CNN news 2011-03-11
AZUZ: After three weeks of fighting between people who support and oppose Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, other world leaders are calling the situation in Libya a civil war. Rebels have taken control of several cities. The Libyan army has fought to regain some of those cities. Officials estimate more than a thousand people have died in the violence.
There were reports yesterday that Colonel Gadhafi was negotiating with rebel leaders, saying he would step down if they could promise that he'd be able to leave the country safely and that he and his family would not be put on trial. But later on both sides denied these reports. Some rebel leaders said the negotiations never happened, and a government spokesman called the reports lies.
The international community is trying to find ways to end the violence in Libya. And one suggestion is a no-fly zone over the country. What that would mean is that no military planes could fly over Libya without permission. The United Nations Security Council is talking about it, and the idea has a lot of support from countries in the Middle East. NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is already running 'round-the-clock surveillance flights over Libya.
Egypt Women's March
AZUZ: In neighboring Egypt, about a thousand people showed up for a pro-women demonstration yesterday. Women were a major part of the protests that forced former President Hosni Mubarak out of power from Egypt last month. But this protest turned into a shouting match when groups of men started yelling anti-feminist chants, like "go home, that's where you belong." There were men on both sides of these protests. The people who organized the women's march said they're demanding "fair and equal opportunity for all Egyptian citizens -- beyond gender, religion or class."
Women of Courage
AZUZ: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a similar point at an event that commemorated the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. When referring to the political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa we've seen lately, Secretary Clinton said women "have just as much right as the men to remake their governments." She and first lady Michelle Obama honored 10 women with the International Women of Courage Award. Secretary Clinton said the women's courage comes from putting others' well-being before their own. And Mrs. Obama said the awards send a message to women that "you are never alone in your struggle."