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CNN STUDENT NEWS for April 4, 2002

Aired April 04, 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.

SHELLEY WALCOTT, CO-HOST: Here's what's up on your Thursday STUDENT NEWS. Egypt weighs in on the Mid East crisis firing a symbolic shot.

SUSAN FREIDMAN, CO-HOST: Syria takes a stand, flexing its muscles as the newest member of the United Nations Security Council.

WALCOTT: Then, scientists wonder about the weather and whether El Nino will once again play a major role.

FREIDMAN: And the role of an ancient Chinese practice in medicine today. We'll pinpoint acupuncture.

WALCOTT: And welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. I'm Shelley Walcott.

FREIDMAN: And I'm Susan Freidman.

The West Bank city of Bethlehem turns into a war zone as local gunmen and Israeli soldiers engage in fighting. Palestinians by the dozen have taken refuge in the churches and nativity (ph).

CNN's Ben Wedeman will have more on the escalating tension coming up.

WALCOTT: Another major development in the Middle East crisis, Egypt has suspended all contact with Israel except for diplomatic relations. An Egyptian official said yesterday that for now only contacts related to the peace process will be considered. The move is in protest to Israeli military action in the West Bank.

Our Joel Hochmuth has more on the decision and what it means for the region and the international community.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOEL HOCHMUTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Bush administration is mulling over Egypt's announcement that it's limiting diplomatic contacts with Israel. At a briefing Wednesday, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer sidestepped questions about whether this was a blow to hopes for peace in the region. ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: I think this underscores why the president feels as strongly as he does in the importance of finding ways to bring the parties together to achieve a peaceful settlement to the violence in the Middle East.

HOCHMUTH: Officials say the decision means Egypt will suspend all government contacts with Israel, except those relating to the peace process.

AMRE MOUSSA, ARAB LEAGUE SECRETARY-GENERAL: All contacts have -- with Israel, or the current Israeli government, has proved it to be useless. We haven't seen any result out of contacts coming from Washington, for example, or from any other capital, friendly or otherwise.

HOCHMUTH: Senior Arab diplomats tell CNN that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak fired off two angry letters to President Bush in the past week. Mubarak warns if the current situation continues, it could have dire consequences for all interests in the region and that Egypt may be forced to break diplomatic relations with Israel altogether. Experts say, though, that a war with Israel is highly unlikely.

NICHOLAS VELIOTES, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO EGYPT: He has made clear publicly, within the last six months, and I think this was a remarkable thing that he felt he had to do, state there will be no war with Israel. That this has never worked in the past, and Egypt should not go down that route. But the fact that he had to say that is very important.

HOCHMUTH: While ties between the two countries have long been (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Egypt is the first of only two Arab nations to have signed a peace agreement with Israel. That came in 1979, ending a state of war that technically existed between the two countries since Israel came into existence in 1948.

Mubarak has been president since 1981. During that time, he's often played the role of mediator between the Palestinians and Israelis, but he has taken a new hard line against Israel in the wake of Israel's intensifying military action against Palestinians. Mubarak is also facing pressure from hundreds of thousands of Palestinian sympathizers who have taken to the streets of Cairo. The protests may be playing a role as well.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: This is clearly an effort by President Mubarak to appease those protesting masses in Egypt, to stay in power, to save himself, short of doing what they want, which is to cut off all diplomatic ties with Israel. For him to suspend contacts with Israel is a very serious step, because it means that he is under tremendous domestic pressure to do something, or else he could fall.

HOCHMUTH: That would be a blow to stability throughout the Arab world and yet another reason for Palestinians and Israelis to find a road to peace.

But as Ben Wedeman reports, peace seems to be even more elusive as violence moves into hallowed ground.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a cold and rainy day, a delegation of Christian leaders tries to convince Israeli soldiers to let them enter Bethlehem. Their goal, to end the standoff at the Church of The Nativity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give us a chance to go and see what we can do. If one of us is hurt, well, we're responsible for our lives, OK? We won't say that you hit us. We will say someone else hit us.

WEDEMAN: They were turned back. Bethlehem has been declared a closed military area. Israeli forces now control most of this ancient town, the birthplace of Christ. They crush everything in their way. The population cowers behind closed doors.

