BBC News with David Austin
President Obama has
set out
specific
conditions that Libya must
fulfil
if it's to avoid Western military intervention in its fight against anti-government forces. He said they included an immediate halt to all attacks.
"A ceasefire must be
implement
ed immediately. That means all attacks against civilians must stop. Gaddafi must stop his troops from advancing on Benghazi,
pull them back
from Ajdabiya, Misurata and Zawiya. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to reach the people of Libya. Let me be clear, these terms are not
negotiable
."
Britain has said it's moving warplanes to bases in the Mediterranean to prepare for action over Libya. In Libya itself, the government declared an immediate ceasefire, but reports say forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi continued to attack Misurata and Ajdabiya well after the truce was announced. Misurata is the last rebel-held city in the west of the country. A hospital doctor there said 25 people had been killed.
The President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has imposed a state of emergency after at least 39 anti-government protesters were killed in the capital Sanaa. Reports say snipers started firing at the crowds after Friday prayers. A British-Yemeni film-maker, Sarah Ishak, described the scene in the capital.
"I think everybody in Sanaa was really
anticipating
something really awful happening today. Still, after Friday prayers, snipers on buildings surrounding this square launched an attack on the protesters. The government is denying any involvement in this, but nobody really believes it."