CNN news 2011-03-29 加文本

cnn news 2011-03-29

CARL AZUZ, cnn STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: I'm Carl Azuz and today, cnn Student News shows you what it looks like when the lights go down in the city. But our journey through today's headlines starts in Libya.

First Up: Libya Civil War

AZUZ: And our first subject: who is leading the coalition military operation in that north African country. The U.S. has been in charge. But a deal was worked out over the weekend for NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, to take responsibility for running the operation. The first part of that, NATO enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya, is scheduled to happen today.

On the ground, Libyan forces are fighting against rebels who want Libya's leader, Colonel Moammar Gadhafi, out of power. The rebels were pushing westward over the weekend and taking control of some key cities along the way. But in others, the fighting between rebels and military forces is fierce. President Obama is scheduled to give a speech tonight about the situation in Libya. That'll happen at 7:30 ET.

Crisis in Japan

AZUZ: Over in Japan, we're getting some conflicting reports about the radiation coming out of a damaged nuclear power plant. Early Sunday, tests showed that one building at the plant was giving off radiation levels 10 million times more than normal. Tokyo Electric, which owns the plant, later said the number was closer to 100,000 times normal level.

The problems at the plant started with the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan a little over two weeks ago. In this YouTube video, you can see the impact of that tsunami. The water is rushing over the barrier, flooding a road. Then, it starts sweeping across a parking lot filled with cars. At this point, the flood is pouring in so fast you can't even see the barrier. And those cars are tossed around like toys in a tub, smashed up against the side of a building. This is how an entire town can be washed away. Eventually, the force of the water, the force of the cars, one building is just ripped off its foundation and floats away.

It might seem strange to talk about a Cherry Blossom Festival in relation to the crisis in Japan. But the annual event in Washington, D.C. highlights the relationship between the U.S. and Japan. And this year, people used the festival to show their support for victims halfway around the world.