(on-camera): Bethlehem is now under around-the-clock curfew, desperate or reckless, those who dare venture out. This ambulance isn't going anywhere, its drivers fearing for their lives.

(voice-over): In one house, the bodies of a man and woman. The dead are this man's brother and mother, killed on Monday. He's been waiting for an ambulance to take them away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until now, 27 hours, I am calling...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So we don't know how many house, how many injured, how many dead? It's extremely unbelievable what's going on with them these days.

WEDEMAN: At the edge of Bethlehem at the village of Beit Jala, the Israeli curfew is lifted for a few hours, a chance to buy yesterday's bread.

"The only solution is more suicide bombing," says this man. "That's the only way to deter Israel, to deter Sharon."

Another delegation tries to get in, this one with more worldly clout and more success. American, British and Japanese diplomats and security personnel evacuated nationals desperate to get out of Bethlehem, fleeing an unholy war in the Holy Land.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Bethlehem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREIDMAN: Bethlehem is one of several West Bank cities and towns in the grip of Israel's army. The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution this weekend calling on Israel to withdrawal its troops from Palestinian cities. Syria, which wanted a stronger condemnation of Israel, didn't attend the final vote, a move that's being frowned upon by many U.N. members.

CNN's Richard Roth has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In New York City you can find someone to talk to at any hour, but who were these men arguing last Saturday at four in the morning? This was no street corner but international soil, the United Nations Security Council. Ambassadors were putting in some extra overtime primarily because of a country not even in the room, Syria, proving to be an aggressive new member of the prestigious council.

MIKHAIL WEHBE, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N. (through translator): I regret the fact that I have to take the floor today on Good Friday. In the Arab world, Good Friday is called Sad Friday.

ROTH: No matter what day or time it is, Syria puzzles some at the U.N., even its Arab brethren. Three weeks ago, Syria abstained, the only council member not supporting a historic resolution with a vision of two separate states, one Israeli, the other Palestinian. At 4:30 in the morning last Saturday, Syria did something rare and dramatic, while the rest of the council voted to tell Israel to withdrawal, Syria didn't just abstain, it skipped out, boycotting the tally, calling the resolution a fable and weak.

HUSSEIN HASSOUNA, PERMANENT OBSERVER OF ARAB LEAGUE TO U.N.: No one can really compel a member state to take a position in which it doesn't agree to, but we would have liked them, of course, to be present and we would have liked this resolution adopted unanimously.

ROTH: Diplomats and analysts feel Syria's style is shooting itself in the foot.

WEHBE: Differences is the way -- it's healthy way, anyway, to express your ideas and your positions.

ROBERT SAYLOFF, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: The fact that the Syrians have walked out at the Security Council underscores the difficulty Syria is facing in trying to be a responsible member of the Security Council and maintaining its ideological opposition to Israel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Syria Arab Republic, 160 votes.

ROTH: Last fall, the United States did not lobby against Syria's candidacy for the Security Council, even though Syria is on Washington's list of countries supporting terrorism, and Monday, seemed to be added to the U.S. "axis of evil."

DONALD RUMSFELD, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: States like Iran, Iraq and Syria are inspiring and financing a culture of political murder and suicide bombing.

WEHBE: You can ask Secretary Rumsfeld what does he mean? I mean Syria is very peaceful state, could not be classified under this classification at all. ROTH (on camera): Some diplomats say the Syrian government is just not experienced in playing the game of diplomacy in such a high profile international arena. Syria has a two-year term on the Security Council and it shapes up as a learning experience for all members.

Richard Roth, CNN, the United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. is shot and killed.

WALCOTT: If a picture is worth a thousand words, a new type of camera could speak volumes about your character. Knowing what makes a person tick can be crucial, especially in the business world.

Andrew Brown reports on technology that can reveal a person's true colors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You may be able to impress people in the business world, but no amount of sweet talking will fool this camera. It knows your aura.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It measures your electromagnetic energy -- the energy you're giving out.

BROWN: Why do you care what aura you have? Well, just imagine if someone said it's bluey black.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, it looks like a little negative to me, the pictures. Which, I'm not. I'm not that negative.

BROWN: Whatever your like, you can't hide from your aura. Experts say it reflects your emotional state, like the telltale vibes in a Yoga class.

