Thousands of pieces of correspondence from US and UK officials were uncovered by reporters and activists in an office apparently used by Moussa Koussa, who served for years as Col Gaddafi's spy chief before becoming foreign minister.

The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Tripoli says the documents illuminate a short period when the Libyan intelligence agency was a trusted and valued ally of both MI6 and the CIA, with the tone of exchanges between agents breezy and bordering on the chummy.

"The CIA also sent the questions they wanted Libyan intelligence to ask and, from the files, it's very clear they were present in some of the interrogations themselves," he said.

Libya's fugitive ex-leader Col Muammar Gaddafi says he will continue to fight his enemies, in an audio message carried by a loyalist TV channel.

The colonel has not been seen in public for months, and it is not known where he is hiding.

"There must be huge sacrifices for the sake of freedom, the traitors will come to an end and Nato now will collapse, and the traitors' loyalty to Nato will collapse."

They appeared to meet little resistance and civilians emerged to cheer them, waving flags and firing celebratory shots as they passed in their pick-ups.

Col Gaddafi is believed to still have thousands of armed followers in the capital but other reports suggest a number of them have been surrendering to the rebels.

Tens of thousands of Indians have poured onto streets across the country in support of the jailed anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare.

At the capital's iconic India Gate, thousands shouted slogans and held placards demanding he be freed and that the government act on corruption.

Supreme Court lawyers have announced they will march to show their support for Mr Hazare, while auto-rickshaw drivers have gone on strike.

At least 50 people have died after the Syrian army stormed Deir al-Zour, the largest city in the east and a scene of frequent protests, activists say.

The army has continued its siege on the central city of Hama, which has become the centre of the uprising. Earlier, the Local Co-ordination Committees said the number of those killed since security forces launched an assault last Sunday was now more than 300.

The bill's signing came roughly 10 hours before the expiry of a deadline for Washington to raise its borrowing limit.

He urged Congress to now look to boost the economy through measures to create jobs and increase consumer confidence.

Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers have bitterly opposed the legislation in recent days, saying it offered too much of their opponents' agenda.

Theresa Chu, spokesperson for NTD AP, said in an e-mail that a "massive, grass-roots call from all walks of life in Taiwan helped move the executive and legislature to support NTD AP's contract renewal." Ms. Chu cited "thousands of letters" sent from Taiwanese citizens to the offices of the president, the premier, and legislators around the island.

"People in China have no place to express themselves," said the show's host, Anna Chang. "As an independent media we deeply look at all the information and its background and explain it to people-this is what we do."

Police in southern China say they have arrested 25 people after clashes between residents and security forces near the city of Guangzhou.

The arrests follow a separate incident further north, in Lichuan city in Hubei province, where hundreds of people laid siege to local government offices following the death in custody of a respected local official.

There is widespread anger in China over corruption and the practice of seizing land and clearing out the residents to develop it for a profit.

The U.S. Congress has approved a four-year extension of the Patriot Act despite warnings from senators that the Justice Department has twisted the 2001 law into a "secret" surveillance mechanism far broader than Americans realize.

At the moment, Udall said this week, the FBI can "collect business records on law-abiding Americans" who have no connection to terrorism. "We ought to be able to at least agree that the source of an investigation under Patriot Act powers should have a terrorist-related focus," he said. "If we can't limit investigations to terrorism, where do they end?"

President Sarkozy said that states were subject to the will of their citizens who were currently engaged in a revolution, empowered by the internet.

However, President Sarkozy claimed that countries could not remain neutral and allow completely unchecked internet use.

"At least Sarkozy acknowledged that he doesn't own the internet and his government doesn't own the internet. Nonetheless, he is claiming sovereignty here and so will the G8 and I have fear in that.