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John Denham said voters did not like what the coalition was doing
The coalition must “change direction” following Thursday’s Lib Dem drubbing at the polls, Labour has said.
Shadow business secretary John Denham said the government now had “no mandate” for many of its policies and had to listen to public opinion.
The Lib Dems suffered large losses in English local elections and suffered reverses in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly.
Their Tory coalition partners’ vote held up well, by contrast.
But Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg rejected calls from some of his local councillors to end the coalition to save the party – promising to see it through to its conclusion.
The Lib Dems lost 695 councillors in England, with Labour gaining 800 – short of the 1,000 some polling experts were saying the party might have expected to achieve, given that it was starting from a low base.
But party managers and MPs insisted they were happy with the result, with party leader Ed Miliband saying it showed Labour was on the road back to power.
The Conservatives’ share of the vote held up well in the English local elections, with a net gain of 81 seats.
And a proposal to change the electoral system – a move supported by the Lib Dems and Labour leader Ed Miliband, even if many of his MPs were against it – was rejected in a UK-wide referendum.
Labour was also soundly beaten by the SNP in Scotland, taking 32 fewer votes than its rival party, and failed to win a majority in the Welsh Assembly by a single seat.
But Mr Denham told the BBC News Channel that his party had won the largest share of the vote across the UK.
He said: “The coalition government needs to listen to what people are saying. The collapse of support for the Lib Dems… is a clear message that people don’t like what the government is doing.
“It would be quite wrong if they just come back next week and plough on with cuts in public spending, raising VAT and damaging young people by removing support and raising tuition fees.”
He added: “There’s a lot of anger at things that the Tory-led coalition are doing, a coalition that nobody voted for. They’ve no mandate for it and need to change direction…
“This is a Tory-led government. The Lib Dems have chosen to support it… The coalition needs to listen to the people of this country.”
In a by-election in Leicester South, Labour held on the the seat with an increased majority, although the Lib Dems remained in second place.
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Fears are growing among US residents living along parts of the Mississippi River, where rising flood waters continue to threaten communities in states from Illinois to Louisiana.
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Paul Davies will be the Welsh Conservatives’ interim leader until a permanent leader is appointed
Welsh Conservatives have chosen Preseli Pembrokeshire AM Paul Davies as their interim leader, replacing Nick Bourne.
Mr Davies, the party’s education spokesman, was chosen by a joint meeting of the management board and assembly group.
Mr Bourne lost his Mid and West Wales regional seat on Thursday, although the Tories became the second largest party with 14 seats.
The process to appoint a permanent leader will begin on Wednesday.
Mr Davies said he was “delighted” and called it an “incredibly exciting time” for the Conservative group.
“We are now the second biggest party in the National Assembly following a hugely successful election, and my job will focus on driving us forward during the start of this term.
“Not only did we gain seats this week, we are also now more representative, with four women AMs,” Mr Davies added.
His appointment was also welcomed by Welsh Secretary, Cheryl Gillan.
“Party members across Wales will now be involved in the process of electing a new leader in the assembly should more than one candidate emerge from within the group in Cardiff Bay”
Cheryl Gillan Welsh Secretary
She said it would bring “stability and focus over the coming weeks”.
“Party members across Wales will now be involved in the process of electing a new leader in the assembly should more than one candidate emerge from within the group in Cardiff Bay,” Ms Gillan said.
“I look forward to a healthy debate about how our assembly group moves forward after our excellent election results yesterday.
“There are huge challenges and opportunities ahead in the National Assembly, not least in keeping Labour and the Assembly Government under constant pressure to make the right decisions for the future of Wales.”
Mr Davies, an AM since 2007, also paid tribute to Nick Bourne, who he said had “become a victim of his own great success”.
“Twelve years of his clear vision and leadership have powered the Welsh Conservatives forward. That is set in stone and will always remain an integral part of our history.”
After his defeat on Thursday night, Mr Bourne said he had “12 marvellous years” as an AM for mid and west Wales.
Ms Gillan also paid tribute, saying: “Nick Bourne played a lead role in transforming the image and fortunes of the Welsh Conservative Party for more than a decade.
“His leadership, vision and courage have been central to the party’s unprecedented levels of success in recent years.”
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It was clear early on that the No campaign were heading for victory
David Cameron and Nick Clegg have said it is time to “move on” after the UK’s decisive rejection of a change to the way MPs are elected to Westminster.
