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(Reuters) - After months of vitriolic discord, Republican and Democratic lawmakers were expected to vote on Monday on a White House-backed deal to raise the U.S. borrowing limit and avert an unprecedented debt default.
The Democratic-led Senate is expected to pass the deal, which raises the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling and cuts about $2.4 trillion from the deficit over the next decade.
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. There are still some very important votes to be taken by members of Congress, but I want to announce that the leaders of both parties, in both chambers, have reached an agreement that will reduce the deficit and avoid default -- a default that would have had a devastating effect on our economy.
Cairo- The United States promised during recent talks with Libyan officials to provide embattled Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi with a safe haven if he agreed to step down, a Libyan official said in remarks published Wednesday.
'The US delegation expressed clear readiness to go ahead and find a place or a country prepared to host Gaddafi, along with offering him guarantees that he will not be tracked down for prosecution,' the official was quoted as saying in the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al Awsat.
JUBA, South Sudan — Barely 24 hours before South Sudan officially became the world's newest nation on July 9, Onyoti Adigo sat in his office nursing a swollen lip and bloody gums.
The opposition politician and seven of his colleagues had just been released after two hours in the hands of South Sudanese military intelligence. Adigo lost a tooth in the beatings, while others in his entourage got sent to the hospital coughing up blood.
SANAA, June 3 (Reuters) - Fierce fighting in Sanaa between forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his tribal opponents has sent Yemen sliding rapidly towards civil war.
Street battles in the past 10 days have claimed at least 155 of more than 370 lives lost since popular protests demanding an end to Saleh's nearly 33 years in power erupted in January.
WASHINGTON, May 31 (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden and top lawmakers are trying to reach a deal that would reduce the United States' spiraling debt and increase the U.S. borrowing limit.
The Treasury Department says Congress must raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by Aug. 2 to avoid a potentially catastrophic default on its obligations, but both Republican and Democratic lawmakers say any increase must include measures to ensure the country's debt remains at a sustainable level.
* Arab disappointment likely on Israel-Palestinian issue
By Matt Spetalnick
WASHINGTON, May 19 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will lay out a new U.S. strategy toward a skeptical Arab world on Thursday, offering fresh aid to promote democratic change as he seeks to shape the outcome of popular uprisings threatening both friends and foes.
In his much-anticipated "Arab spring" speech, Obama will try to reset relations with the Middle East, but his outreach could falter amid Arab frustration over an uneven U.S. response to the region's revolts and his failure to advance Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.
WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and U.S. congressional leaders have "narrowed their differences" but have not reached a budget deal aimed at averting a government shutdown, Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said on Thursday.
Their statement came following an 80-minute meeting at the White House with Obama.
"We will continue to work through the night to attempt to resolve our remaining differences," the two leaders said in a statement. (Reporting by Richard Cowan and Kim Dixon; Editing by Eric Beech)
Speaker of the United States House of Representative, John Boehner in a last minute effort to forestall government shut down on Friday is proposing another short term budget of one week during which talks continue on cuts on the budget.
Addressing Congressional Correspondents on Wednesday, the Speaker said that, “we’re going to be prepared to move forward with our troop funding bill that would fund our troops, keep the government open for another week, and cut $12 billion in spending.”
According to him, “ I think this is the responsible thing to do for the United States Congress, and I would hope the Senate could pass it and the president would sign it into law,” Boehner said. “Republicans have no interest in shutting down the government.
Shutting down the government I think is irresponsible and I think it’ll end up costing the American taxpayers more money than we’re already spending. And I believe that our members want to support our troops, want to pay our troops, and we’re going to do the responsible thing tomorrow.”
How far this can will remain to be seen as only the previous day President Obama was very emphatic that he is not ready to sign another short term budget.
