A missile strike on Libyan leader Col Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli has destroyed a building which coalition officials said was a command centre.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh dismissed his Cabinet on March 20, according to Tareq Al-Shami, a spokesman for the country's ruling party, but has asked the officials to stay on until a new Cabinet is appointed.

Western forces hit targets along the Libyan coast on Saturday, using strikes from air and sea to force Muammar Gaddafi's troops to 'cease fire and end attacks on civilians'.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez condemned military strikes against Libya on Saturday, accusing the United States and its European allies of attacking the country to seize its oil.

Japan made some progress on Sunday in its race to avert disaster at a nuclear power plant leaking radiation after an earthquake and tsunami that are estimated to have killed more than 15,000 people in one prefecture alone.

Millions of Egyptians voted freely on Saturday for the first time in more than half a century, joyfully waiting for hours to cast their ballots on a package of constitutional changes eliminating much-hated restrictions on political rights and civil liberties.

Yemenis seethed with anger as medics raised the death toll from a sniper attack on protesters to 52 and thousands rallied on Saturday despite a state of emergency imposed by the autocratic regime.

Gaza militants fired dozens of shells into Israel on Saturday, wounding two people, and Israel pounded Gaza in return, injuring at least five Palestinians and cutting power.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Prime Minister for security affairs Suthep Thuagsuban along with eight other ministers survived no-confidence motion on Saturday after the four-day censure debate against his cabinet.

Japan's Self-Defense Force and firefighting personnel resumed shooting water over the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant on Saturday afternoon, in an effort to cool down the reactor and overheating spent fuel pools.