The UN Security Council is meeting today to discuss Libya, while Muammar el-Qaddafi continues to kill his own people. Also, parts of Tripoli are fighting back. Here's a look at what's happening across the Middle East and North Africa today:

  • Muammar el-Qaddafi has made good on his promise to "open up the arsenals" and arm his supporters in Tripoli, while some anti-Qaddafi residents are setting up makeshift roadblocks to keep "SUVs filled with young men wielding automatic weapons from entering their neighborhood." [AP]
  • If you only read one thing this week on the uprisings across the Middle East, read this: The Economists' longtime chief Middle East correspondent, Max Rodenbeck on the region's "Volcano of Rage" in the latest New York Review of Books. Read his excellent book on Cairo, too. [NYRB]
  • The United Nations Security Council is meeting today to discuss Libya and will probably issue a strongly-worded statement denouncing Muammar el-Qaddafi. A vote on various sanctions is expected today. [CNN]
  • The Egyptian army has apologized for beating the shit out of protesters this morning. [AFP]
  • The burned-out hulks of Egypt's various NDP offices might be turned into public parks, according to the governor of Cairo. This is a great idea for an overcrowded city known for its lack of public space. [Ahram Online]
  • For the second straight day, police in Tunis have used teargas to break up protests. This is particularly disturbing: "Police and masked men in civilian clothes, armed with sticks, moved through streets looking for protesters." [BBC]
  • Bahrain's King Hamad Bin Isa al Khalifa today swore in a new cabinet in an attempt to appease protesters. Not to be forgotten: This man had his police shoot and kill sleeping protesters. [Bloomberg]
  • "Hundreds of people, including prominent journalists, artists and intellectuals" have been detained by Iraqi security forces following yesterday's nationwide protests. [Washington Post]
  • Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh could be in even deeper trouble: Sheikh Hussein al-Ahmar, a powerful tribal leader, has called for the president's ouster. [NYT]

[Image via AP]