More signs of political in-fighting in Libya. Twenty journalists working for al-Ghad publishing company – run by Colonel Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam – have been arrested by the Internal Security Agency during the last few days, though according to AFP, the Libyan leader has now ordered their release.

Last week, publication of Saif al-Islam's Oea newspaper wassuppressed on the instructions of the prime minister after it called for a "final assault" on government corruption.

On Sunday, the state printing press issued its own lookalike version of Oea (though with a slightly different title) – a tactic sometimes used against opposition newspapers by the government of Yemen, where it is known as "cloning".

The Guardian adds that two websites run by Libyan exiles in London have also suffered extensive hacking in recent days.

The paper quotes a London-based Libyan journalist as saying: "This is a new level of conflict between Saif and his opponents and it looks as if the father is enjoying the match."

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 9 November 2010