Gaddafi was 'killed in crossfire'

Amateur video of Col Gaddafi shortly before he was killed

Libya's Col Muammar Gaddafi was killed in crossfire in an assault on his birthplace of Sirte, officials say.

Acting Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said he had been shot in the head in an exchange between Gaddafi loyalists and National Transitional Council fighters.

He confirmed that Col Gaddafi had been taken alive, but had died before reaching hospital.

Nato's governing body, meeting in the coming hours, is expected to declare an end to its Libyan bombing campaign.

Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that with the death of Col Gaddafi "that moment has now moved much closer".

"After 42 years, Col Gaddafi's rule of fear has finally come to an end," he said. "I call on all Libyans to put aside their differences and work together to build a brighter future."

Golden gun

Mr Jibril, number two in the National Transitional Council (NTC), held a news conference in Tripoli to confirm the colonel's death.

"We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Muammar Gaddafi has been killed," he said.

Video footage suggests Col Gaddafi was dragged through the streets.

It is unclear from the footage, broadcast by al-Jazeera TV, whether he was alive or dead at the time.

Mr Jibril, number two in the National Transitional Council (NTC), held a news conference in Tripoli to confirm the colonel's death.

Later, he told journalists that a "forensic report" had concluded that the colonel had died from bullet wounds after he had been captured and driven away.

"When the car was moving it was caught in crossfire between the revolutionaries and Gaddafi forces in which he was hit by a bullet in the head," said Mr Jibril, quoting from the report.

"The forensic doctor could not tell if it came from the revolutionaries or from Gaddafi's forces."

Earlier, some NTC fighters gave a different account of the colonel's death, saying he had been shot by his captors when he tried to escape.

One NTC fighter told the BBC that he found Col Gaddafi hiding in a hole, and the former leader had begged him not to shoot.

The fighter showed reporters a golden pistol he said he had taken from Col Gaddafi.

Arabic TV channels showed images of troops surrounding two large drainage pipes where the reporters said Col Gaddafi was found.

US President Barack Obama said it was a "momentous day" for Libya, now that tyranny had fallen.

He said the country had a "long and winding road towards full democracy", but the US and other countries would stand behind Tripoli.

Col Gaddafi was toppled from power in August after 42 years in charge of the country.

He was making his last stand in Sirte alongside two of his sons, Mutassim and Saif al-Islam, according to reports.

Nato air strike

A body officials identified as that of Mutassim has been shown on Libyan TV.

A reporter for the Reuters news agency described how the body of Mutassim -- the former national security adviser -- had been laid out on blankets on the floor of a house in the city of Misrata, while local people jostled to take pictures of the corpse with their mobile phones.

Al-Jazeera TV broadcast footage it says showed Col Gaddafi's body

The body of Col Gaddafi was also taken to Misrata.

There are conflicting reports as to the whereabouts of Saif al-Islam.

Acting Justice Minister Mohammad al-Alagi told the AP news agency Saif al-Islam had been captured and taken to hospital with a leg wound.

But another NTC official said his whereabouts were unknown.

Nato, which has been running a bombing campaign in Libya for months, said it had carried out an air strike earlier on Thursday.

French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said French jets had fired warning shots to halt a convoy carrying Col Gaddafi as it tried to flee Sirte.

He said Libyan fighters had then descended and taken the colonel.

Proof of Col Gaddafi's fate came in grainy pieces of video, first circulated among fighters, and then broadcast by international news channels.

The first images showed a bloodied figure presumed to be Col Gaddafi.

Later, video emerged of the colonel being bundled on to the back of a pick-up truck after being captured alive.

None of the video footage has been independently verified.

'Full of challenges'

Libyans gathered in towns and cities across the country to celebrate the reports of the colonel's death.

The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse has visited the drain where Col Gaddafi was reportedly found by NTC forces

Groups of young men fired guns in the air, and drivers honked horns in celebration.

In the capital Tripoli, wild scenes of celebration continued into the night, with cars clogging the city centre.

Col Gaddafi's death came after weeks of fierce fighting for Sirte, one of the last remaining pockets of resistance.

A senior official, Mahmoud Shammam, told the BBC that fighting throughout Libya was over.

World leaders urged the NTC to carry through its promise to reform the country.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who had taken a leading role in Nato's intervention, said it was "a day to remember all of Col Gaddafi's victims".

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called it a "historic" moment, but warned: "The road ahead for Libya and its people will be difficult and full of challenges."

Officials said the NTC intended to announce the "liberation of the country" in the coming days, allowing them to begin pushing through democratic reforms that will lead to elections.

Turkey steps up offensive in Iraq after Kurdish raids

Commandos and special paramilitary forces are taking part in the offensive, the military says

A major Turkish military offensive is continuing in northern Iraq, following a deadly attack by Kurdish rebels inside Turkey.

