US refuses to rule out any options, Britain says military intervention not an option

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s stranglehold on power appeared to be loosening even as he told television audiences that his people love him, in interviews he granted 28 February to international media. The number of refugees fleeing the country now includes thousands from some of the world’s poorest nations, who have had trouble getting out of Libya.

Qaddafi’s Ukrainian nurse, who has worked for him for several years, reportedly says she is leaving the country, according to the Wall St Journal: “Galyna Kolotnytska, described in a diplomatic cable published by Wikileaks as a “voluptuous blond” who “travel[s] everywhere” with Col. Gadhafi, called her family in Kiev on Friday to say she intends to return to Ukraine, her daughter told daily Segodnya.”

US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice called Qaddafi’s remarks that his government has not used force against his people “delusional”.

Rebels holding the eastern oil city of Zawiya reportedly repelled government troops in overnight fighting, with many of the government forces joining the rebellion.

The US Treasury froze assets held by Qaddafi and his family Friday 25 February, which the Wall Street Journal estimates to be $30 billion, the largest single seizure in US history.

The Pentagon has ordered warships and planes to re-position to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya and the delivery of humanitarian aid, should it be necessary. European leaders are reviewing all options, but Britain’s David Cameron says military force is not an option.

Links to other sites: Financial Times (registration required), Guardian, US Treasury asset freeze announcement, Wall Street Journal

Warships from South and North Korea have reportedly fired at each other, media from both countries are reporting. The cause of the incident, which the BBC says is the third exchange of fire in a decade, differs according to the two sides. South Korea claims the North’s ship crossed a disputed water boundary, while the North reports that one of its patrol boats that was checking on an unidentified object in its own waters was chased by a warship from the South. Tensions between the two have increased in recent months, largely over North Korea’s nuclear programme and missile tests.

Links to other sites: BBC, Bloomberg, Sindh Today