Col. Tarek Saad Hussein, said to be leading the rebel forces in a march to liberate Tripoli.
A Day in the Life of the Revolution -
Daily Telegraph Blog - UK
Libya protests: as it happened Monday Feb 21
01:01 That's it for tonight. We'll follow what tomorrow brings with a new blog in the morning. Another day of tension appears to be in the offing.
00:30 Bizarre 22-second appearance by Gaddafi on state television. Seated in the passenger seat of a van, holding an umbrella, he denied he had gone to Venezuela and said he was still in Tripoli. He urged Libyans not to believe "stray dogs" and their reports to the contrary. It's just to prove that I am in Tripoli and not in Venezuela. Do not believe the channels belonging to stray dogs." Col Gaddafi
Colonel Gaddafi makes a 22 second speech
23:15 Twitter activity claiming that posters in Nigeria and Guinea have been advertising for mercenaries to go to Libya. "Breaking on Al Jazeera says there are ads in Nigeria and Guinea requesting mercenaries for #Libya for $2000 a day," tweets Mohamed A. Hamama
23:08 BBC report that state television is now showing light entertainment. One wonders whether it's a Chevy Chase film or a bit of slapstick.
23:02 Providing the protesters win and force Gaddafi and his sons from power, what next for Libya? It is perhaps the most centralised power structure in the Middle East - even Saudi Arabia has a larger network in its royal family - so the question of who will fill the vaccuum is a tough one to answer. Libya's tribal heads will be key.
22:43 Western tourists returning to the UK tell Sky News that when they woke up this morning there were no staff in the hotel so they served themselves breakfast before travelling to the airport, seeing, en route, officials clearing up the signs of "whatever happened" overnight. One man said he had heard claims of "policemen strung up in Benghazi".
22:38 State television reports that the air raids of the Libyan air force targeted ammunition depots not populated areas, quoting the Colonel's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.
22.14 More of Mrs Clinton's statement: The government of Libya has a responsibility to respect the universal rights of the people, including the right to free expression and assembly. Now is the time to stop this unacceptable bloodshed. We are working urgently with friends and partners around the world to convey this message to the Libyan government
22.12 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demanded that the Libyan government immediately end "unacceptable bloodshed" as she strongly condemned violence against peaceful protesters.
21:49 Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, says he understands that Gaddafi is still in Tripoli and attacks Hague for "irresponsible" comments.
21.43 The Al Arabiya news channel is reporting that Gaddafi will give a speech imminently.
21:08 The airspace over Tripoli has been closed, according to a spokesman for the Austrian Army, which was trying to evacuate Europeans from the capital. It is not clear what this means for the expatriates still in the country.
21:06 Reports coming in that Libyan guards have abandoned the border crossing with Egypt, which had previously been closed. It will be interesting to see if there is an attempted exodus, and how the Egyptians deal with it.
21.01 The Austrian army is reporting that airspace over Tripoli is closed, according to AFP.
20.58 Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called on Libyan authorities to stop a deadly crackdown on unarmed protesters. I am shocked by the indiscriminate use of violence against peaceful protesters in Libya," he said in a statement. "I call on the Libyan authorities to stop the repression on unarmed civilians
20:43 Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, describes the crackdown as "outrageous and unacceptable" as his foreign ministry advised against travel to Libya
19:09 Omar Amer, of the Libyan Youth Movement, tells Channel 4 News that the democracy movements across North Africa would not have been possible without Twitter and other social media.
19:05 Interesting fact: Libya's flag is the only one in the world that is entirely one colour with no insignia. It's green. However, protesters are tearing this one down to replace it with an older one associated with a pre-Gaddafi regime.
19:01 Channel 4 News does the same, a hat-trick of leads.
18:46 Apparently, the son of David Baddiel, the comedian, mistook a picture of Gaddafi in the newspaper for his dad.
18:45 "Gadafi" now trending on Twitter.
