused to support the Libyan people," the spokeswoman said. 1036 GMT: German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has joined the chorus of top-level diplomats calling for sanctions on Kadhafi's regime. Speaking after a meeting with Moroccan counterpart Taib Fassi Fihri, Westerwelle says: "We want concrete sanctions to be decided" at the UN Security Council meeting expected later today. "The European Union should also decide on sanctions," he added, suggesting an arms embargo, a travel ban on leading Libyan regime officials and a seizure of Libyan assets. 1034 GMT: Jordan has deployed more than 3,000 security personnel across central Amman, braced for a planned "day of anger" by the powerful Islamist opposition movement and other parties. "More than 3,000 members of different security services are currently in downtown in anticipation of the march," a top security official tells AFP. 1030 GMT: Italy's La Russia adds: "We have reports that there are Italians in southeast Libya who have finished their food supplies. We will rescue them. We have already prepared a military operation to reach them and are just waiting for the go-ahead from the foreign ministry," he tells SkyTG24 news channel. 1026 GMT: Italy is preparing a "military operation" to rescue some Italian nationals stranded in southeast Libya whose food supplies have run out, Defence Minister Ignazio La Russia has announced. 1024 GMT: In Baghdad,troops and police are deployed in force at Tahrir Square, where around 5,000 demonstrators have gathered, and security forces have erected concrete blast walls to block entrance to Jumhuriyah bridge connecting the demonstration site to Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone. Protesters nevertheless managed to overturn two of the walls, with some of them attempting to cross the bridge. Several lines of anti-riot police quickly blocked it off, however. 1022 GMT: Italy prepares 'military operation' to rescue Italians in Libya: minister 1020 GMT: Libyan state TV says Libyan families will be eligible to receive 400 dollars each, as the regime seeks to thwart protests that have left big swathes of the country outside its control. The television also says some public sector workers could get pay rises of as much as 150 percent as Moamer Kadhafi's depleted government attempts to deploy its large oil earnings to rescue public support. 1018 GMT: EU nations are preparing to take part in a possible no-fly zone over Libya to prevent Moamer Kadhafi from bombing protesters, if the UN approves the measure, an EU diplomat says. 1014 GMT: In Iraq, the death toll climbs to seven in clashes with police in two northern cities as protesters take to the streets across Iraq to mark a "Day of Rage". 1013 GMT: Kadhaf al-Dam, a close aide and cousin of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, has resigned from "all his official functions," Egypt's official MENA news agency says. 1012 GMT: Libya's food supply chain at risk of collapse: UN food relief agency 1008 GMT: Kadhaf al-Dam, close aide to Kadhafi, quits: Egypt news agency 1007 GMT: Libya's second city of Benghazi, where the unprecedented protests against Kadhafi's four-decade rule first erupted, is firmly in the hands of his opponents, says an AFP correspondent in the city. 1005 GMT: In Tripoli, the streets have been largely deserted in recent days but worshippers are expected to turn out at mosques for the main weekly prayers on Friday, the Muslim day of rest and also a traditional day of protest. 1002 GMT: Signs hanging round Manama's Pearl Square signal that the protests are far from over: "We will not accept any dialogue with he who kills us in cold blood," declares one banner hanging from an overpass. "A free state and a happy people," reads another, while a third urges the government to "free all political detainees." Security forces are not in evidence at the square, according to AFP's man on the spot. 0959 GMT: "Nobody is scared of tanks or weapons," Ibrahim Ali, a 42-year-old mechanical engineer tells AFP's reporter as he arrived in Manama's Pearl Square for the demonstration. "They will open their chests to face that," he says Protesters, mainly Shiites demanding an end to the Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty which has ruled for two centuries, are chatting, preparing food, or relaxing in the tent city that has sprung up in the square, our correspondent reports. 0955 GMT: In Bahrain, protesters are gearing up for a mass rally to honour the seven victims of a deadly police crackdown as an anti-regime campaign enters its 12th day. An AFP correspondent in Manama's Pearl Square, the epicentre of the movement, says demonstrators are milling around waving the red-and-white flag of Bahrain. 