Flash: Pro Ghaddafi Forces Enter Benghazi

Aljazeera reporters have witnessed pro-Ghaddafi forces enter the rebel stronghold city of Benghazi.

Word is UN forces are sleeping. It was a tough week.

Update: there is a report that a Libyan military aircraft was shot down over Benghazi.

There are reports floating around about spinach being contaminated by radiation.

Update: contaminated milk has been identified in Fukushima

Very serious, yet not worsening since last update.

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Eye witness in Benghazi claiming the city is under attack.

Live audio feed here.

Cosmo oil and JX officials have indicated that 700,000 bpd will come back online next week. With the new capacity,
Japan’s net output loss will stand at around 12%.

Scores more injured and missing. Worst single event since WW2.

French ambassador to UN, Gerard Araud, said UN led intervention against the Ghaddafi regime could happen within hours, amidst widespread reports of Ghaddafi’s regime is violating the cease fire agreement.

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations says Ghaddafi is violating terms of the cease fire accord. As such, lawyers at the UN are busy shuffling papers around.

Update: US envoy to UN: warns of “swift & sure consequences including military action” if ignores UNSC ceasefire demands.

Obama the peaceful.

Somewhere GW Bush is smirking, like a chimp.

Pro government forces killed 45 protesters today, plunging the country into chaos.

Despite earlier claims that Libya was aggressively killing rebels, representatives of Ghaddafi invited observers from China, Turkey and Malta to confirm they are upholding the ceasefire agreement.

CNBC is reporting Ex-Goldman Programmer, Sergey Aleynikov, was convicted of stealing high speed algos from Goldman.

You get less time for rape.

AFP is reporting loud explosions and sounds of any-aircraft guns in the Libyan city of Benghazi, the last rebel stronghold.

Despite the alleged cease fire declared today by Ghaddafi, there are reports of fresh violence and scores dead and/or injured.

A resident in Libya summarizes:

“This morning they are burning the city,” the doctor said. “There are deaths everywhere.”

The Federal Reserve gave banks the green light to boost dividends and start share buyback programs. Lo and behold, several banks have taken them up on such a kind offer.

BB&T Corp declared a $0.01 increase in the 2011 second-quarter dividend to $0.16, as well as a special $0.01 dividend

Wells Fargo increases quarterly cash dividend rate to $0.12, including a special Q1 cash dividend of $0.07, and increases common stock repurchase authority

JPMorgan Chase increases dividend to $0.25/share from $0.05/share; authorizes new stock repurchase

U.S. Bancorp announces 150% increase in annual dividend to $0.50 from $0.125; authorizes new 50 mln share repurchase program

They must be reading iBankCoin.

Bottom pickers are pecking away at Uranium ETF today, URA, sending it higher by 7%.

Related: Uranium related stocks are soaring too, with big gains in URRE (14%), URG (10%), DNN (6%) and URZ (4.5%)

Intra-day overall market breadth is very strong, with more than 79% of stocks up on the day. Outliers can be found in both tech and retail, thanks to AAPL and NKE. However, generally speaking, stocks are up across the board.

Data provided by The PPT

With the pullback in crude, beaten down airlines stocks are bouncing hard today, with outsized gains in LCC (+7%), AMR (+6%), ALK (+6%) and PNCL (+6%).

Shares of AAPL are dropping in renewed chatter that Jobs may step down.

Even with crude selling off, the decline in gasoline and heating oil is less, lending to a higher spread for refiners this morning, now up 1.1% to $24.09.

UPDATE: Spreads have widened, now +1.9% to $24.29