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Yemen Live Blog - March 23

As the Yemen uprising escalates, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe. Al Jazeera is not responsible for content derived from external sites.

(All times are local in Yemen GMT+3)

• Timestamp: 

  2:45am

  Faris Almatrahi is an organiser for the Yemeni Youth For Change - a political reform movement that aims to bring together young Yemenis living outside the country.

  He told Al Jazeera that the Obama administration's position could cause it to lose support among ordinary Yemenis - who have been vocal in their opposition to president Saleh.

• Timestamp: 

  2:30am

  The US state department has once again deflected questions on whether president Ali Abdullah Saleh should step down immediately. 

  Saleh has long been considered a US ally in the effort against al-Qaeda.

  On Tuesday, US state department spokesman Mark Toner said that a political dialogue is the only way to address the crisis in Yemen.

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  1:05am

  As mentioned earlier, Al Jazeera has received reports of fighting in the southern town of Hadida. 

  On one side: members of the presidential guard and on the other a military battalion that defected, and is now supporting anti-government protesters.

  At least two people are believed to have been killed.

• Timestamp: 

  12:00am

  It's midnight in Yemen, and we begin a new live blog. But you can catch up on all that happened yesterday by reading our March 22 blog here.

Libya Live Blog - March 23

• Timestamp: 

  3:50am

  Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey, reporting from New York, says agreeing to protect civilians in Libya was the easy part for members of the UN security council. Deciding how to do so is proving much more difficult.

  Read her blog here.

• Timestamp: 

  2:45am

  Three journalists including two AFP employees and a Getty Images photographer who had been held by Gaddafi's forces since the weekend have been released in Tripoli, an AFP journalist says.

• Timestamp: 

  2:10am

  Four a couple of days, rumours have floated around that one, maybe two, of Gaddafi's seven sons have been killed. 

  When US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked by ABC News if she could confirm the reports, she said: "I can’t confirm it, but we’ve heard it, and we’ve heard a lot.

  "We hear it from many different sources, and I – that’s why I can’t confirm it. I can’t give any confirmation because the evidence is not sufficient." 

• Timestamp: 

  1:46am

  The future command structure for the coalition's military action is Libya is uncertain. The US wants to hand over its leading role and NATO's role is being debated. Watch Caroline Malone's report:

• Timestamp: 

  1:07am

  Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught in Tripoli says Gaddafi's televised address may not have been broadcast live as state TV runs a lot of recycled material, and no busloads of foreign journalists were brought to his palace to witness the event.

• Timestamp: 

  12:49am

  The UN is preparing to bring more aid into Libya. UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards says the agency will send truckloads of goods to Benghazi on Wednesday, including 5,000 blankets and 5,000 sleeping mats.

  "Providing humanitarian assistance under current circumstances is very challenging," he said."There are reported shortages of medical supplies and basic commodities in the eastern part of the country, with prices having increased dramatically."

  The UN World Food Programme plans to move 19 tons of lentils and 11 tons of vegetable oil in the next two days from Egypt into eastern Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  12:27am

  Libyan state TV has broadcast what it said was live coverage of a brief address Gaddafi made to enthusiastic supporters at his residential compound in Tripoli.

  Standing on a balcony, he denounced the coalition bombing attacks on his forces, and told the crowd, "in the short term, we'll beat them, in the long term, we'll beat them."

  State TV said Gaddafi was speaking from his Bab Al-Aziziya residential compound, the same one hit by a cruise missile on Sunday night. 

  "O great Libyan people, you have to live now, this time of glory, this is a time of glory that we are living".

• Timestamp: 

  12:21am

  Gaddafi's associates have been reaching out to their contacts worldwide to see how they can "get out of this," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told ABC News on Tuesday.

   

  "We've heard about... people close to him reaching out to people that they know around the world - Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, beyond - saying what do we do? How do we get out of this?" Clinton said.

• Timestamp: 

  12:00am

  It's midnight in Libya and our live blog continues for another day. To keep track of all that's happened, be sure to check out our blog from yesterday, March 22, here.

Live Blog Libya - March 22

As the uprising in Libya continues, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe. Al Jazeera is not responsible for content derived from external sites.

• Timestamp: 

  11:27pm

  A majority of French support the foreign military operations in Libya, according to the first poll carried out in France since operations started against Gaddafi's forces on Saturday.

  According to the survey conducted by pollster IFOP, 66 per cent of those surveyed supported the intervention and there was no difference between left-wing or right-wing political streams.

• Timestamp: 

  11:05pm

  AP: France says it has agreed with the United States that NATOshould have a role in coalition's military operations in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  8:50pm

  Hussein El Warfali, one of the heads of a Gaddafi brigade near Tripoli, has reportedly been killed.

• Timestamp: 

  7:25pm

  Channel 4 News is reporting that six villagers in a field on the outskirts of Benghazi were shot and injured when a US helicopter landed to rescue a crew membr from the US fighter jet that crashed late on Monday.

  It said the local Libyans who were injured in the rescue mission are currently in hospital and that one young boy is expected to have his leg amputated due to a bullet wound.

• Timestamp: 

  7:16pm

• Timestamp: 

  6:55pm

  Reuters: US Admiral Samuel Locklear said Gaddafi's air force is unlikely to have a negative impact on UN backed operations after it was hit hard enough by allied military strikes.

  He also said that air forces from Qatar would be "up and flying" by the weekend as part of efforts to police the no-fly zone.

• Timestamp: 

  5:33pm

  Reuters: Resident says at least 10 people killed in bombardment of west Libya town of Zintan

• Timestamp: 

  5:05pm

  Western warplanes attacked a military aircraft belonging to Muammar Gaddafi's armed forces that was flying towards the rebel-held city of Benghazi.
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  4:25pm

  
  

  A US F-15 jet crashed in Libya late on Monday, reportedly due to a technical fault during a raid against anti-aircraft defences in the northeast. Both its crew ejected safely, the US Africa command said Tuesday.

  Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons is onboard the USS Kearsarge, just off the Libyan coast, which was involved in the recovery of the crew of the F-15.

  "We're told two aircraft were involved in the recovery operation," he said.

  "The two pilots are in good condition. They are expected to be heading possibly to his ship which has excellent medical facilities on board.

  "They were over flying northeast Libya on mission. It is not known exactly what they were engaged in."

• Timestamp: 

  3:20pm

  Al Jazeera's correspondent, James Bays, who is 9km from Ajdabiya, said that rebel fighters were attacked 800m from where they are stationed.

  "Fighters gathered up there and one of their vehicles was hit ... all fighters fled that position and are now where I am, which is basically the front line," he said.

  "Their vehicle was hit by tank round or a missile. I don't think anyone was hurt.

  No one really is making any progress. The oppositon are where they were 24 hours ago ... They are lightly armed volunteers ... a professional officer on the rebel side told me they're very brave but to the point of being suicidal.

  "Gaddafi forces are much more heavily armed. The opposition have the numbers and they seem to have the momentum but on the other side the Gaddafi forces have the power."

• Timestamp: 

  3:06pm

  Al Jazeera's James Bays filed this report from the front lines today:

• Timestamp: 

  3:03pm

  Megan Scully has a thorough article on the National Journal website looking into the massive cost of maintaining a no-fly zone and attacking Gaddafi's ground troops. The first day cost the United States around $100 million alone, she estimates.

  Meanwhile, it generally costs $10,000 per hour, including maintenance and fuel, to operate F-15s and F-16s. Those costs do not include the payloads dropped from the aircraft. The B-2s dropped 45 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMS, which are 2,000-pound bombs that cost between $30,000 and $40,000 apiece to replace.

• Timestamp: 

  2:20pm

  Al Jazeera correspondent James Bays just gave us a report from the desert around nine kilometres north of Ajdabiya, as far as our team there was able to go (they came under missile attack 300 metres farther down the road earlier today).

  The front line hasn't moved much in the past 24 hours, Bays said, but rebels are confident they'll be able to take back Ajdabiya. That confidence may not have much basis in reality, since rebels seem to be relying heavily on coalition air strikes to move anywhere and lack the discipline and heavy weapons a conventional force might have.

  As we mentioned earlier, rebels use mobile phones to communicate and revert to word-of-mouth when the network goes down. 

• Timestamp: 

  1:57pm

  David Cenciotti, a former Italian air force pilot and aviation journalist, has been writing an easily digestible and straightforward account of the technical, military aspects of Operation Odyssey Dawn, the coalition military campaign to enforce the UN Security Council resolution on Libya.

  If you're curious about which nations are involved, what kind of forces they're using and why seemingly mysterious military events are happening, read Cenciotti's blog (and check out our open-source Google Doc).

  Here are Cenciotti's summaries of days one, two and three of Odyssey Dawn. 

• Timestamp: 

  1:25pm

  The Independent newspaper highlights a little off-message chatter from UK armed forces minister Nick Harvey. In the debate over the Libya no-fly zone, ground forces were a red line - they had to be ruled out to win support from Arab nations and reassure skeptic domestic audiences in the West. But Harvey apparently hasn't ruled them out:

  Harvey said he would not rule out deploying a small force in a defensive role to protect civilians.

  "I don't think we would at this stage rule anything in or rule anything out but I agree with the distinction that you draw between landing an occupying force and the use of anybody on the ground," he told BBC1's Breakfast programme, the Independent said.

• Timestamp: 

  1:13pm

  US Africa Command (AFRICOM), which is overseeing American efforts in Libya, has released a statement on the downed F-15:

  Two crew members ejected from their U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle when the aircraft experienced equipment malfunction over northeast Libya, March 21, 2011 at approximately 10:30 p.m. CET. 

  Both crew members ejected and are safe. 

  The aircraft, based out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, was flying out of Aviano Air Base in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn at the time of the incident. 

  The cause of the incident is under investigation. 

  The identities will be released after the next of kin have been notified.

• Timestamp: 

  1:09pm

  Al Jazeera's James Bays, on the road outside Ajdabiya with opposition fighters, says his group came under rocket fire from loyalist troops outside the town, around 160km south of Benghazi.

  The rebels have been using mobile phones throughout the uprising, but when the network goes down, they are forced to rely on word-of-mouth, sending men forward in trucks and jeeps with mounted machine guns and hearing from them what the situation is ahead.

• Timestamp: 

  12:07pm

  The Guardian newspaper's Chris McGreal says he saw four plumes of smoke rise near Ajdabiya after hearing planes overhead, indicating a possible coalition air strike there - the first reported one today. 

  Crilly (the Telegraph correspondent who just found the downed US plane) earlier reported that rebels and coalitions forces were coordinating the strikes. Coalition spokesmen have tried to avoid the appearance of taking sides in their official comments, but have indicated that the no-fly zone and military campaign to carry out the UN Security Council resolution is ultimately aimed at ending Gaddafi's regime.

• Timestamp: 

  12:04pm

  Two minutes after writing on Twitter that it was a "good day to check out a dodgy sounding tip," Telegraph newspapers correspondent Rob Crilly said he had found a US warplane that apparently crash-landed in a field late last night. The Telegraph says the plane seems to be an F-15E. Crilly has been reporting from the rebel stronghold on Benghazi, in the east.

• Timestamp: 

  10:16am

  Libyan expats are tweeting short snippets about their family and friends and what it was like for them to live under the tyranny of Gaddafi's 41-year regime, using the hashtags #100factsaboutme and #gaddaficrimes:

  @LibyaCyrenaica: "I am Libyan and #Gaddafi shot my 16 year old cousin in the spine. He is now paralyzed."

  @bunbunbunnyyy: "My father's friends in college were tortured & murdered by #gaddafi , we have yet to see justice."

  @AliLePointe: "My dad and 1000s of others had attempts on their lives when they started speaking against #gaddafi in '70s."

  @Bint_Al_Sahraa: "Some of my relatives r very high ranking G goons, are an embarrassment to my family for their roles in #gaddaficrimes"

  @Tripolitanian: "#Gaddafi used to promise every man woman and child $5000 from oil profits, gave us bullets instead."

• Timestamp: 

  10:06am

  Three journalists who went missing in eastern Libya more than 72 hours ago have been arrested by Gaddafi troops, the AFP news agency reports. AFP reporter Dave Clark and photographer Roberto Schmidt were arrested along with Getty photographer Joe Raedle, their driver says.

  The team drove from Tobruk, near the border with Egypt, to Ajdabiya, which had fallen under the regime's control. They encountered a convoy of military jeeps and transport vehicles "a few dozen kilometres" from Ajdabiya and were arrested by regime soldiers, along with other civilians who came down the road.

  Apparently, the journalists told AFP editors they were going to head around 35km outside of Tobruk to speak with refugees. Ajdabiya is 403km from Tobruk via a straight, inland road that runs between two towns.

• Timestamp: 

  9:28am

  Pakistan's foreign office has issued a carefully-worded statement on the intervention but appears to be opposed to military action:

  Pakistan is following, with serious concern, the developments in Libya in the wake of the military strikes. The loss of precious human lives is indeed regrettable. Peaceful political solution needs to be evolved by the Libyan people themselves in the spirit of mutual accommodation and national reconciliation.

  The statement also gives credence to the regime's claim of civilian casualties, calling such reports "extremely distressing."

   

• Timestamp: 

  9:16am

  China isn't backing down on its opposition to the no-fly zone. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu used a regular news briefing today to say that China had "deep concern" about civilian casualties and the possibility of a "humanitarian disaster" and wanted an end to the fighting. 

  Though Gaddafi's regime claims dozens of people have died in the air strikes, there's no way of knowing for sure, and the coalition has completely denied any civilian casualties.

• Timestamp: 

  9:10am

  Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh tells us that Iraqi Shia political leader Muqtada al-Sadr on Sunday announced he  "refuses and denounces" the foreign military intervention in Libya. 

• Timestamp: 

  8:49am

  So far, the military coalition enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya and attacking Gaddafi forces on the ground has been an entirely Western affair: The United States, United Kingdom and France have provided all of the forces in action, while other nations have made bases available and offered support, if necessary.

  That's about to change. Reuters reports that six Qatari Mirage fighter jets are due to land at a military base in Souda, Crete, today. We don't know yet how they'll participate in the action. Twelve F-16s and 12 Mirages from the United Arab Emirates are also going to head to Sicily soon, but the exact date isn't know, Reuters says.

• Timestamp: 

  8:19am

  New video purports to show the results of the battle for the western town of Misurata, home to a major oil refinery, where the Gaddafi regime and the opposition disagree about who is currently in control. The government claims Misurata was "liberated" three days ago, but the rebels claim they retain control. This video shows at least three abandoned Gaddafi tanks and an armoured personnel carrier.

• Timestamp: 

  6:05am

  It seems that the spat about whether Gaddafi's regime used journalists as "human shields" Sunday night is more over terminology than fact.

  Nobody disputes that journalists from CNN, Reuters, CBS, Channel 4, the AP and the Times of London were brought to the Bab al-Azizia after a missile strike there. Niall Paterson, defence correspondent for Sky News, wrote on Twitter on Monday that the British military chose to abort a Tornado strike on the compound when it learned that the journalists (and other civilians) were in the vicinity.

  CNN may have been singled out for attention because it was broadcasting live from the scene.

  Whether Gaddafi's men knew about another attack and brought the journalists there on purpose to prevent it - that's the question.

• Timestamp: 

  5:25am

  The 'road of death' links Libya's Benghazi to Tripoli, as Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports. Watch here:

• Timestamp: 

  3:25am

  Only one in three Britons agree with the decision to take military action in Libya, according to a poll published on Monday. The ComRes/ITN survey found that 43 per cent disagreed with the action and 22 per cent were unsure. 

  But in parliament, British legislators voted 557 to 13 in favour of military involvement.

• Timestamp: 

  2:52pm

  Libyan state television reports that Libyans keep backing their leader, with crowds flocking to al-Aziziah square to show their support. It also says many world capitals are witnessing demonstrations in support for Libya while the "crusader enemy" continues bombing civilian targets.

• Timestamp: 

  2:33am

  CNN correspondent Nic Robertson dismisses a report by Fox News that journalists in Libya were used by Gaddafi's forces as human shields. He says the allegation is "outrageous and it's absolutely hypocritical". 

  "When you come to somewhere like Libya, you expect lies and deceit from the dictatorship here. You don't expect it from the other journalists."

• Timestamp: 

  2:12am

  Our correspondent Anita McNaught says the government claims there have been heavy civilian casualties in coalition attacks on two major airports. Journalists have been invited to visit hospitals on Tuesday.

  
  Anti-aircraft rounds fired in Tripoli [Reuters]

• Timestamp: 

  1:30am

  Brazil's foreign ministry has spoken out about the events in Libya, saying in a statement:

  Brazil laments the loss of life occurring in the conflict in the country. The Brazilian government has the expectation of the implementation of an effective ceasefire as soon as possible, with the capacity to guarantee the protection of the civil population, and create conditions for the path for dialogue.

  "Brazil reiterates her solidarity with the Libyan people and their participation in the future politics of the country in an environment that protects human rights.”

• Timestamp: 

  12:56pm

  Al Jazeera Arabic reports that coalition forces have hit radar installations at two air defence bases east of Benghazi.

• Timestamp: 

  12:49am

   

  Fox News reports that Gaddafi's regime has used journalists as human shields. The US broadcaster said an attack on Gaddafi's compound on Sunday had to be curtailed because of journalists nearby.

   

  British sources confirmed that seven Storm Shadow missiles were ready to be fired from a British aircraft, but the strikes had to be curtailed due to crews from CNN, Reuters and other organizations nearby. Officials from Libya's Ministry of Information brought those journalists to the area to show them damage from the initial attack and to effectively use them as human shields"

• Timestamp: 

  12:26pm

  The UN Security Council has turned down a Libyan request for a special meeting to discuss what it called "military aggression" by coalition forces. The council said it would wait for a briefing on Thursday by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on how the resolution that set up the no-fly zone is being implemented.

• Timestamp: 

  12:16pm

  President Barack Obama says the United States expects to transfer the lead military role in Libya to other allies in a matter of days.

  NATO will be involved in helping to co-ordinate the next phase of action in Libya, the US president said.

• Timestamp: 

  12:05pm

  Al Arabiya television reported late on Monday that the western Libyan city of Misurata is now controlled by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.

  The channel was quoting a spokesman for Gaddafi's forces. There were no further details. Due to a lack of communications, the report has yet to be confirmed.

• Timestamp: 

  12:00pm

   

  It's midnight in Libya and our live blog continues for another day. To keep track of all that's happened, be sure to check out our blog from yesterday, March 21, here.

   

Yemen Live Blog - March 22

As the Yemen uprising escalates, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe. Al Jazeera is not responsible for content derived from external sites.

• Timestamp: 

  10:00pm

  Reuters - Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh, invites young people to join what is described as a "transparent and open dialogue".

  "President Ali Abdullah Saleh is truly sympathetic with the youth and is interested in their problems and causes," state media reports, citing an official source.

  "The president calls the youth to a transparent, sincere and open dialogue."

• Timestamp: 

  7:09pm

  Al Jazeera receives reports of clashes in the southern Yemeni town of Hadida, between members of the presidential guard and a military battalion which defected to support anti-government protesters.

  It is believed at least two people have been killed in the fighting.

• Timestamp: 

  6:16pm

  Arab League representatives meeting in the Egyptian capital condemn  "crimes against civilians" in Yemen and urge the government to deal with the people's demands in a "peaceful manner".

  The Arab League "strongly condemns the crimes committed against civilians, and calls for concerted efforts to safeguard national unity and the right to free expression," they said in a statement.

  They also called for "dialogue and democratic methods to deal with the demands of the Yemeni people in a peaceful manner"

• Timestamp: 

  5.33pm

  Reuters - Liquefied natural gas producer Yemen LNG tells customers that unrest in the country could lead to supply disruptions.

• Timestamp: 

  4:54pm

  Reuters - Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, says he is concerned about instability in Yemen but declined to say whether Yemen's leader should step down immediately.

  Asked whether the United States still supported Saleh or if it was time for him to go, Gates said: "I don't think it's my place to talk about internal affairs in Yemen."

  "We are obviously concerned about the instability in Yemen.

• Timestamp: 

  4:14pm

   

  Reuters - Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh told army commanders that the current crisis is being escalated by the media.

  ''The nation is facing a crisis and this crisis has been escalating for two years, which has caused congestion among different political forces and reached a climax and tension," he said on speech boradcast on state television.
  
  It also led to the creation of an internal and external agenda against the military institution. Media plays an important role. People only watch satellite channels, they only respond to information from them [and] they also take decisions based on what they see on these channels."

   

• Timestamp: 

  4:10pm

  Reuters - A coalition of Yemeni opposition groups reject Saleh's offer an offer to leave office after organising parliamentary elections by January 2012. 

  "The opposition rejects the offer as the coming hours will be decisive," said Mohammed al-Sabry, spokesman for the main umbrella opposition group

• Timestamp: 

  3.55pm

  Reuters - Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president, will leave says he will leave office after organising parliamentary elections by January 2012, refusing to hand over power without knowing who would succeed him, an aide has said.

  "President Ali Abdullah Saleh said he will hand over power through [parliamentary] elections and the formation of democratic institutions at the end of 2011 or January 2012," Saleh's media secretary Ahmed al-Sufi said. 

  "Ali Abdullah Saleh does not seek power. Ali Abdullah Saleh will not leave without knowing who he is handing over to."

• Timestamp: 

  3:00pm

  Yassin Noman, rotating head of Yemen's opposition coalition, said Saleh should avoid a violent fight to remain in power that could tear the country apart and lead to more instability.

  "He shouldn't follow the style of (Libyan leader Muammar) Gaddafi by destroying the country and killing people. After this long term of governing, he should say: Thank you my people, I leave you peacefully," Noman said.

  I know the morality of Yemeni people. If he left peacefully, they will look at him as a real leader. He will be able to live wherever he likes. They will ensure him a very nice life. His dignity will be kept.

• Timestamp: 

  2:18am

  Two soldiers have died in clashes between Yemen's regular army and the Republican Guard, elite forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the southeastern city of Mukalla, medics said.

  Witnesses said the two forces clashed near a presidential palace in Mukallah late on Monday.

  "The bodies of two soldiers, one of a soldier with the army and another of a member of the Republican Guard, were brought in" to a hospital in Mukalla, the medics said.

• Timestamp: 

  2:00pm

  In a speech to tribal leaders in Sanaa, many of whom say they back the protesters, Saleh repeated his civil war warning and added that the country could face distintegration.

  "You have an agenda to tear down the country, the country will be divided into three instead of two halfs. A southern part, northern part and a middle part. This is what is being sought by defectors against the unity," he said, referring to northern Shi'ite fighters and al Qaeda.

• Timestamp: 

  1:32pm

  Yemeni president Saleh says in a speech to army commanders that efforts to seize power via a "coup" will lead to civil war.

  Those who want to climb up to power through coups should know that this is out of the question. The homeland will not be stable, there will be a civil war, a bloody war. They should carefully consider this.

• Timestamp: 

  1:30pm

  Journalists at the 14 October state-run newspaper in the main southern city of Aden have joined anti-regime protesters and decided to cease publishing the paper, one of them said.

  The decision was taken to "protest against instructions from the Ministry of Information" determining the newspaper's editorial line, one journalist said.

  He added that Ahmed Hobayshi, the head of the publishing company that prints the paper, decided to stop printing and distribution operations as a sign of solidarity with the journalists.

• Timestamp: 

  1:25pm

  Bulgaria's foreign ministry has condemned attacks against civilians in Yemen, urging swift elections and constitutional changes to stave off looming "lawlessness."

  "We insist on an immediate cessation of all acts of violence against civilians," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Vesela Cherneva said in a statement.

  The chances for dialogue towards reconciliation and reforms between the government and the opposition are growing weaker by the hour and Yemen is quickly falling into lawlessness.

• Timestamp: 

  1:02pm

  Yemen's leader says he is ready to step down by year-end, vows not to hand power to military.

• Timestamp: 

  12:30pm

  Yemeni ambassadors to Pakistan, Qatar, Oman and Spain as well as the Yemeni consul in Dubai have decided to back anti-regime protesters, Gulf News daily reported.

  After our long waiting for our homeland's voice and interest to win, we declare our total support to the youth and their demands

• Timestamp: 

  12:20pm

  High profile members of Yemen's military have defected to support the anti-government protesters. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher has the latest in this report:

• Timestamp: 

  11:29am

  Yemeni and Saudi leaders are engaged in mediation efforts to hold early presidential elections in Yemen. Media source in Riyadh said that the Yemeni foreign minister in the care-taker government has returned to Sanaa after delivering a message from the Yemeni president to the Saudi king last night.

  Diplomatic sources said the Yemeni president requested Saudi help in reaching out to the leaders of the opposition. There were reports that the Yemeni president may offer to step down in six month in return for a “period of calm” agreed upon by all sides.

• Timestamp: 

  11:01am

  BBC Arabic radio says that the clashes took place between Republican guard units loyal to president’s son and military units loyal to resigned Major General, Ali Mohsen.

  They says at least 3 soldiers were injured in the attacks, and that military units were seen today in Sanaa around major sites, such as central bank and the department of defence building.

• Timestamp: 

  10:35am

  An army officer and three soliders were injured in clashes between a military unit and a republican guard unit in the city of Al Mukalla, in Yemen's Hadramaut province. A number of tanks gave been deployed to the entrance and main roads of the city.

• Timestamp: 

  9:56am

  Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh met with defence force officials in Sanaa yesterday:

  

• Timestamp: 

  8:16am

  Gunmen attacked Al Jazeera's offices in the capital Sanaa and fled with some of the equipment. 

• Timestamp: 

  7:31am

  Anti-government protesters wear helmets to protect themselves from rocks during clashes with supporters of Yemen's President's Ali Abdullah Saleh near a rally square in Sanaa.

  

• Timestamp: 

  6:01am

  Four out of the six staff members at the Yemeni embassy in Washington are saying they no longer support President Saleh and are siding with the people. 

   But one political officer, Khaled M Alkathiri,  told Al Jazeera that doesn't necessarily mean he backs the opposition movement.

  What's going on in Yemen is not about opposition parties. It's about those young people in the university, militants, and a lot of people so the opposition is not the one who's leading this. It's a national movement, it's everybody protesting and we've joined that.

  I'm still in my office, I'm doing my job because we're serving the Yemeni people. Yes, we are representing the government but at the same time we're representing Yemeni people. The government of Yemen changes from time to time but the diplomatic corps are still there." 

• Timestamp: 

  3:39pm

  Khaled Ismail al-Akwa'a, Yemen's ambassador to France, is one of several to sign a letter to President Saleh, urging him to resign. He says that unless there is a quick and peaceful transition of power, Yemen will go into a "very serious situation".

• Timestamp: 

  2:52am

  Gunmen have stormed the offices of Al Jazeera in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, seizing broadcasting equipment. More information soon.

• Timestamp: 

  12:50am

  Our correspondent John Terrett, reporting from Washington, said Al Jazeera has learned in the last few hours that four out of six diplomats at the Yemen embassy in DC have "sided with the people":

  I want to make this clear: I spoke to the political officer at the embassy this morning - Khaled Al Kathiri - and he said that what he and his four colleagues are doing is: they are not resigning their jobs, they are not joining the opposition, but they are siding with the Yemeni people in their call for Saleh to stand aside and for the reforms to be allowed to go ahead."

• Timestamp: 

  12:45am

  The White House has told the Yemeni government that the crackdown on protesters is quote "unacceptable".

