CNN news 2011-10-20
GROUP: Ms. Hamilton`s (ph) sixth grade current events: This is CNN Student News. See ya.
CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: You`ll see me right now. Thanks to the students at Covington Douglas in Oklahoma for kicking off today`s show by sending us an iReport. You can do that, too, at cnnstudentnews.com. I`m Carl Azuz, bringing you the headlines on this Wednesday, October 19th.
First up, an exchange of prisoners in the Middle East. You`ve heard us discuss the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. This latest news has both sides celebrating. It was a trade of one Israeli soldier, who was released yesterday, for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners who will be released in two stages.
Why one person in exchange for more than 1,000?
AZUZ (voice-over): Well, the Israeli soldier named Gilad Shalit was captured by Palestinian fighters five years ago. So his release means a great deal to a great number of Israelis. The Palestinian prisoners have been held in Israel for a wide variety of offenses, so their release means a great deal to a great number of Palestinians.
Outside countries are hoping that this exchange of prisoners will help ease tensions between the two sides.
Next story today takes us to North Africa. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stopped by Libya yesterday, and met with the nation`s temporary leader. There was a lot of security at Secretary Clinton`s visit. She`s the first U.S. Cabinet-level official to visit the new Libya, and the country`s still fighting a civil war with people who support the new government, battling fighters who want Moammar Gadhafi back in power.
Gadhafi is Libya`s former dictator. The U.S. was among several countries that helped kick him out over the summer. Libya`s new leaders thanked Secretary Clinton and America for their support. The U.S. hopes Libya will become a democracy in the near future.
They`re still dangerous. They`re still radioactive. Japan`s damaged nuclear reactors could be shut down a month ahead of schedule. This is at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, a place badly damaged by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11th.
The Tokyo electric power company was hoping to have the reactor shut down and sealed off by January. Now they`re saying it could be done by December. Eighty thousand people had to be evacuated because of this, and experts say it could take decades to clean up all of the dangerous nuclear material that seeped into the soil and the environment.