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CNN Student News

Aired February 12, 2002 - 04:30   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN STUDENT NEWS seen in schools around the world because learning never stops and neither does the news.

SUSAN FREIDMAN, CO-HOST: STUDENT NEWS for Tuesday checks out health and welfare around the world. Our "Lead Story," war crimes as a landmark trial gets underway. We look at former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. We also focus on a war of words and three words in particular causing the controversy. Is the "axis of evil" really a trio of terrorist nations? From terror to teamwork and the challenges facing competitors at Salt Lake City.

MICHAEL MCMANUS, CO-HOST: I'm Michael McManus at the 19th Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Coming up, we go inside the mind and the body of an Olympic athlete.

FREIDMAN: And more on winter workouts in our "Health Report." Find out why you need to prepare more when you're burning calories in the cold.

Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. I'm Susan Freidman.

The world is watching the Hague, Netherlands today as former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic heads before an international tribunal. Milosevic is charged with committing various crimes against humanity and orchestrating years of genocide in the Balkans. The trial has been billed the most significant of its kind since the hearings at Nuremberg following World War II.

For more on the life of the notorious leader and the charges against him, we have two reports beginning with our Joel Hochmuth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOEL HOCHMUTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hundreds of journalists and human rights activists are converging on the Hague for a trial that's certain to make history. Slobodan Milosevic becomes the first head of state ever to be tried for war crimes.

JIM LANDALE, TRIBUNAL SPOKESMAN: Yes, this is absolutely a key moment in the life of this institution and I think a landmark as well for international justice. This is a huge trial, as many people have commented, the biggest or the most significant since the end of the Second World War in the Nuremberg Trials. This is also very important, I think, to the victims of the -- of the crimes that Slobodan Milosevic is charged -- is charged for.

HOCHMUTH: The prosecution says it will bring 350 witnesses of the atrocities in the Balkans War to testify against the man many consider ultimately responsible. Prosecutors allege he was trying to cleanse lands he believed belonged to ethnic Serbs of other ethnic groups, including Croats, Muslims and Albanians.

FLORENCE HARTMAN, SPOKESPERSON FOR U.N. WAR CRIME PROSECUTOR: And we are confident that we will win our case on the basis of the evidence as we find to the judges for confirmation of the indictment. There is already a lot -- enough to have a conviction against Milosevic and the prosecution (INAUDIBLE) fully confident.

HOCHMUTH: Milosevic is refusing to recognize the international tribunal's validity, calling it illegal and biased. He says all his efforts during his 13-year war were aimed at preserving Yugoslavia's unity and peace. The tribunal has entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to all three indictments against him. Milosevic is refusing to formally appoint legal council, although he does have advisers.

DRAGOSLAV OGNJANOVIC, BELGRADE LAWYER: He is going to use the court of the tribunal to say everything he know about the truth, and he is going to call many, many names from -- of old politics ex and present politicians.

HOCHMUTH: Advisers to Milosevic say among those he will call to testify, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Both sides are anticipating a lengthy trial, perhaps as long as two years. If convicted by the three judges, who also serve as jury, Milosevic could face life in prison.

For more on the charges against him, we go to Christiane Amanpour.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just as allegations of corruption, election fraud, political killings and money laundering have brought Slobodan Milosevic to the attention of prosecutors at home, evidence of an array of war time crimes has earned him indictments by international prosecutors. In May, 1999, Louis Arbor, who was then chief prosecutor at the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague, indicted Milosevic and four of his lieutenants for crimes committed during the war in Kosovo that year.

LOUIS ARBOR, CHIEF PROSECUTOR, WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL: I presented an indictment for confirmation against Slobodan Milosevic and four others charging them with crimes against humanity, specifically, murder, deportation and persecutions and with violations of the laws and customs of war.

AMANPOUR: Milosevic made history that day, becoming the first ever sitting head of state to be indicted by an international court, the charge of crimes against humanity being the second most serious crime after genocide under international law. And in November 2001, he was charged with genocide, too.

The current chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, issued more indictments against Milosevic for crimes committed during the Bosnia and Croatia wars from 1991 to 1995.

Throughout the '90s, in the name of preserving Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic instead presided over its destruction. He led Yugoslavia into three wars that left hundreds of thousands dead, first in Croatia, then in Bosnia and finally in Kosovo. Civilians were the pry targets, a violation of the laws of war handed down in the Geneva Conventions after WWII.

