BBC News with Marion Marshall
Rebels in eastern Libya have retaken the important town of Ajdabiya from forces loyal to the country's leader Muammar Gaddafi. It's the first town the rebels have recaptured since the campaign to impose a no-fly zone began. One resident of Ajdabiya, Salih Busaba told the BBC he was
relieved
Colonel Gaddafi's forces had gone.
"Yeah, we are very happy because last 10 days, no electrical, no water and no medicine. The Ajdabiya has, the last 10 days, suffered too much from this situation. So, I'm now so happy that everything will come to us. We want to thank Mr Sarkozy France and also David Cameron to allow and support this community."
Rebel forces say they are pushing further west and are close to retaking the town of Brega. The French defence ministry says its fighter jets destroyed five Libyan warplanes and two helicopters at Misrata, the rebel-held city
besiege
d for several weeks.
Violence has again
flared up
in Syria a day after at least 20 people were killed in anti-government protests in the southern region of Deraa. With the details, here is our world affairs correspondent Caroline Hawley.
Thousands of Syrians turned out for the funerals and in the small town of Tafas, just north of Deraa, they turned their anger on
symbol
s of the state. A police station and the offices of the ruling Baath Party were
set ablaze
. In Deraa itself witnesses said young men climbed on the rubble of a statue of the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad which was destroyed yesterday. Reports from Deraa today say that security forces use tear gas to