Libya live report (AFP)

1106 GMT: The Philippines' main Muslim rebel group, the 12,000 strong the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, says the uprising against Kadhafi showed him to be a power-hungry failure, although it thanked him for helping to arm its men.

"He vowed to put in place a socialist order in this huge country... however, as the current upheaval shows, the power is still in the hands of the elite led by Khadafi himself," MILF says in a statement on its website.

However, MILF praises Kadhafi for giving it crucial diplomatic and military support when it began its armed campaign to set up a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines in the 1970s.

"He was the first Muslim leader who boldly declared that he is helping the Moros (Filipino Muslims) in their resistance against... the Manila government," the statement says, adding he gave food, money and supplies.

"He also provided the money for the purchase of Belgian firearms and ammunition supplied (to the Muslim rebels)... in 1972."

1103 GMT: The UNHCR says some people fleeing Libya are Somalis and Eritreans who have no safe home to return to. The humantarian organisation is asking other countries to take them in.

1059 GMT: A spokesman at the courthouse in Benghazi tells AFP: "Today it seems like Kadhafi is reinforcing his forces with mercenaries. Witnesses have seen troops moving towards Raslanuf (about 100 km west of Brega). (They are) Chadians. We are waiting to see if they attack or make a reinforcing line before Sirte."

1055 GMT: AFP journalist Antoine Lambroschini has just left Tripoli heading west: "Libyan forces have set up checkpoints along the road into the city from the west," he says..

"Uniformed men with kalashnikovs are thoroughly checking all vehicles entering Tripoli. These checkpoints are alongside the road for several kilometres.

"Tanks have also been deployed along the road, with their gun barrels pointing west," Antoine says.

1052 GMT : The UN High Commissioner for Refugees says it has begun a massive humanitarian evacuation of people who fled Libya to Tunisia. "Over 50 flights today!" it says on Twitter.

1049 GMT: European Union foreign ministers are being summoned to an extraordinary meeting on Libya in Brussels on March 10, a spokeswoman for the EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says.

The meeting will be "a working lunch," said spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic.

The informal meeting will "assess ongoing developments in Libya and the wider region" and prepare for an extraordinary EU summit called for the next day, March 11, a statement said.

1042 GMT: Spain will send a plane to Tunisia today to ferry aid and help airlift home thousands of Egyptians fleeing unrest in Libya, the foreign ministry announced.

1039 GMT: Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei, who headed the Vienna-based UN International Atomic Energy Agency from 1997 to 2009 and returned to Egypt join the protests, welcomed Ahmed Shafiq's resignation as prime minister.

On Twitter, he said: "We are on the right track, I express my sincere appreciation to the Supreme Council of Armed Forces who have accepted the demand of the people."

1037 GMT: New Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf was transport minister from 2002 to 2005. He was sacked over differences with then-premier Ahmad Nazif. Nazif was himself sacked four days after the start of the anti-Mubarak protests.

Sharaf is popular with the youths who launched the revolt against Mubarak, having taken part in the huge demonstrations in Tahrir Square in central Cairo.

1035 GMT: A suicide bomber has blown himself up inside a bank in the northwestern Iraqi city of Haditha today, killing nine people including three policemen, the town's mayor says.

Eight other people, all civilians, were wounded in the midday blast at a branch of the state-owned Al-Rafidain bank in Haditha, 210 kilometres (130 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Mayor Bassim Naji said.

The blast in Haditha was the first major attack in the town since October 5, 2009, when a suicide bomber killed five people at a funeral. And on August 2 of that year, a car bomb in the town killed four women and three children.

1033 GMT: Germany to evacuate 4,000 migrants from Tunisia to Egypt: minister

1027 GMT: The ICC's Moreno-Ocampo is scheduled to name the Libyan suspects at a news conference in The Hague later today.

The prosecutor told El Pais there appears to be tension between the army and Kadhafi.

"Those who are acting are organised militia and the security and intelligence services, to whom we want to send a clear message: the chiefs will have to answer for the acts of those under their command," he warned.

1021 GMT: Nine killed in suicide attack at Iraq bank: town mayor

1020 GMT: Extraordinary EU foreign ministers' meeting on Libya March 10: official

1017 GMT: The resignation of Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, follows calls by protesters for a replacement of the current government, which still includes several ministers from Hosni Mubarak's toppled regime.

The Supreme Council of Military Forces has previously ordered the government to run the country's affairs for six months "or until the end of parliamentary and presidential elections" and is also examining constitutional reforms.

Shafiq had been expected to stay in office at least until the elections.

1013 GMT: Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo tells El Pais the International Criminal Court will probe up to 15 Libyan leaders over the machine-gunning and bombing of civilians.

"We have a pretty clear idea of the formal and informal command structure in Libya. In Libya there seem to be machine-gunnings or bombings of civilians in public squares," he told the newspaper in a telephone interview from The Hague.

"These are massive attacks on the civilian population. These are very serious acts, there are hundreds or thousands dead."