Responding to question of another short term budget, the President responded on Tuesday this way, “We did it once for two weeks, then we did another one for three weeks. That is not a way to run a government. I can’t have our agencies making plans based on two-week budgets. I can’t have the Defense Department, I can’t have the State Department, I can’t have our various agencies on food safety and making sure our water is clean and making sure that our airports are functioning, I can’t have them making decisions based on two-week-at-a-time budgets.”
In the same vein, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated that there is not an appetite for another short-term CR, particularly one that cuts $12 billion in one week, rather than the $2 billion pace of the two previous short-term stopgap measures.
When asked Tuesday if the GOP’s short-term CR would be “dead on arrival” Reid, D-Nevada, replied, “Oh sure, absolutely.”
But with stiff opposition to another short-term CR in the Senate, a shutdown now appears closer than ever if Congressional leaders are unable to reach a long-term deal.
All this is happening less than three days away from a government shutdown.
Against the growing criticism that United States President, Barack Obama took a unilateral decision to attack Libya, the President said yesterday that he consulted with bipartisan leadership at the Congress before taking action.
In an address to the nation at the National Defense University, Obama said, “after consulting the bipartisan leadership of Congress, I authorized military action to stop the killing and enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973.
Giving justification for leading the initial attack, the United States President said that “in the face of the world’s condemnation, Gaddafi chose to escalate his attacks, launching a military campaign against the Libyan people.
Innocent people were targeted for killing. Hospitals and ambulances were attacked. Journalists were arrested, sexually assaulted, and killed. Supplies of food and fuel were choked off. The water for hundreds of thousands of people in Misratah was shut off. Cities and towns were shelled, mosques destroyed, and apartment buildings reduced to rubble.
Military jets and helicopter gunships were unleashed upon people who had no means to defend themselves against assault from the air.”
According to Obama, “ confronted by this brutal repression and a looming humanitarian crisis, I ordered warships into the Mediterranean. European allies declared their willingness to commit resources to stop the killing. The Libyan opposition, and the Arab League, appealed to the world to save lives in Libya.
At my direction, America led an effort with our allies at the United Nations Security Council to pass an historic Resolution that authorized a No Fly Zone to stop the regime’s attacks from the air, and further authorized all necessary measures to protect the Libyan people.”
In assessing the effect of the action so far, Obama said that, “we hit Gaddafi’s troops in neighboring Ajdabiya, allowing the opposition to drive them out. We hit his air defenses, which paved the way for a No Fly Zone.
We targeted tanks and military assets that had been choking off towns and cities and we cut off much of their source of supply. And tonight, I can report that we have stopped Gaddafi’s deadly advance.”
On the next steps forward, he indicated that Secretary of States, Hillary Clinton is to meet with representatives of the opposition in London on Tuesday where she will meet with the Libyan opposition and consult with more than thirty nations.
These discussions, he stated, will focus on what kind of political effort is necessary to pressure Gaddafi, while also supporting a transition to the future that the Libyan people deserve. This is because while the military mission is narrowly focused on saving lives, the United States will continue to pursue the broader goal of a Libya that belongs not to a dictator, but to its people.
“Going forward, the lead in enforcing the No Fly Zone and protecting civilians on the ground will transition to our allies and partners, and I am fully confident that our coalition will keep the pressure on Gaddafi’s remaining forces.
In that effort, the United States will play a supporting role – including intelligence, logistical support, search and rescue assistance, and capabilities to jam regime communications.
Because of this transition to a broader, NATO-based coalition, the risk and cost of this operation – to our military, and to American taxpayers – will be reduced significantly,” the President added.
Substantiating his resolve to attack Libya, Obama insisted that, “to brush aside America’s responsibility as a leader and – more profoundly – our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are.
Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as President, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.”
* Sarkozy: North America, Europe, Arab partners back action
* Sarkozy says intervention will stop if Gaddafi ceases fire
* NATO, EU role in operation still unclear
(Updates, adds details, quotes)
By John Irish and Elizabeth Pineau
PARIS, March 19 (Reuters) - French warplanes destroyed tanks and armoured vehicles of Muammar Gaddafi's forces near the rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Saturday as Western powers backed by Arab states began U.N.-mandated action to protect civilians.
