BBC news 2011-08-24
BBC News with Iain Purdon
Libyan rebels have taken over Colonel Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli after a day of heavy fighting. In a symbolic gesture, the rebels broke off the head of a statue of Colonel Gaddafi and kicked it along the ground. There were wild celebrations as they streamed in through the gates. The BBC's Paul Danahar was at the compound among the rebels.
I've just climbed over the huge iron gate. I was at the front of the Gaddafi compound, and I'm watching them carrying out possessions on their heads. A man was just walking out with the drawer from a shelf loaded with paintings and ornaments and everything else. I just watched another man carrying out something like crystal jugs. So they are basically going room to room and ripping to shreds any symbol of Gaddafi they can find, and they are taking what they probably think is rightfully theirs and that is the wealth that he's accumulated over the 42 years of his rule.
The whereabouts of the colonel and his family are still unknown. But Mahmoud Shammam, a spokesman for the National Transitional Council, says the rebels' capture of the compound is hugely symbolic.
"Bab al-Aziziya is the last stronghold of al-Gaddafi, and it has a great symbol - this is the place where(when口误) Gaddafi was issuing his criminal orders around the country; this is the symbol of al-Gaddafi. To get over it is a great psychological and emotional victory for our troops."
Libyan rebels also say they've overrun the strategic eastern oil port of Ras Lanuf, and they said they were on their way towards the city of Sirte, birthplace of Colonel Gaddafi which is still a stronghold of his supporters. The rebels said there had been no damage to the oil facilities at Ras Lanuf.
In international reaction, the European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the UN should play a lead role in the future of Libya while the State Department in Washington said it would seek to release up to $1.5bn in frozen Libyan assets. The British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the rule of Colonel Gaddafi was in its "death throes", but he warned against complacency.
"It's still a difficult and dangerous situation. There are many, many weapons out there; there are thousands of people who were until very recently being paid by Gaddafi in his army or as mercenaries to support the regime, many of whom may still be at large, so I think still some difficult and dangerous days."
The International Red Cross says the fighting in Tripoli has led to an urgent need for medical supplies and staff. A spokesman for the Red Cross in the city said many civilians were among the injured as many of the clashes had taken place in residential areas. He said many doctors were finding it difficult to get to the hospitals and other facilities because of the continuing battles.
World News from the BBC
A court in New York has dismissed the sexual assault charges against the former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Prosecutors said they could not disprove his assertion that the encounter with a hotel chambermaid was consensual. An appeal by the chambermaid's lawyer was quickly rejected, and Mr Strauss-Kahn is now free. Matt Wells reports from New York.
Ever since his arrest at a New York airport on 14 May, Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been facing a prospect of a lengthy jail sentence if this sensational case had gone to trial and he'd been found guilty. But after hastily indicting him, public prosecutors here in Manhattan were compelled to admit that they've lost faith in their star witness, the alleged victim Nafissatou Diallo. She was a serial liar, they said, and today the judge agreed. At first, Mr Strauss-Kahn was told he'd have to wait for a legal appeal before being allowed to leave the country, but that was crossed within hours.
An earthquake has hit the North American east coast, shaking Washington, New York and other towns and cities over a wide area. The US Geological Survey says the tremor measured 5.8 and was centred in the state of Virginia. From Washington, here's Jonny Dymond.
In just a few moments, the streets of Washington were full of workers evacuated from their buildings. At street level, the quake felt like an underground train passing close; but up in the offices of cities from Washington to Boston, the trembling was more pronounced. For around 30 seconds, lights and television monitors hanging from ceilings swayed as the earthquake rumbled around the region. The mobile phone network temporarily crashed. Parts of the Pentagon, the White House and Congress were evacuated.
A strengthened Hurricane Irene is approaching the Turks and Caicos islands and the Bahamas, having caused destruction in other parts of the Caribbean. Irene, still gathering force, brought torrential rain and strong winds to the Dominican Republic, and cut power supplies in Puerto Rico.
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