MING LEE, YOGA CENTRAL: The body doesn't lie to you, you know? So people in the corporate world, for example -- because I worked for many years in the corporate world -- you wear all these masks. Very often, people are scared or feel insecure.

BROWN: Thankfully, there are ways to enhance your aura. Yoga itself is said to be an excellent way of improving body and mind and aura, although making this transformation isn't easy.

LEE: Keep your legs straight, Andrew. Legs straight, toes up the wall.

BROWN (on camera): OK.

(voice-over): Members of this class were photographed before a session of ayenga (ph) Yoga. After stretching, roaring and hanging upside down... LEE: Keep lifting here. BROWN: After all this, more photos were taken.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was blue and violet. Now it's white and then blue.

BROWN: Which means inner conflicts are being resolved.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

BROWN: Experts say Michel (ph) is learning to understand his own thoughts and actions and help himself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well a lot of us will have an aura photo to gauge how we can help ourselves, what we got in our energy that we're not using at the present time.

BROWN: Some of us clearly have no energy at the present time.

Andrew Brown, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

FREIDMAN: What is your idea of paradise? To some, paradise might be a shopping spree through New York City, a backpacking trip through Europe or sailing the Mediterranean. But if you're searching for a more traditional picture of paradise, the island of Bali offers the perfect backdrop.

Stephanie Oswald took a tour of this tropical wonder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE OSWALD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rugged mountains set in balance with lush green grass, people living in harmony with their surroundings, each with their own inner light leading the way. This is Bali. Set in the South Pacific, this island is the only predominately Hindu State in Muslim Indonesia. But the Balinese are no strangers to their uniqueness. In fact, they embrace it.

To better understand the diversity of this island, we set out on a soft adventure in the Bali highlands, safari style.

GIOLIU DORRUCCI, HIGHLAND LUXURY (ph): We picked Bali for the beauty of the islands, especially for his temples and for the reserve and the forest that is still untouched in the island.

OSWALD: It is here that you get a true understanding of this kaleidoscope of terraced rice fields, rainforest and temples. Calm coexisted, eye-opening for visitors. After a short ride past spice (ph) and coffee fields in our luxury Mercedes jeep, we arrive at our first stop, Lake Tamblingan, for a private cruise, and it's not what you think.

DORRUCCI: The canoe is made by the local villagers as they have done for centuries. It has been carved by hand from jancleese (ph). The only thing we add is just security and safety installations.

OSWALD (on camera): While 25 percent of Bali is national park, ecotourism is in its early stages here. This safari tour is one of the first options for adventure travelers who want to explore Bali's natural side rain or shine.

(voice-over): While the weather may change quickly in Bali, the people don't. They don't seem to need to. Accepting the good with the bad, the Balinese believe that keeping peace between these spirits affords them peace. And quiet solace is easy to achieve as paddles push through the emerald water. The rhythm is almost meditative, symbolic of the lake's name, Tamblingan, which means medicine lake to remember.

A lone fisherman passes the canoe as we approach the edge of the water grass. With the floating teahouse called Wantilan (ph) in sight, our guide Kuto shares some insight of his own.

KUTO, HIGHLAND (ph): So after today, hopefully we'll understand about the island of Bali. The island with B-A-L-I with the B for the beautiful, A for the adventure, L for the legend and the last one is interest.

OSWALD (on camera): That's great.

(voice-over): And that is something that never rains in Bali. Struck by the courtesy of the people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a place sit down.

OSWALD (on camera): OK. Will you sit with me?

(voice-over): Even our guide hesitates to impose during our midmorning repast.

(on camera): (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

OSWALD: Thank you.

(voice-over): Refreshed, we hit the road again. The rough infrastructure is almost immediately juxtaposed by delicate beauty. Wild orchid blossoms of rich color and the gentle faces of children we meet along the way. For Julianne (ph) and her brother, this is simply their backyard. For us, it's a splendorous treat.

(on camera): You picking the flowers? No. You know what they're called? They're called hydrangeas.

(voice-over): We wind our way down from the tropical rainforest to our last stop, a 17th century attraction of serious significance to the Balinese.

DORRUCCI: Ulun Danu Temple is one of the most famous temple in Bali and is specifically famous for the multi-religion area. In this area we have more than one religion and more than one temples that are living together peacefully.

