Refugees and Recovery

The Mediterranean sea is the site of refugee flights and ships to Malta and Europe from Libya, as well as various naval assets steaming through the Suez Canal towards the country.

The standoff in Libya continues, with the world's media following both the genuine plight of refugees and the bluster of Western nations as they attempt to apply pressure on Kahdaffi's beleaguered elites with words and threats.

Egyptians watch a US military ship sail through the Suez Canal en route to Mediterranean waters off Libya.

The emerging refugee challenge at the border between Libya and Tunisia, along with stranded foreign workers around the country, primarily at oil facilities is real. The displacement of working families of modest means - those without the connections or money to flee in style or ahead of time - is nearly always the first humanitarian challenge, aside from fighting itself. On the Tunisia border, there is an estimated 40,000 individuals hoping to cross to relative safety, joining an estimated 75,000 already there. Tunisia, still attempting to stabilize its own situation, has called for help, and that too is probably real.

Tired refugees at a border crossing between Tunisia and Libya.

While the Libyan revolution has momentarily slowed into a tense stalemate, New Zealand begins the painful recovery from a serious earthquake. New Zealand is a prosperous nation of over 4 million, and set in relative isolation 1200 miles from Australia. Its mountainous and picturesque terrain - most notably filmed in "Lord of the Rings" - is a result of volcanic and tectonic plate movement along an active seismic line. That historical force roared to life last week, shaking the South Island, with over 160 deaths and widespread devastating property damage.

New Zealand lies southeast off the Australian continent

Moments after the quake, this dramatic photo of Christchurch, New Zealand's largest city on the South Island, gives a clue of the damage just occurred.

Rescue efforts were underway immediately

The famous Christchurch cathedral before and after

A moment of silence for prayer and reflection was part of the national response