18:30 ITV does the same - leading with Libyan unrest and Hague's quotes about the whereabouts of the Colonel.
18:03 BBC leads flagship 6pm news with turmoil in Libya
17:57 Channel 4 News claims there are "strong signs tonight the Gaddafi regime in Libya may be over".
17:53 David Cameron calls for an end to the repression in Libya.
17:35 Some analysts are contradicting the claims that Gaddafi has left Libya for Venezuela and making worrying pronouncements because they believe he is likely to prefer to fight. Julien Barnes-Dacey, of the group Control Risks, said: "In Libya, more than any other country in the region, there is the prospect of serious violence." While Geoff Porter, a North Africa analyst for Wikistrat, a political risk consultancy, said: "Gaddafi and his sons don't have anywhere else to go. They are going to fight."
17.16 The violence in Libya "absolutely must stop," French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told AFP during a visit to Brazil.
A Libyan fighter jet after landing in Malta
17.08 Venezuela denies reports that Gaddafi is on his way there, AFP reports.
17.05 Visit our latest picture gallery for images of celebrations in Benghazi after security forces pulled out.
16.43 The British Council is closing its office in Tripoli and withdrawing non-essential staff. Here's a statement: Following the anti-government protests and escalating violence in Tripoli, Benghazi and other cities across Libya, the British Council has taken the decision to suspend its work and close its office and English language teaching centre for the safety of both staff and customers. We are in close constant contact with our all our UK-appointed and local staff all of whom are accounted for
16.40 A senior source in Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government denies Libya's Col Gaddafi is coming to Venezuela, Reuters reports.
16.34 Libyan security forces are targeting "dens of terrorists" and urged Libyan citizens to cooperate with the operation to restore security in the country, state television reported.
16.30 Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced that he has "some information" that Col Gaddafi is on his way to Venezuela.
16.21 David Cameron tells Sky News that Egypt must show its people it can move towards a fully democratic system: I think they have to do more to show people that those people can have confidence that Egypt is going to have an open and democratic future. That will be good for people in Egypt but good for everyone in this region as well.
15.57 Reuters reports that two Libyan fighter jets landed unexpectedly in Malta, witnesses said. Local newspaper reporters saw the single seater Mirage jets land at Malta's international airport on Monday afternoon. The Maltese Foreign Ministry said it was trying to establish why the planes had landed.
15.56 Bahrain Grand Prix is cancelled, organisers announce.
15.55 Latest picture of David Cameron on his surprise trip to Cairo.
15.43 Jon Snow of Channel 4 News tweets: "Foreign Office (UK) says planes currently grounded in Tripoli, expats pouring into airport: EU discussing charter airlift to try get them out." He also tweets: "Reports from Malta that helicopter and jets ferrying Libyan elite in..we are checking.. al jazeera also reporting same."
15.32 Libya's army chief, Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabir, is reported to have been put under house arrest after siding with the protesters, according to a former Libyan official, reports the Libya al-Yawm website.
15.28 US Undersecretary of State William Burns urges Egypt to lift the country's emergency law and release more detainees. He says: "It's a moment when Egypt has just begun its story of transition to democracy. Along the way, we will continue to encourage concrete steps to build confidence to sustain the momentum of the transition ... through careful preparations of the elections to the further release of detainees to the lifting of emergency law"
15.23 Mike Bailey, a British construction worker who has just flown to London from Tripoli, told the BBC: "We heard very heavy gunfire, small arms and heavy calibre stuff about 0330 this morning. It lasted for round about an hour. We then left the apartment about 0530 local time, to go to the airport. Everywhere was dead quiet. The roads were quiet. We saw evidence of barricades and fires and pictures of the boss being ripped down, but no actual people on the street after that time in the morning."
15.14 Italy's stock exchange plunges three per cent due to the unrest in Libya. There are growing concerns about illegal immigration to Europe from North Africa.