President Nicolas Sarkozy said an operation supported by France, Britain, the United States and Canada, and backed by Arab nations, was halting air attacks by Gaddafi's forces and would continue until the Libyan leader's forces ceased fire.
About 20 French aircraft -- including Rafale multirole war planes, Mirage 2000 fighter jets, refuelling planes and an AWACS surveillance aircraft -- were involved, French Armed Forces spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard told reporters.
The planes will counter attacks by Gaddafi's planes on Benghazi, enforcing a no-fly zone, and are ready to intervene against armoured vehicles threatening civilians, Burkhard said after Sarkozy led international talks to coordinate military action authorised by the U.N. Security Council on Thursday.
"It's a grave decision we've had to take," Sarkozy said after talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Arab leaders, European Union representatives and European heads of state.
"Along with our Arab, European and North American partners, France has decided to play its part before history," he said.
The first planes left France in the morning and headed for an area 62 by 93 miles (100 km by 150 km) around Benghazi and the operation was still underway in the late afternoon.
"We have set up this afternoon a no-fly zone which means that around Benghazi airforce planes are preventing all flights in accordance with the U.N. resolution," said Defence Ministry Spokesman Laurent Teisseire.
A second group of planes were also in the air to monitor movements on the ground and a defence ministry official said some Libyan targets on had been destroyed. "Yes, we have destroyed a number of tanks and armoured vehicles," he said, although he could not immediately confirm the exact number.
Aircraft from bases in eastern France at Saint-Dizier and Nancy as well as south of Paris in Dijon and Corsica were used in the operation and the ministry said aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle would leave for Libya around midday on Sunday.
The carrier is able to transport twenty aircraft and will be accompanied by a submarine and several frigates.
FRANCE, BRITAIN AT FOREFRONT
It was unclear whether NATO and the EU were taking a role in coordinating the mainly French operation, although Italy offered the use of a NATO base near Naples.
Sarkozy has been at the forefront of a push to intervene in Libya in recent days as Gaddafi escalated his attacks on opposition rebels which France and others support.
Cameron told reporters that Gaddafi's breaking of a ceasefire pledged on Friday made swift action essential.
"Colonel Gaddafi has made this happen. He has lied to the international community. He has promised a ceasefire. He has broken that ceasefire," he said.
"He continues to brutalise his own people and so the time for action has come," he added. "It is better to take this action than to risk the consequences of inaction, which is the further slaughter of civilians by this dictator."
Germany is not participating in the joint operation, but Berlusconi did not rule out Italian planes being used.
"For the time being we are making the bases available, but if they request it, even military intervention (is possible)," Berlusconi told reporters.
Before Sarkozy spoke, reconnaissance planes were flying over Libya as Gaddafi's troops advanced into the edge of Benghazi.
"We are doing it to protect the civilian population from the murderous madness of a regime that in killing its own people has lost all legitimacy," Sarkozy said.
"There is still time for Colonel Gaddafi to avoid the worst, by acting without delay and without reservations in accordance with all the demands of the international community. The door of international diplomacy will open again the moment attacks end."
DIPLOMATIC CLOUT
Sources close to the talks said only France, Britain and Canada were likely to take part in initial strikes, with any participation by the United States or Arab nations coming later.
Canada said its fighter jets had only just reached the region and would need two days to prepare for any operation.
Iraq's foreign minister was at the talks, as was the Qatari prime minister and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Determined to prove its diplomatic clout after its clumsy handling of the revolt in Tunisia, Paris has sought to lead a world response to the crisis in Libya, where Gaddafi's troops outgun rag-tag and poorly armed rebel forces.
Sarkozy was the first foreign leader to recognize the opposition and drop support for Gaddafi.
NATO ambassadors met in Brussels on Saturday to discuss involvement by the 28-member military alliance in enforcing a no-fly zone, but no decision was taken. A NATO diplomat said Britain, the United States and Canada wanted NATO to take a lead in the operation but Paris was lukewarm on the idea.