The prime minister said Britain needed a “good, strong, decisive government” and the coalition would continue.
Mr Clegg admitted the results were “a bitter blow” for Lib Dems but insisted his party would “pick ourselves up”.
As well as the AV defeat, the Lib Dems suffered a rout in English local election and lost support in Scotland.
The party lost around 700 councillors – more than a third of the seats they were defending – in England – and 12 of its 17 MSPs at Holyrood, where the SNP scored an historic victory.
Officials say 19.1m people voted in the second UK-wide referendum in history – a higher than expected turnout of 41%.
The final referendum result put the Yes vote at 32.1% and the No vote at 67.9%.
Mr Clegg said the results were “really disappointing” but the party was “going to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and move on”.
“The wider job of the government and the Liberal Democrats in government will continue – to repair the economy, to restore a sense of prosperity and jobs and optimism to the country. That’s the job that we have started and we will see it through,” he said.
Analysis
A debate that was often about the complexity of electoral systems ended in the simplest of results.
The No campaign won, overwhelmingly.
The rush to attribute blame, or grab the credit for that result, begins here.
Those who favoured the Yes campaign will argue they were defeated by the Prime Minister’s campaigning power, a largely hostile press and a tough opposing campaign.
Those who backed a No vote will say they won the argument for the merits of the status quo, and persuaded people the alternative vote was complex and unnecessary.
The voters, of course, needed only to mark crosses on ballot papers. They did not have to explain their reasoning.
So campaigners who devoted months of their lives to this argument will never know what difference, if any, they made to the result.
Read Ross’s thoughts in full
Mr Cameron said the referendum campaign had been “difficult” for the government but the UK had given a “clear and resounding answer”.
“I believe that what the British people want us to do now is to provide a good, strong, decisive government in the long-term national interest of this country, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats working together.
“That is what we have been for this last year and that is what we are going to be for the rest of this Parliament,” he said.
Grassroots calls for Mr Clegg to be removed as leader have been slapped down by senior Lib Dem figures at Westminster, including his deputy Simon Hughes, who said Mr Clegg was “personally and politically as strong as when he joined the government”.
BBC political correspondent Gary O’Donoghue said instead there is significant pressure to conduct the coalition in a different way – making clear the distinction between the two parties and holding out for big concessions in areas such as health, taxation and reform of the House of Lords.
“The question now facing David Cameron is whether he acquiesces and offers the Lib Dems more in order to shore up the position of the coalition, or whether he takes the view that, given how weakened his partners are, they’re in no position to demand anything,” our correspondent said.
Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party are preparing for a second term in government in Edinburgh, but this time with an overall majority.
With all results in, the SNP had 69 seats, Labour 37, the Tories 15, the Lib Dems five, and others three.
Alex Salmond’s party – which humbled Labour in one of its traditional heartlands – is expected to hold a referendum on Scottish independence towards the end of its term.
Labour made significant gains in town halls in the north of England and in the Welsh assembly elections, where it fell just short of an absolute majority.
Mr Cameron said voters’ rejection of AV was “clear and resounding”
Labour also held Leicester South in a Parliamentary by-election with an increased majority, although the Lib Dems hung on to second place.
Sir Peter Soulsby, whose decision to stand down triggered the contest, won the race to be Leicester mayor.
Labour leader Ed Miliband – who backed AV despite the opposition of more than half of his MPs – insisted the party’s strong showing in English councils and the Welsh Assembly showed it was “coming back” after its bad performance in last year’s general election.
The Conservatives, who already controlled more councils than all the other parties put together, have increased their number of councillors and gained control of two councils.
In Northern Ireland, The DUP and Sinn Fein are expected to remain the biggest parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly, but there has been controversy over the system for counting votes.
The SNP’s victory in Scotland is the first time any party has achieved a majority since the 129-seat Scottish Parliament was established in 1999.
Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray said he would stand down in the autumn.
In Wales, Labour won 30 assembly seats, one short of the 31 needed to gain an overall majority.
The Conservatives made gains, but Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems suffered losses.
According to the Electoral Commission, 6,152,607 voted Yes to the Alternative Vote, while 13,013,123 voted No.
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The couple took a detour while driving from British Columbia to Las Vegas
A Canadian tourist missing in a remote wooded area of the US state of Nevada for seven weeks has been found alive near her stranded vehicle by hunters.
