LIBYA

Gaddafi has reportedly not been seen in public since he escaped an air assault on the family compound on April 30 which killed one of his sons, Saif, and some grandchildren.

Due to the current unrest in Libya there will not be an effective monitoring and enforcement of the fishery in its waters, it will risk an internationally agreed recovery plan for the severely overfished species. There are reports that several Libyan vessels, legally unauthorized to fish for bluefin, have left from European ports in France (Sète) and Malta.

The European Union has imposed an arms ban on Syria, besides a freeze and visa ban on 13 top Syrian officials, including the brother of President Bashar al-Assad. Fifty-four Somalis trying to escape Libya are feared dead after an overcrowded boat with hundreds aboard capsized off the coast of Tripoli.

The Islamic Republic of Iran finds itself grappling with new realities in a Middle East that has been turned upside-down by an unprecedented wave of revolt and rebellion

Oil's sharp slide this week is welcome because high prices may hurt the world economy and in the longer term accelerate the use of alternative fuels, OPEC delegates said on Friday.

Oil fell on Friday to cap a frenzied trading week that sliced prices by a record of more than $16 a barrel on demand worries and a move by investors to slash commodities exposures.

The killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. Special Forces will likely have a powerful psychological impact on Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, according to the British chief of armed forces

Oil prices steadied on Friday following a torrid 10 percent slide the previous session, as shellshocked traders mulled market fundamentals and the frenzy this week that wiped out half the year's gains.

The steep slide in oil prices this week is welcome because crude above $120 a barrel may hurt the world economy, while crude at $90 to $100 is ideal, an OPEC delegate said on Friday.

Brent crude dipped toward $107 a barrel on Friday and U.S. crude fell below $97, extending losses from a record rout in the previous session that wiped as much as 10 percent from the price.

Brent crude rose 1.3 percent to more than $111 a barrel on Friday and U.S. crude climbed back above $100 as oil rebounded from a record rout in the previous session that wiped as much as 10 percent from the price.

Brent crude rose by 1.3 percent to over $112 a barrel on Friday as a weaker dollar sparked a rebound from an overnight rout, but prices could head south again on mounting economic concerns.

Oil plunged more than 8 percent on Thursday, heading for the third biggest daily drop in dollar terms on record, as concerns about economic growth and monetary tightening spurred a sell-off in commodities.

Oil plunged more than 8 percent on Thursday, heading for the third biggest daily drop in dollar terms on record, as concerns about economic growth and monetary tightening spurred a sell-off in commodities.

Oil plunged nearly 7 percent on Thursday, heading for the biggest daily drop in dollar terms since the 2008 financial crisis, as concerns about economic growth and monetary tightening clobbered commodities.

U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has warned that the battle against Al Qaeda did not end with the assassination of Osama Bin Laden.

Oil prices fell to their lowest in two weeks on Wednesday, hit by a build in U.S. crude stocks and a broad decline in commodities after weak U.S. economic data and concerns over tighter Chinese monetary policy.

Libya's army fired streams of rockets at the rebel-occupied Zintan, forcing thousands to flee the town to bordering Tunisia.

The Swiss government has imposed a three-year freeze on bank assets valued at 830-million Swiss Francs (almost $1-billion) which are linked to Moammar Gaddafi of Libya, Hosni Mubarak, the former leader of Egypt and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the deposed ruler of Tunisia.

Brent crude oil dipped below $124 a barrel on Tuesday as the dollar rose from a three-year low and traders weighed the impact on the market of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's death.

Thousands of Libyans attended today's funeral of Saif Al-Arab Gaddafi, the youngest son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed after air strikes by coalition forces last Saturday together with his 3 children (grandchildren of Gaddafi).