Top story: Following Saudi Arabia's intervention in Bahrain last month, Bahrain's ruling family has cracked down on the nascent protest movement. Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has instituted emergency laws that give the government's security forces the right to search houses without a warrant, dissolve political parties, and arrest those who participated in the protest movement.
After the government crushed the large-scale demonstrations and the protesters' encampment in Manama's Pearl Square, the opposition has had to adjust its strategy. The protest movement now relies on smaller demonstrations in Bahrain's outlying villages. Nevertheless, human rights activists have reported that 26 people have been killed, 300 have been imprisoned, and at least 35 people are missing in the three weeks since the crackdown began in earnest.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Saudi King Abdullah on Wednesday, in an attempt to repair relations between the two countries that had frayed badly in recent days. Gates told reporters that he declined to raise the issue of Saudi Arabia's intervention in Bahrain with the king.
NATO airstrike hits rebels: A NATO airstrike in eastern Libya mistakenly targeted a group of Libyan rebels, killing 13.
Asia
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Chinese officials confirmed that artist Ai Weiwei was being held for "economic crimes."
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Taliban fighters launched an attack on a police base in Kandahar, killing six people.
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Workers have begun pumping nitrogen into Japan's stricken nuclear plant.
Middle East
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Sudan accused Israel of launching an air strike that killed two people near the city of Port Sudan.
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A group of prominent Israelis presented a plan to restart the stalled negotiations with the Palestinians.
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Renewed fighting in Yemen claimed the lives of three people.
Europe
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The European Union will meet to discuss offering a bail-out package to Portugal.
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The European Central Bank raised interest rates to 1.25 percent from 1 percent.
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Google invested millions of euros in a solar power plant in Germany.
Africa
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The French defense minister estimated that Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo has fewer than 1,000 men left under his control.
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South African youth leader Julius Malema urged voters to cast their ballots for the ruling African National Congress in order to keep former President Nelson Mandela healthy.
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Three Kenyans accused of fomenting violence following the country's 2007 election appeared before the International Criminal Court.
Americas
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The United States rejected a personal appeal from Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi to President Obama to stop the bombing campaign in Libya.
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Haiti's president-elect appeared to tone down his public persona in the wake of his election victory.
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Former Congressman Curt Wheldon arrived in Libya to meet with Qaddafi.
JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images
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