CNN news 2011-02-27
You've been talking on our blog about one student athlete's decision not to compete. Today, we're sharing some of your opinions on it. I'm Carl Azuz. This is CNN Student News!
Evacuation attempts, the international response, and the impact on oil. Those are the latest headlines related to what's going on in Libya. First today, we're tackling the evacuations. Governments around the world are trying to get their citizens who are in Libya out. They're setting up flights and ferries to try and make that happen. The U.S. chartered a boat to take Americans from the Libyan capital of Tripoli to the nearby island nation of Malta. That ship wasn't able to leave on Wednesday because of bad weather. It was expected to head out from Tripoli today.
Then, the international response. Protests like this one are still raging in Libya. Reports are that the Libyan government has responded with force, and some officials estimate that up to 1,000 people might have been killed in the violence. The United Nations says "those responsible for brutally shedding the blood of innocents must be punished." The U.S., promising that Libya's government will be held responsible for acts of violence against protesters. And the Arab League suspended Libya on Tuesday.
Finally, oil. Production plants in Libya are shutting down because of the violence. Yesterday, that caused oil prices in the U.S. to jump higher than $100 per barrel at one point. It's the first time in more than two years that oil prices have been that high.
In New Zealand, people are holding on to hope as rescuers search for survivors of Tuesday's devastating earthquake. The powerful tremor hit Christchurch, one of New Zealand's biggest cities. At least 75 people were killed. Hundreds of others are missing. And rescuers are digging desperately through the ruins of toppled buildings in parts of Christchurch. Scenes like this one from Tuesday are providing small glimmers of hope. Here, you can see one of the victims of the quake, someone who'd been trapped in a building, being carried out by relief workers. Around 30 people were rescued yesterday.