The term ethnic cleansing became synonymous with Bosnia, as Serb forces there loyal to Milosevic tried to carve out a separate state by forcibly moving the non-Serb civilian population. They unleashed heavy artillery against multi-ethnic cities like Sarajevo and laid siege to towns and villages throughout the state.

Snipers targeted men, women and children. Markets full of people shopping were shelled and in scenes unknown in Europe since WWII, there were concentration camps, mass rape and the forced prostitution of women and very young girls. And almost every day, deportations, which added to the millions of refugees.

The climax came with the Bosnia-Serb assault on the tiny Moslem village of Srebrenica. To this day, the International Red Cross says that about 8,000 Muslim men and boys remain unaccounted for there. The top Bosnian Serb leaders, Radovan Karadzic and his military chief Radkom Laditch (ph), were twice indicted for genocide and crimes against humanity.

But after NATO conducted bombing raids to stop the Bosnian Serb rampage, Slobodan Milosevic became the West's partner in the peace that was forged at Dayton in November, 1995. Four years later, Milosevic launched what was to be his final military campaign, in Kosovo. NATO again went to war to stop him. Just as the West was considering a negotiated cease-fire, Milosevic was indicted by the War Crimes Tribunal.

Today, Slobodan Milosevic is no longer president. He is no one's peace partner and the tribunal says it is ready to present what it calls a solid case against him.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN, the Hague.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREIDMAN: For more on the rise and fall of Slobodan Milosevic, visit our Web site, CNNstudentnews.com.

Iran marks the 23rd anniversary of its Islamic revolution with anti-American demonstrations. Tens of thousands of people rallied Monday in the capital Tehran. The protests were encouraged by Iranian leaders who are angry about U.S. President Bush's comment that their country is part of an "axis of evil."

Iran isn't the only place reacting to President Bush's "axis of evil" rhetoric. Across Europe, those three words and the implications behind them are getting plenty of attention and raising some concerns.

CNN's Robin Oakley has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President George W. Bush's efforts to rouse America against Iraq, Iran and North Korea, labeling them the "axis of evil," has had nerves jangling across Europe ever since. European foreign ministers met at the weekend with Germany, saying there was no proof Iraq had been involved in recent terrorism. And E.U. commissioner, Chris Patton, condemning the U.S. for being simplistic, and in unilateralist overdrive. Spain's foreign minister underlined that Europe wants engagement, not confrontation.

JOSEPH PIQUE, SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: We think that we have to make all efforts to improve the relations with Iraq and Iran, for accomplishing the resolutions of the Security Council of the United Nations, in the case of Iraq. And for supporting the process of reforms in Iran, and for supporting the reformist people there. So we are working in this sense, and we will continue working in this sense, in spite of the opinion of the United States.

OAKLEY: Some strategy experts believe that too much is being read into Mr. Bush's rhetoric.

STEVEN SIMON, INT'L INST. FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: They're reacting to what is a very plainspoken and blunt formulation of U.S. policy, that I don't think quite captures some of the complexity and nuance of the underlying policy.

OAKLEY: In the recent past, the U.K. has joined the U.S. in operations against Iraq. But it's clear that Europe, possibly including even Britain, has no taste for further military adventures there right now. And the present war of words between the allies over Mr. Bush's "evil axis" phrase seems to be an attempt to ensure that his policy does not in practice live up to his rhetoric.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Despite Colin Powell's statement that the U.S., if necessary, would go it alone in attempting to unseat Saddam Hussein, I think that the positions of America's partners will play a very important role in the decision-making process in Washington about going to war with Iraq. So one can usefully wonder whether there would be a split if the U.S. moved. But I think the interesting question is: would the U.S. move once the Europeans had actually made clear, very substantial objections.

OAKLEY (on camera): European politicians stress that they share U.S. objectives on eliminating terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. But they're making plain that despite America's military success in Afghanistan, they don't always agree with the means chosen by the U.S. to achieve their common aims. Currently, three little words are causing an awful lot of fuss. Robin Oakley, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREIDMAN: We're bringing you stories from Salt Lake City this week so we thought it might be fun to pepper our coverage with a look at salt itself. Maybe you avoid it or maybe you sprinkle it on everything you eat. The Greek poet Homer once described salt as a divine substance, and now a New York author has written an entire book on salt and how it's affected world history.

