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CNN 10

Tensions With Iran; Life In Hurricane-stricken Bahamas; Renovations on U.S. Landmark; South Korean Camp for Smartphone Users

Aired September 23, 2019 - 04:00   ET

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


CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: It`s the first day of Fall, officially anyway and we thank you for spending 10 minutes of it with CNN 10. My name is

Carl Azuz and the first region we`re going to this September 23rd is the Middle East. The nation of Iran says it had nothing to do with the recent

attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia but Saudi Arabia and the United States say Iran was behind it and America is taking more steps to try and

isolate the Middle Eastern country. The Trump Administration announced new sanctions, penalties on Iran`s economy last Friday. The goal, to cut off

international money flowing into Iran and the U.S. government says Iran is reacting in desperation to these moves by quote "attacking its neighbors".

The American military announced that it`s sending more troops and missile defense equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two

countries across the Persian Gulf from Iran. Iran`s foreign minister says, if any attacks are made in revenge for the Saudi oil strike they`ll result

in quote "all out war" though he also says Iran hopes to avoid conflict. There is a group that says it`s responsible for the attacks on Saudi oil

facilities. Houthi rebels, who`ve been fighting for control of Yemen, say the attacks were made because Saudi Arabia has been fighting the Houthis in

defense of Yemen`s government.

But Saudi Arabia says the weapons used on the oil plants were Iranian made and that they were likely launched from north of Saudi Arabia in the

direction of Iran instead of from the southwest in the direction of Yemen. Tensions have been simmering in the Middle East since the U.S. government

pulled out of a controversial nuclear deal with Iran last year. The recent attack on Saudi oil facilities has made things worse.

It`s been more than three weeks now since Hurricane Dorian hit the northern Bahamas. At that time, it was the most powerful classification of storm a

Category 5 and its destruction was worsened by the fact that it moved so slowly once it made landfall. It just sat there and blasted the islands.

In one community alone, Marsh Harbor, more than a billion pounds of trash is lying around, parts of homes, cars, boats, belongings. The country

hasn`t worked out how its going to clean that up yet and its just part of the estimated $7 billion in damage that Hurricane Dorian caused in the

Bahamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Plastic bag with clothes, towels, toiletries and only a few shirts, that`s basically it. So I`m pretty much starting all over. So

basically everything is gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shawn Russell (ph) is a physical education teacher from the east end of Grand Bahama. One of several Bahamian islands where

Hurricane Dorian reeked havoc leaving over 50 dead, more than 1,000 missing and countless homes wrecked.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was sudden and this was unexpected. I have (ph) to say really don`t think the Bahamas will be the same.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shawn (ph) waited out the storm in his sister`s house until rising waters forced them to leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible) time. It really came down. It started to rise so fast. I said you know what? Let`s get out of here. We need to

get to higher ground. Had I stayed in that house, I`d - - I don`t think I would have been able to make it through that. This is the top of the

house. This is my room and that`s my sister`s room. In my case, I`m starting from the bottom which most person`s (sic) are starting from the

bottom. Some persons, they still have their jobs where I worked our building was destroyed. I don`t know if I have a job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With no where to live and the school where he worked destroyed, Shawn (ph) was able to book his passage off the island where an

uncertain future awaits upon his return.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to rebuild my home. However, I still would like to have a better life. Regardless if it`s in the Bahamas or wherever the

Lord leads me. We`re starting all over again because I lost everything. Basically what I have here is an overnight bag with a few clothes that I

took out when I left when - - during the time of the storm but everything is gone. However, I`m alive. That`s all that matters. I`m alive. Not

everyone can say that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. Which of these U.S. landmarks was completed in 1884? Mount Rushmore, Washington Monument, Statue of Liberty or

Transcontinental Railroad. At the time it was completed in 1884, the Washington Monument was the tallest building in the world.

At 555 feet and 5 inches tall, the Washington Monument was opened to the public a few years later. It`s been closed multiple times since then.

