1. Struggle between Gaddafi’s forces and allies. Troops from the United States and Europe continue to battle with Moammar Gaddafi’s forces in Libya. The forces fighting against Gaddafi are working with the United Nations Security Council. Explosions landed near Tripoli, Libya’s capital, and in Gaddafi’s compound there.  However, the United States military says it does not plan on killing Libya’s leader, but will only weaken his power. The number of Libyans dead from allied air attacks remains unclear.

2. Crisis continues in Japan. On Tuesday, March 14, there was an explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan, causing the plant’s radiation levels to increase beyond the legal limit. Most workers were evacuated from the plant, leaving those who stayed to cool down the plant’s reactor. Later that day, the U.S. Geological Survey amended the magnitude of the earthquake on March 11 to a 9.0 instead of an 8.9.

3. Haitians vote for new president. Despite confusion at the polls, Haitians voted in a runoff election on Sunday, March 20. The country will decide between two candidates: Michel Martelly, an entertainer, and Mirlande Manigat, a former first lady of Haiti. The actual results of the election will be unknown for some time.

4. Protests begin in Syria. This past week, protests broke out in Syria, which was previously unaffected by the large number of uprisings in the surrounding Arab nations. Right now, they are centered primarily in Dara’a, where many children were arrested and protesters killed. The protesters who gathered in Dara’a this Sunday burned down the headquarters of the Baath Party, the courthouse and a telephone company, demanding democracy and an end to corruption. Police fired at the protestors, many of whom were afraid to go to the hospital.

5. Obama goes to Brazil. On Saturday, March 19, President Barack Obama arrived in South America to meet with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. It marked the start of a trip on which he will also travel to Chile and El Salvador. The two countries plan on strengthening their relationship. They did not make any major decisions, but discussed economic issues and occurrences relating to both nations.

Information gathered from The New York Times, The Washington Post and Time Magazine