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CNN Live Today

Bush Tours Asia; The Debate Over Spanking; Japanese Princess Gives up Title To Marry Commoner

Aired November 15, 2005 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: A powerful car bomb exploded today in Karachi, Pakistan. At least three people were killed and dozens others wounded. Pakistani officials believe a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet may have been the target. Now, in September, two nearly simultaneous explosions went off at other fast food restaurants in Karachi
A victory today for the Middle East peace process. Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to open Gaza borders. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice worked through the night with negotiators to seal this deal. The Rafah crossing into Egypt is scheduled to open in ten days, with European Union security monitors.

In Iowa now, a manhunt is underway for two convicted murderers. There are their pictures. Authorities say the two escaped from the state penitentiary while on work detail last night. Police say a gold Pontiac Bonneville was stolen nearby. But it still not clear if that is connected to the escape.

And two south Florida schools went into lockdown this morning after a teenage girl allegedly shot another girl on a school bus. It happened in Miramar, which is a Fort Lauderdale suburb. The victim was taken to the hospital and police say both girls are 17 years old.

Made in China. A familiar label that has many American consumers wondering if the economic boom in China poses a threat here. That's just one of many concerns as President Bush arrives in Asia for an eight-day trip to Japan, China, Mongolia and South Korea for the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.

In Seoul, already this morning, look at it. Thousands of South Korean farmers clashed with riot police, protesting the very free trade policies Mr. Bush favors. The farmers are demanding the withdrawal of a bill that opens up South Korea's rice market and they're vowing to disrupt the summit.

So here to give us some understanding of what is at stake is Tim Ferguson. He is the editor for "Forbes Asia" and he joins us now live from New York. You know, Tim, trade encompasses so many things. So let's get a better grip on exactly where the U.S. stands when it comes to trade. especially trade with Asia.

TIM FERGUSON, EXEC. EDITOR, "FORBES": The U.S. is pushing for the completion over the next international round of freer trade. That will be hashed out in Hong Kong this December. And as your segment just indicated, trade is a contentious issue around the world. NGUYEN: Who's benefiting more, Asia or the U.S.?

FERGUSON: Well, to the degree that we allow free trade, I would suspect we all benefit in different ways. Most of us, overall, although there are always constituencies that lose out during any particular shift in the tradewinds.

NGUYEN: All right. So when we talk about trade, a lot of people think of outsourcing, especially to Asia. It creates cheaper products. But I have to ask you, does it hurt the U.S. in the long run by creating a dependence on Asian products?

FERGUSON: It benefits U.S. consumers, without a doubt to have the best and cheapest source of any product. The key is that there ought to be genuine free trade in all range of goods and services. For instance, if the Chinese financial services market were genuinely opened up, it would be a major boon to American headquartered companies.

NGUYEN: OK. So when it comes to opening up this trade and outsourcing to Asia as well, how much are these Asian companies benefiting? Give us some perspective. How much money? What's their economy like when it comes to this trade?

FERGUSON: China is headed toward being the world's largest exporter by 2010. So that gives you a pretty good indication of how important it is to them. Japan, where the president also will be visiting, is obviously a major export power. But Japan has learned that you can export by producing elsewhere. Hence, they are such a large car manufacturer, for example, in North America.

NGUYEN: All right. On the flip side. You kind of touch on there briefly. How much outsourcing do Asian countries do? Because we just saw in the video right before we came to you, South Koreans taking to the streets taking to the streets upset over opening up the rice market there.

FERGUSON: Farmers don't like to have their domestic markets opened up anywhere. There's a critical distinction, perhaps. Although Japan, for example, does a lot of outsourcing, Japan has three times as many factory robots as the United States even though it has one-third the size of the economy. That's an indication of how, through super engineering, Japan has managed to maintain a lot of its production base at home in the higher end products.

NGUYEN: So how will the U.S. benefit? I know the president, when he's in Japan today, is going to be talking about opening up the beef ban. Japan has a beef ban on imports in reaction to the mad cow disease. How will that benefit the U.S. if that indeed is lifted?

FERGUSON: I think they're going do a little face-saving lift of that ban. It will allow younger cattle to go into the country, into Japan, but not the older U.S. cattle which tends to be the fattier and more desirable cuts that Japanese consumers want.

But I would argue, actually there are more important trade barrier relaxations at stake in Japan. If, for example, we could open up their retail distribution system it would allow a vast range of U.S. products to get into the country and that's part of what Wal-mart is trying to do in Japan.

NGUYEN: I see, Tim Ferguson the editor for "Forbes, Asia." Thank you.

FERGUSON: Thank you.

NGUYEN: We have a check of the markets and that is straight ahead. Plus the age-old method of discipline is under the microscope. Spanking, that's what we're talking about. Is it the best way to teach your child right from wrong? Our doctor, Sanjay Gupta, has more information.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: New video just in to CNN. Hold the phone. Here's the cell phone bandit -- the alleged cell phone bandit -- being taken from jail to a courthouse in Fairfax County, Virginia. Her name is Candice Martinez.

She's 19 years old, according to the FBI and she's believed to be the woman in that surveillance video that we've been showing you for the past couple of days, chatting on her cell phone as she walked into area banks in the Washington area and chatting on the phone and essentially robbing them. So this is a good look at 19-year-old Candice Martinez who will be appearing before a magistrate shortly in Fairfax County, Virginia.

This video shows her being walked from the jail to the courthouse in the case of the cell phone bandit.

