Downing Street, London :: Guto Harri :: 1805GMT

The jubilation did bubble to the surface this morning when Tony Blair could hardly contain himself, confirming the news himself before practically anybody else. He was keen to get President Bush on the telephone pretty pronto this morning.

Of course, they had discussed in the past what they would do if, in their wildest dreams, Saddam Hussein was captured. The message agreed between both of them was that anybody talking about this around the world, whether in Baghdad, Washington or London had to echo the same sentiment. No truimphalism, but rather talk about an opportunity for the Iraqi people, and a trial that will be recognisable by international norms.

Paris :: Hugh Schofield :: 1745GMT

Whether Saddam's capture will be the dramatic sea change in the situation that some hope for remains to be seen, and the French Government have a more cautious approach to this. But they also take the view that if this can be built on, and if the cause of reconciliation can be encouraged amongst those in Iraq who had a lingering sense of loyalty, then the cause of stability will be furthered.

London :: John Simpson :: 1735GMT

Saddam's capture is an extraordinary melodrama. Ad Dawr, where he was caught, was where he was born, where his appalling stepfather used to humiliate him and beat him. It was a place that he hated. One of his confidantes told me that when he drove past it he would turn his face away, he wouldn't look at it.

To be caught there, with a pistol in his possession, yet not kill himself or defend himself, is a remarkable end to an extraordinary life.

Jerusalem :: Barbara Plett :: 1730GMT

I would say there are mixed views here on the street to Saddam's capture. There isn't widespread rejoicing here. There's a sombre mood amongst Palestinians who believed that he supported their cause, unlike other Arab leaders who they think have sold out on them.

In the wider Arab world many people saw him as an Arab nationalist, who would stand up to the Americans. They were disappointed that he didn't put up more a fight.

And even those who were happy to see the back of him would have preferred not to see him captured by the Americans. Seeing him dishevelled and unkempt is in some ways a humiliating experience for Arabs.

Baghdad :: Caroline Hawley :: 1720GMT

Many people here in Iraq have been shocked by the indignity of Saddam's arrest.

Across the country we've seen scenes of celebration. I'm wearing body armour now as there has been celebratory gunfire for much of the day. This is really a hugely powerful symbolic day that people have been looking forward to.

Washington D.C. :: Justin Webb :: 1705GMT

There is no doubt this is a major political boost for President Bush. The man who is likeliest to become the Democrats' nominee for next November's presidential election, Howard Dean, is an anti war person. Not all the Democrats are, but Howard Dean is very anti war and has been extremely critical of the White House and suggested that they have got bogged down in Iraq since the war.

Now, it is very difficult for him. He is actually meant to be meant to be making a major foreign policy speech tomorrow and he will find the wind taken out of his sails. Possibly not for long, but certainly in the next few weeks.

Baghdad :: James Rogers :: 1700GMT

When that videotape (of Saddam's capture) was first shown, some people quite honestly could not believe their eyes. Some, particularly the Iraqi journalists, were completely overcome with emotion. One gentleman leapt to his feet and began shouting, and then fell to his chair again apparently bursting into tears.

People in the coalition and in the streets of Iraq did not expect Saddam Hussein to be captured alive. Now that he has been captured in an apparently humiliating way, we see this rather tired old man with a long beard from his many days on the run. People are really surprised to see this man who set himself up for so many years as the strong man of this country, who ruled it with an iron fist - the supreme dictator - now reduced to hiding in a hole in the ground.

Major General Ray Ordierno, referring to that, in a twist of irony said that he was hiding in a hole in the ground just across the river from where he lorded over his people in luxurious palaces.

Downing Street, London :: James Landale :: 1655GMT

Tony Blair said Saddam's capture was good news for the Iraqi people, but its also good news for him. For months the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, the worsening security situation and the lingering questions of the Hutton Inquiry have combined to put the prime minister on the back foot over Iraq. Now he's hoping that today's events will turn the debate back in his favour and heal a few wounds in the Labour party.

Baghdad :: James Rogers :: 1635MT

Saddam Hussein was an inspiration to some extent for the continuing attacks on the coalition. He has a lot of tribal and family ties north of Baghdad, and a lot of Ba'ath party supporters. And that area, the so called 'Sunni Triangle' is where coalition troops have suffered the fiercest attacks on them. But they've also laid some of the blame on foreign fighters who've come into the country. Because if you're in the Middle East and you want to attack US forces, Iraq is now the place to do it.

Jerusalem :: Magdi Abdelhadi :: 1605MT

Here in Israel, Saddam Hussein was seen as a sinister threat. The primary aim of the former Iraqi leader's pursuit of long range missiles was to target Israel. During the 1991 Gulf War he ordered Scud missile attacks on Israeli cities causing several casualties. For people on the streets here, the name Saddam Hussein is synonymous with terrorism. But for some Palestinians at least, he is still an Arab hero.

But Israel's worries about its eastern front are not over. The current instability in Iraq and fears that Iran might one day develop a nuclear weapon will continue to cause concern.

Damascus :: Kim Ghattas :: 1550GMT

It's been very difficult for the Syrians to come to terms with the fact that the region is changing. They've seen what's happened next door, but it's taken them quite a few months to realise that the Americans are very serious. We've just had the Syria Accountability Act signed into law by President Bush, which will possibly see sanctions imposed on Syria.

So there is definitely a sense that the pressure is mounting and that they have to do something to make sure they don't end up on the wrong side of history, which is something that the Americans have said again and again.

London :: Guto Harri :: 1535GMT

There are some people in the Labour party who will never be won over by Tony Blair. Then there are others who were just about with him when the shooting started. They thought that if the war helped to rid the world of Saddam Hussein, then they could support that. Today helps bring them on board.

