SYRIA
Syrian President Bashar Assad replaces his defense minister in the midst of a brutal military crackdown on a 5-month-old uprising. The army is playing a leading role in the bloody assault, attacking cities with heavy weapons and tanks. The bloodshed draws sharp condemnation from abroad. Arab nations join the growing international chorus against Assad's regime, with Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia recalling their ambassadors.
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LIBYA
Libya's rebels dissolve their executive committee in a move aimed at easing tensions over the recent killing of the opposition's military chief.
The rebels' National Transitional Council sacks the committee, which serves as a sort of government cabinet, after determining that "administrative mistakes" were made surrounding last month's slaying of Abdel-Fattah Younis, says national council member Fathi Turbel.
Mahmoud Jibril, who was the head of the outgoing committee, has been asked to form a new board of ministers.
Younis' killing has shaken both the rebels' leadership, and its Western allies, who have heavily backed the rebels controlling most of eastern Libya.