Japan has raised the level of the disaster at its nuclear power plant to a 7. Although that's the same level as the Chernobyl disaster, according to The Associated Press Japanese officials say Fukushima has leaked a tenth of the radiation released at Chernobyl.

Laurent Gbagbo, the former president of Ivory Coast, has been arrested, after authorities forced their way into the bunker where he's secluded himself for the past several days and apprehended him on Monday.

Following the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, the country is now racing to prevent a nuclear disaster at a major nuclear power plant. Read WNYC's Full Coverage here.

Speaking from the White House on Friday, President Barack Obama said Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has "launched a military campaign against his own people."

President Barack Obama — who promised to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay — has now signed an executive order to allow military commissions to resume there.

Supporters and opponents of longtime Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi continue to fight for control over the country's major cities, as international pressure calling for Gadhafi's resignation mount.

President Barack Obama has signed a bill that continues funding for the federal government for the next two weeks, until March 18.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is condemning the actions of Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi and his security forces, as the international community ramps up pressure on his government.

Bahrain has taken its strongest action yet to clamp down on continuing protests in the country.

As protests continue to spread in the Middle East, new reports from Libya indicate the beginnings of an uprising in that country.

Demonstrations are sprouting up in the Middle East, on the heels of recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Protestors are taking their message to the streets in Iran and Bahrain, among others this week.

Jazz pianist George Shearing, whose hits included "Lullaby of Birdland" and "September in the Rain," has died of heart failure in Manhattan. He was 91, according to The Associated Press.

President Barack Obama has introduced his budget proposal, touting investments in ideas that will "out-build and out-innovate and out-educate, as well as out-hustle" the rest of the world. He delivered his budget plans at a middle school in Baltimore on Monday.

The resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is sparking celebration among Egyptians worldwide. Hundreds of thousands chanted and cheered in Cairo's main square following Friday's announcement.

Thousands of protestors continued to crowd Cairo during the third week of protests in Egypt, refusing to cease their demonstrations until President Hosni Mubarak resigns. Thousands are also striking, ramping up their demonstrations against the government.

A fire in Rio De Janiero Monday morning torched costumes and other materials set aside for Brazil's world-famous Carnival.

Several warehouses and a samba school were burned in the blaze, which has reportedly destroyed thousands of costumes being stored for next month's Carnival. No serious injuries were reported, according to the BBC.

The astronaut husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will head into space, a decision that came nearly one month after his wife survived a gunshot wound to the head.

More than 100,000 protesters have been pouring into Tahrir Square in Egypt's capital Cairo as pressure to remove President Hosni Mubarak mounts, according to the Associated Press.

The White House continues to call for "free and fair elections," amid continuing protests in Egypt this week. Meanwhile, uprisings throughout the region, especially in Yemen, are also gaining ground.