Greater Middle East

Turkish, Syrian nuclear plans draw controversy

Greece protested Turkish plans for a nuclear plant in an earthquake zone on the Mediterranean at the EU summit in Brussels. while IAEA inspectors visited a Syrian site where it is suspected nuclear fuel is being produced.

North Africa

Libya: Qaddafi rejects ceasefire, NATO bombs rebels

Moammar Qaddafi’s regime rejected a rebel ceasefire offer, as reports emerged that NATO mistakenly bombed a rebel convoy near Brega, killing 13 including four civilian medical personnel.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan: clash of fundamentalisms in round two of Koran wars

Wacky extremoid Christian fundi Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida, apparently followed through on his threat to burn a Koran on March 20. This prompted wacky extremoid Muslim fundis in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, to storm a UN compound, killing as many as 20 employees and setting fire to several buildings.

North Africa

Libyan rebels appeal for ceasefire, sign oil deal

Libya’s rebels, in retreat for a third consecutive day, appealed to Qaddafi for a ceasefire—as they announced the signing of a deal with Qatar to market oil from fields under their control in exchange for weapons.

Greater Middle East

Continued protests rock Syria, Yemen, Egypt

Security forces again fired on protesters in Syria, as rival pro- and anti-government demonstrators filled the streets of Yemen, and Egyptians again filled Cairo’s Tahrir Square in a rally to “save the revolution.”