"France seems to have some problem with it being a NATO operation, given NATO's reputation in the Arab world as a result of Afghanistan and given that NATO is seen as an alliance dominated by the United States," he said. (Additional reporting by Andrew Quinn, Keith Weir, Daniel Flynn and Vicky Buffery in Paris and David Brunnstrom in Brussels; Writing by Catherine Bremer; Editing by Sophie Hares)
By Williams Ekanem, MACTV NEWS
Director, Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, Ambassador William Bellamy says modern professional militaries cannot function as agents of a ruler, or a ruling family or ruling elite.
In a welcome address to participants at the 2011 Next Generation of Africa Security Sector Leaders course held in Arlington, Virginia, USA, the retired Ambassador said, “militaries do not serve families, or clans, or tribes or factions.
They do not even serve governments, they serve the nation in its broadest sense. They serve and protect the public. And for militaries to play this role, they must do within a legal and constitutional framework that has broad legitimacy.”
Describing the timing of this year’s course as very appropriate, the Centre Director made a direct reference to the political crisis in North Africa saying that, “across Africa, and indeed through areas adjacent to Africa, we are today witnessing historic events.
An upheaval that began with a single individual that began with a single individual’s protest against injustice, a small act magnified many times over by the power of modern social media, is still unfolding.”
According to him, “citizens have claimed their rights, long serving political leaders have been expelled from office. Existing political orders have been challenged, shaken to their foundations and uncertainty reigns as to what will replace them.”
Bellamy added that, “but even now, it should be clear to us that in moments of crises such as those we are witnessing, certain basic rules regarding appropriate military conduct must apply,” one of which is that professional militaries cannot function as agents.
In the keynote address to the course attendants, Chief Human Resources, South African National Defence Force, Lt. General Derick Mgwebi told the African military officers that Africa was their home and that they needed to cherish their home by transforming their societies for the better.
He said, “for us as military leaders, we must focus firstly on driving the process of professionalizing our own armed forces, re-modeling and re-positioning our armed forces to be aligned with the principles and demands of democratic societies.”
Conducted in English, French and Portuguese, the four week program was attended by mostly majors and lieutenant colonels representing 25 African nations.
* Coming Up: U.S. Feb inflation, weekly jobless claims
(Updates prices, quotes, BAPCO shutdown)
By Claire Milhench
LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - Oil rose by more than $2 on Thursday as tensions in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain fuelled fears of further supply disruption while investors weighed the impact on energy demand from quake-hit Japan.
Brent crude for May, the front-month contract after April expired on Wednesday, was up $2.13 to $112.73 a barrel at 1120 GMT. Overnight it fell as much as 1 percent to $109.45 but then rebounded Thursday morning to an intraday high of $113.12.
U.S. crude rallied more than $1, reaching an intraday high of $99.86 before slipping back to $99.71 a barrel.
"The market is seeing risks from the supply side and the demand side, and has to decide which is weighing more," said Barbara Lambrecht, a commodity analyst at Commerzbank. "It is looking for orientation -- I think we can expect more volatility."
Prices had slid about 4 percent since Japan's earthquake and tsunami six days ago, touching a three-week low of $107.35 on Wednesday. But increased tensions in the Middle East have helped prices rebound.
"The focus is back on continuing unrest in the Middle East and what will be a lot of disruption in Libya for a long time," said Christopher Bellew, an oil trader at Bache Commodities.
"The risk is more to the upside -- there was a lot of long liquidation on that sharp sell off at the beginning of the week so we will work our way a bit higher probably."
In Bahrain at least six opposition leaders have been arrested, a day after a crackdown on protests by the Shi'ite Muslim majority. A United Nations human rights official urged Bahrain to rein in its forces.
State-owned Bahrain Petroleum Co (BAPCO) has partly shutdown production due to staff shortages caused by the protests, trade sources said..
