President Obama has said that the death of Colonel Gaddafi marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya. The president said four decades of what he called the "

iron fist

" of the Gaddafi regime had come to an end and the Libyan people now had a great responsibility to build a democratic country. For his part, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for national

reconciliation

.

"Let us recognise, immediately, that this is only the end of the beginning. The road ahead for Libya and its people will be difficult and full of challenges. Now it's the time for all Libyans to come together. Libyans can only realise the promise of the future through national unity and reconciliation."

BBC News

The Greek parliament has given its final approval to an austerity bill, which will cut public sector wages and pensions, raise taxes and allow the government to sack tens of thousands of public workers. The vote came after a two-day strike against the measures. One man died after he was injured in clashes outside the parliament. The latest cuts are a key requirement for Greece to receive another

bailout

from the European Union.

Turkey has launched a major ground operation against suspected Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. The Turkish military says about 10,000 soldiers are taking part in the offensive that's supported by warplanes attacking several areas. The operation comes two days after Kurdish militants killed 24 Turkish soldiers.