0953 GMT: In Iraq, five protesters have been killed and 10 others wounded when security forces fired warning shots to disperse a demonstration in the northern city of Mosul, police say. 0952 GMT: Five protesters dead in clashes in north Iraq demo: police 0951 GMT: "Today's brutal and shocking situation is the direct outcome of a callous disregard for the rights and freedom of Libyans that has marked the almost four-decade long grip on power by the current ruler," Pillay says. 0945 GMT: Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, says Moamer Kadhafi's regime's "callous disregard" of Libyans is at the root of an ongoing deadly crackdown on peaceful protestors. 0938 GMT: Here's what's happened so far today: LIBYA: Forces loyal to Moamer Kadhafi's crumbling regime are staging a bloody fight back in western towns near Tripoli, as the east declares itself free of the leader's iron-fisted rule. -- Outraged Western governments scramble to craft a collective response to the crisis, including possible sanctions against Kadhafi's loyalists and a freeze on assets they are believed to have salted away abroad. -- Escaping expatriates describe hellish scenes as evacuation efforts drag on on the 11th day of the crisis. BAHRAIN, YEMEN: Fresh protests expected EGYPT: The UN World Tourism Organisation welcomes moves by Egypt and Tunisia to restore tourism sectors. IRAQ: Several thousand demonstrators have gathered at Baghdad's Tahrir Square for a "Day of Rage" despite heavy restrictions and a vehicle ban after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki claimed the rally was organised by insurgents. JORDAN: The powerful Islamist opposition expects 10,000 of its members and supporters of 19 political parties to march and call for reforms. The US embassy warns Americans to avoid the protests. ALGERIA: US President Barack Obama praises Algeria for lifting a 19-year state of emergency, following unprecedented protests that threatened President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's regime. MOROCCO: A sixth Moroccan has died following demonstrations as one of the biggest parties in the ruling coalition, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces, called for a timetable for implementing political reforms. 0936 GMT: Crackdown of protestors in Libya 'escalating alarmingly': UN rights chief 0935 GMT: Thousands may have been killed or injured in Libya crackdown: UN rights chief Follow this live report for a minute-by-minute update of events as they happen in Libya, North Africa and the Middle East. We'll bring you all the latest news as the uprising gathers pace in Libya and protesters assemble in cities across the region for mass rallies following Friday prayers. Recommend Send IM Story Print News Search Top Stories Libya live report US growth slows to 2.8% in fourth quarter Designer Galliano held in Paris for 'anti-Semitism' British economic recovery falters in fourth quarter Libya on edge as Kadhafi forces fight back in west More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Toyota recalls more than 2 million vehicles 'Runaway millionaire' arrested in NZ: police Discovery shuttle blasts off on last space odyssey Kadhafi rants at 'Al-Qaeda inspired' revolt Boeing wins massive US air tanker contract More Most Viewed » More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo! 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Vietnam lifts fuel prices sharply
Chinese miners urged to boost overseas investment
Houston police officer shot during nationwide sweep targeting Mexican cartels
Wikileaks: Former Colombian president authorized raids into Venezuela
Pentagon to focus on “facts and circumstance” in Rolling Stone investigation
Discovery crew boards shuttle for STS-133, bound for International Space Station
Official fired for urging "deadly force" on Wisconsin protesters
FBI arrests Saudi student in Texas for plotting bomb attacks
Justin Moore's "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away" debuts on Billboard, USA Today Top 40
Toyota recalls more than 2 million vehicles for gas pedal issues
Suspect in Ohio murder to be extradited; elderly couple still missing
Men sentenced to nine years in Pennsylvania hate crime killing
Ricky Gervais offers Oscar hosts a little opening |
Tweeting moms, Web cams. Oscar gets geeky |
Bidding is hot in Justin Bieber hair auction |
Paltrow to join Coldplay husband in UK charts |
Egypt sends more ex-ministers and businessmen to court
WikiLeaks' Assange appeals against extradition
Saudi charged in U.S. bomb plot, Bush possible target
Google cooks recipes into search menu
'Runaway millionaire' arrested in NZ: police
U.S. seeks backing for action to end Libya bloodshed |
Iran warships dock in Syria, Israeli fears dismissed
Palestinian PM turns to Facebook for inspiration
Discovery shuttle blasts off on last space odyssey
Pakistan puts American CIA contractor on trial for murder |
New Zealand quake toll rises as hope fades for survivors |
Suicide bomber kills at least 11 in Iraq
Algeria lifts 19-year-old state of emergency |