Who better to tell this story than our saltiest reporter Jeanne Moos?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We shake it on fries, we spread it on sidewalks. Even cows like a good lick. And now there's a book worth its salt. Not recommended for those on a diet of low-salt literature.

MARK KURLANSKY, "SALT: A WORLD HISTORY": It took considerable discipline to keep it down to 500 pages.

MOOS: Complete with chapters like the "Odium of Sodium."

KURLANSKY: Salt is the only rock, you know, that we take and we say, "ah, this is food."

MOOS: Author Mark Kurlansky has his own rock salt collection which he offers to guests.

KURLANSKY: Salt.

MOOS (on camera): Have a lot of people licked this same rock?

KURLANSKY: No, no. I give everyone a different rock.

MOOS (voice-over): If you think what comes out of the shaker is less than earth shaking, check out the salt beds of Bolivia, where the salt looks like snow, and there is even a hotel built out of salt from the walls, to the chairs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When the sun comes inside, all is sparkling and bright.

MOOS: Salt used to be what oil is to us now. Elizabeth I warned the British people about --

KURLANSKY: Our dangerous dependence on foreign salt.

MOOS: We know salt raises blood pressure, but how about libido? This French engraving from the 12th century shows women salting their husbands.

KURLANSKY: In the hopes that they would perform better. MOOS: The word "salacious" comes from salt. Salt was used to preserve everything, from food to mummies.

KURLANSKY: Since it prevents rot, it wards off evil. So in Haitian voodoo, salt is the only way you can bring back a zombie.

MOOS: Sumo wrestlers toss salt to chase away evil spirits. Some consider spilled salt bad luck. By tossing it over the shoulder, we throw away bad luck.

KURLANSKY: If you look closely at the painting of the Last Supper, you will see that there is a spilled salt cellar in front of Judas.

MOOS: Though the Last Supper is too murky for us to make out, eventually technology made finding and excavating salt easy, so its value declined. Mortons succeeded in making crystals uniform in size.

(on camera): They are square.

(voice-over): Then there's that catchy but puzzling slogan, "when it rains, it pours." Explained by the fact that in the old days, moisture caused salt to clump together, until Mortons introduced an anti-caking agent.

(on camera): So it's -- when it rains, it still pours, basically.

KURLANSKY: The salt pours from the shaker when it rains.

MOOS (voice-over): Don't take this subject with a mere grain of salt.

(on camera): The other one was better.

(voice-over): This is a book for seasoned readers.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Exploring our world, here now is CNN STUDENT NEWS "Perspectives."

MCMANUS: The athletes performing at this year's Winter Olympics are dealing with some interesting challenges, high altitude, intense competition and heavy emotion demanding for any person, athlete or not. 1992 Olympian Maggie Connor joins us now to talk about training for the body as well as the mind.

Maggie, this is obviously a big demand for any athlete in competition.

MAGGIE CONNOR, 1992 OLYMPIAN: Absolutely. I mean these Olympics are really amazing because I think that they're the third highest Olympics, you know, in the winter sports and so that's definitely a demand physically. And then on top of it, you know they're right here, especially for the U.S. athletes that are right here in the United States, so a lot of them have their family members here. So on the one hand, they're home and they have the comforts of home, but on the other hand, you know they have the added pressure so.

MCMANUS: And as you said, the Utah Olympics here in Salt Lake are being held at a very high altitude. What does altitude do to the human body?

CONNOR: Well what it does actually for an athlete is you know you have to allow for more time for training and recovery. Essentially you know if you can -- if you can think about running down the street and being able to breathe normally, any one of us could probably be able to do that, but then add to that you know you have to run down the street with a straw.

MCMANUS: Is that what it feels like, basically breathing through a straw?

CONNOR: Yes. Yes. If you haven't trained for altitude, you know it's definitely -- the body is really working to get more and more oxygen into your bloodstream and into your muscles. So especially for the longer events like Nordic skiing and you know the speed skating and things of that nature that are longer than about a minute, I'd say there's a definite effect.

MCMANUS: So there is less oxygen going into the body...

CONNOR: Yes.