15.04 A coalition of Libyan Islamic leaders issues a fatwa telling all Muslims it is their duty to rebel against the Libyan leadership and demanding the release of all jailed protesters. Calling itself the Network of Free Ulema of Libya, the group of over 50 Muslim scholars said the government and its supporters "have demonstrated total arrogant impunity and continued, and even intensified, their bloody crimes against humanity.
14.50 The family of 32-year-old Abdul Redha Mohammed Hassan, who was shot by Bahrain security forces while trying to march to Manama's Pearl Square on Friday, confirm that he has died. At least eight people have now died in clashes in the Gulf state.
14.48 President Barack Obama is "considering all appropriate actions" on Libya. An administration official said: "We are analysing the speech of Saif al-Islam Kadhafi to see what possibilities it contains for meaningful reform. "We will seek clarification from senior Libyan officials, as we continue to raise with them the need to avoid violence against peaceful protesters and respect universal rights."
14.46 Egypt - Prosecutor general orders a freeze on assets belonging to former President Hosni Mubarak, his wife and his son, Al Arabiya TV station reports.
14.28 Bruno Waterfield, The Telegraph's man in Brussels, tells me: "Diplomats here at an EU meeting of foreign ministers are saying that Muammar Gaddafi's regime is close to collapse. "Officials and diplomats dismissed Gaddafi's threat to break off cooperation with the EU over illegal immigration unless European governments stopped making staments in support of democratic rights for protesters. "A diplomat said: 'Gaddafi is not in a position to threaten Europe with anything. The regime is fighting for its survival'."
14.25 David Cameron's visit to to Egypt will reassure the victors of Tahrir Square, blogs Con Coughlin.
14.19 Libya's justice minister, Mustafa Mohamed Abud Al Jeleil, quits in protest at the "excessive use of violence against demonstrators", according to Quryna newspaper. Gaddafi's grip on power could be fading fast.
13.54 Police flee the the Libyan city of al-Zawiya, witnesses report.
13.50 The London School of Economics has issued a statement on Libya in which it says it is reconsidering its links with the country.
13.24 Salem Gnan, a London-based spokesman for the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, tells The Guardian, that he has spoken to protesters today. He says:
"They are being bombed by helicopter gunships and jet aeroplanes because Gaddafi wants to punish the place where this started ... They were screaming, saying 'please help us, help us' because a lot of people are being killed in the bombings. It is a very terrible situation."
13.22 Anti-government protests break out in the Libyan town of Ras Lanuf, the site of an oil refinery and petrochemical complex, Libya's Quryna newspaper reports.
13.21 Al Arabiya reports that the death toll in Libya has reached 400
13.18 Tribal leaders appear to be joining the opposition in droves. Is Gaddafi's time as leader of Libya about to be over? Prof Aref Ali Nayed, one of Libya's most senior religious leaders and a member of one of the major tribes in Libya, the Warfla tribe, tells the BBC World Service he expects that the tribes will stand united against the government of Col Gaddafi in this crisis: "All the great tribes of Libya are united. The only thing that divided them was Gaddafi and his regime. A united Libya is a reality that is alive in our blood. That is why you see people in Tripoli taking to the streets without anything in their hands to be shot dead for the sake of their brothers and sisters in the east."
13.12 David Sim, The Telegraph's Online Picture Editor, has put together a picture gallery of the latest photos from Libya. Here's a taster,
13.09 A Libyan tribal leader threatens to block oil exports if "bloodshed" does not end, Al-Jazeera reports
13.07 The International Federation for Human Rights reports that several Libyan cities, including Benghazi and Sirte, have fallen to demonstrators following the defection of some army units.
13.05 Yemen - AFP reports that tens of thousands of Shia Huthi rebels have staged a protest in the northern city of Saada, demanding that President Ali Abdullah Saleh's government step down.
13.04 An opposition activist tells the BBC that the headquarters of the ruling party in Tripoli are under opposition control.
12.56 BBCWorld tweets: "Police station in a suburb of Libyan capital Tripoli, reportedly on fire along with several cars parked in front of it, from Reuters."