1009 GMT: The Austrian foreign ministry has asked the central bank to launch an inquiry into a henchman of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi living in Austria, media reports say.

Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger has asked the bank to look into freezing the assets in Austria of Mustafa Zarti, who "might make them available to other representatives of the Libyan regime," a ministry spokesman said.

Zarti, vice-chairman of the Libyan Investment Authority, looked after Kadhafi's assets in Austria and left Tripoli to take refuge in Vienna on February 21, according to today's edition of conservative daily Die Presse and the weekly News.

1005 GMT: Another Chinese firm has suspended operations in Libya. State-run Metallurgical Corporation of China Ltd. (MCC) says it has halted multi-million-dollar projects in Libya.

One contract is with the Libyan government to build 5,000 homes and auxiliary facilities, while another is a civil engineering project related to a cement factory production line.

With the projects only partially complete, the remaining value of the contracts is around 5.13 billion yuan ($781 million), or about two percent of MCC's total outstanding contracts as of the end of 2010, the company say in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

1003 GMT: Kadhafi and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have discussed plans for an international peacekeeping mission to mediate the crisis in Libya, an official in Caracas says.

"We do confirm that Comandante Chavez had a conversation with Kadhafi yesterday (Tuesday) on a Peace Commission for Libya proposal," Communications Minister Andres Izarra tweeted, without confirming how the two leaders communicated.

1000 GMT: The conflict in Libya, responsible for around 2.3 percent of global crude oil output before the crisis, and the uncertainty around the Middle East has sent oil prices soaring over $100 per barrel in recent days.

"Persistent uncertainty in the region continues to support fears of contagion," Barclays Capital say in a note today.

0955 GMT: Oil prices are rising still further. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for April delivery, rose 33 cents to $102.56 and Brent North Sea crude for April was up 30 cents at $116.65 in Asian afternoon trade.

0953 GMT: It is not yet clear if the Yemen plan has been sent to President Saleh, whose three decades of autocratic rule has been rocked by a wave of protests in which at least 19 people have been killed, according to an AFP toll based on reports and witnesses.

0949 GMT: Egypt's ruling military council has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, the council says in a statement today.

He will be replaced by Essam Sharaf, a former minister, says the council, which has been in charge of the country since president Hosni Mubarak resigned on February 11 after nationwide protests.

"The Supreme Council of Military Forces announces that it has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq," the statement says, without elaborating on the reasons for the move.

0947 GMT: In Yemen, opposition groups and religious leaders have offered embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh plans for a smooth exit from power by the end of 2011, an opposition spokesman says.

The proposed accord calls for a "peaceful transition of power" from Saleh, insists anti-regime demonstrations that broke out two weeks ago will go on, and demands a probe be launched into a deadly crackdown on protesters.

"We've agreed on a settlement proposal including a roadmap for the president's departure before the end of this year," opposition parliamentary spokesman Mohammed al-Sabri says.

0945 GMT: NATO has no intention of intervening in Libya but is planning for "all eventualities", alliance chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen announces.

0944 GMT: The International Criminal Court will probe 10-15 Libyan leaders for crimes against humanity over attacks against civilians during the popular uprising, prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo says in an interview published in Spain's El Pais newspaper today.

0943 GMT: NATO: no intent to intervene in Libya but planning for 'all eventualities'

0940 GMT: In the Libyan town of Ajdabiya this morning an AFP correspondent met a group of rebels as they were readying an anti-aircraft battery, loading it with ammunition.

"We are ready and we're happy to support," said Driss Abheh AdulWahad as he supervised the loading of shells into the guns.

He says 12 rebels died yesterday in fighting in the Ajdabiya area, 70 kilometres east of Brega.

0937 GMT: Dutch daily De Telegraaf says three marines were captured by armed Kadhafi loyalists while helping with the evacuation from Sirte in northern Libya of two unnamed civilians, one Dutch and another European, in a helicopter.

A Dutch navy officer has confirmed the report to AFP.

0934 GMT: A Dutch military official says three Dutch soldiers were taken prisoner at the weekend by armed men during an operation to evacuate civilians from LIbya.

0933 GMT: Egypt PM Ahmed Shafiq resigns: military council

0931 GMT: Fattah al-Moghrabi, director of supplies for Brega hospital, tells AFP: "Around two hours ago, warplanes dropped a bomb in the area between the oil company and the residential area. As far as I know, there was no casualties."

Moghrabi said 12 people were killed in Brega on Wednesday, including nine rebels and three pro-Moamer Kadhafi fighters.

"Of these three, one had an ID from Niger and two others were black Africans without IDs," he says.

0927 GMT: International Criminal Court to probe 10-15 Libyan leaders over rights crimes: prosecutor

0923 GMT: A fresh air strike has targeted the rebel-held Libyan town of Brega, residents say. Yesterday clashes between rebels and pro-regime fighters killed at least 12 people in Brega.

Follow AFP's live report for a minute-by-minute update of news as it happens in Libya, North Africa and the Middle East. We'll bring you events as they develop after Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi warned "thousands" will die if the West launches a military intervention in Libya .