Libya live blog March 1

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

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February 28 live blog    February 27 live blog
February 26 live blog    February 25 live blog
February 24 live blog    February 23 live blog
February 22 live blog

10:00 Forces loyal to Gaddafi have started staging a counterattack staging a counterattack to the east of his stronghold of Sirte. They have since retaken Brega, 65km west of Ajdabiya. The eastern regions have been in anti-government hands since mid-February.

09:30 The Libyan Embassy in Malta has reportedly took down the old kingdom Libyan flag that was put up this morning by anti-Gaddafi protestors and replaced it with the regime's green socialist flag. 

08:30 347 migrants of different nationalities have landed on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa during the night. They claim to have fled Libya, entered Tunisia and departed from Zarzis.

08:11  Four large explosions are reported in the capital city Tripoli.  The city is controlled by Gaddafi loyalists. According to reports, the explosionswere caused by a large oil tanker that overturned. It is as yet unknown whether it was an act of sabotage. Traffic has been stopped around the area, and reports also suggest that journalists have been attacked by residents in the area.

08:00 The UN has called for a mass humanitarian evacuation of people fleeing Libya for Tunisia, saying the border situation is at "crisis point".Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said thousands of lives were at stake. Some 75,000 people have fled to Tunisia since unrest began and 40,000 more are waiting to cross, the UN says.