12.50 David Cameron, the Prime Minister has described the "vicious forms of repression" in Libya as "appalling". The Telegraph's Political Correspondent, James Kirkup, reports from Cairo.
12.49 This picture just in from Tripoli shows how Libyan women are as much part of the protests as men are.
12.36 @ShababLibya (Libyan Youth Movement) tweets: "BREAKING: Death toll in Abu Slim Prison believed to be more than other hospitals in Tripoli combined."
12.35 The Yonhap South Korean news agency reports that about 200 people in Darnah, on Libya's eastern coast, set fire to a dormitory for Korean workers on Friday. In other attacks, a South Korean-run construction site in Benghazi, was raided by 10 Libyans on Sunday, while another site in Tripoli was attacked by hundreds of Libyans.
12.31 iyad-elbaghdadi tweets: "This is it folks: Calls all across Libya for a march on Gaddafi's residence in Tripoli after 'Asr prayers (around 4:30PM local time)"
12.27 The Telegraph TV team has published footage of William Hague's statement in Brussels where he demands that Libya put an end to the violent crackdown of protests.
12.23 Jon Snow of Channel 4 News tweets: "Looks like Gaddafi's fled Tripoli - talk of Venezuelan destination: still no independent reporters in Libya: v dependent upon mobiles etc"
12.17 BBC reports sources saying that Col Gaddafi has left Tripoli.
12.15 Yemen - President Ali Abdullah Saleh says protesters demanding an end to his 32-year rule could not achieve their goal through "anarchy and killing". He told a news conference in Sana'a: "Yes to reforms. No to coups and seizing power through anarchy and killing. "If they want power they must reach it through the ballot boxes .... You are calling for the regime to go - then come and get rid of it through the ballot boxes."
12.10 More than 2,300 Tunisians living in Libya leave the country since Sunday because of the unrest there, according to AFP.
12.08 Nile Gardiner, blogging for the Telegraph, writes:
"David Cameron must call for an end to British investment in Libya and isolate Gaddafi, the Butcher of Benghazi.
12.05 The Foreign Office has clarified that the withdrawal of dependents of embassy staff in Tripoli is not an evacuation of all staff, and it is also not an evacuation of dependents because they will be withdrawing by commercial means. It says it understands that the airport in Tripoli is still open to commercial flights leaving the country.
11.59James Kirkup, The Telegraph's Political Correspondent, has sent the latest quotes from David Cameron, in Cairo. The Prime Minister said: "Our message, as it has been throughout this - I think we have been extremely consistent in saying that the response to the aspirations people are showing on the streets of these countries must be one of reform not repression. "We can see what is happening in Libya which completely appalling and unacceptable as the regime is using the most vicious forms of repression against people who want to see that country - which is one of the most closed and one of the most autocratic - make progress. "The response they have shown has been quite appalling.
11.55 A Facebook page to report and keep track of protests across the Middle East has been set up.
11.52 Dependents of Britain's embassy staff in Libya are to fly home after violence in the country, the Foreign Office said on Monday. The dependents are to take commercial flights, in line with the Foreign Office's general travel advice. The embassy will remain open and continue to be staffed by British staff.
11.50 David Cameron is due to speak to anti-Mubarak opposition figures, but not the Muslim Brotherhood. He will meet Mohamad Hussain Tantawi, the leader of the ruling army council, and PM Ahmed Shafiq.
11.43 Mr Cameron in Cairo says: "This is a great opportunity for us to go and talk to those currently running Egypt to make sure this really is a genuine transition from military rule to civilian rule and see what friendly countries like Britain and others in Europe can do to help. "I am particularly keen about being able to get to Egypt and to be one of the first people there."