Rita Chretien, 56, told police her van had got stuck in mud in mid-March, and that her husband Albert, 59, had gone to get help on foot.
She said she had survived since then on “trail mix” snack food and water.
Police abandoned the search for the couple in April but have now resumed the hunt for Mr Chretien.
The couple were driving from their home in Penticton, British Columbia, to Las Vegas, when they decided to go off-road to see the landscape in Elko County, one of America’s largest and most sparsely-populated counties.
One of their three sons, Raymond Chretien, said the family was “stunned” that their mother had been found alive.
“We haven’t fully digested it. This is a miracle,” he told the Portland Oregonian.
He said his mother, who lost 20-30lb (9-14kg) during her ordeal and is now recovering in hospital, doubted if she would have survived another three days in the woods.
She had apologised for the worry she had caused her relatives, he added.
Officials said weather over the past month in the area where the couple got lost had included snow, rain and chilly temperatures.
“I don’t believe they were prepared for winter weather,” Raymond Chretien said. “They don’t go camping.”
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Ireland applied for a package of loans from the EU and IMF last November
Ireland is to get an interest rate cut on the emergency loans it has acquired from EU bodies, the BBC has learned.
Currently, Ireland pays an average rate of 5.8% on loans agreed with the IMF, fellow Eurozone countries and a special fund set up by the European Commission.
It is unclear how much of a cut this will entail, but a 1% cut could be worth up to 400m euro ($572m; £349m).
Sources say a special written procedure will be adopted ahead of the meeting of EU finance ministers on 17 May.
This speeds up the implementation of a rate cut as it would bypass the need for a full vote by all 27 EU commissioners on the matter.
Although Britain is not a member of the Eurozone, it would be involved in any agreement to change Ireland’s bail-out loans.
That is because the UK pays into the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism as part of the EU Commission’s budget affecting all 27 member states.
Britain is also making a bilateral loan to the Irish government of £3.2billion (€3.8bn).
Last November, Ireland applied for a package of loans from the IMF and EU worth €85bn – €17.5bn of which comes from Ireland’s own National Pension Reserve.
It is unclear what type of concessions Ireland will have to make under the terms of any rate reduction.
The Irish government has long said that it would never give up its low corporation tax rate of 12.5% as part of any deal, even though France and Germany have argued that some change to that rate would be required.
EU watchers have suggested that Ireland may need to change its corporation tax base rather than the 12.5% rate.
That could mean that large firms headquartered in Ireland might only be allowed to use revenue earned in Ireland rather than EU-wide for corporation tax purposes.
The Irish government spokesperson said: “The reduction in the interest rate has still to be agreed by the member states and this will be discussed in due course”.
Some of the world’s largest companies have their EU bases in Ireland including Facebook, Google, Intel and Microsoft.
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The couple have been together for four years
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Sir Paul McCartney is to get married for the third time, his publicist says.
The former Beatle, who is 68, had got engaged to the New York businesswoman Nancy Shevell, 51, Stuart Bell said.
The couple have been together for four years. It is not yet known when the wedding will take place.
Sir Paul’s first wife, Linda, died of cancer in 1998. He married Heather Mills in 2002, and they divorced in 2008.
Mr Bell did not give any further details but said: “We’re all thrilled for him.”
Nancy Shevell was married for more than 20 years to an American lawyer and political candidate, Bruce Blakeman.
She is a board member of New York’s transportation authority, and a vice-president of her family business.
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Syria’s army has pulled out of Deraa after what activists called “10 days of massacres”
Troops and tanks are reported to have swept into the Syrian city of Baniyas, a centre of anti-government protests.
They entered in three places and were heading towards the Sunni districts of the coastal city, human rights activists told news agencies.
The BBC’s Jim Muir in neighbouring Lebanon said he had been unable to confirm the reports as communications to the city appeared to have been cut.
The US has warned Damascus to end its brutal crackdown on protesters.
The White House said on Friday it would take “additional steps” if President Bashar al-Assad did not take steps to end the bloodshed.
More than 500 people are thought to have been killed in the uprising since mid-March.
At least 21 people were reportedly killed in Homs, Hama and other cities on Friday, in what protesters had vowed would be a “day of defiance”.
No reports can be verified independently, as foreign journalists are not allowed into Syria.
Human rights activists told news agencies that Syrian troops and tanks stormed Baniyas in the early hours of Saturday.
