THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: BP, the oil giant, has said today that it is suspending operations in Libya and evacuating expatriate staff and their families amid the escalating violence.The British company said 40 expat staff and their families, mostly based in the capital, Tripoli, are being evacuated as it temporarily shuts down work on preparations to drill in the Libyan desert.
The move halts operations in the North African county just four years after it returned from a 30-year hiatus.
BP signed a deal worth at least 900 million US dollars (£550 million) in 2007 to explore in Libya.
It said it would monitor the situation on a daily basis and could not confirm when work would start again, but stressed that offshore operations in the region were still open and the closure would not impact oil production. Read on and comment >>> | MOonday, Februar 21, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The violent actions undertaken by the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya were “completely appalling”, David Cameron said on Monday.
The Prime Minister urged a “reform not repression” response from the regime to popular uprisings, as forces battled protesters in the capital Tripoli.
Amid a wave of protests across the region, Mr Cameron condemned the "completely appalling" violence which has reportedly left up to 200 dead and scores more injured in Libya.
"Our message, as it has been throughout this – I think we have been extremely consistent in saying that the response to the aspirations people are showing on the streets of these countries must be one of reform not repression,” Mr Cameron told reporters on Monday during an official visit to Egypt.
"We can see what is happening in Libya which completely appalling and unacceptable as the regime is using the most vicious forms of repression against people who want to see that country – which is one of the most closed and one of the most autocratic – make progress.
"The response they have shown has been quite appalling.” >>> James Kirkup, in Cairo and Andrew Hough | Monday, February 21, 2011