Bahrain lies less than 100 kms from the hub of the Saudi oil industry at Dhahran, including the world's largest oilfields, oil terminal and processing plant.
"The demonstrations in Bahrain are a potential threat to Saudi Arabia," said Thorbjorn Bak Jensen, oil market analyst at Global Risk Management.
Saudi Shi'ites marched in the kingdom's oil-producing east on Wednesday, demanding the release of prisoners and voicing support for Shi'ites in nearby Bahrain, an activist and witnesses said.
JAPAN, LIBYA DISRUPTIONS
The market is also focused on the quake-crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan where emergency crews are battling to cool an overheating nuclear plant in efforts to avert a meltdown.
Although the Japanese reconstruction effort will be energy-intensive, manufacturing shutdowns such as that of Toshiba's LCD assembly line may reduce the immediate demand for electricity.
Any lengthy disruptions to regional production networks could spill over into global supply chains and impact economic growth, investors fear.
"With the Japanese crisis we are starting to enter an area of systemic risk where assets can see extreme fluctuations without necessarily a fundamental justification," Olivier Jakob, oil analyst at Petromatrix, said in a note.
Bak Jensen said risk aversion had prompted the big sell-off earlier in the week, but when Japan regains control of its nuclear reactors, oil prices should pick up again.
"Refined products such as fuel oil and gasoil are trading at premiums to Brent and that should put upward pressure on Brent," he said.
In Libya, government soldiers battled rebels on the road to the insurgent stronghold of Benghazi. The United Nations Security Council meets later on Thursday to consider its response to the escalating violence in Libya, with a vote planned on the no-fly zone.
OPEC members including Saudi Arabia have increased output partly to compensate for the loss of as much as two-thirds of Libyan supplies, at the same time eroding spare capacity.
Commerzbank's Lambrecht noted even if the Gaddafi regime quickly regains control of oilfields and exporting facilities, the sites are partly destroyed and market sanctions expected.
(Additional reporting by Alejandro Barbajosa in Singapore; editing by James Jukwey)
WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - U.S. environmental regulators will propose pollution rules on Wednesday that could ensure continued reliance on nuclear power by forcing aging coal plants into early retirement.
The Environmental Protection Agency said it will unveil standards on mercury, which can damage nervous systems in babies, and other airborne toxins from power plants at 1100 EDT (1500 GMT).
Japan's battle to stop earthquake-damaged nuclear reactors from melting down has pushed some countries to be more cautious on atomic energy. Germany, which has taken the strongest stance after the disaster, plans to shut seven of its older nuclear plants, or a quarter of its atomic energy, for a three-month safety review.
The United States has said it remains committed to the technology. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on Wednesday that federal regulators will look to boost the safety of the nation's nuclear plants after the Japan crisis.
Coal-fired plants generate nearly 50 percent of U.S. electricity while nuclear and natural gas generate about 20 percent each.
The EPA crackdown could help shut some 15 to 20 percent of aging U.S. coal-fired plants.
That could increase reliance on natural-gas-fired power plants, which can be built quickly and pollute less than traditional coal-fired power plants.
It could also ensure that the country continues to derive large amounts of power from nuclear plants, despite the Japanese crisis, because they emit virtually no gases. (Editing by Jim Marshall)
A group of Sudanese huddles against the cold at the Saloum border post in Egypt after fleeing Libya
15 March 2011 – As fighting intensifies in Libya, the United Nations refugee agency today voiced concern that people needing to flee combat areas and seek refuge are either unable to go or being prevented from doing so, even as the number of refugees nears 300,000.
“We appeal again to all parties to ensure safe passage for all civilians fleeing violence,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a press briefing in Geneva. “Typically, we would expect to see significant numbers of injured people and women and children in a mass displacement of this nature, but so far our staff at the borders with Egypt and Tunisia have seen very few.”