OSWALD: In the heart of Bali, Ulun Danu was built on Lake Bratan, the water source for irrigation in the southern part of the island. Ceremonies are held here to pray to the gods of water to ensure a steady supply. The breathtaking neyru (ph) towers or rooftops are distinctive and always come in odd numbers, each beautiful, each revered.

As we tour the area, we are struck by the continuity of life. Even the statues are dressed in black and white clothes. Once again, balance between good and evil, a lesson in peace and harmony that stays with you long after leaving the Bali highlands.

Stephanie Oswald, CNN, Bali, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREIDMAN: El Nino, it was the catchphrase of the '90s. It's the phenomena where warm air and water from the Pacific Ocean disrupt weather patterns. The last one in 1997 caused all sorts of weather related disasters. Now just when you thought it was safe, look out, weather experts say another one is on the way.

Ann Kellan now with the forecast.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Here's what the last El Nino caused, mudslides in California, fires in Indonesia, floods in Texas. Now forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center say another El Nino is coming. What damage will it do?

The last El Nino in 1997-98, people in California lost more than a billion dollars in property damage from mudslides and rain. Will California be hit again? Forecasters say it's too early to tell. This El Nino that's now heating up waters in the Pacific is considered milder than the last El Nino. Forecasters want to watch its behavior over the next two months, before predicting its impact on a few states, including California.

LAUTENBACHER: The Gulf of Mexico and Florida could become more stormy and rainy during that period.

KELLAN: North Florida and the Southeast, brace yourself for rain next winter. That could turn out to be good news for some areas dried from drought. The Southwest need rain, but if forecasters call it right, expect a drier winter than normal.

El Nino brought some good memories the last time around. Warmer winter days in the middle states and Northeast brought people out to play and shop. The U.S. saved $6.7 billion in heating costs, according to a Northern Illinois University study, while retail sales in 1997-98 increased by $5.6 billion.

Forecasters predict another warm winter in the Midwest and Great Plains states. It's still too early to tell if the Northeast and New England will get a break from the cold next winter, while the Pacific Northwest forecasters say we'll get less rain next winter.

El Nino reduces the number of hurricanes and tropical storms, though one is all you need to do life-threatening damage. During the last El Nino, the U.S. saved about $5 billion in emergency relief alone.

DAVID CHANGNON, NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY: In our study we found in the U.S. a benefit of about $15 billion, so it's huge.

KELLAN: Yet worldwide, the last El Nino caused 2,100 deaths and $22 billion in property damage. Parts of the world are already feeling the effects of this El Nino, specifically south of the equator, where winter is in full swing.

And reports from Peruvian fisherman they're catching warm water fish, shrimp for example, instead of cold water varieties like anchovies. Wildlife feels El Nino's heat.

LAUTENBACHER: On the oceans, you will see things like the salmon, ground fish, they will move with the temperatures in the water.

KELLAN: During the last El Nino, sea lions suffered. Some even starved to death when fish that usually hug the coast and the warmer waters swam further out in the temperate sea.

El Ninos bring more rain to the Eastern Pacific and Central South America while other areas around the world run dry. Indonesia, where fires broke out from lack of rain during the last El Nino, could be vulnerable again this time around. Dry conditions are also expected for Northern Australia, the Philippines and Northern South America.

LAUTENBACHER: This is really only the second one that we predicted, so I have a group of people that are banking their reputations on this.

KELLAN: Forecasters will tell you it's always a gamble to make weather predictions, especially months ahead of time. And there's a lot of pressure and money on the line to get it right.

LAUTENBACHER: It makes a big difference to our economy to know what's about to happen in terms of energy resources, in terms of our fishing industry, in terms of agriculture.

KELLAN: NOAA claims these early forecasts give industries and agencies like FEMA time to plan ahead, hopefully saving money, resources, even lives.

Ann Kellan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WALCOTT: OK, from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic now where a mystery in the water there is concerning fishermen. We first told you about this phenomenon dubbed black water last week on our Web site, CNNstudentnews.com.

CNN's Mark Potter is back from the Florida Keys and gives us a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first alert something may be wrong in the Gulf of Mexico came from commercial fishermen. Tim Daniels has fished near Florida all his life, and in late January, flew his plane to try to spot King fish schools. Instead, he found that hundreds of miles of Gulf Coast water has turned black and all the fish were gone.