  The Obama administration has issued a number of statements in the past month condemning the violence.  But it has also called for the opposition to enter into dialogue with the government - and it has not called for president Saleh to step down.

  Speaking earlier Mark Toner, a US state department spokesman, said Washington has given a clear message to Yemeni officials:

  We are obviously very concerned about the violence in Yemen. The president condemned it on Friday. 

  "We've made it quite clear that any Yemeni government needs to refrain from violence against nonviolent peaceful protesters. And any government has to support political change that meets the aspirations of the Yemeni people."

• Timestamp: 

  12:29am

  Our live blog on Yemen continues here for March 22. To look back on the events of yesterday, check out our March 21st blog here.

Yemen Live Blog - March 21

As the Yemen uprising escalates, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe. Al Jazeera is not responsible for content derived from external sites.

(All times are local in Yemen GMT+3)

• Timestamp: 

  11:59pm

  Today's liveblog on Yemen finishes right here. We will continue to keep you updated on everything that's happening through the night with our new liveblog for March 22.

• Timestamp: 

  11:56pm

  Sounds of explosions and shooting were briefly heard in an area near a presidential place in Yemen's eastern port of Mukalla, residents say.

  The nature of the shooting is not clear, but residents say there could have been clashes between pro-government troops and forces loyal to a regional military commander who is among top officers who voiced support for anti-government protesters earlier today.

  Residents say the shooting has ended and there did not seem to have been any casualties.

• Timestamp: 

  11:43pm

  Yemen's defence minister Mohammad Nasser Ali read a statement on state television in Sanaa earlier this evening, saying that the army supports president Ali Abdullah Saleh and will defend him against any "coup against democracy", according to the statement. [Photo via Reuters]

• Timestamp: 

  11:15pm

  Ahmad Zaidan, an Al Jazeera correspondent who was expelled while covering events in Yemen, says president Ali Abdullah Saleh is running out of money to finance his regime.  

• Timestamp: 

  9:31pm

  Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports on the situation in Yemen: 

• Timestamp: 

  9:28pm

  Yemen's ambassador and embassy staff to the UK are the latest diplomats to join the anti-government movement. A statement to Al Jazeera says:

  The Ambassador and the diplomatic staff of the Embassy of the Republic of Yemen in London would like to announce their support towards the peaceful Yemeni Revolution. 

• Timestamp: 

  8:41pm

  An update of the rapidly growing list of defections and resignations in Yemen:
  
  Army Officers:
  Brigadier Ali Mohsen Saleh, head of the North Western Military Zone
  Brigadier Hameed Al koshebi, head of brigade 310 in Omran area
  Brigadier Mohammed Ali Mohsen, head of the Eastern Division
  Brigadier Nasser Eljahori, head of brigade 121
  General Ali Abdullaha Aliewa, adviser of the Yemeni supreme leader of the army
  General Faisal Rajab, based in the southern province of Lahij
  “Dozens of officers of various ranks” – AFP
  
  Diplomats:
  Abdel-Wahhab Tawaf, Ambassador to Syria
  Mohammed Ali al-Ahwal, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
  Ambassador to Jordan
  Ambassador to Egypt
  Ambassador to Kuwait
  Ambassador to China
  Ambassador to Algeria
  Ambassador to Indonesia
  Ambassador to Iraq
  Ambassador to Qatar
  Ambassador to Belgium
  Ambassador to Pakistan
  Ambassador to Czech Republic
  Ambassador to Spain
  Ambassador to Germany
  Ambassador to Oman
  Ambassador to the UN
  Charge d’affairs to Tunisia
  Representative to the Arab League
  All embassy staff in Washington except the ambassador
  
  Local Officials:
  Ahmed Qaatabi, Governor of Yemen's southern province of Aden
  Himyar al-Ahmar, Deputy Speaker of Parliament
  Mayor of Aden
  3 MPs
  Advisor of Yemen’s premiership
  
  Tribal Leaders:
  Sheikh Sadeq bin Abdullah Bin Hussein Alahmar, the leader of Hashed tribal federation
  The As-Saadi tribe

• Timestamp: 

  8:35pm

  The Yemeni ambassadors to Germany, Oman and the chargé d’affaires in Tunisia have joined Yemen's anti-government movement. 

• Timestamp: 

  8:19pm

  The As-Saadi tribe has joined the rebels in Yemen, Al Jazeera’s correspondent reports. 

  Yemen’s ambassadors to Qatar, Pakistan, Belgium and Iraq have also joined the revolution and the advisor of Yemen’s premiership has resigned.

• Timestamp: 

  8:06pm

  A girl in "Change Square" in Sanaa [Photo by Ameen Al-Ghabri - posted by Khaled Senawy (@kSenawy) via Twitter]

• Timestamp: 

  7:41pm

  The US embassy in Sanaa urges Americans in Yemen to stay indoors on Monday due to the instability in the country.

• Timestamp: 

  7:36pm

  The National Defense Council announced that "the council is in permanent session" to be familiar with the developments in the country, Yemen's state news agency Saba reports.

  Today's Council meeting - chaired by president Ali Abdullah Saleh - focused on the "developments of the political situation at the national arena and steps to maintain security, stability and social peace". [Photo Sabanews]

• Timestamp: 

  7:27pm

  The United States in a White House statement told the Yemeni government that the violence seen in Sanaa is "unacceptable".

• Timestamp: 

  7:17pm

  Britain is "extremely disturbed" by events in Yemen, prime minister David Cameron says. Cameron to the UK parliament:

  We're obviously extremely disturbed by what is happening in Yemen, particularly the recent events, and we've urged every country in that region to respond to the aspirations of its people with reform and not with repression.

• Timestamp: 

  7:11pm

  Yemen's former(!) ambassador to the UN, Abdullah Alsaidi, tells Al Jazeera:

  President Saleh should quit now in a dignified way.

• Timestamp: 

  6:25pm

  Yemen's defence minister Mohammad Nasser Ali says that the army supports president Ali Abdullah Saleh and that it will defend him against any "coup against democracy". 

   

  In the name of Allah. During these difficult moments and challenges that our nation is facing due to the crisis caused by some groups which aim for a coup against democracy and the constitution that people voted for in transparent elections- the armed forces announces that it will remain loyal to the oath, we swore in front of the nation and his highness President Ali Abdullah Saleh- to protect the constitution and the security, safety, and unity of the country. We will also continue to protect the achievements of the Yemeni people. And we will not allow any attempts for a coup against democracy and the constitution or any attempts to jeopardize the safety and security of the citizens.

• Timestamp: 

  6:02pm

  French foreign minister Alain Juppe says the resignation of the Yemeni president is now unavoidable, as unrest escalates and a wave of top military officers and envoys defected or resigned. Juppe told a news conference in Brussels:

  We say this to Yemen, where the situ:ation is worsening. We estimate today that the departure of president (Ali Abdullah) Saleh is unavoidable.

• Timestamp: 

  6:00pm

  Yemen's army will not hesitate to act against any risks to the country's constitution, the National Defence Council, comprised of the military command and president Ali Abdullah Saleh, says. The statement says:

  The armed forces will not hesitate in carrying out their duties ... and standing in the face of any coup plans against constitutional legitimacy.

  Saleh headed the meeting of the National Defence Council.

• Timestamp: 

  5:44pm

  Yemen's defence minister Mohammad Nasser Ali will read a statement soon on Yemen television about a wave of defections and resignations by top military officers and envoys, an official source told Reuters.
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  5:36pm

  Minister of Foreign Affairs in the caretaker government Abu Bakr al Qirbi headed for Saudi Arabia, carrying a letter from president Saleh. Yemen's state news agency Saba says: 

  The letter is pertaining to the latest developments in the local and Arab arenas as well as the fraternal relations between the two brotherly countries.

• Timestamp: 

  5:12pm

  Hakim Al Masmari, editor in chief of the Yemen Post to Al Jazeera: We expect the fall of the regime in the next 24 hours at max.

• Timestamp: 

  5:04pm

  President Ali Abdullah Saleh says the majority of the people are behind him and that he will not step down, despite losing support of top army generals and tribal leaders. He was quoted by the state-run news agency:

  We're still here... the great majority of the Yemeni people are with security, stability and constitutional law. [...] Those who are calling for chaos, violence, hate and sabotage re only a tiny minority.

• Timestamp: 

  4:56pm

  Senior military figures, diplomats and officials in Yemen are abandoning their president of the last 32 years. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher has the latest:

• Timestamp: 

  4:21pm

  The list (see below) of people who resigned or defected from president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime is growing rapidly. The latest to join the list is Yemen’s ambassador to Egypt.

  Army Officers:
  Brigadier Ali Mohsen Saleh, head of the North Western Military Zone
  Brigadier Hameed Al koshebi, head of brigade 310 in Omran area
  Brigadier Mohammed Ali Mohsen, head of the Eastern Division
  Brigadier Nasser Eljahori, head of brigade 121
  General Ali Abdullaha Aliewa, adviser of the Yemeni supreme leader of the army
  General Faisal Rajab, based in the southern province of Lahij
  “Dozens of officers of various ranks” – AFP

  Diplomats:
  Abdel-Wahhab Tawaf, Ambassador to Syria
  Mohammed Ali al-Ahwal, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
  Ambassador to Jordan
  Ambassador to Lebanon
  Ambassador to Kuwait
  Ambassador to China
  Ambassador to the UN
  
  Local Officials :
  Ahmed Qaatabi, Governor of Yemen's southern province of Aden
  Himyar al-Ahmar, Deputy Speaker of Parliament
  Mayor of Aden

  3 MPs
  
  Tribal Leaders:
  Sheikh Sadeq bin Abdullah Bin Hussein Alahmer, the leader of Hashed tribes

• Timestamp: 

  3:49pm

  Yemen's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Ali al-Ahwal, announces his support for the protest movement calling for the ouster of president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Ahwal told AFP news agency by telephone:

  I announce my support for the youth revolution, and for change in Yemen.

• Timestamp: 

  3:00pm

  Top Yemeni tribal leader Sadiq al-Ahmar calls for the departure from power of president Saleh, in a phone call with Al Jazeera.

  "I announce in the name of all the members of my tribe that I am joining the revolution," Ahmar said, calling for the president "to exempt Yemen from the bloodshed and make a quiet exit."

  He added he was ready to lead a mediation "for an honourable exit" for Saleh. Ahmar heads the Hashid tribal confederation, the largest in Yemen. Tribal support is key to Saleh's continued ability to rule.

• Timestamp: 

  2:37pm

  A second Yemeni general says that he and dozens of other officers have pledged their support for the opposition seeking to oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

  General Nasser Ali Shuaybi told AFP that 60 army officers from Hadramawt province, himself included, had joined the "youth revolution," and that 50 interior ministry officers had done so as well.

• Timestamp: 

  2:29pm

  General Ali Abdullaha Aliewa, Adviser of the Yemeni supreme leader of the army, resigns from his post.

• Timestamp: 

  2:17pm

  General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar has been close to Saleh for most of the 32 years that the Yemeni president has been in power.

  Al-Ahmar is a veteran of the 1994 civil war that saw Saleh's army suppress an attempt by southern Yemen to secede. He also fought in recent years against Shiite fighters in the north of the country.

• Timestamp: 

  2:12pm

  Hameed al-Qusaibi, a brigadier who stepped down earlier today, speaks to Al Jazeera:

  I respect the president because he did a lot of good things for the country - but he also brought a lot of problems.

  My role is to support the protesters and we should try to get the president to turn over his powers peacefully - we do not want our country to turn into a second Libya.

  There is a danger that it will turn violent because he has some support.

• Timestamp: 

  2:10pm

  Dozens of Yemeni military officers have publicly pledged their support for the protest movement demanding President Ali Abdallah Saleh's resignation, AFP reports.

  One by one, officers of various ranks announced their support for the protesters at the sit-in near Sanaa University, where demonstrators calling for Saleh's fall have kept vigil since February 21 in spite of a wave of attacks.

• Timestamp: 

  2:07pm

  Brigadier Nasser Eljahori, head of brigade 121, joined the protesters and asked the Yemeni president to take what he called the right decision.

• Timestamp: 

  1:43pm

  Mourad Alazani, professor at Sanaa University tells Al Jazeera:

  This comes at the right time when the regime is witnessing wide cracks in its structure. General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar is very popular - so the people across the country who were afraid to join the protesters will now not be afraid.

• Timestamp: 

  1:38pm

  The governor of Yemen's southern province of Aden resigns to protest the violent supression of anti-government demonstrations, an official in his office said.

• Timestamp: 

  1:20pm

  Mourners gather around the coffins of anti-government protesters during a funeral in Sanaa.

  Mourners buried some of the 52 anti-government protesters shot dead by rooftop snipers after Muslim Friday prayers in the Arabian Peninsula state, where tens of thousands of people have protested for weeks against Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's three decades-long rule. [REUTERS]

  

• Timestamp: 

  1:16pm

  In its latest news bulletin, Yemeni state TV did not mention anything regarding the defection of Yemeni military leaders.

• Timestamp: 

  1:15pm

  Abdel-Wahhab Tawaf, Yemen's ambassador to Syria, resigns from his post and from President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ruling party to support the opposition movement demanding Saleh's ouster. He spoke to Al Jazeera by phone:

  I am resigning after the massacre that happened at the Taghyir (Change) Square.

• Timestamp: 

  1:00pm

  Two other army officers, Mohammed Ali Mohsen and Hameed al-Qusaibi, who both have the rank of brigadier also step down.

  All three officers belong to Saleh's Hashid tribe, which called on Saleh to step down on Sunday - dealing his desperate attempts to cling on to power a serious blow. 

• Timestamp: 

  12:48pm

  "The crisis is getting more complicated and it's pushing the country towards and violence and civil war," General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar says in a statement on Al Jazeera.

  According to what I'm feeling, and according to the feelings of my partner commanders and soldiers... I announce our support and our peaceful backing to the youth revolution. We are going to fulfil our duties in preserving security and stability.

