BBC News with Sue Montgomery
The forces of the Libyan National Transitional Council, the NTC, have entered one of the two remaining strongholds held by pro-Gaddafi forces, the city of Sirte. It's unclear how many Gaddafi loyalists are still holding out there. The BBC's Alastair Leithead has been following NTC forces advancing from the east.
From the east of Sirte, the advance today has been
swift
. After days of
stalemate
, the east gate fell, and the National Transitional Council troops have already pushed far along the road towards the city centre. There has been some return of fire, some injured, but the
momentum
is carrying them forward. From the west, reports of fighting in the streets inside the city itself. This is Colonel Gaddafi's birthplace, his hometown. It's always been a hugely
symbolic
target for the NTC, and it seems close to being won.
In Yemen, at least 40 people have been killed in clashes in the capital Sanaa as protests continue against President Ali Abdullah Saleh. A journalist in the city said demonstrators had been caught in the middle of shelling from rival factions of the army. Hisham Sharaf, the Yemeni minister of trade and industry, told the BBC that the government side was making every effort to
minimise
civilian casualties.
"We have taken all kinds of measures to avoid any casualties, but again these people say that they will go to heaven if they are killed. These extremists, these dissident groups, they call on the population to go to be martyrs. We are not in that business."