Libya live blog March 7

Reporting by Karl Stagno-Navarra, Matthew Vella, Miriam Dalli and Nestor Laiviera.

15:20 In an address to the media, Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi reiterated Malta's position as a non-military base and denied reports that Malta and NATO are in contact, slamming reports implying otherwise as misleading.

14:45 SAS personnel and MI6 officers who were released by anti-Gaddafi rebels in Benghazi last night are kept hidden inside the HMS Cumberland that has docked in Valletta. Only evacuated British, Irish and German passengers.

13:59 HMS Cumberland has docked at the Valletta Grand Harbour bringing with it six SAS personnel and one MI6 officer who were released last night by rebel forces in Benghazi after a botched diplomatic mission in Libya.

12:00 A second air strike has targeted Libyan rebels east of the oil town Ras Lanuf, with rebels returning a barrage of anti-aircraft machine gun fire.

11:40 Protests continue elsewhere in the region today... in Algeria thousands of community police officers are rallying to demand higher wages.

11:38 An AFP journalist says some of the estimated 10,000 protesters have broken through heavy security cordons to reach parliament. Those protesting are officers who provide police services in Algerian villages, while regular police have been despatched to the scene of the protest and are surrounding them.

11:30 World oil prices have shot higher, striking 2.5 year highs as a result of the turmoil in Libya and the Middle East. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, hit US$106.45 a barrel - the highest level since September 2008. It later stood at US$106.10, up US$1.68 compared with Friday's close. In London, Brent North Sea crude for April climbed US$1.02 to US$116.99.

"Oil prices continue to be on the uptrend primarily due to the deepening conflict in Libya and concerns about the protests spreading to other parts of the Middle East's oil-producing region," Victor Shum at international energy consultants Purvin and Gertz tells AFP.

11:27 The United Nations is calling for US$160 million (€114 million) to cover the needs of those who have fled Libya as well as others who remain trapped in the strife-torn north African country. The appeal is expected to cover relief support including shelter, food, transportation, water and sanitation for up to one million people for the next three months.

"This appeal is based on planning scenario projecting up to 400,000 people leaving Libya -- including the 200,000 who have left to date -- and another 600,000 people inside Libya expected to need humanitarian aid to varying degrees," said UN aid chief Valerie Amos.

11:20 The Guardian's Martin Chulov writes on Twitter: "Reflections on libya 18 days in. Regime toppled but dictator remains. Opposite in egypt where regime remains but dictator gone."

11:16 The death toll from the Sunday's violence in Bin Jawad continues to rise, according to the latest hospital figures. At least 12 people were killed and more than 50 wounded in clashes between Libyan rebels and Gaddafii supporters in the coastal hamlet, AFP reports from Ajdabiya, where many of the injured were taken for hospital treatment. A hospital in Ras Lanuf, which was closest to the fighting, is now "utterly deserted", our correspondent says.

11:13 An air strike has targeted Libyan rebels east of the oil town Ras Lanuf, where fighters opened fire with anti-aircraft guns following an explosion. Libyan warplanes have carried out numerous air strikes targeting rebel positions, but have almost entirely missed their targets.

11:11 The UN is sending a "humanitarian assessment" team to Libya along with a special envoy to undertake "urgent consultations" with the Tripoli government, Ban Ki-moon said.

11:09 The US is coming under mounting pressure to arm the rebels amid charges that Washington missed chances to oust Gaddafi in the early days of the popular uprising.

11:07 British Black Watch troops were on standby to fly to Libya on a humanitarian mission last night as eight special forces soldiers left the war-torn country on a warship after being released by rebel fighters. Members of the SAS team were seized when a mission to contact opponents of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi went wrong.

UK’s Foreign Secretary William Hague pledged the UK Government would send more diplomats soon to try to “strengthen dialogue” with factions fighting to oust the dictator.

As the battle for control of Libya raged yesterday, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, was ready to be deployed to North Africa at 24 hours’ notice.

About 200 troops from the battalion – which is barracked at Fort George, near Inverness – have already been moved to an airbase at South Cerney in Wiltshire. The MoD has stressed that the soldiers are being prepared to assist with humanitarian operations – not combat.

10:28 Opponents of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi are braced for more fierce fighting after forces loyal to the Libyan leader launched counter-offensives against rebel-held areas.  In Bin Jawad, 100 miles from the northern Gaddafi power base of Sirte, there are reports that seven people were killed and 50 wounded when rebel forces were ambushed. 

A number of towns have reportedly been pounded with artillery, rockets and gunfire in a dramatic escalation of violence over the weekend, as the country appears to edge towards civil war. Col Gaddafi's military commanders unleashed air power to halt the opposition's march towards the capital Tripoli, with reports of helicopters and warplanes being used against anti-government militia.