Libyan rebels have taken full control of the western port city of Misrata, rebel fighters said today.

Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddhafi’s loyalists shelled a mountain town and clashed with opposition forces in a besieged coastal city today as the Libyan leader sought to quell resistance in the western part of the country that is largely under his control.

Fighters loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have set up checkpoints in Tripoli, searching cars, ahead of planned anti-government protests raising fears of new bloodshed in the Libyan capital.

Families of victims of the 1989 bombing of a French airliner returned from Libya saying that negotiations had failed to win a compensation package on par with the €2.5bn Lockerbie settlement.