MCMANUS: ... meaning they're going to get tired and out of breath quicker?

CONNOR: Absolutely. Yes.

MCMANUS: And how do athletes overcome this?

CONNOR: Well there is several ways you can do it, but I mean the -- probably the most effective way is to live high and train low. And as I said, a lot of endurance athletes are already aware of that. They've known this for years and there's been lots of scientific studies on the benefits of it.

The biggest problem is geographically there's not a lot of places on the planet where you can do that. You know there's a couple places on the south island of New Zealand where you can live high, say above 9,000 feet, and train low. Actually, Salt Lake is a place where I read somewhere that speed skaters are doing that, living up in Park City and they come down low to train so...

MCMANUS: But not everyone can afford to do that and...

CONNOR: Absolutely. No.

MCMANUS: But what it does is just tune the body to another level... CONNOR: Yes.

MCMANUS: ... of the atmosphere, is that what it's doing?

CONNOR: Yes, basically you know it's like anything, the more that you lift a weight, the stronger that your muscle gets. And so the more that you work your lungs at that altitude, the stronger that your lungs can get, the more that the body will build red blood cells and so therefore you'll get more oxygen into your system and more to your muscles so you recover quicker.

MCMANUS: Now we talk about the body, but the mind is also a very important thing in Olympic competition and in any competition as well, right?

CONNOR: Absolutely.

MCMANUS: And why is that?

CONNOR: Well I mean you know once you have the foundation of the physical and you've done whatever it takes in order to be at this level, anyone that's qualified to be at the Olympic Games is obviously at a very, very high level in their physical conditioning, and we all get to be inspired by that every day that we see these events. But really the difference I believe between, you know, first and second and even tenth, it's one one-hundredths of a second in some of these events, and so to me it really comes down to what's going on upstairs, you know what's going on when you're in the gate and how it is that you're feeling that day.

And so there's a certain almost like a neurological pathway in order to be in a state of excellence. And so what I do is assist athletes and condition them in order to be in that state on a consistent basis.

MCMANUS: Maggie, what are some of the things that an athlete and a non-athlete can do to, what is this, basically feeling better about yourself or feeling more competitive? What are you doing to their mind?

CONNOR: Well certainly I think confidence is a huge role when it comes to athletics. I mean any time that you interview someone after they've, you know, had a great performance, they'll tell you I was feeling really confident, I had a gut knowing. You know they'll say it in their words, and so that's a huge factor. And one of the things that I do is assist them to achieve that level of confidence because, as I said before, if they're at this level at the Olympic Games, they've done it in the past. And so what I do is assist them to just create it in the future.

MCMANUS: And this kind of confidence can be used as an athlete, as a non-athlete as well, correct?

CONNOR: Oh yes, not just in sports. Yes, definitely in business and in your personal life as well so.

MCMANUS: Maggie Connor, thanks so much for giving us an...

CONNOR: Thank you.

MCMANUS: ... inside look at the psychology as well as the physical side of Olympic athletes.

We're here in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Games continue, and I will see you back here tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK HELMS, PEACHTREE CITY, GEORGIA: Hi, my name is Nick Helms. I'm from Peachtree City, Georgia. And my question is: In the history of the Olympics, which athlete has won the most gold medals?"

BRIAN CAZENEUVE, WRITER, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Well since we're talking winter these days, the most gilded athlete in the history of the Winter Olympics is Norwegian cross-country skier Bjorn Dahlie who won eight gold medals between 1992 and 1998. However, there are four athletes from the Summer Olympics who have actually won nine gold medals.

Paavo Nurmi, the distance runner known in the 1920s as the "Flying Finn," won everything from the 1,500 meters to the 10,000 to four races in cross-country running, which no longer exists on the Olympic program. Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina was the picture of elegance in the '50s and '60s when she won nine titles, and her mark of 18 total medals is still untouchable. U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz won seven of his nine golds at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, making him the most successful athlete at a single Olympic Games. And Carl Lewis capped a great career in track and field by winning his ninth gold medal in the long jump at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREIDMAN: You don't have to be an Olympic athlete to understand the importance of your physical health, and working out in winter is a great way to stay in shape all year round for most people. The exceptions may include people with exercise-induced asthma, heart disease or older individuals prone to falling.