  Al-Ahmar is the most senior military officer to pledge support for the opposition, which has been agitating for weeks to end Saleh's 32-year rule over the impoverished, tribal country.

• Timestamp: 

  12:36pm

  Tanks deployed across the Yemeni capital including at the presidential palace, the central bank and the ministry of defence, after the defection of a senior general to the opposition.

• Timestamp: 

  12:17pm

  UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemns the use of live ammunition in Yemen where loyalists of the president shot dead 52 people at anti-regime protests last week.

• Timestamp: 

  11:53am

  One of Yemen's most senior military officers, General Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar, says that he has joined the protest movement against President Ali Abdallah Saleh's regime.

Libya Live Blog - March 21

• Timestamp: 

  10:40pm

  The UN Security Council held closed-door consultations on Monday on how to respond to a Libyan request for a formal meeting to discuss Western air strikes on the country, diplomats said.
  
  Diplomats said China, this month's council president, had called the consultations after receiving a letter over the weekend from Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa requesting the council debate the "military aggression" against Libya.
  
  A British diplomat said:

  We see this as a very helpful opportunity to be transparent with other council members on what action the UK and others acting in the coalition have taken so far, how we have been trying to implement resolution 1973, particularly its protection of civilians mandate.

• Timestamp: 

  10:30pm

  Al Arabiya television reported on Monday that the western Libyan city of Misurata was now controlled by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.
  
  The channel was quoting a spokesman for Gaddafi's forces. There were no further details. Due to a lack of communications, the report has yet to be confirmed.

• Timestamp: 

  10:12pm

  Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister  has said that NATO should take command of international military operations in Libya.

  Italian news agencies quoted Berlusconi as saying: "We want command of the operations to go to NATO and that there be a different coordination to the one that currently exists."
  
  Berlusconi also said that Italian planes "are not firing and will not fire", and are limited to patrolling to ensure a no-fly zone imposed by the United Nations.

• Timestamp: 

  10:00pm

  Mussa Ibrahim, a Libyan government spokesman, has said foreign attacks had killed many people by bombing ports and Sirte airport.

  Ibrahim told a news conference:

  You saw that place (Sirte airport). It's a civilian airport. It was bombarded and many people were killed. Harbours were also bombarded.

• Timestamp: 

  9:38pm

  Loud explosions and barrages of anti-aircraft fire were heard near the Tripoli compound of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Monday night, an AFP correspondent said.
  
  The volleys erupted at around 1900GMT near the Bab el-Aziziya barracks in the south of Tripoli, the correspondent said.

• Timestamp: 

  9:20pm

  Obama says the United States expects to transfer the lead military role in Libya to other allies in a matter of days.

  NATO will be involved in helping to coordinate the next phase of action in Libya, the US president said.

• Timestamp: 

  9:10pm

  Barack Obama, the US president, says he wants to see Muammar Gaddafi step down from power in Libya but that US military action is limited to protecting civilians and preventing a humanitarian crisis from taking place.
  
  Obama says Gaddafi has been very clear about showing "no mercy" to those who opposed him.

• Timestamp: 

  8:59pm

  As the coalition strikes target Gaddafi areas, rebel fighters rest in the shade of a vehicle outside the northeastern Libyan town of Ajdabiyah on March 21, 2011.[Photo by Reuters]

  

• Timestamp: 

  8:53pm

  Italy warns that it will review the use of its bases by coalition forces for strikes against Libya if the mission doesn't pass to NATO's command.

• Timestamp: 

  8:37pm

  Human Rights body Amnesty International has called on the Libyan authorities to release four Al Jazeera journalists held incommunicado since they were detained two weeks ago.

• Timestamp: 

  8:34pm

  NATO could soon take a planning role in international military operations in Libya now being led by the United States, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said.
  
  Juppe said France hoped Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan government would collapse from within from the pressure of the action by world powers to enforce a U.N. Security Council resolution to halt attacks on rebels that are killing civilians.

  Juppe said:

  Today the United States is coordinating the interventions in close coordination with France and Britain. In a few days, if the United States pulls back from the operation, NATO is ready to come in with its support.

• Timestamp: 

  8:26pm

  British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday there was no legal authority for regime change in Libya despite suggestions by ministers that air strikes could target Muammar Gaddafi.
  
  "Our view is clear - there is no decent future for Libya with Colonel Gaddafi remaining in power," Cameron told the House of Commons during its first debate since international forces launched air and sea strikes in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  8:25pm

  The United States will soon reduce its participation in the coalition operation in Libya, Russia's Interfax news agency cited US Defence Secretary Robert Gates as saying on Monday.
  
  Gates also said it would be a mistake for the coalition to set for itself the goal of killing Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the news agency reported.

• Timestamp: 

  7:40pm

  Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi "pulled back" from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and two other towns after UN-authorised airstrikes, a US national security official said on Monday.
  
  The official, who declined to be identified, said advances by Gaddafi's forces against Benghazi, Ajdabiya and Misrata had "stalled" as a consequence of the military action by US and European forces that began on Saturday.

• Timestamp: 

  7:20pm

  The UN-approved no-fly zone over Libya is expanding and will soon cover a 1,000-km area as aircraft from additional coalition countries arrive in the region, the head of US Africa Command said on Monday.

  Carter Ham, the US Army General, told a Pentagon briefing that coalition air forces were continuing to fly missions to sustain the no-fly zone and that Libyan ground forces were moving south from rebel-held areas.

• Timestamp: 

  6:59pm

  No mission to support Libyan opposition ground offensive, says US general.

  The US military knows little about the whereabouts of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi after waves of air and missile
  strikes in the country, a top US general said on Monday.

• Timestamp: 

  6:50pm

  This twitpic was posted by @globalcartoons:

  

• Timestamp: 

  6:43pm

  Meanwhile, around 200 demonstrators staged a protest near the London residence of British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday against military action in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  6:38pm

  There seems to be some divisions globally on Libya military intervention. Earlier, Russian PM criticised the airstrikes and now Bulgarian prime minister has denounced the airstrikes, saying missions lacks clear goals.
  
  India has urged an immediate halt to the strikes spearheaded by French fighter jets on Saturday, while Germany said it had "good reasons" for abstaining from Thursday's UN Security Council vote on the resolution allowing the action.
  
  The three countries as well as Brazil and China abstained from the vote, which was backed by 10 nations, that allowed use of "all necessary measures" to shield Libyan civilians from a brutal crackdown by Gaddafi forces on a popular revolt.

• Timestamp: 

  6:30pm

  The United Arab Emirates said on Monday that its involvement in Libya is limited to humanitarian assistance, after reports that it would send warplanes to patrol a UN-backed no-fly zone.

• Timestamp: 

  6:15pm

  Libyan rebel envoy has told Associated Press news agency they do not want Muammar Gaddafi killed. After his ouster they would like him to stand trial.

• Timestamp: 

  5:54pm

  Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president,  has slammed prime minister Vladimir Putin's comments on military action against Libya as "unacceptable", in the most public clash yet between Russia's ruling tandem.
  
  Putin earlier Monday denounced the UN resolution allowing military action on Libya as resembling a "medieval call to crusade", in one of his most virulent diatribes against the West in years.

• Timestamp: 

  5:53pm

  Sharp divisions prevented NATO from adopting a plan on Monday for military airstrikes against Libya, as Turkish opposition blocked the alliance from approving a strategy.

• Timestamp: 

  5:52pm

  The six fighter jets Norway promised to the international air campaign to protect civilians in Libya took off on Monday from the Bodoe airbase in the north of the country, television images showed.

• Timestamp: 

  5:50pm

  UK prime minister David Cameron says coalition efforts have helped avert a massacre in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  5:48pm

  Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said on Monday she was in favour of a Libyan oil embargo.

• Timestamp: 

  5:48pm

  NATO is ready to support the international coalition intervening in Libya within "a few days," Alain Juppe, the French Foreign Minister, said on Monday.

• Timestamp: 

  5:47pm

  Italy's interior minister says some 200 Libyans have arrived by boat in Sicily in the first major influx of Libyan immigrants since the revolt began in the North African country over a month ago.

• Timestamp: 

  5:45pm

  Here's the picture of Four New York Times journalists who have now been released by pro-Gaddafi forces.

  

• Timestamp: 

  5:36pm

  The Arab League got back behind international military strikes against Libya on Monday after comments by its leader had indicated divisions over the campaign against Muammar Gaddafi.

• Timestamp: 

  5:30pm

  French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe on Monday dubbed the alliance campaign in Libya a "success," saying intervention had saved the people of Benghazi from "a bloodbath."

• Timestamp: 

  5:15pm

  Adel Abdelhafidh Ghoka, the Libyan National Council official, held a press briefing. He says the situation in Misurata is critical as there is no water, fuel or electricity.
  
  Ghoka said sleeping cells in Benghazi have been given till tomorrow afternoon to hand themselves over. They will be given amnesty, if not they will face the rebels and will be treated as enemy of the revolution.
  
  He says there is also an uprising in Tripoli but that media black out there and suppression is making things hard.

• Timestamp: 

  5:02pm

  The leader of Al-Qaeda's North Africa branch has urged Libyan rebels not to trust America and the US role in the international coalition bombing Muammar Gaddafi's forces.

• Timestamp: 

  4:58pm

  The UN Security Council will probably hold a close door meeting on Libya later on Monday, a diplomat said.

• Timestamp: 

  4:54pm

  Germany on Monday defended its decision not to back Western-led air strikes against Gaddafi, but backed EU in tightening sanctions against the Libyan government, Reuters reported.

• Timestamp: 

  4:50pm

  The international military intervention in Libya is likely to last “a while,” a top French official said on Monday, echoing Moammar Gadhafi's warning of a long war ahead.

• Timestamp: 

  4:31pm

  The following picture was twitted by @Abdallah__B:

  

• Timestamp: 

  4:30pm

  Libyan rebels say pro-Gaddafi troops in Misurata are using a number of civilians from neighbouring towns as human shields.

• Timestamp: 

  4:12pm

  Libyan opposition National Council says eastern gate of Ajdabiya has been recaptured.
  
  Burnt-out vehicles line on the road between Ajdabiya and Benghazi, Al Jazeera correspondent reports.

• Timestamp: 

  4:08pm

  Iran condemns military intervention in Libya, AFP news agency reported Khamenei as saying.

• Timestamp: 

  4:01pm

  There are reports of heavy shelling by pro-Gaddafi troops in western city of Zintan.

• Timestamp: 

  3:45pm

  Jacob Zuma, the South African president, said on Monday that his country does not support "the regime change doctrine" in Libya, and called for restraint from foreign countries enforcing a no-fly zone.
  
  Zuma said:

  As South Africa we say no to the killing of civilians, no to the regime change doctrine and no to the foreign occupation of Libya,", one of five heads of state on a high-level African Union panel on Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  3:30pm

  European Union foreign minister are meeting in Brussels to discuss ongoing situation in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  3:20pm

  Vladimir Putin, Russian prime minister, said on Monday a UN resolution authorizing military action in Libya resembled "mediaeval calls for crusades" after Western forces launched a second wave of air strikes.

• Timestamp: 

  3:01pm

  The head of Britain's armed forces has told AFP news agency that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was "absolutely not" a target for military action.
  
  General Sir David Richards, the chief of the defence staff, was speaking after British Foreign Secretary William Hague refused to rule out that air strikes could specifically target Gaddafi.
  
  In an interview with BBC radio earlier, Hague declined to be drawn into the details of military targets.

• Timestamp: 

  2:28pm

  Swiss journalist Gaetan Vannay has been in the western city of Zintan for the past nine days and says the eastern outskirts of the city are currently under fire and have been since yesterday.

• Timestamp: 

  1:20pm

  Namik Tan, the Turkish ambassador to the United States, has written on Twitter that the four New York Times journalists - two reporters and two photographers - "are on their way to leave Libyan border and will be delivered to US officials."

  Since US diplomatic personnel have withdrawn from Libya and the embassy has been shut down, Turkey is serving as the protector of US interests in the country. Tan said they were released this morning after negotiations between Turkey and Libya.

   

• Timestamp: 

  12:41pm

  The Guardian newspaper's Chris McGreal was on the road today near Ajdabiya, around 160km south of Benghazi, where Gaddafi troops are still fighting with rebels. That appears to be the current front line. The rebels, he says, view the coalition airstrikes "as part of their campaign." That's not what the West wants to hear; they're trying to keep themselves from becoming embroiled in a full-scale regime change effort.

• Timestamp: 

  12:30pm

  UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who spoke with Amr Moussa in Cairo today, was mobbed by dozens of pro-Gaddafi demonstrators today, the AFP reports. Ban was going to walk to Tahrir Square, the heart of the Egyptian revolution, but the demonstrators forced his delegation back into the Arab League.

• Timestamp: 

  12:11pm

  Meanwhile, the violence continues inside Libya. Rob Crilly, a correspondent for the Telegraph newspaper, tweets that he was halted during an attempt to get into Ajdabiya - south of Benghazi - because rebels in front of him were caught in an ambush and four were killed. Rebels may still be trapped inside Ajdabiya by pro-Gaddafi troops, he says.

• Timestamp: 

  12:05pm

  Well, the UN-sanctioned air strikes are having an affect, or everyone who was going to flee Libya has already fled; either way, the UN Refugee Agency says it has seen a decrease in the flow of Libyans leaving for Egypt in the past 48 hours.

  Some Libyans in Egypt have also returned to their country, a spokeswoman for the agency said. 

• Timestamp: 

  11:53am

  Iraq's government has expressed support for international efforts to "protect Libyan people," a spokesman said, according to Reuters.

• Timestamp: 

  10:38am

  Amr Moussa, the secretary general of the Arab League, appeared to backtrack on the League's support for the coalition yesterday, saying the jet and cruise-missile strikes "differ[ed] from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone."

