THE WORLD THIS WEEK
The toppling of Mr Mubarak inspired political upheavals in several other Middle Eastern countries. In YEMEN the government tried to stem unrest by deploying thousands of extra policemen; security forces in ALGERIA and LIBYA clashed with demonstrators; and police broke up a democracy camp in BAHRAIN'S capital, killing several people.
Almost two years after the IRANIAN government suppressed a popular rebellion, protesters returned to the streets of Tehran. Police stopped leading opposition figures, including Mir Hossein Mousavi, from joining them.
The forces of a rebel general in SOUTH SUDAN, who last month agreed to a peace deal with the regional government, massacred more than 200 people near the border between Sudan's north and south.
The White House set out its BUDGET plan for the next fiscal year, which proposes $1.1 trillion in spending cuts and tax increases over the next ten years. A deficit of $1.6 trillion, or 11% of GDP, was forecast for this year. The budget predicted big deficits every year for at least the next decade.
BRAZIL'S president, Dilma Rousseff, won a vote to limit an increase in the minimum wage to last year's inflation rate, the first battle in her government's effort to rein in the fiscal deficit and curb inflation.
MEXICO suffered more drug violence. The top intelligence official in the northern city of Monterrey was murdered. An American immigration agent based in the United States embassy in Mexico City was shot dead and another wounded, as they drove to Monterrey.
Officials in Buenos Aires seized equipment from a United States military cargo plane that the Americans said had been authorised for use in training local police. ARGENTINA'S government has been irritated by leaked cables in which American diplomats refer to widespread official corruption in the country.
PERU'S polling companies suspended opinion polls for April's presidential election in protest at a ruling by the electoral authority requiring them to obtain the personal details of those they interview. The latest polls give Alejandro Toledo, a former president, the lead on around 28%.
The World Bank said that surging FOOD PRICES have pushed an extra 44m people worldwide into extreme poverty, which can often be a precursor to malnutrition. The number of undernourished people could rise to more than 1 billion this year.
Visiting Tokyo, INDIA'S minister of commerce signed an economic pact with JAPAN that lifts tariffs on many goods and services. The countries aim to more than double bilateral trade by 2014. They also discussed India's rare-earths industry; Japan currently depends on Chinese imports of the minerals.
Japan suspended its annual WHALE HUNT in the Antarctic, after vessels from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society hounded one of its whalers.
Japanese officials, who call Sea Shepherd a "terrorist" outfit, say that the manoeuvres have made it impossible to catch whales safely.
Barack Obama waded into the row surrounding an employee at the American consulate in Lahore, who was detained for killing two men. Mr Obama insisted that Raymond Davis, a former member of the special forces, has diplomatic immunity and should be returned to American custody. Most PAKISTANIS want Mr Davis to stand trial. He says the men he shot were attempting to rob him.
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