Downtown

The AFP news agency reports on life returning to normal in downtown Beirut. The 550-day protest camps have gone, as have the rolls of razor wire.

Here's a taste:

A festive mood took hold in Beirut as a sit-in that choked the capital was lifted and signs of life began to return to the heart of the city.

Some cafes reopened their doors although they were unprepared.

Many Lebanese made their way to downtown Beirut to share the excitment and take part in the reopening of the city centre as the tent camp was being dismantled.

Cleaning crews from the government-contracted private firm Sukleen in their distinctive green trucks descended on downtown Beirut to help the protesters ged rid of mattresses, panes of wood and other belongings.

Motorists along the "Ring" bridge overlooking the area honked their horns as they drove by. Passersby, and Lebanese army soldiers alike, looked down in relief and disbelief.