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CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Broadcasting from the CNN Center, this is CNN Student News. Hello everyone, I'm Carl Azuz..
First Up: Basra Operation
AZUZ: First up today, fighting in Iraq, as the country's security forces battle with militia soldiers. They're part of the Mehdi, or Mahdi, army. We'll have more on the group in just a minute. Now, these clashes are happening in several cities in Iraq, and they could signal an end to the ceasefire that the militia agreed to last August. Kyra Phillips has more from Basra, where some of the most violent fighting has taken place.

KYRA PHILIPS, CNN REPORTER: A showdown in Iraq's second city, one that may threaten the success of the U.S. surge. Iraqi troops and police on the offensive against Shia militia groups in Basra. Their main target: the Mahdi militia led by cleric Muqtada al Sadr.
Mortar and machine gun fire echoed through the city; a thick pall of smoke rose above the skyline. Residents said intense fighting broke out soon after dawn on Tuesday. U.S. and British troops are not taking part in the crackdown, which was ordered by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki. On a visit to Basra Monday, he said its people were suffering a brutal campaign waged by illegal militia and accused them of smuggling oil, weapons and drugs.
Local resident Qassim supports the government's action. "God willing," he says, "we are fully confident the Iraqi police and army can spread security."
But Muqtada al Sadr reacted angrily. Through a spokesman, he ordered a campaign of civil disobedience and warned of a nationwide strike. Al Sadr supporters in Baghdad protested the army's action, and schools, shops and markets were closed in neighborhoods controlled by the Mahdi militia. The army offensive in Basra may also threaten the fragile ceasefire against U.S. forces being observed by most of al Sadr's fighters. That's led to a sharp decline in clashes between U.S. troops and the Mahdi militia and allowed U.S. commanders to focus the surge on battling al Qaeda. Now, with the American troop surge winding down and Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Cocker preparing to return to Washington to report on the progress in Iraq, the timing couldn't be worse for a possible end to a delicate ceasefire with the Mehdi militia. Kyra Philips, CNN, Baghdad.

Fast Facts
JOHN LORINC, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Time for some Fast Facts! The Mehdi militia was formed in 2003 after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's government. The group is opposed to the presence of U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, and its membership numbers in the tens of thousands. According to a 2007 U.S. Defense Department report, the Mehdi militia is the most dangerous perpetrator of sectarian violence in the Middle East nation.
Journey into Tibet
AZUZ: We've been talking this week about the relationship between China and Tibet. There have been violent clashes between activists and security forces and protests following the path of the Olympic torch. China is hosting this year's Games. But this tension isn't anything new. Conflicts between the two sides date back nearly a century. Hugh Riminton takes us on a journey into Tibet and gives us some of the history of the Chinese region.

HUGH RIMINTON, CNN REPORTER: For hundreds of years, Tibet has been a place of myth-making and mysticism, the ultimate inaccessible mystery land. During World War II, an Austrian fleeing a British camp in India stumbled into Tibet. Brad Pitt played that man, Heinrich Harrer, in the Hollywood version "Seven Years in Tibet." The Austrian became a tutor to Tibet's God-king, a boy called the Dalai Lama. In 1950, Chairman Mao's Red Army swept into Tibet, liberating it, as the Chinese see it, from feudal rule. When an uprising failed nine years later, the Dalai Lama fled into exile. Since then, he has won global fame, a Nobel Prize, but he has never been allowed home. And his homeland is changing.
In recent years, Tibet has seen a civilian influx of ethnic, or Han, Chinese, drawn by economic growth symbolized by a gleaming new high-altitude railway line. But analysts say ethnic Tibetans have been left simply feeling more swamped and, according to the U.S. State Department, suffering increasing religious repression. Hence the resentment, the sheer ferocity of the violence that broke out a week ago in the Tibetan capital. That violence spread to symbols of Chinese authority with the inevitable reaction. It might have focused attention on Tibetan grievances, but at what cost?
ROBBIE BARNETT, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: It's done untold damage in China for the Tibetan cause. This is really the major issue.
RIMINTON: Blamed by China for masterminding the protests, the Dalai Lama, who denies those allegations, has offered to resign as leader of Tibet's government-in-exile if supporters commit more violence. He wants to speak with the Chinese leadership. But talks, supported by the United States and others, appear unlikely for now. China claims to have evidence, as yet unrevealed, that the Dalai Lama did incite violence. The Chinese anger appears to be extreme. A senior official this week said that the Dalai Lama was "a wolf in monk's clothing. A devil," he said, "with a face of a human but the heart of a beast." More myth-making in a place where the problems are concrete, deep and real. Hugh Riminton, CNN, Beijing.

