genuine
support but has genuine opposition, too. The use of lethal force by the security services is so far this week
deter
ring demonstrations.
There have been more attacks by Libyan air force planes on areas of eastern Libya controlled by anti-Gaddafi forces. A ship loaded with flour was sent to the city of Benghazi by the World Food Programme but had to
turn back
after reports of explosions. Earlier a Libyan opposition spokesman had reported bombing raids on anti-Gaddafi forces in nearby Ajdabiya and on the airport at Brega, which has a major oil terminal.
Tunisia's interim President Fouad Mebazaa has announced the first details of elections promised after the overthrow two months ago of President Ben Ali. Speaking on national television, Mr Mebazaa said that voting for a representative council that would
rewrite
the constitution would be held by the 24 July at the latest. He said that until then a new interim government would run the country and he would stay in office, despite a 60-day limit on caretaker office holders under the current constitution.
The United Nations food agency says global food prices reached a record high last month. The Food and Agriculture Organisation is warning that costs could spiral even further if unrest in Libya and the Middle East keeps
driving up
the price of oil. Rising food costs helped
spark
the recent protests in Egypt and Tunisia.