They said the armed units were advancing on the Sunni Muslim areas of the city from three directions – steering clear of neighbourhoods of the minority Alawite sect, to which the president and his family belong.
“Residents are reporting the sound of heavy gunfire and seeing Syrian navy boats off the Baniyas coast. Sunni and mixed neighbourhoods are totally besieged now,” one rights campaigner, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters news agency.
The AFP news agency reported that protesters had formed human chains to try to stop the military operation.
Hundreds of families were said to be fleeing Baniyas on Friday, with one activist telling the AFP: “It looks like they are preparing to attack the town”.
Many feared the city – which has witnessed some of the most persistent demonstrations – would come under siege like Deraa in the south where the uprising erupted seven weeks ago.
The Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS) accused the government of carrying out “10 days of massacres” as it attempted to take back Deraa.
CLICKABLE
Qamishli
A mobile phone snapshot, reportedly taken in Qamishli on 29 April, shows protesters carrying banners written in Arabic and Kurdish demanding democracy.
Damascus
This footage, which the BBC cannot verify, seems to show demonstrators in Midan, central Damascus, on Friday afternoon. A source in Damascus says he could see a lot of security and police officers in the main areas of Damascus after protests began after Friday prayers finished.
Talbisah
This unverified video seems to show a peaceful protest in Talbisah. Moments into the footage, tanks fire on unarmed civilians. Wyre Davis reports.
Deraa
A soldier walks past men in civilian clothes lying on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs in this still photo taken from an amateur video.
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A passenger aircraft has crashed in eastern Indonesia with up to 27 people on board, a transport ministry spokesman says.
Bambang Ervan said the plane went into the sea near the province of West Papua in poor weather.
It is not known if anyone has survived the crash. A search and rescue operation is under way.
The Indonesian archipelago relies heavily on air transport and has one of Asia’s worst air safety records.
AFP news agency quoted Mr Ervan as saying there were 21 passengers and six crew on board the twin turbo-prop plane, operated by Merpati Airlines, which was flying from the coastal city of Sorong to the small port town of Kaimana.
“An MA-60 aircraft crashed into the sea, some 500 metres (yards) away from the airstrip,” he said.
“When the accident happened, the weather was bad with limited visibility.”
Indonesia has seen a number of commercial airline crashes in recent years
In 2007, the European Union banned all of Indonesia’s airlines including the national carrier Garuda.
In 2009, Garuda and three other carriers were taken off the EU’s list, but Merpati Airlines remains on it.
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A border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia is threatening to overshadow the opening of the annual Asean summit.
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SNP leader Alex Salmond said he wanted to make Scotland proud
The Scottish National Party are preparing for a second term in government in Edinburgh, but this time with an overall majority.
SNP leader Alex Salmond said his party’s majority win at Holyrood was “a victory for a society and a nation”.
The party is expected to hold a referendum on Scottish independence towards the end of its term.
With all results in, the SNP had 69 seats, Labour 37, the Tories 15, the Lib Dems five, and others three.
During an address in Edinburgh, Mr Salmond said: “I’ll govern for all of the ambitions for Scotland and all the people who imagine that we can live in a better land.
“This party, the Scottish party, the national party, carries your hope. We shall carry it carefully and make the nation proud.”
The new intake of MSPs will meet for the first time in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.
SNP Finance Minister John Swinney said the party would “assert the Scottish position” in Westminster “in a courteous and effective way” but David Cameron “must understand that we go into those discussions with a much stronger mandate than we have done in the past”.
“That’s why the UK government must pay attention to what the Scottish government is saying,” he said.
The SNP took key seats in Labour heartlands and the Liberal Democrat vote also collapsed.
The SNP now has a clear majority of four in the 129-seat Scottish Parliament, enough votes to hold an independence referendum.
The Greens returned two MSPs to Holyrood and independent Margo Macdonald was also back.
Labour leader Iain Gray announced he would stand down from the job in the autumn.
Mr Salmond, whose party formed a minority government after the 2007 elections, described the unfolding Holyrood election results as “historic”.
Prime Minister David Cameron also offered his congratulations to the SNP leader for an “emphatic win”.
Among its successes, the SNP won all 10 first-past-the-post seats in the North East and still managed to pick up an additional regional list seat after amassing more than 140,000 votes.