TIM DANIELS, COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN: I flew for two or three hours looking at black water. All our traditional fishing grounds was black water. I don't know what it is, but black water has took us over out there and there's not a fish anywhere.

POTTER: Satellite images confirmed what Daniels had seen. The dark water first appeared offshore late last year, and by February, had blossomed into an area bigger than Lake Okeechobee as it drifted southward along the west Florida coast.

Fishermen returning with their catches said the water looked like sewage.

GARY BURRIS, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST: The only term they could use and two men in one day said the ocean is sick. The ocean's sick.

POTTER: Scientists from around the state then began their investigation, testing the water, trying to determine the cause and the impact.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go ahead and hit that one next,...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Next, right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... and then we'll go off into that other water.

POTTER: Near Key West, the dark water can still be seen, although now it is greenish brown, not black. Based on preliminary data, scientists suspect it is an algae bloom, a natural and common event, although this one is much bigger than any other in the last hundred years.

ERICH MUELLER, MOTE MARINE LABORATORY: What triggered it is a complex series of events, water temperature, nutrient availability, light availability and that's where (ph) we really don't understand much about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is truly a detective story. I mean we have -- we have had events occur, we're trying to collect information that we can collect today and project back into the past to see what has caused this event.

POTTER: Scientists say although the algae may chase fish away, it does not kill them and doesn't appear dangerous to humans.

BRIAN KELLER, FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY: In some ways it's a little bit like a hurricane, it's a large natural event that we watch, we monitor, we try to understand, we try to learn from, but we can't prevent.

POTTER: But the size and duration of the bloom have led some to question whether freshwater runoff, fertilizers and other pollution may be contributing to the explosion of algae.

(on camera): As there is still uncertainty about the exact cause of this event, there is also disagreement over the effects.

(voice-over): Fishermen and environmentalists fear this is a major wakeup call and have reported die-offs of sponges and other sea bottom life in areas touched by the dark water bloom. Scientists say there is no reason for panic but will continue their testing and warn that because of the complexities involved, they may never fully solve the mystery of black water.

Mark Potter, CNN, in the Florida Keys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREIDMAN: Although it's considered a fairly new alternative in the West, acupuncture has been practiced in China for more than 2,500 years. During the treatment, very fine needles are inserted into the skin to relieve pain and other ailments. Exactly how and why acupuncture works for some people is uncertain.

Ryan Meter (ph) from the Hong Kong International School looks at some possible explanations in our "Student Bureau Report."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN METER, CNN STUDENT BUREAU (voice-over): Hong Kong is a place where diversity is present in every way. Here East meets West, bringing the people a wide variety of both modern and ancient forms of medicine.

DR. LEI MEN-WA, ACUPUNCTURIST: Acupuncture is very important. In fact, we call balance the yin yang. For instance, when hypertension, hyperpressure, in this case we say this is the yang is too high, yin is too low.

METER: We also went to a Western practitioner of 29 years, Dr. Pamuk.

DR. WARREN PAMUK, GENERAL MEDICINE: The general consensus is that acupuncture doesn't work much better than what we in medicine call a placebo effect. In other words, if I say to you you will now get better, if you have confidence in me, you'll probably in 30 percent of the cases feel better because of the confidence factor.

MEN-WA: For Western peoples or that peoples, they didn't really understand what's the balance of yin and yang. They think is where abstract one.

METER: One student, Benjamin Lo, also had some insights to share.

BENJAMIN LO, STUDENT: Well I wouldn't do it personally because my mom told me that it's dangerous, you know. I don't want needles stuck in my skin and I think it's scary so.

METER: Five thousand years ago, the needles used by acupuncturists were made of gold, bronze, leather and stone. With today's concern for hygiene, needles used by practitioners are usually made of sterilized steel. There are over 360 points on the body that an acupuncturist might insert a needle to relieve pain or stress. But this patient recently suffered from a stroke and has resorted to acupuncture to cure him.

We do not know what the future might hold for acupuncture. It could be our world's next leading medicine or just another forgotten practice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

"Where in the World" Indonesian island formerly under Dutch rule, active volcanoes, known for its giant warnngin trees, which are sacred to the inhabitants? Can you name this island? Bali.

FREIDMAN: That's it for our show today. We'll see you back here tomorrow.

WALCOTT: Have a good one. Bye-bye.

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