From Kinshasa, Thomas Hubert reports.

The Boeing 727 was operated by the Congolese airline Hewa Bora, one of the few passenger carriers flying to Kisangani, the third largest city in the DRC. Company and Congolese government sources said that the aircraft was caught in a storm. The transport minister said it crashed 300 metres from the runway. A Kisangani resident said the plane had

broken into

three pieces.

Libyan rebels say they have made significant gains in the west of the country, advancing up to 8km towards the

strategically

important town of Zlitan. The frontline near the rebel-held town of Misrata had been

stationary

for six weeks, and the rebels believe their progress opens the way for a faster assault on the capital Tripoli.

State media in Venezuela say prisoners who took control of a jail near the capital Caracas three weeks ago have released 148 fellow inmates whom they were allegedly holding hostage. Venezuelan officials say a small gang of inmates is terrorising the rest of the prison population. But relatives of the prisoners say the men were resisting a massive police operation aimed at

getting rid of

the gangs.

The Cuban guitarist Manuel Galban, a member of the world-famous Cuban music collective, the Buena Vista Social Club, has died in Havana. He was 80. The official Granma newspaper called him the "master of the guitar". Manuel Galban was part of the popular fusion group Los Zafiros, which combined Cuban music with doo-wop and rock. Galban's