  Moussa and his colleagues had asked the UN Security Council days before to institute a no-fly zone and left it up to the member states as to how it might be carried out, so yesterday's remarks had some observers scratching their heads.

  Today, UK foreign secretary William Hague attempted a bit of damage control. Hague said he had spoken with Moussa, who still supported the coalition.

  "I think too much was made of Amr Moussa's comments," he said. "I will be talking to him again today."
• Timestamp: 

  10:34am

  UK defence secretary Liam Fox has told BBC Radio 5 that targeting Gaddafi himself - something the United States has thus far denied doing - could "potentially be a possibility" if civilians would not be harmed. 

  Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, responded negatively to Fox's comments. He said expanding the coalition's goals could divide it and that it was "unwise" to set such specific goals that might be unachievable.  

• Timestamp: 

  8:24am

  Twitter user @FMCNL, who has been monitoring some military flight flights and electronic communications in and around Libya, has posted this recording of what is said to be a broadcast coming from an orbiting EC-130J modified Hercules turboprop airplane that is probably being used by the US Air Force for "psychological operations" in Libya.

  The broadcast warns a Libyan ship not to leave port (which port, we don't know) or risk being destroyed.

• Timestamp: 

  7:28am

  We mentioned Mo Nabbous below - a Facebook page has also been set up to remember him.

• Timestamp: 

  7:22am

  It's three days old, but this video from Misrata shows the damage Gaddafi's troops have done in their recent attempts to subdue the western town 211km east of Tripoli, which is also the site of a major oil refinery:

• Timestamp: 

  7:06am

  NBC's Richard Engel draws a distinction between the Libyan rebels and the protesters in Egypt and wonders whether the transitional national council in Benghazi would be recognised by the rest of the country:

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  6:25am

  We just stumbled across this video of Mohammed "Mo" Nabbous, one of the voices from Benghazi known well among Western media, joking around with CNN reporter Ben Wedeman and camerwoman Mary Rogers during the early days of the Libya uprising. Nabbous was killed on Saturday during a final Gaddafi push on Benghazi before coalition planes began their attack.

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  4:21am

  As the uprisings continue across the region, signs of solidarity continue as well. Making the rounds on Twitter is this short video with the following message:

  "Inspired by the uprisings occurring in the Middle East and North Africa, this film is an ode to movements striving to reclaim their dignity and sovereignty from their keepers":

  
  

• Timestamp: 

  4:14am

  The AFP newsagency, quoting the coalition, says Gaddafi's military control centre was the target of strikes on Sunday and was destroyed.

  Libyan officals took journalists to see what they claimed was the damage from a missile attack. Officials said the missiles had struck very near to Gaddafi's tent.

  Anita McNaught, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tripoli, said journalists taken to the scene asked officials why there was no smoke or fire. One official said he didn't know because he wasn't a military expert.

• Timestamp: 

  4:06am

  Pro-democracy fighters have been celebrating in the eastern city of Benghazi after French jets demolished Gaddafi's heavy armour that was heading their way.

  Al Jazeera's James Bays visited the site of the attack to file this report:

  
  

• Timestamp: 

  3:00am

  
  Photo: Reuters

• Timestamp: 

  2:50am

   

  Libyan anti-aircraft tracer fire erupted on Sunday night following the second day of bombardment by international forces.

• Timestamp: 

  1:30am

  The Pentagon in a press briefing on March 20 said Gaddafi "isn't the target" and they had "no indication of civilian casualties". Watch the report by Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan.

• Timestamp: 

  1:29am

  British forces have taken part in "another co-ordinated strike against Libyan air defence systems," the military has announced.

  For a second time, the UK has launched guided Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles from a Trafalgar Class submarine in the Mediterranean as part of a coordinated coalition plan to enforce the resolution," Major General John Lorimer said in a statement.

  "We and our international partners are continuing operations in support of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973."

• Timestamp: 

  1:26am

  
  Photo: Reuters

  Libyan anti-aircraft tracer fire erupted in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, as international forces pounded the country's air defences and patrolled its skies.

  Late on Sunday fresh explosions rocked the capital in a second night of air raids by international forces. Read the latest news here.

• Timestamp: 

  1:00am

  Libyan TV showing pictures of what it says are thousands of people gathering in the capital for funerals of people killed in air raids. The government says 64 people died in the attacks which began on March 20.

• Timestamp: 

  12:30am

  Ryanair, the Irish budget carrier, has diverted flights from Trapani airport in Sicily starting Monday to make way for military operations over Libya. The airport at the foot of the Italian peninsula doubles as a military base. It is about 560km from the westernmost point of Libya.

  The move was the first reported direct impact from the Libyan conflict on airline operations outside the country.

Disaster in Japan Live Blog: March 21

• Timestamp: 

  9:27pm

  We will now move to regular reporting on the Disaster in Japan - for latest news visit the main website: http://english.aljazeera.net

  Our latest Japan story is here: Japan death toll likely to top 1800.

• Timestamp: 

  6:20pm

  The Japanese government has ordered a halt to all shipments of spinach from four prefectures surrounding the country's tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant, and has also banned milk shipments from the site's home province of Fukushima.

  Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano announced the measures at a briefing amid increasing concerns over contamination of some foods and tap water with trace amounts of radioactivity.

• Timestamp: 

  6:12pm

  Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano gives a news conference, says that the smoke from the No. 3 reactor has not given risen to any adverse readings.

• Timestamp: 

  5:24pm

  Akira Abe, father of rescued 16-year-old survivor Jin Abe, checks on his son at the Ishinomaki red Cross hospital in Ishinomaki city in Miyagi prefecture, one day after Jin and Akira's 80-year-old mother Sumi Abe were rescued from a collapsed their house, nine days after a massive earthquake and tsunami.

  The story of survival provided welcome good news as the death toll from the March 11 quake-tsunami disaster continued to climb, with the number of confirmed dead and missing topping 21,000. [AFP]

  

• Timestamp: 

  5:10pm

  Some workers at Japan's stricken nuclear power plant were evacuated after smoke was seen rising from reactor No. 3, among the most badly damaged at the six-reactor complex, the plant operator said.

• Timestamp: 

  4:25pm

  The situation at Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant is improving slowly, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said. (Kyodo news agency)

• Timestamp: 

  4:25pm

  The situation at Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant is improving slowly, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said. (Kyodo news agency)

• Timestamp: 

  4:14pm

  The World Health Organisation said that the detection of radiation in food after an earthquake damaged a Japanese nuclear plant was a more serious problem than it had first expected.

  "Quite clearly it's a serious situation," Peter Cordingley, Manila-based spokesman for WHO's regional office for the Western Pacific, told Reuters.

  "It's a lot more serious than anybody thought in the early days when we thought that this kind of problem can be limited to 20 to 30 kilometres," he said.

  Cases of contaminated vegetables, dust, milk and water are already stoking regional anxieties despite Japanese officials' assurances the levels are not dangerous.

• Timestamp: 

  3:00pm

  Official from Japan's nuclear safety agency told AFP:

  Radiation monitoring will be conducted for seawater. There is a possibility that a very small amount of radiation may flow into the sea. But even if it happens, considering the current radiation level in the air, there will not be an impact on human health.

• Timestamp: 

  2:23pm

  Japan death toll likely to top 18,000. Progress reported in controlling crisis at stricken nuclear plant as authorities battle fallout of quake and tsunami.

  

• Timestamp: 

  2:08pm

  Working in suits sealed by duct tape, engineers have connected power cables to the No. 2, 5 and 6 reactors and plan to start testing systems soon, officials say.

  The most badly damaged reactors are No. 3 and 4, which were both hit by explosions last week. If the pumps cannot restart, drastic and lengthy measures may be needed like burying the plant in sand and concrete.

• Timestamp: 

  1:26am

  Japan's nuclear safety agency says that power has been restored to No. 5 and No. 6 reactors from the grid.

• Timestamp: 

  1:00pm

  Pressure is rising in the No.3 reactor and workers there are considering whether to release pressure by "venting", Japan's nuclear safety agency said.

  Meanwhile, engineers say they may regain some functions in the control room of reactor No. 2.

• Timestamp: 

  12:50pm

  The crisis in Japan has led many countries to review their nuclear plans, but not India. The state of Maharastra is still going ahead with plans to build the world's largest nuclear park in Jaitapur, a region along the Konkan coast that already sits atop a known fault line.

  The ambitious Indian-French project has not gone down well with those living near the earmarked site. Al Jazeera's Prerna Suri reports from Jaitapur.

   

• Timestamp: 

  12:41pm

  Japan's nuclear safety agency said on Monday it acknowledged a risk of radioactive dust being inhaled by workers at the stricken nuclear plant in Fukushima, but had seen no sign yet of that happening.

• Timestamp: 

  12:30pm

  Japan's power company TEPCO said on Monday it will lay cables to the two remaining reactors at the Fukushima nuclear complex after trucks sprayed water over the other two reactors earlier in the day.

  The external power supply will enable the plant operator to restore their systems to monitor radiation and other data, including lighting the control rooms, cooling down the reactors and the spent fuel storage pools.

• Timestamp: 

  11:57am

  Japanese PM Naoto Kan cancelled a visit to Miyagi and later to Fukushima prefectures on Monday due to bad weather. He was scheduled to meet survivors of the quake and tsunami before heading to "J Village", a vast football training facility about 20km from the crippled nuclear power plant, which is now being used by emergency response teams.

• Timestamp: 

  11:55am

  Japanese health officials have detected higher levels of radioactive materials in the water in Fukushima prefecture and have cautioned villagers against drinking from the tap. They said residents can use the water for washing and bathing, adding that drinking it has no immediate effect on human health.

• Timestamp: 

  10:15am

  Spinach with radiation 27 times higher than government safety limit has been found in the city of Hitachi in Ibaraki prefecture, more than 100km south of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.

  
  Photo: Reuters

  The level of radioactive iodine detected per kilogramme of spinach grown in open air was at 54,000 becquerels, exceeding the permissible level of 2,000 becquerels.

  Local authorities said the radiation level do not affect human health. Prefectural governments plan to ask municipalities to voluntarily halt or recall shipment of contaminated products.

• Timestamp: 

  10:00am

  Yukio Edano, the Japanese cabinet secretary, on Sunday said the Fukushima nuclear plant may be demolished as it was not clear if the complex can resume operations given the state of the reactors. He added that the government has to go through the required procedures before deciding on the plant's fate.

• Timestamp: 

  9:00am

  Japanese defence minister says surface temperatures of all 6 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has dropped to below 100 degrees Celcius.

  Toshimi Kitazawa quoting a nuclear expert said lower temperature confirms the existence of water in the spent fuel rod storage pools. He said Self-Defence Forces officials on Sunday measured the temperatures from a helicopter using an infrared device.

• Timestamp: 

  6:46am

  Japanese police say the number of people killed or gone missing has topped 21,000 as of Sunday night, with 8,400 confirmed deaths.

• Timestamp: 

  4:58am

  Tsunami survivor Kiyoshi Hiratsuka searched all day for his much beloved Harley Davidson in the ruins of his hometown, Onagawa. The once vibrant fishing town was obliterated when the devastating tsunami that followed the earthquake converted it into a landscape of death and destruction.

  Residents say half of the town's 10.000 people are gone.

  Digging in the rubble of what was once his home, Hiratsuka eventually found the handlebars of his Harley sticking out from the debris. The 37-year-old mechanic explained his relief to Associated Press news agency at finding the bike, saying he wanted to keep it as a memorial to the losses suffered by Japan.

• Timestamp: 

  4:24am

  Check out the latest feature from Japan by Al Jazeera's Dorothy Parvaz - Scenes from Japan's devestated coast line

• Timestamp: 

  3:40am

  Radioactivity from the nuclear accident in Fukushima has not contaminated food grown outside Japan, the UN atomic watchdog says. Graham Andrew, a senior official of the IAEA said:

  Radioactivity from this emergency - I say on the advice of (UN agencies) FAO and WHO - has not affected food produced in any other country.

• Timestamp: 

  2:02am

  The UN atomic watchdog says there have been some positive developments at the disaster-hit nuclear power plant in the last 24 hours but that the overall situation remains very serious.

  Graham Andrew, a senior official of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also says radiation levels in major Japanese cities have not changed and remain below dangerous levels. He says the IAEA can confirm that in some areas near the plant radioactive iodine has been detected in some freshly grown vegetables.

  There have been some positive developments in the last 24 hours but overall the situation remains very serious.

• Timestamp: 

  1:45am

  Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Miyako city, where he follows a doctor's tireless effort to help those in need.

• Timestamp: 

  1:41am

  NHK: A Putzmeister with a 50-metre arm will used tomorrow to send water into the reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

• Timestamp: 

  1:24am

  Defence Minister Kitazawa told NHK that the surface temperatures above the reactors of the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant give comfort.

  The temperatures are:

  Reactor 1 - 58 degrees

  Reactor 2 - 35 degrees

  Reactor 3 - 62 degrees

  Reactor 4 - 42 degrees

  Reactor 5 - 24 degrees

  Reactor 6 - 25 degrees.

  The temperature above the containment vessel itself of Reactor 3 is 128 degrees, but this is not cause for concern, he says.

• Timestamp: 

  1:20am

  Several hundred gathered outside Hong Kong's government headquarters earlier today to commemorate Japan's earthquake victims and raise awareness of the dangers of nuclear energy.

• Timestamp: 

  12:40am

  Our team in Japan spent some time in Hachinohe today - it's here, in case you were wondering.

  It is a small community on the coast, far north, near Hokkaido, where the sea raged in with around 20 minutes of warning and pushed things around, depositing biquitous Boss coffee vending machines in the middle of a forested area, dumping a piano in a ditch, planting a warped antenna with an airplane on top into what used to be a vegetable patch (see photos below).