The situation for sub-Saharan nationals in all parts of Libya appears to be particularly critical with agency hotlines continuing to receive calls for help from trapped refugees and asylum-seekers and Eritrean refugees reporting being detained in both the eastern and western parts of the country, she added.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Rashid Khalikov, who arrived in Tripoli, the capital, over the weekend and met with Government representatives to discuss humanitarian matters arising from the fighting between forces loyal to Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi and opponents seeking his ouster, said today he could not as yet report much progress.
“I cannot say that I can boast about too much accomplishment,” he told UN Radio in an interview. “We wanted direct access to various parts of Libya. We wanted also to assess the humanitarian needs of the population that was affected by recent developments and it should cover both east and west of the country as well as the ability of international organizations to deliver on their mandate.”
So far “I think there was understanding of the Government on that,” but it remains to be seen if there is a concrete result, he said, voicing deep concern about the freedom of the people wanting to leave the country.
Mr. Khalikov visited the western city of Zawiya, recently recaptured by Mr. Qadfhafi’s forces, but said it was difficult to get an impression from a one-hour visit and he was not sure about the reaction of civilians. “I am not sure that they are not scared about their lives and the lives of their family,” he noted, adding that it was difficult to estimate at this point how many people need humanitarian aid.
Most of those fleeing so far have been migrant workers. To date 280,614 people have fled the violence, including over 150,000 to Tunisia, with only 12,256 of them being Libyan. Another 118,000 people have fled to Egypt, with nearly all non-Libyan.
But yesterday, of 2,250 people reaching Egypt over 1,000 were Libyans, including numerous whole families. “Many said they feared that routes out of Libya will be blocked as the combat zone closes in,” Ms. Fleming said.
Currently, some 3,500 people are stranded at the Egyptian border, the majority Bangladeshis, but the number of flights from Egypt to Bangladesh has now increased and yesterday nearly 900 Bangladeshis left. Conditions at the border continue to be harsh with very cold temperatures at night and inadequate shelter. UNHCR and partners have been distributing blankets, sleeping mats, food and water.
There are now 141 persons of concern to UNHCR at the border, including Somalis, Eritreans, Ethiopians, Sudanese from Darfur, Ivorians and Palestinians and the agency has asked the Egyptian Government to allow refugees and asylum-seekers to enter and be accommodated away from the border area until a solution can be found for them.
In Tunisia over 16,000 people at the border camp are awaiting onwards transportation or other solutions. On average some 3,000 people have arrived per day since Friday. Many of the new arrivals have told UNHCR staff that they spent many days at Tripoli airport before coming to Tunisia.
There have been 25 flights from Tunisia and Egypt since the start of the joint UNHCR- International Organization for Migration (IOM) humanitarian evacuation operation since 1 March. More than 6,000 people have already been flown home to Egypt, Bangladesh, and Mali in UNHCR-contracted planes. A further 15 flights are contracted for today to carry 3,000 people to Mali, Ghana, Chad and Niger.
The agency’s operational reserve has provided $5 million for a further 75 flights carrying 15,000 third country nationals to sub-Saharan African destinations.
Meanwhile, 47 tons of UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) supplies have arrived in the town of Ben Guerdane on the Tunisian side of the border with Libya to cover needs in the areas of health, child protection, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene.
“As more families are crossing the border to flee the violence, UNICEF and partners are stepping up their response to meet their humanitarian needs,” UNICEF representative in Tunisia Maria-Luisa Fornara said.
UNICEF is also gearing up for an immediate response inside Libya, as soon as access is allowed and the security situation permits. Supplies currently available include 300 squatting plates for latrines, 10,000 blankets, 5,000 hygiene kits and nearly 100 early childhood development kits, which include educational toys and drawing sets.
While the number of families fleeing Libya is relatively small, UNICEF said it remains concerned about the situation across the border and the impact of the violence on the well-being of women and children.
Informal comments to the media by H.E. Mr. Nawaf Salam, Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations, on the situation in Libya and other matters.
