MANAMA, BAHRAIN/WASHINGTON, USA/BERLIN, GERMANY - Berlin is watching the continuing protests in the Kingdom of Bahrain with great apprehension. The ruling al-Khalifah clan is among the West's closest partners on the Arabian Peninsula for insuring western hegemony over the area's resources.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev is emphasizing the need to ally with Catholics and Protestants to support common Christian values.
TUNISIA - A moderate Islamist group banned by Tunisia's ousted former government has been granted legitimacy by the country's interim administration, reports said on Tuesday. Following political recognition, Ennahda, will be able to contest polls scheduled to take place later this year.
SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia has sent dozens of tanks to Bahrain, where anti-government protests continue for about two weeks, Egypt's Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper said on Tuesday. Eyewitnesses reported seeing "15 tank carriers carrying two tanks each heading towards Bahrain" along the 25-km King Fahd causeway, which links the small island nation of Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.
LIBYA - The astonishing wealth of Libyan tyrant Muammar Gaddafi and his family has been laid bare as countries around the world begin freezing billions of dollars worth of their assets. The US alone has seized $30 billion (18.5 billion pounds) of their investments, while Canada has frozen $2.4 billion (1.5 billion pounds), Austria, $1.7 billion (1 billion pounds) and the UK, 1 billion pounds ($600 million).
UK - Evidence suggests that the present highly intensive counter-insurgency campaign in Afghanistan is not succeeding, MPs say. A Commons foreign affairs committee report said it could derail efforts to secure a solution to what is essentially a political problem. It says the US must step up efforts to hold talks with the Taliban if a political resolution is to be reached.
UK - EU fisheries commission to prevent fleets discarding their catch - but fishermen fear move will leave them out of pocket. The European commission called for an end to the practice of throwing away unwanted fish at sea, in a victory for British campaigners that will lead to the biggest shakeup in EU fisheries policy for more than 40 years.
LIBYA - Muammar Gaddafi was labelled "delusional" by the US ambassador to the UN, after he laughed off suggestions that he should go into exile and insisted that he had the support of the Libyan people. The dictator's defiance came as the prospects of western military power being used against him moved closer.
UK - There is no place in British law for Christian beliefs, despite this country's long history of religious observance and the traditions of the established Church, two High Court judges said on Monday. Lord Justice Munby and Mr Justice Beatson made the remarks when ruling on the case of a Christian couple who were told that they could not be foster carers because of their view that homosexuality is wrong.
SAUDI ARABIA - The slightest uncertainty about the stability of Saudi Arabia, one of the world's biggest oil producers, is enough to make the markets nervous. Now analysts and politicians around the world are waiting anxiously to see if the wave of unrest in the Arab world will spread to the kingdom.
WASHINGTON, USA - China's holdings of US bonds reached $1.16 trillion at the end of December, almost $270 billion more than previously estimated, new data showed Monday. Beijing, which has converted much of a huge trade surplus with the United States over the past two decades into buying up US treasuries and other securities, held 26.1 percent of the total of $4.44 trillion held by foreigners, the Treasury said.
SAN DIEGO, USA - You'll never look at hummingbirds the same again. The Pentagon has poured millions of dollars into the development of tiny drones inspired by biology, each equipped with video and audio equipment that can record sights and sounds. They could be used to spy, but also to locate people inside earthquake-crumpled buildings and detect hazardous chemical leaks. The smaller, the better.
USA/LIBYA - The Pentagon is deploying naval and air forces around Libya as the US and UK governments consider tougher measures to force Muammer Gaddafi from power, including the possible establishment of a no-fly zone. UN approval of a no-fly zone would be difficult to secure, given China's and Russia's extensive doubts about military intervention.
USA - The US government has 15 different agencies overseeing food-safety laws, more than 20 separate programs to help the homeless and 80 programs for economic development. These are a few of the findings in a massive study of overlapping and duplicative programs that cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
GREENBRIER, ARKANSAS, USA - The largest earthquake to hit Arkansas in 35 years also shook parts of Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Mississippi on Sunday night. This comes in a swarm of about 800 earthquakes to strike north central Arkansas since September.