  

  Our web producer Dorothy Parvaz said:

  It was quite something to watch these folks pick up the pieces, one random bit at a time, dust it off and move on.

  

  

• Timestamp: 

  12:20am

  Fukushima Prefectural Government has asked farmers to refrain from shipping any vegetables until safety is established, NHK, Japan's national broadcaster says.

• Timestamp: 

  12:01am

  Welcome to our new liveblog, we'll continue to keep you updated right here....

Libya Live Blog - March 20

As the uprising in Libya continues, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe. Al Jazeera is not responsible for content derived from external sites.

• Timestamp: 

  11:59pm

  That's it for tonight. Today's liveblog finishes right here. But we're not going anywhere, and will continue to keep you updated on everything that's happening through the night with our brand new, fresh liveblog for March 21. And you can read it, and stay best informed, by clicking here: Libya Live Blog - March 21

• Timestamp: 

  11:55pm

  Robert Gates says that attempting to assassinate Gaddafi would not be a good idea, saying:

  I think it's important that we operate within the mandate of the UN Security Council resolution.

• Timestamp: 

  11:47pm

  Egypt has decided to steer clear of joining the military action against Libya, fearing reprisals against hundreds of thousands of its citizens living and working there.

• Timestamp: 

  11:41pm

  Robert Gates adds that splitting Libya in two "would be a formula for instability".

• Timestamp: 

  11:40pm

  Robert Gates, US defence secretary, says President Obama's advisers unanimously supported his approach in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  11:27pm

  Gaddafi's offer on a ceasefire isn't enough to deter Britain from enforcing the no-fly zone, a spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron says:

  Everyone will recall that in recent days Colonel Gaddafi declared a ceasefire which was promptly violated ... We said then we would judge him on his actions not his words - and we will do so again.

  His obligations are very clearly set out by the UN Security Council resolution. Our assessment is that he is in breach of these obligations so we will continue to enforce the resolution.

• Timestamp: 

  11:12pm

  After the funerals, a Tornado GR4 takes off from RAF Marham in Norfolk, England, tonight.

  

  [Picture: GALLO/GETTY]

• Timestamp: 

  11:11pm

  This photo shows mourners at the funerals of people reportedly killed after last night's airstrikes, at the martyrs' cemetary in Tripoli.

  

  [Picture: Reuters]

• Timestamp: 

  11:00pm

  Explosions and small arms fire, lasting around 40 minutes, has been heard in central Benghazi, residents have told Reuters.

   

• Timestamp: 

  10:53pm

  The death toll is higher than previously thought. Rebel spokesman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga told Al Jazeera Arabic:

  Our dead and martyrs number more than 8,000 killed.

• Timestamp: 

  10:50pm

  Greek communists in Athens have been demonstrating in against their country's involvement in the military campaign in Libya. Protester Tasia Kontoyanni said:

  With today's demonstration, the Greek Communist Party and its youth movement give a first reply to the
  imperialists' operation and attack in Libya.

  We believe that every people must have the right to decide on internal issues alone, without external operations - and in particular without military operations.

• Timestamp: 

  10:46pm

  The Pentagon said it had lost no aircraft in the first day of attacks on Libya -and "questions all statements" from Gaddafi - including his offer of a ceasefire.

• Timestamp: 

  10:42pm

  So, a second night of bombardment is underway in Tripoli, with explosions being heard across the Libyan capital as the Pentagon gave a press conference on last night's attacks.

  Several blasts rocked the city, say Reuters. The news agency also confirmed what Al Jazeera's Anita Mcnaught told us, that a plume of smoke was seen rising toward the sky from the direction of Gaddafi's home in the Bab el-Aziziya compound - which sits in the heart of a south Tripoli suburb.

• Timestamp: 

  10:35pm

  We'll be bringing you that Pentagon press conference in its entirety, just as soon as we get it uploaded. Watch this space...

• Timestamp: 

  10:29pm

  US military: "We're not going after Gaddafi."

• Timestamp: 

  10:27pm

  US military: "We are not aware of any civilian casualites" from last night's bombing in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  10:26pm

  Anita reports a "huge explosion in the general direction of Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia compound".

• Timestamp: 

  10:20pm

  Anita McNaught, reporting from Tripoli, tells Al Jazeera, above the noise of anti-aircraft fire, of the scene around her.

  The shooting is much closer to our position now, but we still can't hear any aircraft. Of course, they may be flying too high, or the fire may be targeting missiles, as they were last night. It is impossible to see from here, though we have a good view of the city, we can't see any smoke or any fires breaking out.

  But all around us, there is anti-aircraft fire going off. So there is an expectation of something happening, if it hasn't already ...

  These offers of a ceasefire are a little strange, seeing as there is already the offer of a ceasefire from the foreign minister yesterday.

  You have to ask if this is a decision being made in the full view of the Libyan public. When the military spokesman was asked if this was going to be broadcast on state TV and Libyans would be made aware that there was a ceasefire offer, he said no.

• Timestamp: 

  10:12pm

  US military: We are not coordinating our strikes with opposition fighters

• Timestamp: 

  10:05pm

  A "loud explosion" has been heard in Tripoli, amid anti-aircraft fire. More to come.

• Timestamp: 

  9:58pm

  A soldier from troops loyal to Gaddafi shoots in the air in Tripoli.

  

  [Picture: Reuters]

• Timestamp: 

  9:52pm

  Turkey is the latest state to say it will "contribute to international action" in Libya. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped military operations would be over "as quickly as possible". The country's foreign ministry said:

  Turkey will make the national contribution it deems necessary and appropriate to the applications of UN resolutions 1970 and 1973, taking into account the security of the Libyan people.

  To this end, preparations and works are under way in cooperation with our civilian and military structures.

• Timestamp: 

  9:40pm

  We're expecting a press conference to be given at the Pentagon in the next half hour or so. We'll bring you anything interesting they have to say right here on our liveblog...

• Timestamp: 

  9:35pm

  More on those Qatari planes.

  A French military spokesman has said four jets are expected to join the international campaign to enforce UN Security Council resolution 1973 - and will "soon" be arriving in the Libyan "zone of operations". Laurent Teisseire told reporters:

  As announced by the Qatari authorities, it will deploy four planes in the zone to be able to take part in the operations, which is another sign of Arab participation in this international operation to protect civilians.

• Timestamp: 

  9:30pm

  A group of three Italian Tornado fighter jets have taken off from an airbase in Sicily.

  Earlier today, defence minister Ignazio La Russa said eight combat aircraft had been designated to support the UN-mandated campaign - and could be used "at any time".

• Timestamp: 

  9:18pm

  Bursts of anti-aircraft and tracer fire were heard in Tripoli on Sunday night, yet no aircraft were immediately heard or seen. Less than an hour later, Gaddafi's military announced their second ceasefire since the UN Security Council endorsed military action to protect civilians in the country.
  
  Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught in Tripoli and Tony Birtley in Benghazi give their analysis as the first reports of shooting emerged.

• Timestamp: 

  9:07pm

  Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught, reporting from Tripoli, tells us that the city is now quiet following that salvo of anti-aircraft and machine-gun fire. She has not heard any aircraft or large explosions, and believes the shooting was set off by nervous troops in expectation of renewed airstrikes.

• Timestamp: 

  8:56pm

  The Libyan military spokesman has just announced a new ceasefire - as of 9pm tonight.

• Timestamp: 

  8:46pm

  Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have been hit in airstrikes. But the Libyan leader remains defiant, calling the attacks a "cold war" on Islam. And the top military officer in the US has warned of a "stalemate" situation, with Gaddafi remaining in power, despite the creation of a no-fly zone.
  
  Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports.

• Timestamp: 

  8:42pm

  The Italian tugboat and its crew of 11 which had been seized in Tripoli have now left the port - accompanied by people claiming to represent the port authority and Libyan military officials, the ship's owner has said. The crew "are fine and are on board the ship," said the Augusta Offshore company.

  We are in constant contact with the [Italian] foreign ministry's crisis unit to cooperate and we are coordinating with the authorities.

   

• Timestamp: 

  8:25pm

  Heavy anti-aircraft gunfire has just been reported in central Tripoli.

  Sustained bursts were accompanied by tracer rounds and machine-gun fire, says Reuters' correspondent.

• Timestamp: 

  8:23pm

  US House speaker, republican John Boehner, says president Obama must "define the scope of the Libya mission, for the American people, the congress and our troops" before any further military commitment is made.

• Timestamp: 

  8:13pm

  A Tornado GR4 leaves RAF Marham in Norfolk, England earlier today. The UK defence secretary earlier said Tornado aircraft that took part in last night's operation took off from and returned to Marham, instead of using more local bases to Libya.

  

• Timestamp: 

  8:04pm

  Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught, reporting from Tripoli, says she is unable to confirm claims of the Gaddafi regime that last night's bombardment deliberately targeted civilians. She told us:

  International press, despite repeated requests, have not been allowed to go to the sites of the airstrikes and can't corroborate in any way what happened last night.

• Timestamp: 

  8:00pm

  Venezuela's Hugo Chavez says the airstrikes are killing civilians in Libya, and that the US and Europe shouldn't intervene. More on that when we get it...

• Timestamp: 

  7:44pm

  More than 3,800 refugees crossed into Egypt from Libya yesterday, said UN officials.

• Timestamp: 

  7:39pm

  Norway's contribution of six F16 fighter jets to the international air campaign will set off for bases close to the African nation romorrow morning, said Brig. Per Egil Rygg:

  We are also sending 120 pilots, technicians, security personnel and press officers.

  Earlier today, Jens Stoltenberg, Norway's prime minister said:

  Norway will take its responsibility. We want to contribute to the resolution being carried out.

  
  Denmark is also sending six F16 jets to join the operation.

• Timestamp: 

  7:34pm

  The US military is working to hand over control of the Libya operation to "a coalition" in the next few days, an offical tells Reuters.

• Timestamp: 

  7:19pm

  Two AFP journalists, reporter Dave Clark and photographer Roberto Schmidt, have gone missing in Libya. They were accompanied by a photographer for Getty Images, Joe Raedle, who is also missing.

• Timestamp: 

  7:10pm

  Armed anti-Gaddafi fighters are agains advancing east from the city of Benghazi, in an attempt to break the siege imposed by Gaddafi's troops on Ajdabiya, Al Jazeera Arabic reports.

• Timestamp: 

  6:52pm

  As Gaddafi's tanks roll into the rebel-held city of Misurata, there are reports of many injuries amid fierce street fighting.
  
  Mohamed, a member of the city's civil community, speaks to Al Jazeera by phone, and describes what has happened in his city over the past day.

• Timestamp: 

  6:35pm

  Qatar isn't the only Arab country sending planes to join the campaign against Gaddafi. Aircraft from the United Arab Emirates are due to arrive at the Decimomannu air force base on the Italian island of Sardinia, says the AFP news agency.

  The base is already hosting four Spanish F18 fighter jets that arrived yesterday.

  British Tornado jets involved in last night's raid flew directly to Libya from Norfolk, England, it is understood.

• Timestamp: 

  6:31pm

  More on that objection to the bombing by the African Union's Libya committee. Ramtane Lamamra, the AU's peace and security council head, said:

  The high level ad hoc committee has reaffirmed AU's conviction that there is a need for an urgent African
  action revolving around the following elements: first, the immediate cessation of hostilities. We would like the
  cooperation of the Libyan authorities to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the needy population.
  
  The AU commission is asked to convene in Addis Ababa on 25 March 2011, to bring together high representatives of the League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic Conference, the European Union and the United Nations.

• Timestamp: 

  6:20pm

  Vehicles belonging to forces loyal to Gaddafi explode in an air strike on the road between Benghazi and Ajdabiya.

  

• Timestamp: 

  5:55pm

  British special forces have been on the ground in Libya for weeks, preparing for possible operations, says German newsmagaine Focus.

  Members of the Special Air Service and Special Boat Service have reportedly been noting the locations of potential targets, such as fighter jets and communications facilities.

• Timestamp: 

  5:49pm

  Among the headlines, you may think '"Odyssey Dawn" is the only military operation in action - but we understand each of the contributing nations has their own codename for enforcing UN Security Council resolution 1973:

  Operation Odyssey Dawn - The US military operation.
  Operation Ellamy - The UK military effort
  Operation Mobile - The Canadian component.
  Operation Harmattan- The French military operation.

  If we find out why they're named those names, we'll let you know...

• Timestamp: 

  5:31pm

  Libya's Al-Watyah air base, 170km southwest of Tripoli, was among the targets of Western air strikes overnight, Reuters has quoted an unnamed Libyan military official as saying.

  They tried to attack the (base's) anti-aircraft defences. Some were damaged.

• Timestamp: 

  5:04pm

  So, let's catch up with where we're at at the moment. The UN has imposed a no-fly zone on Libya and forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have been hit in an airstrike.
  
  But the Libyan leader remains defiant and has called the air attacks by French, US and British forces a "cold war" on Islam. He says his regime has "opened the depots" and distributed weapons among the populace .
  
  Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports.

• Timestamp: 

  4:56pm

  Overnight missile strikes, during which some 110 cruise missiles were launched, hit 20 of 22 targets, "with various levels of damage", the US military told Reuters.

• Timestamp: 

  4:50pm

  Aircraft from Qatar are moving into position in preparation to join the military operation in Libya. More on that soon.

• Timestamp: 

  4:39pm

  A group of eight Italian aircraft are today ready to join operations against Libya says defence minister Ignazio La Russa.

  We want to participate as equals in the operation.

  He also said Italy was "ready to take action" over an Italian tugboat, whose 11 crewmembers have been detained in Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  4:30pm

  Amr Moussa, the head of the Arab League says that Arabs did not want military strikes by Western powers that hit civilians when the League called for a no-fly zone over Libya, saying:

  What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians.

• Timestamp: 

  4:11pm

  This photo is one of many handed out by the US Navy. It shows a Tomahawk cruise missile being shot from the USS Barry last night.