11.38 William Hague spoke to Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif last night, "warning him of global disapproval of the regime's actions". A Foreign Office spokesman said: "The foreign secretary made clear the UK's grave concern at the escalation in violence. He expressed alarm at reports of large numbers of people being killed or attacked by Libyan security forces. "The foreign secretary told Mr Gaddafi that the Libyan government's actions were unacceptable and would result in worldwide condemnation. The foreign secretary strongly encouraged the Libyan government to embark on dialogue and implement reforms."
11.32 The head of the Arab League calls for an end to violence in Libya, saying the demands of Arab people for change are legitimate. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa says: "The demands of the Arab peoples for reform, development and change are legitimate and ... the feelings of all the (Arab) nations are joined in this decisive moment in history."
11.26 Locals in Libya report that pro-Gaddafi agencies are handing out free meat, fish and nuts to all of those who join the pro-Gaddafi protest.
11.24 David Cameron, the Prime Minister, flies into Cairo on first visit to Egypt by a world leader since the uprising which forced President Mubarak from power 10 days ago. Read the full story by James Kirkup who is with Mr Cameron in Cairo.
11.17 Morocco - five people die as a result of Sunday's unrest in the northern town of al-Houceima, AFP reports.
11.15 Egypt - the April 6 Youth Movement is calling for a day of protests in Tahrir Square, Cairo, tomorrow, which it is referring to as "the day of challenge".
11.11 Al-Jazeera reports medical sources saying that 61 people have died so far on Monday in Tripoli alone.
11.09 A protester in Bahrain has died as a result of his injuries, AFP quotes an opposition protester as saying.
11.06 William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, says Britain is assessing whether to evacuate its citizens in Libya. He says: "The credibility of the Libyan government in these matters has been undermined so far by the failure to protect their own people and to respond to the legitimate grievances of the people in Libya," Hague told reporters as he arrived for a meeting of European Union foreign ministers to discuss the situation. "We want to see proper protection for foreign nationals in Libya and in particular assistance for them as they are trying to leave the country... Those who are able to leave safely should leave by commercial means. That situation is constantly under review. We will assess the needs for evacuations as things progress."
11.04 A correspondent for the BBC reports that the Libyan authorities appear to have regained control of Tripoli's streets for now.
11.03 Al-Jazeera accuses Libya's intelligence services of jamming its broadcasts in the country. The Qatar-based network said it was "able to determine the source of the jamming of its broadcasts which began on February 2 and continued intermittently, but coincided with the channel's broadcasts on Libya". In a statement, Al-Jazeera said the jamming "originated south of the capital of Tripoli from a Libyan intelligence technical administration building" headed by a general.
The building was "located in front of Salah al-Din hospital in an area of the same name, in Al-Khadra al-Hadhba district" it said, adding it made this conclusion from "accurate studies carried out by specialised companies."
11.02 Oil giant BP says that it is suspending operations in Libya and evacuating expatriate staff and their families amid the escalating violence. The British company said 40 expat staff and their families, mostly based in the capital, Tripoli, are being evacuated as it temporarily shuts down work on preparations to drill in the Libyan desert. The move halts operations in the North African county just four years after it returned from a 30-year hiatus. BP signed a deal worth at least 900 million US dollars (£550 million) in 2007 to explore in Libya.
It said it would monitor the situation on a daily basis and could not confirm when work would start again, but stressed that offshore operations in the region were still open and the closure would not impact oil production.
11.01 Britain summons the Libyan ambassador to London to protest over the violent crackdown and deaths, William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, says.
11.00 Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has phoned Col Gaddafi to over concerns for Turks' safety in Libya.
10.58 In Tunisia, Mouldi Kefi has been named as the country's new foreign minister, AFP quotes an official as saying.
10.53 A group calling themselves Feb 17 voices is tweetingfrom Libya in real time.
10.48 Foreign owned companies are pulling staff out of Libya on mass. BP and Finmeccanica have joined the Norwegian energy giant Statoil in beginning to bring staff home.
10.45 Italian industrial giant Finmeccanica is pulling its few expatriate employees out of Libya because of the unrest in the country, a source close to the company told AFP.
