economic sanctions

Today is International Women’s Day and it is being marked around the world with activists drawing attention to discriminatory laws, the high rate of pregnancy-related deaths in many parts of the world, the skewed sex ratio in China and India, the disproportionately high number of women who are killed and victimized by wars, the comparatively heavier burden of poverty on women, and the continuing disparity between men and women regarding quality of available employment and wages received. Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi presses Iran on human rights and warns the international community against imposing economic sanctions upon his country. Sunday was a historic day in Hollywood--Kathryn Bigelow become the first woman in history to win the best director award at the Oscars. Bigelow’s film "The Hurt Locker" won a total of six Oscars including best picture and best screenplay. Geoffrey Fletcher became the first African-American to win an Oscar for best writing and Mo’Nique won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role as Mary Jones in “Precious.” The anniversary of the Selma-Montgomery march in 1965, which turned into a massacre now called Bloody Sunday, was marked yesterday by thousands reenacting the march. "Democracy Now!" is a daily independent newshour.