Gold prices held just below the previous session's record high in Europe on Wednesday, as the acceleration of global inflation and the threat that violence in the Middle East and North Africa will spread supported interest in the metal as a haven from risk.
Here are some vignettes of pitched battles raging in Libya as well as visuals of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the North African country:
Stock index futures were slightly higher on Wednesday, stabilizing a day after a surge in oil prices led to a heavy sell-off.
Stock index futures were slightly higher on Wednesday, stabilizing a day after a surge in oil prices led to a heavy sell-off.
With anti-secrecy site WikiLeaks, and social media platforms Twitter and Facebook in the running, Internet dominates the race for Nobel Peace Prize 2011.
The United Nations General Assembly suspended Libya from the Human Rights Council, expressing its deep concern over the killings of hundreds of anti-government protesters in the country.
The top two U.S. defense officials have not confirmed if the Libyan government has been firing on its own people from aircraft.
The United Nations has called for an epic humanitarian evacuation of people seeking to escape Libya for Tunisia, citing the “crisis point” conditions at the border between the two countries.
Non-Libyan Africans are reportedly becoming the target of revenge killings in Libya, owing to the perception that foreigners form a large part of Moammar Gaddafi’s mercenary force paid to kill anti-government protesters,
Spot gold rallied to a record of $1,432.10 an ounce, surpassing its previous record of $1,430.95 set on December 7, as chaos in Libya and political turmoil in the Arab world prompted safe-haven buying and soaring oil prices boosted bullion's inflation hedge appeal.
OPEC output fell in February from a two-year high the previous month as the uprising in Libya curbed supplies from Africa's third-largest producer, even as Saudi Arabia pumped more, a Reuters survey showed on Tuesday.
As the United States moves military ships toward the Mediterranean Sea and officials discuss the possibility of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said it was irresponsible to consider all options to resolve the situation there, including an invasion.
A YouTube musical clip mocking embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has become a hot hit in the Arab world, its Israeli creator said on Tuesday.
Libya's oil installations are undamaged and a cut in the country's oil output was caused by the departure of oil workers, the chairman of Libya's National Oil Corporation said on Tuesday.
Libya could descend into civil war if Muammar Gaddafi refuses to quit, the United States said on Tuesday, its demand for an end to his rule carrying new weight after word of unspecified Western military preparations.
Spot gold rose to a session peak at $1,421.35 an ounce and was up 0.6 percent at $1,419.66 an ounce by 1240 GMT. It rose 6 percent in February, its largest monthly rise since August, when the U.S. Federal Reserve first indicated that it would continue the massive money printing by monetizing government bonds.
U.S. stocks traded lower on Tuesday as a jump in oil prices renewed fears of hampered economic activity, offsetting a positive reading on manufacturing.
Crude output in Libya has fallen to levels significantly below its normal 1.65 million barrels per day (bpd) output, and well below its 1.47 million bpd OPEC production quota in the aftermath of violent anti-government protests, according to a senior energy analyst at IHS Global Insight.
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a positive open on Tuesday but gains could be capped by a jump in oil prices as investors awaited testimony from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
U.S. stock index futures were up but eased from earlier highs on Tuesday after crude oil jumped and investors awaited testimony from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
U.S. stock index futures were higher on Tuesday as investors awaited testimony from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who is not expected to cut short the Fed's bond buying program.
Oil prices rose back above $112 a barrel on Tuesday due to concerns over unrest in the Middle East, though stock markets shrugged off the move, preferring to focus on optimism over the outlook for the U.S. economy.