  

  [Picture: US DoD/GALLO/GETTY]

• Timestamp: 

  4:00pm

  Civilians have been hit in the bombardment of sites in Libya, says Russia - which called for an immediate end to the strikes. A foreign ministry spokesman said:

  In that respect we call on countries involved to stop the non-selective use of force.

  We believe a mandate given by the UN Security Council resolution-- a controversial move in itself - should not be used to achieve goals outside its provisions, which only see measures necessary to protect the civilian population.

  He said that 48 civilians had been killed in the overnight shelling, with strikes hitting a medical facility, roads and bridges.

  Libyan state TV had also given the same casualty count earlier in the day.

• Timestamp: 

  3:57pm

  Italian officials confirm that the crew of an Italian ship have been "detained" in Tripoli. Foreign minister Franco Frattini said:

  We don't know what are the intentions of armed men who seized the 11 crew members-- eight Italians, two Indians and a Ukrainian - but we cannot exclude a kidnapping.

• Timestamp: 

  3:55pm

  More on those Gaddafi tanks entering Misurata. A resident named Sami phoned Reuters, telling them:

  Two people were killed so far today by snipers. They are still on the rooftops. They are backed with four tanks, which have been patrolling the town. It's getting very difficult for people to come out.

  There are also boats encircling the port and preventing aid from reaching the town.

  A spokesman for the anti-Gaddafi fighters said:

  There is fighting between the rebels and Gaddafi's forces. Their tanks are in the centre of Misrata ... There are so many casualties we cannot count them.

• Timestamp: 

  3:44pm

  Last night's bombing in Libya has been condemned by the Afghan Taliban. They sent us their statement:

  According to media reports, American and French forces fired more than 100 missiles last night, hitting targets in various places of Libya. They also bombed some areas and threatened to launch more missile and aerial attacks. Reports from areas hit by the invasion, say, many civilians have embraced martyrdom in the attacks.  Similarly, public installations have been destroyed.

  The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemn this politically-motivated and uncalled-for intervention  and adventure of the Western countries in the internal  conflict of  the people of Libya under the auspices of the United Nations. The consequences of such intervention certainly harm this Islamic country and the Islamic Ummah.

  In the eye of the Islamic Emirate, it is a matter of pity that the situation in Libya evolved to the extent that paved the way for the anti-Islamic forces to intervene. We believe, the Western colonialists do  not want a solution in this country on the basis of aspirations of the people but rather have plans to weaken this Islamic country in a war of attritions and then occupy  its oil reserves through a direct invasions.
   
  The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on the people of Libya through this statement to take the initiatives of the situation in their own hands and do not let others to play with their destiny. As a Muslim people, they should know their obligation and fulfill their Islamic and national duty, in order  that the internal and external enemies will not find chance to make them scapegoat for their warmongering policy. Similarly, we remind the Islamic Ummah and the rulers of the Islamic world not to remain neutral in this conflict facing the Libyan people but rather  should play their role in this issue being in line with the interests  of Islam and the believing people of Libya to enable this nation  not only to wriggle free from the current crisis but also save itself from the tentacles of the foreign colonialism in the long-term.
   
   
  The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
  20.3.2011

• Timestamp: 

  3:34pm

  Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting from Benghazi, tells us:

  There's a note of apprehension here. They have been buoyed by the fact that Gaddafi's forces have withdrawn and gone down the road - but they are still fearful of the sleeper cells that are believed to remain in the city.
  
  Though they've now been getting a helping hand from the international community, they know it's up to them to get rid of Gaddafi. Their fighters are now a bit more structured, they're looking more like a fighting force. But it could still be weeks or months before this comes to a conclusion.
  
  They've got a long coastline under their control, and I'm sure the western powers don't have any problems with them being armed. Getting supplies in won't be too difficult - they're getting a lot of money in from Gulf countries - and their intention is to go forward from here.
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  3:27pm

  Three of Gaddafi's tanks have just reached the centre of rebel-held Misurata, a spokesman for the armed opposition tells Al Jazeera.

• Timestamp: 

  3:07pm

  Protesters at an anti-war rally in Los Angeles - marking eight years to the day since US-led operations against Iraq began - oppose any "US/UN war on Libya".

  

  [Picture: GALLO/GETTY]

• Timestamp: 

  3:00pm

  Libya's state TV is saying that Gaddafi's officials have begun distributing weapons to more than 1million people.

• Timestamp: 

  2:55pm

  "Several" US F16 fighter jets are waiting on the Tarmac at the Italian base of Sigonella in Sicily, after an remotely operated US drone landed at the base this morning, say Reuters.

  An extra four Danish F16s have arrived at the base this morning, adding to the two that arrived there yesterday.

• Timestamp: 

  2:51pm

  Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the world's 1billion Catholics, has appealed to political and military leaders "to ensure the safety of Libyan citizens and guarantee access to humanitarian aid".

• Timestamp: 

  2:47pm

  China and India "express regret" over the air strikes, while Japan says it approves of the military action.

  Meanwhile, the African Union's panel on Libya called for "an immediate stop" to the bombardment.

• Timestamp: 

  2:43pm

  Bombs overnight hit "near Bab al-Aziziyah", Gaddafi's Tripoli home and headquarters.

  No further information has been given where exactly they hit. The compound is in the residential southern suburb of the capital city, which is home to more than 1million people.

• Timestamp: 

  2:40pm

  Gaddafi's forces "are no longer marching on Benghazi", says US Admiral Michael Mullen.

• Timestamp: 

  2:34pm

  The initial stages of the operation to enforce the no-fly zone "has been successful", says Admiral Michael Mullen, US military chief.

  Kenneth Fiddler, a spokesman for the Germany-based US Africa Command, said 19 US warplanes, including three B2 bombers dropped 40 bombs "on a major Libyan airfield" at dawn today. he didn't specify which airfield, or how many of the "military targets" were destroyed.

• Timestamp: 

  2:18pm

  Here's a bit of in-house analysis we did on the Western military forces deployed in Operation Odyssey Dawn:

• Timestamp: 

  2:04pm

  The Taliban has issued a statement condemning the strikes in Libya, saying they represent a "politically-motivated and uncalled-for intervention and adventure" of Western nations in the internal affairs of the country.

  The "anti-Islamic" and "colonialist" forces don't want a solution to the bloodshed, the statement said, but rather plan to weaken Libya and take its oil through "direct invasions."

  The Taliban called on Muslims and rulers in the Islamic world not to remain neutral and to help Libya to "wriggle free" and "save itself from the tentacles of the foreign colonialism." 

• Timestamp: 

  1:48pm

  The Washington Post reports that Western reconnaissance satellites are watching a "small garage" south of Sirte where it is believed the Gaddafi regime stores around 10 tonnes of mustard gas. 

• Timestamp: 

  1:43pm

  Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, says there is no sign of Libyan regime aircraft in flight, a sign that they may have been destroyed or their facilities too badly damaged to use. 

• Timestamp: 

  12:21pm

  According to the AFP news agency, one hospital in Benghazi says at least 94 people died in Gaddafi's last push on the city late Friday night and Saturday morning, in the hours after the UN security council approved military action against him but before coalition planes were in the air.

• Timestamp: 

  12:09pm

  The US Defense Department released this photo of briefing on Odyssey Dawn that shows approximate coalition target areas in Libya. One appears to be an airfield around 120km west of Tripoli (or roughly 30km east of the Tunisian border). Here's a Google satellite map image of the airfield:

  

• Timestamp: 

  11:49am

  Gaddafi spoke for about 15 minutes, a comparatively short address by his standards. During his remarks, Libyan state TV showed a static image of monument at the Bab al-Azizia - a  giant gold fist crushing a fighter jet with "USA" written on the tail. Gaddafi was never shown, perhaps out of fear that he would reveal his location and expose himself to a coalition attack.

  The Libyan leader was characteristically pugnacious, promising an endless war against the "Christian" enemy - France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and others. 

  "There is no justification for this cold war against Islam," he said.

  Gaddafi also pointed to the wars in Vietnam and Iraq as well as US military efforts against Osama bin Laden and armed militias in Somalia as examples of the fate that awaits foreign military intervention in his country.

• Timestamp: 

  11:29am

  Gaddafi vows to fight for all the land of Libya. "We will not allow the enemies to come defeat us, we have already defeated the Italians," he says.

• Timestamp: 

  11:28am

  Gaddafi is speaking now, carried on Libyan state TV, though he is not visible in the picture.

• Timestamp: 

  11:28am

  A resident of the western city of Misrata tells Reuters there are loyalist Gaddafi snipers on the rooftops in the centre of the city.

• Timestamp: 

  11:21am

  Libyan state television reports that Gaddafi will speak soon. Who knows when that may actually be.

• Timestamp: 

  9:31am

  Women have often stayed off the streets of east Libya during the uprising against Gaddafi for reasons of safety and religion, but this lady is most definitely not hiding indoors:

  

  According to Reuters, she is a rebel fighter celebrating the withdrawal of Gaddafi troops from Benghazi on Saturday.

• Timestamp: 

  8:55am

  Citizen video, apparently filmed yesterday after Gaddafi troops attacked Benghazi, gives a sense of how loyalist fighters were cut down in urban gun battles. The jeeps shown here look to be the same style and colour as those we have seen being used by Gaddafi troops in numerous other videos and images.

• Timestamp: 

  8:50am

  Tony Birtley reports on the deadly results of Gaddafi troops' final push on Benghazi before coalition air forces began their strikes:

• Timestamp: 

  8:35am

  Issandr el-Amrani gives a critical, some might say pessimistic, analysis of the international intervention on his Arabist blog, wondering how the coalition will topple Gaddafi's regime while avoiding the side effects of a prolonged civil war.

  Amrani predicts that the coalition's mission will move from air strikes to ground attacks and wonders how the rebels - whom he refers to as "insurgents" - will treat pro-Gaddafi civilians and the remnants of the regime.

   

  It gets more complicated [if] the Qadhafis are gone, both Westerners and Arabs may be ready to deal with regime remnants (particularly if they play a role in getting rid of the Qadhafis) but the insurgents may not want anyone associated with the former regime in place. So prolonged civil war is one possible outcome, yet again. This is why some kind of recognized leadership for the insurgency that is able to negotiate with whoever comes after Qadhafi is necessary. 

   

• Timestamp: 

  6:36am

  Iraq's parliament was set to vote (likely in favour) about whether to recognise the Libyan national opposition council but had to delay until after the Persian new year - set to begin tonight - in order to get a quorum, Al Jazeera's producer in Baghdad reports.

• Timestamp: 

  6:10am

  More information on the force that has been deployed against Libya in the past 24 hours. CBS News reports: Three U.S. B-2 stealth bombers dropped 40 bombs on a major Libyan airfield

• Timestamp: 

  5:37am

  Add Russia to the list of those publicly disapproving of military action in Libya now that hostilities have begun. China has "expressed regret," the African Union has called for an "immediate halt," and now Moscow has "reacted 'with regret'" to the air strikes, according to a report by CNN.

  The Russian statement said that the UN Security Council resolution on Libya - which came more than a month after the regime began killing civilian protesters - was "hastily adopted".

• Timestamp: 

  5:28am

  The African Union has reportedly joined China in expressing disapproval of the coalition's military action against Libya. The AU's Libya committee met in Mauritania and released a statement on Sunday calling for an "immediate halt" to the attacks, the AFP news agency reported.

  The AU was created in 1999 after a summit in Sirte, Muammar Gaddafi's hometown, and Libya has both funded the AU and established extensive economic interests throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

• Timestamp: 

  5:20am

  Here's video of the USS Burke, a guided-missile destroyer, firing a Tomahawk cruise missile at Libya. According to a tweet from CNN's Wolf Blitzer, each Tomahawk costs around $1 million, and the United States has fired more than 100 so far.

• Timestamp: 

  4:47am

  China, which abstained from the UN Security Council vote approving military action in Libya, has publicly expressed regret for the ongoing coalition air strikes in the country.

  "China has noted the latest developments in Libya and expresses regret over the military attacks on Libya," said a statement from the country's foreign ministry.

  "We hope Libya can restore stability as soon as possible and avoid further civilian casualties due to an escalation of armed conflict."

• Timestamp: 

  3:45am

  An Al Jazeera crew exposed a Libyan envoy's secret visit to Tunis, as Al Jazeera's web producer Yasmine Ryan blogs here.

• Timestamp: 

  3:18am

  Libya state TV is reporting that airstrikes have killed 48 people and wounded 150 in "civilian areas". Citing an armed forces statement it said the capital Tripoli as well as cities of Benghazi, Misurata and Zuwarah were also hit.

• Timestamp: 

  3:01am

  Mark Toner, the acting deputy spokesman for the US state department, said no US officials remain in Libya. He said in a statement  citizens are strongly advised against travel to the country, and urged those already there to leave immediately.

• Timestamp: 

  2:39am

  Gunfire and anti-aircraft fire heard over Libyan capital Tripoli.

• Timestamp: 

  2:04am

  Libya has decided to suspend co-operation with Europe in the fight against illegal immigration, state TV citing a security official reported on Sunday.

• Timestamp: 

  1:55am

  Libya on Saturday said it consider the UN security council resolution on a ceasefire by its forces no longer valid following the air raids by international forces on its territory.

• Timestamp: 

  1:04am

  Libyan state media said there were casualties caused by the bombing of civilians targets in Tripoli. An army spokesman was quoted as saying that fuel tanks feeding rebel-held city of Misurata, east of the capital, were also hit.

  Libyan TV said a French warplane was shot down in Njela district of Tripoli, but French military was swift to deny the report.

• Timestamp: 

  1:00am

  A British submarine fired missiles into Libya as David Cameron, the British prime minister, urged and end to Gaddafi's "appalling brutality". A Trafalgar-class submarine launched the Tomahawk cruise missiles in a joint attack with US forces. More than 110 missiles were fired.