(MARKET REPORT)

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NGUYEN: Well, there are nigh findings today on one of the age- old questions of child rearing. Can a swat on the behind be more harm than good? Well, CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the latest on the spanking debate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The ritual is as old as the relationship of parent and child. And it seems everyone has a memory of spanking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I lied when I was younger, I got my but kicked, literally, or I got the strap.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I was close, a spoon, a belt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just the physical violence of it, the aggression of their actions on your body.

GUPTA: The memories may be distant but a new study conducted in six countries in the journal Child Development says frequent smacking or spanking may sting in more ways than just the physical. Like other studies, it concludes that in the long run, spanking may cause children to become aggressive or anxious. And it's not just about the frequency of spanking.

DR. JOSHUA SPARROW, CHILD PSYCHIATRIST: And I think a lot of the reaction depends on what goes with it, how often it happens, under what circumstances, whether the parent is out of control or not.

GUPTA: The study says the more culturally acceptable spanking is, the less aggression and anxiety it causes. But it doesn't ask whether there may be advantages to spanking. Many experts argue that regardless, spanking children may contribute to behavioral problems.

SPARROW: Even when physical discipline is thought to be acceptable in a particular culture, or in the case of the U.S., in a particular subculture, why take that risk when we now know that to some extent it is likely to lead to more aggression in children?

GUPTA: Gregory O'Gara says when his kids are out of control, he sometimes uses what he calls a subtle smack or a whack.

GREGORY O'GARA: It is right in the moment. You know? Maybe a little smack on the butt.

GUPTA: But he says his rule is to never deliver that smack in anger

O'GARA: That's the problem with -- you know, with most parents when they're spanking their kids, they're angry and they're conveying that anger over to the children.

GUPTA: Child psychologists say the key is for parents to control their own anger and to find other ways to chastise the child, clearly conveying why they're being punished so that a lesson is learned.

SPARROW: And the problem with spanking is that it doesn't teach. In the moment, it may stop the behavior. But in the long run, it actually teaches the opposite of what we want children to understand, which is that aggression is wrong and it doesn't solve problems.

GUPTA: O'Gara says he does teach. And while his kids may not always understand in the moment why they got that little smack, at the end of the day, it's clear.

KAYLIN O'GARA: I get over it and just know that he loves me.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: We'll be back with a quick check on your morning forecast and the makings of fierce weather in parts of the country. Plus, a reversed fairytale comes true in Japan, where once upon a time is now and a royal princess made a surprisingly common choice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What should and shouldn't you be eating if you are diabetic? We'll ask about the best diets for diabetics after the break.

And later, fresh fruits versus dry fruits. Is one better for you than the other? First, this week's medical headlines "In the Pulse."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Roche, the makers of the antiviral drug Tamiflu, announced this week that they will increase production of the drug to prepare for a possible flu pandemic. They said they will have 300 million doses by 2007. The company also announced plans to sell the active ingredients in the drug to Vietnam and allow the country to make their own stock of Tamiflu. Forty-one of the more than 60 people who have died from avian flu were from Vietnam.

And a new study found 38 percent of young adolescents who smoke may have picked up a habit after watching moves that glorified smoking. Researchers polled over 650 young teens about smoking habits and movies, and found a strong correlation between the two. The report recommends reducing the amount of smoking in films or incorporating smoking into the movie ratings system.

Carol Lin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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NGUYEN: If you live in the Lower Ohio Valley or in the Mid-South you need to watch out for wicked weather today. The National Weather Service says there is a high risk for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes across the region today. Significant F3 tornadoes could touchdown in some places and hail is also a possibility.

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NGUYEN: A Japanese princess has given up her royal status to marry a mere commoner. She's relinquishing her title and her allowance, her money as well. But, who needs the trappings of a princess when the man you love can make you feel like a queen?

From Tokyo, CNN's Atika Shubert has more on the imperial tradition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT, TOKYO (voice-over): It is, perhaps, a fairy tale in reverse. Japan's Princess Sayako is marrying out of the imperial family to become a commoner. She's marrying Yoshika Kuroda (ph), an urban planner for Tokyo's metropolitan government. He is not royalty and imperial law is clear: any woman who marries outside of royalty leaves the royal family. It's a low- key affair in a hotel ballroom stripped of the grandeur that usually marks an imperial wedding.

For the first time, Sayako will have now a surname. She will pay for her own purchases and she will have the right to vote.

It is the complete opposite of Japan's other famed royal, Princess Masako. She married into the imperial family by wedding Crown Prince Naruhito next in line for the Chrysanthemum Throne. By comparison, Masako's wedding was a grand display of imperial tradition. Her new role, to bear a male heir to the throne. That, however, has not happened. Since her wedding, Princess Masako has faded from public view, suffering from what doctors say is a failure to adjust to the demands of imperial life.

The tale of these two princesses has sparked controversy over a third: 3-year-old Crown Princess Aiko. The only child of Princess Masako and Crown Prince Naruhito. Imperial law states that no woman shall inherit the throne, but without any siblings forthcoming, Aiko is the only heir.

(on camera): So, how to resolve the succession crisis? A government panel recommends that imperial law be changed to allow a woman to inherit the throne. That, of course, would mean an entirely new role for women in the imperial family, one that would reflect the broader changes in Japanese society.

(voice-over): Japan's imperial family may soon bend to public will, but Princess Sayako won't have to worry. She may live happily ever after, outside the palace walls.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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