10.43 Franco Frattini, the Italian foreign minister, said: "Libya now is a matter of serious concern because I think Libya urgently needs to start a process of national reconciliation, peaceful reconciliation, stopping violence, while defending the territorial integrity of Libya. I am extremely concerned about the self-proclamation of the so-called Islamic Emirate of Benghazi. Would you imagine to have an Islamic emirate on the borders of Europe? This would be a really serious threat. "I am very concerned about the idea of dividing Libya in two ... that would be very dangerous. We Europeans are very concerned about the migratory flow impact that would be one of the consequences of turbulence in North Africa. "The process of national reconciliation should begin peacefully and lead to the point of a Libyan constitution, that should be a fundamental objective."
10.30 Malta's Foreign Minister, Tonio Borg, fears his country will not be able to cope with an influx of immigrants if people start to flee Libya. He told the BBC:
"We saw what happened in Tunisia where, because of the instability, you had 5,000 immigrants arriving in five days on Lampedusa, and just to give you an impression, one migrant who arrives in Malta is like 150 who arrive in Sicily or, proportionately, 200 who arrive in Germany."
10.20 Mohamed Bayou - who until a month ago was the Libyan government's chief spokesman - says that Saif al-Islam is wrong to threaten violence against opponents. He said: "I hope that he will ... change his speech to acknowledge the existence of an internal popular opposition, to enter into dialogue with them regarding thorough changes in the Libyan system."
10.05 A former Libyan government spokesman says the country's leadership is taking the wrong approach by threatening violence, Reuters reports. He says that Saif Al-Islam must start dialogue with the opposition and hold talks on the constitution.
10.03 Exiled Bahraini opposition figure Hassan Mashaima says he will return to Manama on Tuesday, as protesters gear up for a rally they hope will bring tens of thousands to the central Pearl Square.
10.02 Prof Aref Ali Nayed, who has recently left Libya, urges the international community to intervene. He told the BBC: "It is very hard for civilians to approach barracks when they're being shot at by live ammunition. We need international help and this blood will be on everyone's hands. Everybody was upset at Yvonne Fletcher, as I am saddened and upset at what happened to her and her family. But you've got hundreds of Yvonne Fletchers now in Benghazi."
10.00 France is closing French-run schools in Libya and urging its citizens there to return home. About 750 French people live in Libya. European Affairs Minister Laurent Wauquiez said: "We are trying to organise things so that French schools close now and are encouraging French citizens and families in Tripoli and Libya in general to come back to France."
09.58 A protester tells the BBC that people are fearful about coming out on the streets after the overnight violence. He says: "We tried to shout for people to come out.. and people are scared... I don't blame them... People are scared to come out at the moment because they not (sic) sure. ...Last night, we tried to... tried to grab the tv station and grab the radio station."
09.50 In developments elsewhere in the Middle East, Al-Jazeera reports that a teenager has been killed and four people wounded in clashes in Yemen as protests against President Al Abdullah Saleh enter their 11th day.
09.40 Here are the latest pictures from Libya. Demonstrators climb flag poles in front of a building purported to be the internal security headquarters in Benghazi and further protests.
09.35 More on that central government building on fire. It's called the People's Hall and is where the General People's Congress, or parliament, meets when it is in session in Tripoli.
09.33 Ian Birrell, writing in today's Daily Telegraph, argues that Gaddafi's strength in the Arab world was shamefully bolstered by his oil pact with Tony Blair.
09.26 Let's recap quickly. After a quiet start to the day heavy clashes are beginning to occur in Tripoli. Witnesses have reported seeing a central government building on fire while demonstrators have raided the headquarters of state TV.
09.10 BP is making preparations to evacuate some of its staff from Libya, the oil giant says. The company has about 140 staff in the country, about 40 of whom are expatriates. A spokesman said: "We're just monitoring the situation and making preparations to evacuate some of the families, and some non-essential staff in the next day or two."
