Thomas MuchaFebruary 25, 2011 11:00

Amid revolt, Gaddafi offers pay raises and bonuses

Can a dictator buy his way out of trouble?

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A Tunisian woman holds a picture showing a rope and a portrait of Muammar Gaddafi during a protest in front of the Libyan embassy in Tunis on Feb. 22, 2011. (Fethi Belaid/AFP/Getty Images)

Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures.

If you're Muammar Gaddifi today, that means money. Lots of money.

Gaddafi's embattled regime has promised to double some public sector workers' wages. It's also vowing a $400 bonus for every family in Libya.

The move is akin to King Abdullah's payout in Saudia Arabia announced earlier this week, where the king offered $10.7 billion in economic benefits designed to help unemployed workers and tame rising inflation.

Libya: Anti-Gaddafi forces surround Tripoli; more cities fall (UPDATES) (VIDEO)

News DeskFebruary 24, 2011 07:51

In some towns, there was no sign of police or military and the town was controlled by "popular committees" armed with automatic weapons.

Thomas MuchaFebruary 22, 2011 17:54

Report: Gaddafi to sabotage oil wells

A desperate move by a desperate leader?

The situation in Libya is unraveling, and it may be about to get even worse.

According to Time's Robert Baer, a Gaddfi insider says the embattled Libyan leader has ordered the destruction of oil facilities, the source of 95 percent of the country's export earnings:

Gaddafi has ordered security services to start sabotaging oil facilities. They will start by blowing up several oil pipelines, cutting off flow to Mediterranean ports. The sabotage, according to the insider, is meant to serve as a message to Libya's rebellious tribes: It's either me or chaos.

Erik GermanFebruary 22, 2011 08:42

Too crude

Brazil nearing limit of its oil refining capacity

Using stark language yesterday, the CEO of the state-run oil giant Petrobras said Brazil is fast approaching the limit of its capacity to refine crude oil, adding that the country must boost its refineries, stat.

Gaddafi wants to "die a martyr" in Libya; UN security meets (UPDATES) (VIDEO)

News DeskFebruary 22, 2011 08:00

GlobalPost's Jon Jensen reports from the Libya-Egypt border. "Everybody inside Libya has a gun. It's completely lawless," one Egyptian returnee told him.

Iranian warships enter Suez Canal for first time since Islamic Revolution (UPDATES) (VIDEO)

News DeskFebruary 21, 2011 09:58

Crossing the 120-mile waterway, which carries about 2.5 percent of world oil output, usually takes 10 to 12 hours.

Thomas MuchaFebruary 18, 2011 12:56

Oil, democracy, and Uganda

Today's elections are about much more than voting.

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A voter in Uganda shows a blank ballot while waiting to vote. (AFP/Getty Images)

Elections are underway today in Uganda. The African country has been in the news for much of the past year due to its controversial laws on homosexuality, and the January murder of a prominent gay rights activist.

But that's not all at stake today.

As GlobalPost Senior Correspondent for Africa Tristan McConnell points out, the other main issue in Uganda is oil. The Rift Valley is full of the stuff, and Uganda's oil windfall is estimated to be worth $2 billion a year for the next two decades.

But along with a potential boost to Uganda's economy, oil money brings worries: Corruption. Environmental degredation. Complicated relationships with Chinese and other foreign oil firms.

Here's how Tristan puts it: