Tribal and militia leaders in the eastern Libyan state of Benghazi have declared the region to be semi-autonomous. They said eastern Libya, known as Cyrenaica, would now be a state in a federal country. But a member of Libya's National Transitional Council, Suleiman Fortia, said the authors of the declaration were trying to hijack the Libyan revolution. Gabriel Gatehouse reports from Benghazi.
Hundreds of people crowded into a hangar on the outskirts of the city. They danced as they chanted slogans in support of federalism. A spokesman for the Congress of the People of Cyrenaica told the BBC that the tribes and the military were behind the declaration, which calls for autonomy in the eastern part of Libya. Cyrenaica is rich in oil reserves. This move will fuel fears in Tripoli and elsewhere of a battle for control for Libya's resources. But the people here say all they want is an equal share.
Activist groups in Syria have reported more atrocities by Syrian forces after they took over the district of Baba Amr in the city of Homs. The activists say an extended family of 16 people were massacred in their home with knives, but a television station close to the Syrian government said rebels did it.
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The opposition in Sweden has demanded an investigation into allegations that the Swedish government was secretly involved in a project to build a weapons factory in Saudi Arabia. Several former employees of a government defence agency said the project began in 2007. The head of the agency denied the allegations.