Ankara said 22 battalions, or about 10,000 soldiers, were taking part in the operation in northern Iraq and also south-eastern Turkey.

The troops - including commandos and paramilitary forces - are being backed by war planes and helicopters.

On Tuesday, Kurdish PKK rebels killed 24 soldiers near the Iraqi border.

The attacks in Hakkari province are thought to have inflicted the biggest loss on Turkish forces since 1993 and President Abdullah Gul has vowed to avenge them.

In recent months, violence between the army and Kurdish rebels from the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) has mounted.

PKK guerrillas are seeking greater autonomy in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated south-east.

Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict since 1984.

Nato support

In a statement on Thursday, the Turkish military said that 22 battalions were involved in the operation.

It said the ground troops were being reinforced by F-16 and F-4 jets and Cobra helicopter gunships.

The operation was focusing on five separate areas, the statement added, without giving details how many troops were deployed in Turkey and Iraq.

At a televised news conference, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "The military is determinedly carrying out this [operation], both from the air and the ground."

Unconfirmed reports say that 21 Kurdish militants have been killed since the Turkish operation was launched on Wednesday.

The Kurdish rebel raids - thought to be at least two simultaneous ambushes - took place in Cukurca and the district of Yuksekova.

Ankara said that 24 soldiers were killed and another 18 injured.

Turkey's army is a conscript one and many families will have sent sons to serve.

The Turkish parliament has recently renewed the law that gives Turkish forces carte blanche to pursue rebels over the border.

A spokesman for the PKK, Dostdar Hamo, on Wednesday confirmed that clashes had been taking place in two areas, the Associated Press news agency reported.

The US and Nato have issued statements in support of the Turkish government.

Greek MPs pass austerity measures

There were chaotic scenes as violence flared on the streets of Athens

The Greek parliament has given its final approval to the latest package of austerity measures.

All but one of the deputies from the ruling Pasok party voted in favour of the law.

The approval comes despite two days of violent protests against its provisions, which include cutting public sector wages and raising taxes.

One man has died as battles erupted at a large rally outside the Greek parliament in Athens.

The dead man was identified by Greek media as a middle-aged trade unionist.

"The demonstrator died of a heart attack," Deputy Citizens Protection Minister Manolis Othonas told Reuters. "He was not hurt in the incidents."
The country is in the grip of a 48-hour general strike in protest at the cuts.

As protesters gathered for a second day the BBC's Gavin Hewitt said "you shouldn't underestimate the sense of rage and frustration

The government's bill is needed to secure EU and IMF bailout loans.

The member of the ruling socialist party who voted against it, Louka Katseli, has been expelled from the party by Prime Minister George Papandreou.

Civil servants, shopkeepers, dock workers, taxi drivers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, construction workers and others were all due to take part in the strike, which began on Wednesday.

An estimated 50,000 protesters gathered on Syntagma Square, in front of parliament, on Thursday.

The bill includes plans for further cuts to pensions and salaries and temporary lay-offs of 30,000 public sector workers.
With Greece unable to borrow on international bond markets to finance its debt, the EU and IMF have stepped in with two bailout packages.

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos described the choice as between a "difficult situation and a catastrophe".

"We have to explain to all these indignant people who see their lives changing that what the country is experiencing is not the worst stage of the crisis," he said.

"It is an anguished and necessary effort to avoid the ultimate, deepest and harshest level of the crisis."

There are fears that if the Greek government defaults on its debts, it will set off a chain reaction that could engulf banks and other highly indebted eurozone nations.
But the government is struggling to convince lenders that it is cutting effectively enough. Greece says it needs the next 8bn euros ($11bn; £7bn) of the first bailout agreed to last year or it will soon be unable to pay its bills.

The details of the second rescue plan have yet to be finalised. Banks have agreed to take a 21% loss, or "haircut", on their loans to Greece but there is growing pressure for them to accept higher losses.

European leaders and global finance chiefs are trying to work out a broader plan to tackle the eurozone's debt crisis ahead of a weekend summit in Brussels.

But they have now had to concede that they will not reach agreement on Sunday and have called another summit for next week to approve a deal.

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez says he is free of cancer

President Chavez says he is well enough to seek re-election next year

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said he is free of cancer after returning from health checks in Cuba following four cycles of chemotherapy.

He travelled to the island four months ago to have surgery for cancer there.

"Everything went perfectly. I got top marks, 20 out of 20," he told reporters.

Mr Chavez had previously described his treatment as successful. But secrecy about his illness fuelled speculation it may be worse than officially stated.

"I am free of illness," Chavez said in an address to Venezuelans after arriving in the town of La Fria in western Venezuela.

He later made a pilgrimage to a Catholic shrine, Santo Cristo de la Grita, as a gesture of thanksgiving.

"The new Chavez is back ... We will live!" he declared.

His return from Cuba was broadcast in a special transmission on Venezuelan television and radio stations.

