BBC News with Fiona MacDonald



Fighting has continued to rage in Libya despite some 70 sorties from international aircraft trying to enforce a UN resolution to end (attacks) on civilians by Colonel Gaddafi’s forces. At least nine people are reported to have been killed by forces loyal to the Libyan leader in the city of Misrata, the only big rebel stronghold in western Libya. There were also clashes near Ajdabiya in eastern Libya as Ian Pannell reports.



We drove towards Ajdabiya. The road is littered with the charred and smoking remains of Colonel Gaddafi’s military. There were reports that his forces had been repelled by the rebels, but just listen to this. It’s the whistle of a tank round, fired past our car by government troops at the opposition fighters. A number of people were injured, some killed. (Despite) the announcement of the ceasefire, government forces are still attacking the rebels in the east and trying to hold on to the territory they’ve taken. Even so, the people of Benghazi have been celebrating today, believing that the balance of power has now swung in their favour.



President Obama said it’s part of American foreign policy that Colonel Gaddafi should leave office.



“I also have stated that it is US policy that Gaddafi needs to go. And we got a wide range of tools in addition to our military (efforts) to support that policy.”



But he stressed that the current Western military operations in Libya were about protecting civilians. Shortly after Mr Obama spoke, loud explosions were reported near Colonel Gaddafi’s compound in Tripoli.



Oil prices have surged again after the latest air strikes against Libya. Prices rose near 1.5% on fears of prolonged fighting in Libya and supply disruptions elsewhere in the Middle East. Libyan oil exports have been halted by the (uprising).



The President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has insisted that the majority of Yemenis still support him. The president’s authority has been shaken by high-level resignations in recent days. Andrew Bolton of our Middle East desk reports.



The list of senior figures voicing support for the opposition in Yemen continues to grow--among the latest a prominent general, a number of other officers and a senior tribal leader. But President Saleh remains defiant. A source close to him told the BBC the president would not step down and would call elections later in the year. The National Defence Council, which the president chairs, said the army would not (hesitate), as it put it, to carry out its duty in the face of any coup plot.



Syrian troops have been deployed in the southern city of Deraa as thousands of demonstrators marched for a fourth successive day calling for greater freedom and an end to corruption. At least six people have died in clashes with security forces, including an 11-year-old boy.



World News from the BBC



Thousands of supporters of Ivory Coast’s Young Patriots movement have answered a call to join the army to fight for Laurent Gbagbo, who’s refused to leave the presidency since last November’s election. In the city of Abidjan, the pro-Gbagbo youths chanted threats to supporters of Mr Gbagbo’s rival, Alassane Ouattara, who’s internationally recognised as having won the election. In the northern city of Bouake, a BBC correspondent says thousands of people who have fled violence in Abidjan are arriving every day, many describing their (terror) at the almost constant gunfire.



Abnormally high levels of radioactive substances have been detected in seawater near the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, which was damaged by an earthquake and tsunami 10 days ago. Radioactive iodine levels are over 100 times higher than government-set standards, while radioactive cesium levels are 25 times the official limit. Earlier, the head of the United Nations Nuclear Agency said the situation was still very serious at the plant. Yukiya Amano was speaking at an emergency meeting at the IAEA. Kerry Skyring reports.



The IAEA chief is calling for a review of nuclear safety standards beginning with earthquake and tsunami pro-areas. He says the existing system was designed in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. Mr Amano now wants improved co-ordination among experts during the early stages of a nuclear crisis. He says the priority remains stabilising the nuclear reactors at Fukushima and restoring safety. He’s confident this will be achieved, but that the current international response to a nuclear emergency needs to be (reassessed).



President Obama has called for a new relationship between the United States and Latin America based on equal partnership and shared responsibilities. Speaking in Chile, he said Latin America was fundamental to the prosperity and security of the US.



BBC News