Samsung to set up biopharmaceutical joint venture
Boeing wins massive US air tanker contract
Sudanese protesters block main road in capital
Apple takes wraps off new MacBook Pro lineup
Shuttle Discovery blasts off on final mission
Iraqis rally through social media in "day of rage"
South Korea drops leaflets into North about Egypt, Libya |
Japan's Elpida opens up 0.9 pct on Taiwan debut
Karzai tries to calm fears, criticizes NATO
Jasmine protests greet Chinese envoy in Taiwan |
New Zealand quake toll rises, hope fades for survivors
Apple succession plan proposal got 30 percent support
Woes pile up for family of U.S. contractor in Cuba |
Huawei calls on U.S. government to investigate it
Marcos victims in Philippines to get compensation
Majority of US Internet users on Facebook: market tracker
At NZ quake epicenter, screams and flying boulders
Disney buys family social network Togetherville
Geena Davis hits out at Hollywood at UN Women gala
Police: NZ quake death toll rises to 113
Samsung to set up biopharmaceutical joint venture
Apple MacBooks get speedier with Intel technology
Woes pile up for family of U.S. contractor in Cuba
Caviar facials help starlets face Oscars red carpet
Young migrants commit third of China crimes: report
Business or pleasure, Asia's karaoke love lives on
Rio races to get Carnival ready
New Charlie Sheen outburst as hit TV series canceled
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Apple takes wraps off new MacBook Pro lineup |
CBS axes "Two and a Half Men" after Sheen insults
"Hall Pass" on track to win weekend box office
Apple succession plan proposal got 30 percent support |
George "The Iceman" Gervin comes to India
Samsung to set up biopharmaceutical joint venture |
Geena Davis hits out at Hollywood at UN Women gala
Huawei calls on U.S. government to investigate it |
NEC cuts profit forecast by 40 pct, IT business drags |
Japan's Elpida opens up 0.9 pct on Taiwan debut |
News Corp kicks off Myspace sale process |
Seoul shares open up as builders, autos bounce
S.Korea Jan current account surplus falls from Dec
S&P: NZ quake could pressure some financial sector ratings
S&PBulletin: New Zealand rating unaffected by earthquake
NZ quake victim rescued after Swiss knife amputation
Japan's consumer prices fall for 23rd month
Huawei says it wants to ease US security fears
CBS axes Two and a Half Men after Sheen insults |
Hall Pass on track to win weekend box office |
Eminem overtakes Lady Gaga as most-liked on Facebook |
Bidding is hot in Justin Bieber hair auction |
Jennifer Lopez to debut new video on American Idol |
U2 to play Glastonbury festival |
Libya live report
New airline IAG logs annual profit of 100 mln euros
Seven killed on Iraq 'Day of Rage'
NEC cuts profit forecast by 40 pct, IT business drags
British bank Lloyds pre-tax profits rebounds
British economic recovery falters in fourth quarter
Libya live report
Two killed in north Iraq 'Day of Rage' demo: police
Russian president sacks 7 interior ministry generals
Indebted Irish take revenge in crisis poll |
Kadhafi rants at 'Al-Qaeda inspired' revolt
Designer Galliano held in Paris for 'anti-Semitism'
Tens of thousands hold rival rallies in Yemen |
Libya on edge as Kadhafi forces fight back in west
Libyan diplomats change sides at U.N. rights forum |
Ivory Coast Gbagbo militia confirms rebel advance |
Spain's Telefonica posts record 2010 net profit
Thousands rally in Iraq's Day of Rage protests |
Witness: Up close, but not very personal, with Col. Gaddafi |
South Korea leaflets tell North of Egypt, but change
Egyptians pack Tahrir for protest and celebration |
Pakistan puts CIA contractor on trial for murder
Communist rebel slain in new Philippine fighting
Factbox -Selected excerpts from ISI letter on CIA
'More Koreans enjoy cultural life'
Deutsche Bank fined nearly $1 mln by Korea Exchange
S.Korea utilities in LNG talks with suppliers -sources
Thai DPM to resume reconciliation talks next week
Seoul shares inch up on airlines, builders
Slowest growth for Japan's population since 1920
Chinese workers seek more in Apple supplier's plant poison case |
Pakistani stocks down 2.7 pct on foreign selling
Thai DPM apologises to army chief
Seoul shares nudge up on airlines, builders
Google to launch YouTube movie service in UK: report |
Global warming apparent in Korea
Pakistan
"Jasmine" protests greet Chinese envoy in Taiwan
Pakistani c.bank to buy govt paper in reverse repo
Samsung Group, Quintiles to form drug venture
New Zealand central bank denies rumour of emergency meeting
Huawei says it wants to ease US security fears
Dior suspends Galliano after booze-fuelled bar spat |
UK royal couple visit university where love bloomed |
Eminem overtakes Lady Gaga as most-liked on Facebook |
Dior suspends Galliano pending racism inquiry |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

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