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Reuters has filed a story corroborating our report on the Libyan armed forces attacking parts of Tripoli (see 5.07pm). The news agency reported that military aircraft attacked crowds of anti-government protesters in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Monday, according to al-Jazeera:

The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute about 95% of export earnings, 25% of GDP, and 80% of government revenue. The weakness in world hydrocarbon prices in 2009 reduced Libyan government tax income and constrained economic growth. Substantial revenues from the energy sector coupled with a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society.

Libyans gather around the wreckage of a U.S. F-15 fighter jet in Ghot Sultan, southeast of Benghazi. (Patrick Baz, AFP/Getty Images / March 22, 2011)

The UN Security Council has condemned the Libyan authorities for using force against protesters, calling for those responsible to be held to account. In a statement, the council demanded an immediate end to the violence and said Libya's rulers had to "address the legitimate demands of the population".