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond gave a victory address in Edinburgh
Labour big hitters, including finance spokesman Andy Kerr and former minister Tom McCabe, lost to the SNP in the party’s West of Scotland heartland, while, in Glasgow, the SNP won the Anniesland seat with a majority of just seven votes.
Mr Gray said he had spoken to Mr Salmond early on Friday to congratulate him on his victory.
He continued: “Labour has lost many talented representatives, and it seems very likely that Labour’s new and returning MSPs will play their part in the democratic process in the Scottish Parliament from opposition, but will do so with gusto.
“Labour’s MSPs will work constructively with the new Scottish government to create jobs and tackle unemployment wherever we can.”
Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University indicated that Labour appeared to have had its poorest performance in Scotland for at least 80 years.
He added it was fairly clear that the party’s campaign had “badly misfired” and “badly missed its target”.
Alex Salmond’s prioritiesReinforcing the powers of the Scotland Bill to give economic teeth to that legislationTo identify borrowing powers to keep the revival in the constuction industry of Scotland movingTo identify the need to devolve corporation tax powers
More on Salmond’s victory speechMr Gray was only narrowly re-elected as MSP for East Lothian with a majority of 151 votes, while his Lib Dem counterpart, Tavish Scott, also held on to his seat, despite losing 20% of his constituency vote in Shetland.
Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie returned to Holyrood on the west of Scotland list.
Mr Salmond, who won in Aberdeenshire East with about 64% of the vote, said: “Firstly, I think it demonstrates that Scotland has outgrown negative campaigning.
“I hope after this result we’ll see an end to negativity and scaremongering in Scottish politics – no more insults to the intelligence of the Scottish people.”
Referring to an SNP forerunner, the National Party of Scotland, he added: “Some 70 years and more later, the SNP can finally say that we have lived up to that accolade as the national party of Scotland.
“We have reached out to every community across this country.”
Mr Cameron said he would campaign to keep the UK together, as he congratulated Mr Salmond.
He said: “I passionately believe in our United Kingdom, so I congratulate Alex Salmond on his emphatic win, but I will do everything obviously as British prime minister to work with the first minister of Scotland, as I always do, and treat the Scottish people and the Scottish government with the respect they deserve.
“But on the issue of the United Kingdom, if they want to hold a referendum, I will campaign to keep our United Kingdom together, with every single fibre that I have.”
The electorate in Scotland – like those throughout the UK – also voted in the referendum on whether the alternative vote should be used for Westminster elections.
The result, which came in at about 1940 BST on Friday, recorded a “no” to the change.
Figures released by the Electoral Commission showed that Scotland recorded the highest turnout of voters – 50.7% – for the referendum in the UK.
Other key moments of the Scottish elections include:
The independent Margo Macdonald has been returned to the Scottish Parliament as a list MSP in Lothian.Former Labour MP George Galloway failed in his bid to enter frontline politics at the Scottish parliament after failing to muster enough support on the Glasgow list.The Scottish Green Party’s Patrick Harvie was returned to parliament after winning a seat on the Glasgow regional list.The SNP made big gains in Labour’s traditional heartland of Glasgow, winning Anniesland, Cathcart, Kelvin, Shettleston and Southside, as well as two seats on the Glasgow list.Labour had better news in Eastwood where it held the Tory target seat. Ken Macintosh fought off advances from Conservative Jackson Carlaw, who was later elected on the west of Scotland list.
With many deposits lost, Mr Scott said his party’s problems were down to the coalition government at Westminster.
He said: “What we need to recognise is that the UK coalition did cause our vote to either stay at home or move straight to the SNP.
“People are not happy about us being in the UK coalition and that is what we need to look at and understand.”
Jackie Baillie, who was re-elected as Labour MSP for Dumbarton, said Labour’s defeat in Scotland was “quite considerable”.
Ms Baillie said it could not have been predicted and was reminiscent of the party’s general election defeat in 1983.
“I think we need to pause and reflect and take time to consider what this actually means. There is a complexity here that needs to be understood,” she added.
Miss Goldie said the Conservatives were “in good heart” and felt they had got a positive message over to voters.
She added: “We have enjoyed the campaign enormously and certainly the Conservatives have seen evidence that their support is holding firm.”
Scotland’s political map in 2007 [left] and how it has changed in 2011
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It is hoped a similar scheme will operate for athletes taking part in Glasgow 2014
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Scottish Commonwealth Games medal winners are to be given money to help them when they retire from sport.