Heading out into the cold requires some planning and preparation, though, as Liz Weiss explains in our "Health Report."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIZ WEISS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hockey 101 at Boston University includes a stretch on the ice.

BARBARA PINCH, COORDINATOR OF SPORTING EVENTS: We always let the guys stroke out, really get the body warm, almost on the verge of sweating, and then we start the stretch to get those muscles ready to work out.

WEISS: Cold muscles are more prone to injury. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You should stretch longer because it takes a little bit longer for your muscles to loosen up and to warm up when you're exercising out in the cold.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So how far do you want to go?

WEISS: Registered dietitian Janice Bissex says it's also a good idea to eat something before you head out into the cold.

JANICE BISSEX, REGISTERED DIETITIAN: When you eat food and digest it, you actually generate heat, which is helpful when you go out to exercise you stay a little bit warmer.

WEISS: And don't worry about all those extra calories because it actually takes more energy to exercise when it's chilly outside.

BISSEX: In one study, runners who ran outside in the cold weather burned 450 calories in an hour, and when they ran in more moderate temperatures, they burned only 400 calories.

WEISS: Downhill skiing also burns about 400 calories an hour while cross-country skiing, hockey, and snow shoeing are even more intense at 560 calories.

(on camera): Besides the extra warm-up and stretch time in winter, cold weather workouts also require extra attention to hydration whether you're out on the ice, out for a jog, or spending time on the snow.

(voice-over): Even though you may feel thirsty, perspiration and the dry frigid air can still cause your body to lose a lot of water.

ROGER FIELDING, EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST, BOSTON UNIVERSITY: It's cold and dry, you use more fluid just by breathing. That's especially true at high altitudes where the air is even more dry, there's a lot more water loss.

WEISS: So with some extra planning, there's no reason to sit inside when the winter breezes blow.

I'm Liz Weiss.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREIDMAN: Even if you're not an Olympic contender, you might enjoy the call of the great outdoors. One hobby en vogue with people of all ages, mountain climbing.

Our CNN Student Bureau has the story of one man whose life philosophy could be "no pain, no gain." He skis over 100 days a year but mountains are his mania.

Megan Johnson takes us along on one adventure.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MEGAN JOHNSON, CNN STUDENT BUREAU (voice-over): The Colorado Rockies. At 11,500 feet the air is so thin the trees stop growing. At 14,000 feet, you have a rare view of one of the highest points in America. A mountain at this altitude is dubbed a 14er, and summitting one is a sport growing more and more popular among determined adventurers of all ages.

Waller Acker is climbing to the top of 100 14ers.

WALLY ACKER, MOUNTAIN CLIMBER: Summitting is very comfortable, not dangerous, anyone can do it, everyone should be encouraged. The 100 goal was so that I could influence people to do them with me because I can't do 100 alone. I felt they'd feel sorry for me and go with me so I could achieve 100 summits at 14,000 feet.

PAUL CASSIDY, HIKER: Basically I know Wally because he's my landlord, and I'm hiking this 14er because, well, it's in my lease.

JEFF TRIESTMAN, HIKER: Coming out here in shorts and a T-shirt, sneakers, going extreme.

JUSTIN SPRINGETT, HIKER: Wally doesn't know anything about this world. He only knows the world outside above 13,000 feet.

ACKER: It's exhausting, I must say. It breaks the routine. It gets over the mundane. There is times when you wonder one more foot after another, one more step and takes your breath away.

JOHNSON: After three grueling hours, Wally and the gang reach the top. On many 14ers, the great reward of the summit is getting to sign a guest book of sorts where you can leave your mark next to fellow mountaineers.

ACKER: We sign in right here.

JOHNSON: For many, the natural beauty and challenge of hiking 14ers lifts their spirits and gets them addicted to the pain and the gain.

ACKER: I got into 14ers needing a little bit of change in my direction of life. I know that the higher you climb the broader the view and the broader the view the more you see.

JOHNSON: Megan Johnson, CNN Student Bureau, Mt. Bierstadt, Colorado.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ONSCREEN: "Where in the World?"

Conventional long form name Hellenic Republic.

Voting is compulsory starting at age 18;

Home of the first Olympics.

Can you name this country?

Greece.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREIDMAN: That's all we have time for today, but I'll see you back here tomorrow. Have a great one.

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