SYRIA
Syrian soldiers roll into flash point cities in tanks and set up sand barriers topped with machine guns, as President Bashar Assad's deadly crackdown on dissent pulls the country deeper into international isolation. Syrian soldiers and tanks surround the city of Hama, which President Assad's father laid waste to in 1982 to stamp out an earlier uprising, killing between 10,000 and 25,000 people.
___
LIBYA
Pressure mounts on ruler Moammar Gadhafi, with increasing NATO airstrikes and worsening shortages of fuel and goods. Residents say there has also been a wave of anti-government protests in several Tripoli neighborhoods. Gadhafi's rebel opposition is receiving major political boosts from abroad. Britain promises to provide them with police gear, and the Obama administration invites a rebel delegation to the White House for talks on Friday. NATO airstrikes hit Gadhafi's fortified compound in Tripoli, hours after the Libyan leader appeared on state TV for the first time since his son was killed nearly two weeks ago. Before his appearance, rumors swirled that he had been killed or injured.
___
YEMEN
Yemeni police trying to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters in two cities kill two and wound at least 47. In one of the cities, protesters overrun a government building, posting a banner reading, "Closed until further notice by order of the youth revolution." Yemen's powerful neighbors in the Gulf Cooperation Council, backed by the U.S., try to resurrect a deal that nearly solved the crisis last month, allowing longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh to appoint a successor, avoid prosecution and step down in 30 days. Opponents grudgingly accepted the deal, but Saleh refused to sign at the last minute.
___
EGYPT
Deposed President Hosni Mubarak and his wife are questioned over suspicions they illegally amassed vast wealth. Mubarak has been questioned several times, but this would be the first time his wife, Suzanne, faces interrogation. A Justice Ministry statement says interrogators questioned the couple about corruption and misuse of power. Some estimate his fortune in the tens of billions of dollars. Mubarak denies the allegations.