Libya: Libyan revolutionaries have launched an assault on a key gateway to the capital Tripoli as fighting intensifies between the opposition and forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. In their slow approach toward the capital, the revolutionaries attacked the regime’s positions in the Gualish area, 50 kilometers from Tripoli. Last week the opposition also took over a large ammunition depot belonging Gaddafi’s forces in western Libya.

Syria: Amnesty International has accused Syrian government forces of committing crimes against humanity during a crackdown on a pro-democracy protest in the town of Talkalakh near the Lebanese border. Amnesty International’s report makes allegations of murder, torture, and arbitrary detention.  The organization says that it gathered the testimonies of thousands of Syrians who fled the town to Lebanon. The government denies the allegations.

Bahrain: Human Rights Watch has accused the Bahraini government of carrying out a punitive and vindictive campaign of violent repression against its own citizens since March. The organization says that the campaign targets Shiites who account for 80% of the population, and that dozens of protestors have been killed and tortured. The organization demanded that the Bahraini government end the abuses.

(Al Jazeera English: 0742 PST, March 3, 2011) The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court has said that Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, and his key aides, will be investigated for possible crimes against humanity.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo said on Thursday he would be holding Gaddafi's government to account over reports of atrocities committed against peaceful protesters. Hundreds have been killed in the uprising against Gaddafi's 40-year rule and thousands injured. Alan Fisher reports from The Hague in the Netherlands.