Women's History Month
AZUZ: You've seen her in specials and our show's soundbites. And though Dr. Julie Gerberding isn't exactly a household name, her work has helped households across the country. It might not sound like a good thing to have your name come up when people mention "infectious diseases," but that's Dr. Gerberding's specialty! She worked for the National Center for Infectious Diseases before making her way to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1998. Gerberding rose to head the CDC. Her job: to keep people safe from infection, while trying to stop the spread of infections themselves. She endured criticism over a re-organization unpopular with employees, and Congress got involved. But her name and expertise are cited in everything from medical journals to textbooks. She's on the board of the Annals of Internal Medicine, an editor of the American Journal of Medicine, number 32 on the 2007 Forbes list of the World's Most Powerful Women. Dr. Gerberding is a woman making medical history this Women's History Month.
Promo
AZUZ: That month is almost over! So, if you're planning to do some last-minute learning on Women's History Month, head to our Web site! Profiles of famous female trailblazers. Learning Activities on topics like women's voting rights and shifts in gender roles. Even a One-Sheet on the history of the month-long event. They're all waiting for you at CNNStudentNews.com!
America's Game Abroad
AZUZ: Play ball! The Major League Baseball season got off to an early start yesterday, when the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A's took the field at 6 a.m.! The start time made more sense in Japan; that's where they played the game. Kyung Lah talks to some members of Red Sox Nation who traveled halfway around the world for opening day.

KYUNG LAH, CNN REPORTER: A sixteen hour flight, two bus rides and several hundred steps to cheer on their home team in Japan.
GENE BARRETT, BOSTON RED SOX FAN: Miami, Boston, all over. So they came, and we want to see opening day!
LAH: This game is an exhibition face-off with Japanese teams. Japanese baseball fans are excited to play the U.S., really, really excited. But some are a little confused.
LAH: What's happening here?
LAH: Yasuyuki Takahashi, who loves both his home team and Red Sox pitcher and Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka, is cheering on both Japan and Boston. This is like nothing these Americans have ever seen before. Remember, we're talking about Boston fans.
CHRISTINE DAMICO, BOSTON RED SOX FAN: When you think of the Red Sox, you think of how long the organization went without a title. I think the fans are so committed, regardless if they win or lose. I'm getting the sense it's the same kind of thing here.
LAH: The American Red Sox fans, this is about cheering on their home team. But this is also a cultural experience, and spreading Red Sox nation to Japan. "I'd like to be friends with the American fans," says this young spectator.
ED DEVITO, BOSTON RED SOX FAN: Red Sox Nation is gonna become global. That's what this is all about. That's why we all came for the trip as well, to take the culture and see the world. It's awesome.
LAH: It is a little strange: Bento instead of burgers and fighting jet lag; a fight that some are losing.
LAH: But as long as their team wins at the season opener, these weary fans say it's well worth the trip. Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.

AZUZ: And win they did, big time. A home run in the ninth inning tied things up, and an RBI double in the tenth gave the game to the Red Sox. A nice start as the team defends last year's World Series title.
Goodbye
AZUZ: And that's where today's show crosses home plate. We'll see you again tomorrow for more CNN Student News.