Sometimes for restoration. Sometimes for natural events like an earthquake that struck Virginia in 2011. That caused 150 cracks in the monument. And

sometimes it`s been closed because of its elevator. It broke down 24 times between 2014 and 2016. The monument was closed again at that time while

renovations, a new visitor`s center and a brand new elevator were installed and on the day after it reopened last Friday, the new fully automated

elevator broke. No one was in it at the time but some visitors were stranded for an hour at the top stop in the monument. Workers don`t know

why the lift malfunctioned but they did get it moving and when it does that it`s pretty fast. Takes just over a minute to ferry visitors up 500 feet.

The original elevator was powered by steam and that ride took more than 10 minutes.

We reported last week that smartphone sales around the world were shrinking as people keep their current devices longer or buy older models, but the

use of smartphones is on the rise. More people are spending more time on them and possibly getting addicted to them. In South Korea, an estimated

95 percent of the population owns a smartphone. That`s the highest percentage of any country in the world and the South Korean government

which has promoted technology is also offering camps to help young people unplug from it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was 4 o`clock in the morning when Uche Rhen (ph) realized she`d been on her phone for 13 hours.

This was when the 16 year old decided she needed help. You went to a summer camp with a difference. This one is for smartphone addicts. One of

16 government sponsored camps across South Korea, these girls spend 12 days with no access to their phone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE THROUGH TRANSLATOR: At first I started using it simply because I was bored but now I just use it for no reason.

HANCOCKS: These teenagers attend one on one, group and family counseling sessions and take part in alternative activities that can replace the

obsession with their smartphones. There are also programs to educate the parents.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE THROUGH TRANSLATOR: On the first day of the camp, kids have (inaudible) looks on their faces. They say things like, I want to go

back home. I really hate it. Why am I here? But that`s just for the first two days.

HANCOCKS: In 2018, 98 percent of adolescents in South Korea used a smartphone. Almost 30 percent of them are over dependent on them according

to government figures.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE THROUGH TRANSLATOR: These teenagers get obsessed with games and refuse to go to school and cyber bullying and arguments with

parents have become more serious.

HANCOCKS: Uch`s (ph) father became increasingly worried about her and enforced a time limit of two hours a day on her phone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE THROUGH TRANSLATOR: I didn`t know what she was watching whether she was watching YouTube or playing games. If I talked to her

about it there would be an argument.

HANCOCKS: There are increasing concerns about the medical impact of excessive smartphone usage. One psychiatrists says it can weaken the

frontal lobe of the brain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE THROUGH TRANSLATOR: Major symptoms of the weakening of the frontal lobe are depression and anxiety and it becomes harder to

control impulses or anger. The ability to suppress or overcome difficulties becomes weak.

HANCOCKS: One month after the camp ended, Uche (ph) says she believes it helped her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE THROUGH TRANSLATOR: It would be a lie if I said I don`t use my smartphone but its true that the duration and the number of

times I use it has decreased.

HANCOCKS: Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: For 10 out of 10 today, if you think the best place for yellow fin tuna is on a sushi roll, some engineers at the University of Virginia

disagree. They built this. They`re calling it a "Tunabot" because it`s vaguely shaped like the fish but with no fins except for the tail and it

can swim about three feet per second. But why? Researchers want to study the physics of how fish swim and their work could be used to help develop

new underwater vehicles.

They could have called it "gofish". It`s surely not a "glowfish". It`s a "souped" up, "tunaed" up, mechanized "robofish". Wicked tuna in disguise

is a sight for sore "sock-eyes". It "barracuda" lend a "golden perch" to more in depth "grouper" research. "Bullheaded" in its purpose to go

"trout" beneath the surface. "Holy Mackeral" to its "albacore". It "trumpeters" terrific. A "bonito brime" of research from Atlantic to

Pacific. It makes "fish story" "his story", "reeling" in our show. I`m Carl Azuz casting lines and it`s time for us to go.

END