Live Report: Gadhafi's rule 'crumbling' in Libya
Updated: 2011-08-22 06:39
(chinadaily.com.cn)
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Welcome to our live report on unfolding events in Libya as rebel forces take control of the capital’s Green Square. Opposition forces say Col Gadhafi's regime has ended. Here we will bring you the latest news from Libya and reaction from around the world as it happens.
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12:53 am
One doctor at a hospital in Tripoli says they have received 200 patients, 8 dead and 20 with serious head or chest injuries, Al Jazeera reports.
12:11 am
There is still no news on the whereabouts of Col Gadhafi who was last heard in a broadcast on state TV yesterday calling for people to "march by the millions" to liberate cities held by "traitors and rats." Some reports suggest gunfire and grenades could be heard near his Tripoli compound.
11:45 am
There are still pockets of resistance, a rebel leader has told Al Jazeera. “They are trying to defend the falling regime. We call on them to put down their arms,” he said. One CNN reporter has tweeted that they have been advised to leave Green Square as Gadhafi forces are advancing toward the square.
11:40 am
More comments from China’s Weibo micro blog on the dramatic events in Libya
Yingzirx008: Libyan people will embrace a new day.
Kuanhedang: Gadhafi failed under the attacks of NATO, actually no country can fight against the powerful NATO. It's only a matter of time.
Lenheyuan: Bye-bye Gadhafi, this is the end of an era and rise of a new state.
Beijingzhangchunjielvshi: I don't like the autocracy of Gadhafi, but I hate more the barbaric invasion of Western powers into the country.
Peigongshuadadao: Libya is going to become another Afghanistan.
11:38 am
Here are some of the latest comments on the developments in Libya from China's Weibo micro blog.
Qinwangyingzheng: Gadhafi should commit suicide like a real hero, otherwise he will be humiliated.
Gongminchenrui: This is good news. Gadhafi should be caught alive.
Fanfandebaba: The fall of Gadhafi's regime is because of a lack of building the country.
Xuchaoqunhoudao: I feel sorry for Gadhafi. Who is the next goal of the United States, Britain and France?
11:23 am
US President Barack Obama said that Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi's rule in the country has come to an end, urging him to relinquish "power once and for all."
11:15 am
BBC reporter Matthew Price reports from the capital's Rixos Hotel: "The overall picture in Tripoli is patchy. There are certainly large areas, where the opposition is in control. But some areas are still under government control. However, one of the most vivid signs of the collapse of the Gadhafi regime is that government employees have been slowly leaving our hotel - the place from where Libya's state TV has been broadcasting."
11:08 am
If you are just joining us, it is currently just after 5 am in Libya. Col Gadhafi’s 41-year-rule over the country seems to be crumbling this morning. Gadhafi has said on state TV that he will not abandon Tripoli, urging Libyans to fight to the end. Thousands of rebel fighters have entered Green Square chanting and cheering as opposition forces across the country celebrate. Two of Gadhafi's sons have been arrested.
10:44 am
Celebrations are continuing in Tripoli's Green Square which has now been renamed Martyrs' Square by rebels. Crowds chanting and cheering can be seen on TV as sporadic gun fire is heard.
10:22 am
Rebel forces are trying to enter a hotel in Tripoli where international journalists are being held by government forces, Al Jazeera reports. Journalists tweeting from the hotel say there is heavy presence of government troops and gunfire can be heard.
10:15 am
US President Barack Obama says: "Tonight, the momentum against the Gadhafi regime has reached a tipping point. Tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. The Gadhafi regime is showing signs of collapsing," Reuters reports.
10:05 am
NTC leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil urges rebel fighters to show restraint when dealing with captured Gadhafi loyalists, BBC reports.
He says: "Today, there is no difference between (Libyan) cities, there is no difference between Libyans. We will create history altogether, as we were all equal in suffering from dictatorship for 42 years, we need to be equal now in democracy. Libya is for everyone."
10:02 am
Libya's rebel leader Jalil says he will step down once Gadhafi regime has collapsed.
9:56 am
More on the Al-Jazeera interview with the eldest son of Muammar Gadhafi.
Mohammed, who has been detained by rebels and was being kept under house arrest in Tripoli, told the broadcaster "Gunmen surrounded my house and I am still at home and they are outside," he said by telephone from Tripoli. They said they will guarantee my safety. They are besieging my house," he added. The sound of gunfire could be heard in the background. "Yes, the gunfire is inside my house," he said before the line was suddenly cut off.
9:30 am
Al-Jazeera reports that its interview with Col Gadhafi's son, Mohammed, was abruptly cut off after he said there were gunmen surrounding his house.
9:00 am
Libya has entered into a new era by overthrowing the Muammar Gaddafi regime, said National Transition Council (NTC) Vice Chairman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga in a TV interview with Al Jazeera on Sunday night. "Tonight is historical," said Ghoga.
8:10 am
Libyan rebels seized control of the Libyan State Radio building in Tripoli overnight Sunday, Al Jazeera reported.
7:45 am
Gaddafi's son Saif arrested in Libya
The International Criminal Court prosecutor said on Sunday Saif al-Islam, the son of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, had been detained in Libya.
"Saif was captured in Libya," prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told Reuters. "We have confidential information from different sources that we have within Libya confirming this."
7:40 am
Libyan state TV is broadcasting recorded programmes, says its transmission jammed.
Gadhafi made two audio addresses over state television calling on Libyans to fight off the rebels.
"I am afraid if we don't act, they will burn Tripoli," he said. "There will be no more water, food, electricity or freedom."
7:18 am
Libyan rebels waved opposition flags and shot into the air in jubilation after reaching Tripoli's central Green Square, Sky news live footage from the scene showed in the early hours of Monday.
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