• Timestamp: 

  12:53am

  Gaddafi says he will arm civilians to defend Libya against "colonial, crusader" aggression, adding:

  It is now necessary to open the stores and arm all the masses with all types of weapons to defend the independence, unity and honour of Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  12.52am

  US national security official says Libya air defence systems "severely disabled", according to Reuters news agency.

• Timestamp: 

  12:45am

  Spain's defence ministry in a statement said four F-18 fighter jets and refuelling aircraft have been sent to the Italian base on the island of Sardinia as part of international air raids on Libya. It will also deploy an F-100 frigate, an S-74 submarine and a CN-235 maritime surveillance plane.

  The statement said:

  These planes will carry out patrol mission and will be operational from tomorrow, Sunday.

• Timestamp: 

  12:40am

  Gaddafi vows Libya will defend itself from what he called "crusader aggression" as international forces launch airstrikes on Saturday. Speaking to Libyan state TV, he said the action was unjustified and "simply a crusader aggression that may ignite another large-scale crusader war".

• Timestamp: 

  12:18am

  AFP reports that the United Arab Emirates will be contributing 24 fighter jets (Mirage 2000-9s and F-16s) and Qatar will contribute between four and six Mirage 2000-5s, citing a French official.

• Timestamp: 

  12:14am

  Earlier today, as international air strikes became imminent, supporters of Muammar Gaddafi gathered at several locations to act as human shields. Aisha Gaddafi, his daughter, is seen here outside the Bab al-Aziziyah palace, Gaddafi's residence in Tripoli. [Picture: Reuters]

  

• Timestamp: 

  12:05am

  Muammar Gaddafi threatened to attack both military and civilian targets in the Mediterranean in retaliation against air and sea strikes on Libyan air defences, AFP reports.

• Timestamp: 

  12:04am

  Gaddafi calls on Africans, Arabs, Latin Americans and Asians to stand by Libyans, Reuters reports.

• Timestamp: 

  12:01am

  Welcome to Al Jazeera's continuing coverage of developments in Libya, on a night where international forces have begun air strikes on Libyan air defence targets, including SA-5 missile sites, communications sites and parts of the air defence command and control infrastructure.

  Catch up with all the latest by reading our news story, as well as yesterday's live blog.

Disaster in Japan Live Blog: March 20

Follow the latest events around the Pacific Rim after an 9.0-magnitude earthquake off Japan's coast triggered a devastating tsunami.

• Timestamp: 

  12:00am

  That's it for today's blog. We continue to bring you the latest from Japan on the blog for March 21.

• Timestamp: 

  10:18pm

  Reactors at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are showing some improvement but the situation remains uncertain, Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary, told reporters.

  The health ministry also says in a statement that radiation levels exceed safety standards in Fukushima and nearby Ibaraki prefecture. It has prohibited the sale of raw milk from Fukushima prefecture.

• Timestamp: 

  9:33pm

  This is a chart of the ionizing radiation dose a person can absorb from various sources. For the full chart please click here.

• Timestamp: 

  8:53pm

  A sign is placed along a road in Tamura, Fukushima prefecture, March 19, 2011. The sign reads, "Danger in 10 km. Restricted Area. Fukushima Police Department ":

  

• Timestamp: 

  8:24pm

  Engineers at Japan's stricken nuclear plant were checking the cooling and other systems at reactor No. 2 late Sunday, aiming to restore the power soon, operator TEPCO said.

  An external electricity supply has been restored to the distributor but power at the reactor unit was not yet back, spokesman Naohiro Omura said.

  It will take more time. It's not clear when we can try to restore the systems.

• Timestamp: 

  8:00pm

  Tokyo Fire Brigade has begun spraying water on the No. 4 reactor at 19:30 local time. This is expected to last around 3 hours.

• Timestamp: 

  7:37pm

  Radiation has been detected on fava beans imported from Japan to Taiwan, Taiwanese officials said, in what could be the first case of contamination in Japanese exports.

  The disclosure came a day after Japanese officials said radiation in low amounts had been found in spinach and milk produced near the damaged Fukushima nuclear power complex in northeast Japan that has been leaking radiation.

  An official from Taiwan's Department of Health said the radiation detected on the Japanese fava beans was slightly higher than naturally occurring trace levels.

• Timestamp: 

  7:00pm

  A woman holding a placard marches down the street during an anti-nuclear protest in Taipei.

  Thousands of activists rallied on Sunday to urge the Taiwan government to shut down the three nuclear installations on the island and to stop the construction of the fourth one.

  

• Timestamp: 

  6:54pm

  NHK reporter, quoting a doctor at the hospital to which the two survivors were taken by helicopter, said the two had been trapped in their kitchen after the massive earthquake and survived by eating yoghurt and other food in the refrigerator.

  The grandson eventually made it to the roof and waved down a rescue helicopter

• Timestamp: 

  5:40pm

  Japan's top government spokesman says the country's tsunami-ravaged nuclear plant must eventually be scrapped.

  Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano's comment Sunday was the first word from the government that the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex will have to be closed once its overheating reactors are brought under control.

  Closing the plant is inevitable, since the seawater that emergency crews are using to cool the reactors is corrosive, rendering key parts of the complex unusable.

  Edano says the plant will be in no condition to be restarted.

• Timestamp: 

  5:21pm

  NHK domestic now showing live pictures of a rescue chopper carrying two survivors who have just been discovered. The survivors are an 80 year old and 16 year old who are reported to have been rescued in Ishinomaki.

• Timestamp: 

  5:00pm

  The operator of Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear plant has backed away from plans for a tricky venting of radioactive gas at one of the troubled reactors, saying that pressure inside has stabilized.

  Tokyo Electric Power company officials say the company has decided that there is no immediate need to vent the pressure at the Unit 3 reactor of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant.

  They say the pressure is relatively high, but that it has stabilized.

• Timestamp: 

  4:09pm

  NHK reports that technicians will not be releasing air from the containment vessel of No. 3 in order to reduce the pressure inside. The pressure in there is now reported to be stable.

• Timestamp: 

  3:48pm

  AP Report: Japan's government to lend up to $122 billion to companies for quake recovery.

• Timestamp: 

  3:36pm

  Taiwan says radiation detected on batch of Japanese peas, but levels not harmful. (AP)

• Timestamp: 

  2:15pm

  The official death toll from Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami has risen to 8,133 with 12,272 still missing, Kyodo news agency said, citing the police.

  Police earlier said they feared more than 15,000 people had died in one prefecture alone, Miyagi, in the March 11 disaster.

• Timestamp: 

  2:00pm

  Nuclear officials: Pressure rises again at Japanese reactor, requiring new radiation release. (AP)

• Timestamp: 

  1:38pm

  The number of people dead in Japan's earthquake and tsunami has rised to 7,700. That comes as hundreds of people from a small town near Fukushima's damaged nuclear plant have been evacuated and put into a sports arena.

• Timestamp: 

  1:32pm

  A group of boys has taken it upon themselves to scavenge for food and supplies among the debris in Taro, where their village once stood. They have been able to provide some relief to hundreds of survivors sheltered at a nearby Buddhist temple.

  Al Jazeera's Steve Chao reports on their inspiring deeds from Morioka in northern Japan:

• Timestamp: 

  1:03pm

  The operator of Japan's quake-hit nuclear plant says it will be difficult to restore power to the cooling system for reactor No. 2 by the end of the day, Jiji Press reported.

• Timestamp: 

  9:48am

  Japan has deployed 10 Self Defence Force trucks and one borrowed from the US military to begin spraying tonnes of water over Reactor 4.

• Timestamp: 

  9:41am

  NHK is reporting that the water temperature in the spent fuel storage pools in reactors 5 and 6 have dropped since the power generator in reactor 5 was restored.

• Timestamp: 

  7:56am

  The Chinese embassy in Tokyo says more than 6,000 of its nationals in Japan's disaster-hit areas have been voluntarily evacuated, with half returning home and the rest holding up in various emergency shelters, including in Niigata.

• Timestamp: 

  7:30am

  An estimated 300 engineers are battling inside the danger zone to salvage the six-reactor Fukushima nuclear power plant. The crisis has also set back nuclear power plans around the world.

  Work reportedly advanced on restarting water pumps used to cool overheating nuclear fuel. On Saturday, Hidehiko Nishiyama, the deputy-general at Japan's Nuclear Safety Agency, said:

  We are making progress ... [but] we shouldn't be too optimistic.

• Timestamp: 

  5:43am

  Yukiya Amano, the International Atomic Energy Agency chief, says it is still too early to say whether things are going in the right direction in Japan's actions to stabilise the stricken reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

  My impression is that the Japanese side is strengthening [its] activities to overcome, to stabilise the reactors. I hope that safety, stability will be recovered as soon as possible...

• Timestamp: 

  4:32am

  General Motors Co has suspended all nonessential spending and global travel while the automaker assesses the impact of the crisis in Japan on the company, a GM spokesman says.

  In addition, GM will suspend production in Zaragoza, Spain, on Monday and cancel two shifts in Eisenach, Germany, on Monday and Tuesday, spokesman Klaus-Peter Martin told Reuters. Japan is a key supplier to the global auto and technology sectors, making prolonged disruption a threat to both.

• Timestamp: 

  4:32am

  General Motors Co has suspended all nonessential spending and global travel while the automaker assesses the impact of the crisis in Japan on the company, a GM spokesman says.

  In addition, GM will suspend production in Zaragoza, Spain, on Monday and cancel two shifts in Eisenach, Germany, on Monday and Tuesday, spokesman Klaus-Peter Martin told Reuters. Japan is a key supplier to the global auto and technology sectors, making prolonged disruption a threat to both.

• Timestamp: 

  3:48am

  The photo below shows a fire engine dousing reactor No.3 of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Fukushima prefecture on March 18. Japanese crews fighting to cool overheating reactors laid a power line into the plant yesterday. [AFP]

• Timestamp: 

  3:10am

  Aside from the nuclear crisis, officials in Japan are now turning their focus towards delivering crucial supplies and aid to the worst affected areas. But with almost half a million people left homeless, the future seems bleak.

   Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Morioka in Iwate Prefecture:

• Timestamp: 

  2:35am

  Russia will hold consultations with the European Union in the near future about increasing gas supplies to Europe to allow larger liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries to Japan, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman of prime minister Putin says.

  This is a case when the co-ordination of efforts by the global economic community is required.

• Timestamp: 

  2:02am

  The situation at Fukushima nuclear power plant may be stabilising but there are still risks it will deteriorate further, the UN nuclear agency says. Graham Andrew, a senior International Atomic Energy Agency official, told a briefing:

  Could we have something unexpected? Most certainly. There are risks, it could get worse 

   

• Timestamp: 

  1:41am

  Japan confirms the presence of radioactive iodine contamination in food products from near a crippled nuclear plant and is considering whether to order a halt to the sale of such products from the area, the UN nuclear body says:

  Though radioactive iodine has a short half-life of about 8 days and decays naturally within a matter of weeks, there is a short-term risk to human health if radioactive iodine in food is absorbed into the human body.

• Timestamp: 

  1:07am

  Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that Japan is starting to get control of the situation at its stricken nuclear power station. Putin told a meeting of nuclear specialists and emergency workers in the Far Eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk:

  Our Japanese colleagues are gradually, not right away and with mistakes... getting the situation under control.

• Timestamp: 

  12:54am

  Tepco, the operator of the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant announced that the "cooling function for spent fuel storage pool in reactor No.6 has been restored".

  Earlier, the UN nuclear watchdog said it was unclear whether water pumps at the plant would work once power was restored. Graham Andrew, a senior official of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also told a briefing that the overall situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was similar to Friday.

  Andrew said it was hoped power would be restored to the plant's unit 2 "today", without giving details. "We do not know if the water pumps are damaged and if they will work when power is restored," he said.

• Timestamp: 

  12:39am

  Justin Dargin, a nuclear energy expert from Harvard University based in Middle East talks to Al Jazeera on the perils of nuclear radiation and the best possible way to check radiation from spreading.

  On electricity being connected to the plant:

  I am encouraged; it appears to be quite optimistic. If authorities are able to connect the auto-grid with internal electrical system then I think they would be able to do a comprehensive diagnostic in order to check if cooling system is working or not.

  Authorities earlier were optimistic that they would be able to help system on line in, the electrical system, by tonight in terms of reactors 1, 2 and 4 but reactor number 3 can take a bit longer, may be tomorrow. I think that’s a good first step. But we have to be cautious so there really hasn’t been any change in the overall system.

  Will the supply of electricity help in checking whether systems at the reactors are working or not?

  More or less, that would be the first step. But after words they will have to see if cooling system is operative. If it is operative, then they will be able to turn it on and that would the first thing to start in order to start cooling down the spent fuel rods and as well the rods that have partially melted in reactors 1 and 2. But not insignificant but nothing has changed as of yet. Still we've to be a bit cautious.

  On Chernobyl model

  The Chernobyl option, as they call it, is the last ditch effort in order to stop nuclear facility that has experienced meltdown. And that would require dumping massive amount of sand and earth on the nuclear facility then after words you construct some type of sarcophagus over it and this may be made of steel and concrete and it would arrest any spread of radioactivity.

  However, the eco-system of the area could be contaminated for some period of time. And that is why authorities don’t want to look at that option.

  Another issue is that depending how you put sand and earth and other material on top of the fuel rods, you could have uranium pellets inside. If they [pellets] mash together they can recatalyse, then you could have intense amount of radiation released.

• Timestamp: 

  12:24am

  The nuclear crisis in Japan is spreading with signs of radioactive contamination in food and drinking water in Tokyo. At the source of the crisis - one of the damaged reactors at the Fukushima has been stabilised. 

   Al Jazeera's Anu Nathan reports on the efforts prevent a major radiation leak at the site: 

• Timestamp: 

  12:01am

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