09.05 BBC Arabic reports that Libya's ambassador to India and a senior Libyan diplomat to China have resigned in protest at their government's violent crackdown on demonstrators. Could these resignations be signs of a crumbling regime?
09.01 Lord Malloch-Brown, the former Foreign Office minister, has said political reform in Libya is long overdue. He added that he wished protests had "happened years ago" but told Radio 4's Today Programme: "The resistance of Gaddafi - the terror state and security state he has established - explains why not. "To be an opponent of his has been an almost suicide sentence to put on oneself, so he has survived through terror and suppression of his citizens.
08.58 Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the second son of, and presumed heir to, Colonel Gaddafi, has said that "rivers of blood will run through Libya". Here's a profile of the 38-year-old who holds no political office but whose influence runs deep. Thanks to AFP for the content.
08.55 Al-Jazeera reports that mass protesters are being planned for later, following afternoon prayers.
08.47 The European Union says it envisages that a number of its citizens will need to be evacuated from Libya in the coming days. Spain's Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez said: "We are extremely concerned, we are coordinating the possible evacuation of EU citizens coming from Libya especially from Benghazi."
08.44 The United States strongly condemns the use of force in Libya and calls on Tripoli to allow peaceful protests. A written statement from the State Department read: "The United States is gravely concerned with disturbing reports and images coming out of Libya. We are working to ascertain the facts, but we have received multiple credible reports that hundreds of people have been killed and injured in several days of unrest - and the full extent of the death toll is unknown due to the lack of access of international media and human rights organizations. "We have raised to a number of Libyan officials, including Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa, our strong objections to the use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators."
"Libyan officials have stated their commitment to protecting and safeguarding the right of peaceful protest. We call upon the Libyan government to uphold that commitment, and hold accountable any security officer who does not act in accordance with that commitment."
08.42 Watch Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's address to the Libyan nation here.
08.36 Reports are coming in that strikes have spread to some of Libya's oil fields. A strike has stopped output at the Nafoora oilfield, Al Jazeera reports.
08.29 AFP reports that the headquarters of the state television in Tripoli has been raided. The agency also quotes witnesses as seeing public buildings on fire.
08.26 Lod Malloch-Brown, the former minister of state for Africa, Asia, and the United Nations, has told Radio 4 that the protests in Libya are "long overdue". "I wish this had happened years ago," he says.
08.24 Human Rights Watch reports that 233 people have been killed since the protests against Gaddafi started on 17 February.
08.22 The European Union is due to condemn the repression of anti-government protests later today. A statement will read: "The Council condemns the ongoing repression against peaceful demonstrators in Libya and deplores the violence and the death of civilians. "Freedom of expression and the right to assemble peacefully are fundamental rights of every human being which must be respected and protected."
08.17 Saif al-Islam Gaddafi tweets apparently. His feed can be found here, but be warned - fluency in Arabic is required.
08.09 With all these protests sweeping the Middle East it's probably wise if you brush up on your knowledge of world leaders, how long they've been in power, and their chances of being toppled. The Telegraph has provided a useful collection of profiles.
08.06 For further coverage on the Middle East see The Telegraph'sMiddle East News page.
08.05 In Monday's paper we report how Britain has given Libya £2 million in aid over the past five years. Martin Beckford and John Bingham's report in full is here.
08.04 The Telegraph reports how America has accused Britain of legitimising Gaddafi's regime. Read John Bingham's report here.
08.01 Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Col Gaddafi's second son, has said soldiers will fight "until the last man standing". Read the full story here. He said: "Our spirits are high and the leader Muammar Gaddafi is leading the battle in Tripoli, and we are behind him as is the Libyan army. We will keep fighting until the last man standing, even to the last woman standing...We will not leave Libya to the Italians or the Turks."
08.00 Welcome to The Telegraph's live blog on Libya. On this page we will keep you up-to-date with Tuesday's events in the country and across the Middle East, including Bahrain.
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