A total of 28 medallists will receive a share of a fund worth nearly £200,000 to recognise their efforts and help prepare for life after sport.
Gold, silver and bronze medallists at the 2010 Delhi Games will get £10,000, £5,000 and £2,500 respectively.
The money will be invested on their behalf. The athlete will be given the capital and interest when they retire.
It is hoped a similar scheme will operate for those taking part in Glasgow 2014.
Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman, Michael Cavanagh, said: “It is recognised that while many athletes receive some contributions towards their sporting costs whilst competing, through the Lottery and other support mechanisms, most put their non-sporting lives on hold and can struggle to re-establish their career after they retire.
“These funds are targeted to invest in pensions or to assist in establishing their post-sporting life following retirement from top-flight competition.
“We believe this is a real step forward and something we are keen to continue for the foreseeable future.
“We also see this as a tangible benefit for athletes, resulting at least in part from Scotland being the next Games hosts and CGS receiving monies from the required buy-out of our marketing rights by the organising committee.”
Former swimmer and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Andy Hunter said: “Whilst Lottery and other athlete funding has been a great support during my swimming career, this is a great way of helping athletes prepare for the future.
“As someone who has just retired from their sport and is starting out on a new career path, this funding will be invaluable in helping me bridge the gap between my old life and my future direction.”
Boxing bronze medallist Stephen Simmons, who has recently joined the professional ranks, will also qualify.
He said: “It is great to see the athletes being recognised in this way and I would like to thank Commonwealth Games Scotland for introducing this new scheme.
“Turning pro is a great opportunity for me, but is still no guarantee of financial security, and this award will help me through this important transition period.”
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President Sarkozy and Prime Minister David Cameron have repeated their call for Gaddafi to go
UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have restated their determination to enforce the UN resolution on Libya.
Downing Street said the leaders of the UK and France had agreed to intensify the pressure on the regime “militarily, politically and economically”.
The call comes after Mr Cameron and Mr Sarkozy spoke on the phone on Friday.
It also comes as the allied military operation to protect civilians in Libya reaches the end of its seventh week.
The UK and France have both provided jets to mount air-strikes on Gaddafi’s ground forces and patrol the no-fly zone in Libyan skies.
Downing Street said: “The prime minister spoke to President Sarkozy [on Friday] evening to take stock of the international community’s efforts to protect civilians in Libya.
“The prime minister and the president welcomed the outcomes of [Thursday’s] Contact Group meeting in Rome.
“They agreed on the priority of continuing to increase the pressure militarily, politically and economically, to isolate the discredited Gaddafi regime and ensure full implementation of UNSCR [Un Security Council Resolution] 1973.
“The leaders also reiterated that Gaddafi’s departure is essential to ensure a stable and peaceful Libya, and to allow the Libyan people to determine their future.
“The International Criminal Court report on the regime’s crimes has reinforced this.”
Meanwhile, Britons in Tunisia have been advised to stay away from the country’s border with Libya, where Col Gaddafi’s forces have been continuing to attack rebels opposed to his regime.
Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt condemned the attacks as showing “wanton disregard” for international law.
The Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel within 40km (25 miles) of the frontier, but popular Tunisian tourist destinations are unaffected.
On Thursday, The Libya Contact group, which includes Nato members, Arab states and international groups, agreed to provide more money for rebel groups.
Earlier that day two more Libyan diplomats were expelled from the UK because of “unacceptable” behaviour.
The Libyan ambassador to the UK was expelled on 1 May after the British embassy in Tripoli was set on fire.
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Molly Wei, pictured, and Dharun Ravi allegedly spied on Tyler Clementi using a computer in her room
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A former Rutgers University student charged after allegedly spying on a classmate who then committed suicide has reached a deal with prosecutors.
Two counts of invasion of privacy against Molly Wei will be dropped if she co-operates with the prosecution of another student, Dharun Ravi.
Ms Wei and Mr Ravi are accused of using a webcam to spy on Tyler Clementi, 18, during a homosexual encounter. He then jumped to his death from a bridge.
Mr Ravi denies the charges against him.
Under the deal agreed with prosecutors in New Jersey, Ms Wei was accepted into a pre-trial intervention programme and must comply with a series of conditions.
The 19-year-old could avoid serving time in prison and have her criminal record erased in three years if she co-operates with prosecutors, completes 300 hours of community service and holds a job, the Associated Press reports.