The 57-year-old leader, who has been in power since 1999, says his illness will not stop him from standing for re-election next year, and winning.

Mr Chavez has transformed Venezuela with sweeping nationalisations.

His reforms have made him popular with many poor people, but critics say he wants to install Cuban-style communism in Venezuela.

Last month, he denied US media reports that he had been rushed to hospital with kidney failure linked to his cancer treatment.

He has so far given no details of his illness and doctors warn that patients must generally wait at least two years after treatment before they can be considered out of danger.

Eta statement: "Eta has decided on the definitive cessation of its armed activity"

The French and German leaders spoke on the phone on Thursday

EU leaders are to hold another summit by Wednesday, because they will not be able to agree a rescue plan for the euro on Sunday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a crisis strategy would be discussed on Sunday and adopted at the next meeting.

EU leaders need to agree a second bailout for Greece, how to recapitalise banks and a stronger bailout fund.

President Sarkozy also called for talks with the private sector.

The private sector talks would be "to find an agreement allowing to strengthen the sustainability" of Greek debt.

Previous disagreements between France and Germany about the bailout plans have centred on how much the private sector would have to contribute to any package.

A spokesman for Chancellor Merkel said the leaders agreed that a "comprehensive, ambitious" answer to the crisis was needed.

The spokesman also said that the advantage of the additional summit would be that it would give the German parliament time to approve any changes to the bailout fund.
Chancellor Merkel had been due to address the Bundestag on Friday, but that has now been postponed.

President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel have also said they plan to meet on Saturday in the hope of making progress, ahead of the heads of government meeting on Sunday in Brussels.

Sunday's summit had already been delayed from 17-18 October because more time was needed to finalise a plan.

The French and German leaders spoke on the phone on Thursday.

"We have made enormous progress but not enough to take final decisions on Friday," Chancellor Merkel's spokesman said.

"In certain areas, we have reached agreement, in others, we are on the right track."

European shares fell on Thursday amid concern about whether enough progress would be made at the weekend summit.

Basque group Eta says armed campaign is over

At its height Eta killed more than 100 people in a single year

The Basque separatist group Eta says it has called a "definitive cessation" to its campaign of bombings and shootings.

In a statement provided to the BBC, Eta called on the Spanish and French governments to respond with "a process of direct dialogue".

The declaration, if followed through, would bring an end to Eta's campaign of violence, which has lasted more than 40 years and killed more than 800 people.

Spain's PM said the move was "a victory for democracy, law and reason".

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said after 40 years of bomb attacks and assassinations, Spain was now experiencing "legitimate satisfaction" at the victory over terror.

He said that terror should never have happened and must never be return.

The new Spanish government to emerge after November's general election is to take charge of the process, said former interior minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba - who is running on behalf of the Socialist Party in the poll.

Mr Zapatero is not running for re-election.

Analysts say Eta has been badly weakened by a security crackdown in recent years.

The declaration follows a conference this week in the Basque Country, attended by international statesmen including former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and protagonists in the Northern Ireland peace process.

They called on Eta to lay down its arms.

Our correspondent, Sarah Rainsford, says the event was so carefully choreographed that this move from Eta was widely anticipated.

Ceasefire broken

In its statement, Eta said "a new political age is opening" in the Basque Country.

"We face a historic opportunity to obtain a just and democratic solution to the age-old political conflict," it said.

"Eta has decided on the definitive cessation of its armed activity. Eta makes a call to the governments of Spain and France to open a process of direct dialogue which has as its aim the resolution of the consequences of the conflict and thus the conclusion of the armed conflict. With this historic declaration, Eta demonstrates its clear, firm and definitive purpose."

Eta statement: "Eta has decided on the definitive cessation of its armed activity"

The announcement - provided to the BBC as well as to the Basque outlet Gara - is the latest step in what Eta claims is a transition to peaceful methods.

In September 2010, it announced, again to the BBC, a decision not to carry out further attacks.

In January this year, it declared a permanent and "internationally verifiable" ceasefire.

Spain's Socialist government has continued to insist that it will not negotiate on demands for Basque self-determination until Eta disbands.

The government is cautious about engaging in another peace process, after the last one failed.

It opened contacts with Eta when the group called a "permanent" ceasefire in 2006, only to break it by bombing an airport car park in Madrid, killing two people.

The group has also abandoned previous ceasefires.

Inigo Gurruchaga, of El Correo, the most prominent newspaper in the Basque Country, says Eta simply used previous truces to reorganise and rearm.

But this time appears to be different, he says.

Not only has there not been a killing for more than two years, but businessmen have stopped receiving demands for a "revolutionary tax", and there have not been street protests by Eta supporters for several months.

The group is also widely considered to have been seriously weakened, by a concerted Spanish and French crackdown.

Dozens of Eta militants, including successive leaders, have been arrested and jailed, and analysts say the group realises its days are numbered.