PARIS, March 14 (Reuters) - Group of Eight foreign ministers will try to agree in Paris on what action should be taken in Libya, to speed up a U.N. Security Council decision on whether to impose a no-fly zone, France said on Monday.
With violence worsening, "no option could be ruled out", foreign ministry spokesmanBernard Valero told an electronic press briefing as Muammar Gaddafi's troops battled rebel fighters for control of the oil town of Brega.
"The conclusions from the March 11 European summit and the Arab League's March 12 resolution clearly demonstrate the international community's firm commitment to protecting Libyan civilians," Valero said.
"This issue will be discussed as a priority at the foreign minister's meeting with his G8 counterparts with the aim of reaching an agreement that will enable the Security Council, which has received an official request from the Arab League, to move forward as fast as possible."
The Arab League's weekend call for a U.N. no-fly zone seemed to satisfy one of three conditions set by NATO for it to police Libyan air space, that of regional support. The other two are proof its help is needed and a U.N. Security Council resolution. (Reporting by Vicky Buffery; editing by Mark Heinrich)
LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - Oil slid by on Friday, with U.S. crude falling below $100, after an earthquake rocked Japan, created a 10-metre tsunami and shut down dozens of plants in the world's third-largest oil consumer. The oil market was also keeping an eye on a planned day of demonstrations in Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, and violence in Libya, which has disrupted its oil exports.
U.S. crude fell to as low as $99.01 a barrel and was trading at $100.44 a by 1544 GMT. ICE Brent crude fell $1.40 to $114.07 a barrel. It has fallen from a 2-1/2-year high of $119.79 on Feb. 24. Metals and soft commodities also fell.
Japan was hit by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake, the largest since observations began in the late 19th century. About 200-300 bodies were found, said police in Miyagi, northern Japan, where the quakes and the tsunami hit the hardest. The death toll was expected to rise.
"We need to think what the potential impact on Japanese economy from the quake will be and what the impact on global economy will be," Olivier Jakob with Petromatrix said. "That may weigh on oil demand from Japan and the oil price." Japan is the third-largest energy consumer after China and the United States and imports almost all its energy needs.
Some refineries and nuclear power plants were shut, and analysts pointed out the shutdowns might increase demand for imports of refined products and fuels for electricity generators.
"Short-term the disruption in activity will be clearly negative for Japanese oil demand, but you may find that post the initial impact of the tsunami, there will be a need to deliver oil products to meet demand if you suffer losses in refinery output," said Harry Tchilinguirian, BNP Paribas' head of commodity markets strategy.
The earthquake triggered a 10-metre tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, cars, ships and farm buildings, and then spread across the Pacific.
The Japanese government declared an emergency at nuclear power plants and evacuated thousands of residents. No radiation leak had been reported so far.
Jakob and Tchilinguirian also pointed out the potential for increased demand for natural gas and fuel oil from power producers to compensate for shutdowns of nuclear capacity.
MIDDLE EAST PROTESTS
In the Middle East, police flooded the streets of Saudi Arabia's capital to deter a planned day of demonstrations, while a small Shi'ite demonstrated was reported in Hofuf, in the oil-producing east.
In Libya, forces loyal to Libyan leaderMuammar Gaddafi entered the oil port of Ras Lanuf in the east of the country and were fighting for control of the town, rebels said on Friday. "Looking further forward it would be optimistic to expect Libyan oil production to return to normal levels this year," Lawrence Eagles with J.P. Morgan said in a research note.
Elsewhere in the region, Bahraini police blocked several thousand protestors from reaching the royal palace. In Yemen, tens of thousands of protestors marched in the capital, and protests turned violent in the southern port city of Aden. Kuwaiti riot police fired tear gas to break up a small, peaceful demonstration by stateless Arabs demanding greater rights.
European shares fell to a three-month low after the quake in Japan and on growing unrest in the Arab world. U.S. retail sales rose 1 percent, the largest gain since October. But it did not reverse the fall in oil prices.
