Three Women Split Nobel Peace Prize

Nobel committee honours the president of Liberia, a social worker who helped bring an end to the Liberian civil war, and a free speech activist from Yemen.

Three women were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today for their work in promoting women's rights in Liberia and Yemen. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the president of Liberia, Leymah Gbowee, a social worker from Liberia, and Tawakkul Karman, a free speech advocate from Yemen, will share the world's most prestigious prize in the field of human rights. Sirleaf, 72, was elected in Liberia in 2006, and has since worked to maintain a peace agreement in the West African country while promoting economic and social development. The prize committee recognized her countrywoman, Gbowee, for bringing together women of different ethnicities and faiths to help bring an end to the Liberian civil war. Karman was honoured for being one of the leading critics of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who's been locked in a bloody struggle with anti-government protesters for months. The committee said this year's laureates send a message to governments in the Middle East and Africa to clear the way for democracy and women's rights.