The trouble is there are still others who are preoccupied with the reasons we went to war. They say that we didn't go to war to get rid of Saddam Hussein and capture him this morning, we went to war to find the weapons of mass destruction. And they believe we went to war on a false premise.

Basra :: Dumeetha Luthra :: 1520GMT

At the moment I'm seeing cars with Iraqi flags waving, and lots of crowds in the streets.

I think the Shia community in Iraq will want to see redress by Iraqis, and for Saddam to stand trial. They don't want to see Saddam in American hands for too long because while they're glad that he's gone, they also feel that they are in an occupied country.

Tehran :: Jim Muir :: 1515GMT

In Iran memories of the eight devastating years of war with Iraq in the 1980's are still fresh. It's referred to here as the "imposed war" and it was Saddam who imposed it, by invading Iranian territory in 1980 in the hope of puncturing the Islamic revolution. So despite official hostility to the United States, neither in official circles or among ordinary people, is there any sympathy at all for the ousted Iraqi ruler.

Downing Street, London :: Laura Trevelyan :: 1455GMT

Tony Blair's tone was very sober, very reflective. There was none of the triumphalism of Paul Bremer. The key word in what he was saying was "reconciliation". What Downing Street is hoping now is that the capture of Saddam will unlock all that resistance on the ground.

Iraq is still a hugely tricky subject for the prime minister. No weapons of mass destruction have been found and the Hutton Inquiry into the death of the scientist Dr David Kelly is due in January.

Kuwait City :: Chris Hogg :: 1435GMT

No surprise that Saddam's capture has been welcomed by many ordinary Kuwaitis. As the news began to spread there was little evidence of public celebration, no horns blaring or flags waving. Simply quiet satisfaction that the dictator was a threat to them no more.

The reality though is that for many here the celebrations have been tempered by the losses they suffered at the hands of the Iraqi army. Hundreds of Kuwaitis went missing after the first Gulf war, most are feared dead. What they will want to know from Saddam Hussein is what happened to their fathers, their brothers and their sons.

Baghdad. :: Caroline Hawley :: 1415GMT

Just this week there was a special tribunal set up to try members of Saddam Hussein's regime, and there was talk of trying Saddam 'in absentia', because nobody believed he would be caught.

There's a very controversial question now, which isn't yet resolved, which is will this tribunal order the death penalty? There are many people who've suffered under him who've told me over the last week that they want "merciless justice" to be applied, an eye for an eye.

Washington D.C. :: Nick Childs :: 1410GMT

We haven't yet heard in public from President Bush, in part because it's still fairly early on a Sunday morning here. What we have been told is that he views this as a great day. But the White House is still calculating how it's going to respond. It wants to get the message out that while this could be a critical turning point in the Iraqi resistance, they don't believe it will mean an immediate end to Iraqi attacks.

Baghdad :: Caroline Hawley :: 1350GMT

We've seen Saddam Hussein not fighting to the end as he always vowed he would in the many months leading up to the war, but go into hiding. And then turn himself over without a single shot being fired, as we've been told.

London :: Guto Harri :: 1340GMT

The prime minister has just delivered a speech which he's wanted to give for a long time. Tony Blair is pleased not just with what's happened-Saddam's capture-but also how. We all imagined that if the Americans got a tip off they would just bomb somewhere off the face of the earth.

But he was captured without a shot being fired. He's looking healthy, he's not been tortured, he's being handed over to Iraqi justice. All of this is very important to Tony Blair, this is now, as he sees it, a chance to bring everybody together.

Berlin :: Ray Furlong :: 1330GMT

In a message to President Bush the German chancellor said the former dictator had caused unspeakable suffering to his own people and the whole region.

Opposition leaders also welcomed Saddam's capture; one described it as one of the best pieces of news all year. Germany strongly opposed the war in Iraq, but it did welcome Saddam Hussein's overthrow, and it said rebuilding the country is the common interest of the whole world community.

Baghdad :: Jo Floto :: 1300GMT

Iraqi journalists and American soldiers at the press conference given by the coalition broke out into spontaneous applause and cheering as pictures were shown of a dishevelled, tired old man wearing a long greying beard: Saddam Hussein.

Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez explained how soldiers from the Fourth Infantry division based in Tikrit had received intelligence on Saturday morning that Saddam Hussein was possibly hiding nearby. 600 soldiers were sent to investigate a farmhouse in the village of Adwar, 15 kilometres from Tikrit.

Then at around 8pm in the evening they uncovered a small hole, 6-8 feet deep. At the bottom was Saddam Hussein, who offered no resistance, despite his famous declaration that he would rather shoot himself than be captured by the Americans.

Basra :: Dumeetha Luthra :: 1255GMT

In Basra the reaction was first one of disbelief and then of utter joy. As the news broke, celebratory fire was reverberating around the area. I was at a petrol station with a British patrol. The British soldiers were grinning widely and raced back to their camp to watch TV.

At the petrol station, soon there was a logjam of cars. Everyone was standing outside listening to their radios and talking amongst themselves. Driving through town crowds have been dancing outside the police station, waving pictures of Shia clerics.

London :: Rageh Omar :: 1250GMT

As Tony Blair accurately put it in his statement barely about an hour ago, the shadow hanging over ordinary Iraqis that he may one day be returned to power, has been removed.

When the video showing Saddam Hussein looking bedraggled was shown at the press conference, three or four Iraqi journalists jumped up and started shouting expletives and "death to Saddam Hussein" in Arabic.