US President Barack Obama said on March 17 that he was "heartbroken" over events in Japan but was offering resources to help the Japanese recover as well as to keep US citizens out of harm's way.  

The UN Security Council on March 17 backed a no-fly zone over Libya and "all necessary measures" short of an invasion "to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas".

China has suspended approval for new nuclear power stations following the accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant.

Suspected US unmanned aircraft fired two pairs of missiles in quick succession on March 17 at a compound in northwestern Pakistan where a group of some three dozen alleged militants were meeting, killing at least 25 people, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

Operators of a quake-crippled nuclear plant in Japan said they would try again on March 17 to use military helicopters to douse overheating reactors, as US officials warned of a rising risk of a catastrophic radiation leak from spent fuel rods.

An Iranian cargo plane flying to Syria was ordered to land in south-eastern Turkey amid reports it may have been carrying military material.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has promised to support Central America in its fight against insecurity and violence.

Tickets for the London 2012 Olympics have gone on sale, 500 days ahead of the event.

Japanese Emperor Akihito has said he is "deeply worried" about the crisis his country is facing following last Friday's earthquake and tsunami.

G8 foreign ministers meeting in Paris have warned Libyan leader Col Gaddafi he could face "dire consequences" but have failed to agree to a no-fly zone.