Tyler Clementi, a musician, jumped off the George Washington Bridge on 22 September last year
Mr Clementi’s parents said they accepted Ms Wei’s agreement with the court.
She and Mr Ravi both withdrew from Rutgers University in New Jersey following the incident last autumn.
Mr Ravi was charged last month with bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, witness- and evidence-tampering and other offences.
He was already facing invasion of privacy charges, alongside Ms Wei.
The charges came after Mr Clementi’s family called for a criminal investigation into the case.
Gay rights organisations have said Mr Clementi’s suicide is an example of a nationwide problem – young people killing themselves after being bullied over their sexuality.
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The first results are expected to be announced from midnight
Counting has begun after polls closed in elections for 279 English councils and elections to the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly.
The English polls are the biggest test yet for the coalition, with results due in from midnight. Labour hope to make gains from the Tories and Lib Dems.
Counting in the Northern Irish Assembly election begins on Friday morning.
The outcome of the UK-wide referendum on the Westminster voting system is due on Friday evening.
In the most significant test of public opinion since last year’s general election, parties face the voters’ verdict across the UK.
In Scotland, the SNP is hoping to keep power at Holyrood, where it runs a minority administration.Labour is looking to win overall control of the Welsh Assembly, where it currently rules in coalition with Plaid Cymru, but party sources say it may fall short of a majorityThe DUP and Sinn Fein are expected to remain the biggest parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
In what has been dubbed “super Thursday”, a parliamentary by-election also took place in Leicester South, following the decision by Labour MP Sir Peter Soulsby to stand down to run for mayor of the city.
More mayoral contests are being held in Mansfield, Middlesbrough, Torbay and Bedford while local authority elections also took place in Northern Ireland.
Almost a year since the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition was formed, the contests taking place in England are the first chance for most voters to deliver a verdict on its performance.
Sunderland is expected to be the first council to declare at about midnight, with significant results expected from Birmingham at 0130 and Lib Dem held Bristol at 0200.
WHEN RESULTS ARE DUE
2200: Polls close
2330: Early results expected from some English councils
0130-0230: Key council results expected in Birmingham, Bristol, Hull and Sheffield
0230: First Scottish and Welsh constituency results expected
0300: Results due from Liverpool, Manchester and Stockport councils
0600: First results from Scottish and Welsh regional list elections
0730: Counting begins in Leicester South parliamentary by-election
0800: Counting begins in Northern Ireland Assembly elections
1600: Counting begins in AV referendum
LIVE: Election 2011 Vote 2011: How events will unfold
Labour, which ran an anti-spending cuts campaign, will be hoping to make gains on many English councils at the expense of the other two main parties.
It is looking to take control of several large authorities, including Leeds, Bolton, Ipswich and Sheffield.
The council seats up for grabs were last contested in 2007, when Labour lost 642 councillors in one of the party’s worst ever performances.
Support for the Lib Dems is expected to fall, although the party also had a bad time in 2007, with a net loss of 257 councillors, meaning it too is starting from a low base.
The Conservatives, the big winners four years ago, are predicted to lose some of their 9,432 councillors.
Smaller parties are looking to make headway. The Greens are hoping to take control, either on their own or in alliance with other parties, in Brighton and Hove and Norwich while the UK Independence Party is looking to increase its representation.
The result of a UK-wide referendum on whether to end the first-past-the-post system for Westminster elections and replace it with the alternative vote (AV) system will not be known until Friday evening – with counting set to begin at 1600 BST.
Polls suggested AV – under which voters rank candidates in order of preference – will be rejected by a sizeable margin, but turnout levels at polling stations are predicted to have been fairly low, making the result more unpredictable.
The Conservatives oppose changing the electoral system, while the Lib Dems are in favour of AV. This has led to some bitter rows between senior coalition colleagues over the past few weeks.
Former Lib Dem leader Lord Ashdown has accused Prime Minister David Cameron of a “breach of trust” for not disassociating himself from what he said were “vicious” attacks by the No to AV campaign on Deputy PM Nick Clegg.
He told the Guardian that Mr Cameron had “panicked” in the face of pressure from the right of his party and “backtracked” on promises about how the campaign would be conducted.
The BBC’s political editor Nick Robinson said anger over the issue was rife among the Lib Dems. Although the party was committed to the coalition, he added that if the polls went badly, they would face demands to assert themselves more on key policies.
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