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CNN Student News

Aired June 11, 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: Back again with the news of the day. We top our agenda with the rebirth of a nation. Learn about Afghanistan's loya jirga in our "Lead Story."

SUSAN FRIEDMAN, CO-HOST: Later we add sports to the political mix as we "Chronicle" the World Cup.

WALCOTT: Then in our "Health Report," find out why fewer of you are lighting up.

FRIEDMAN: Finally, we're back on the sports page as Student Bureau zeros in on Tae Kwon Do.

It's Tuesday, June 11, and this is CNN STUDENT NEWS. I'm Susan Friedman.

WALCOTT: And I'm Shelley Walcott. Thanks for joining us.

An Afghan grand council gets underway today after a 24-hour delay.

FRIEDMAN: More than 1,500 delegates are gathering for the supreme council known as the loya jirga. The goal is to have -- form a new government, including a head of state and a cabinet, until elections can be held in 18 months. Balancing power between the Tajiks, who hold key positions, and the Pashtuns, Afghanistan's major ethnic group, will be a key issue at this week's session.

CNN's Jane Arraf will have more on the two groups coming up. But first, we go to Gary Tuchman for a closer look at the Afghan meeting and the former king's decision not to participate in the new government.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Prayer beads in hand, the elderly former king of Afghanistan walked into the backyard of his home to issue a blessing of sorts. The recipient, Hamid Karzai, the interim head of the country who wants more permanency to his title. Amid machine gun toting security personnel, a spokesman for 87-year-old King Mohammad Zaher Shah reiterated there is no intention of restoring the monarchy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm appreciative of the valuable services rendered by Mr. Hamid Karzai, chairman of the interim administration. I fully support his candidacy as the head of the transition administration.

TUCHMAN: In a huge tent in the center of Kabul, some 1,600 delegates were supposed to begin meeting Monday to decide who the transitional leader of the country will be for the next 18 to 24 months. The meeting is called a loya jirga, a century's old tradition for making important decisions in this ancient land. But the loya jirga was delayed, a problem authenticating delegates, say the organizers.

ABDUL SALAM RAHIMI, LOYA JIRGA COMMISSION: We wanted to start it on time, but I think it is more important to have people, have a good list of the voting members ready present at the place before we start such an important event.

TUCHMAN: Karzai is an ethnic Pashtun, like the former king, but in this land where ethnic hatred has lead to so much death and destruction, he has widespread support from other ethnic groups, which perhaps made him a bit presumptuous while thanking the former monarch.

HAMID KARZAI, AFGHAN INTERIM LEADER: I am grateful to him for the kind words that he has expressed about me and for the confidence that His Majesty has put in me to go on and serve as the transition head of the administration, that is after the loya jirga, of course, decides about it.

TUCHMAN (on camera): The loya jirga is now scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon with the authorities saying no further delays are anticipated.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Putting the pieces back together, these children are from Afghanistan's different ethnic backgrounds, a new part of an old tradition. The Loya Jirga, an assembly which will choose a broad based government from different ethnic groups, tribes and religions. The assembly includes more than 1500 elected and appointed delegates who are meeting in a huge tent over the coming days. The key players include an ex-king returned from exile.

Mohammad Zahir Shah is seen as a unifying force for many, but he's too ill to take an active role. Some tribal leaders are pressing for his son or grandson. Hamid Karzai, the western backed leader of the interim government, and the leading candidate to stay on. Among the other participants are tribal leaders, doctors, lawyers, politicians. But perhaps the most significant are ordinary men, and for the first time, women. Under the Taliban, women couldn't work or even go to school, much less vote. The Loya Jirga is changing that. Feta Nayimi (ph) comes from a mountain village in remote Bamniyan (ph). She was nominated by the other women to try to help girls in the impoverished district.

"This is a positive thing for Afghanistan," she says. Under the Taliban, we couldn't participate in the Loya Jirga. It was only men who would get together and decide. She says the first thing her country needs is to rid itself of men who rule by guns.

One of the more controversial delegates, Commander Pasha Kahn Zidran (ph), warns that unless his choice for power, the ex-king or one of the king's descendants wins, the country will revert to bloodshed. Despite harassment, intimidation, bribery, and even a murder during the voting to elect members to the assembly, U.N. officials say overall, it's gone pretty well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you know, this country has just come out of 23 years of conflict. And it's extremely difficult to demonstrate to give evidence of who is guilty and who is not guilty of what.

ARRAF (on camera): The assembly will decide the future of Afghanistan. The delegates will choose a new leader and a new government that will move the country toward elections in the next two years, and try to make sure that peace really does take hold.

Jane Arraf, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRIEDMAN: Despite promises of a representative government, some cultural biases against women in power remain.

Lisa Rose Weaver talked to some female delegate hopefuls and filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA ROSE WEAVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This moment holds a promise of cutting loose the bonds that used to silence any female voice daring enough to form a political opinion. Now these women are on the brink of helping to form a nation. The atmosphere is electric with the power of being seen and heard. Sixty of these women will be chosen as candidates to the loya jirga or grand council. That group will then be narrowed to five who will travel to the Afghan capital to help choose a national government in transition.

Hadi Sappopol, like most candidates, is registering her desire for national unity and peace. After that she wants the grand council to back up rights for women with new laws.

"If I go to Kabul," she says, "my first priority will be to convince the loya jirga to reverse the decrees forbidding women to go outside the home alone, to work and to get an education."

Basic civil rights in most places, but potentially volatile here. Security posted outside the meeting hall is a reminder that Kandahar lies at the center of cultural conservatism. This was the home base of the Taliban. And here the Taliban found a public open to the idea of keeping women invisible and powerless.

(on camera): Sending women from Kandahar to the loya jirga marks a significant advancement of their rights. But the delegates don't necessarily see their step up in political terms as much as a way to better continue what they've been trying to do all along.

(voice-over): Naseepa Mame (ph) is in her element among the poor, like the women and children here at the small hospital she runs. For her candidacy to the loya jirga, Naseepa says she has the support of the community, but she has also received a threatening letter and pressure from some in Kandahar's local government not to run.

"I'm not worried," she says, "because I know I'm in the right. I'm looking after these poor people. God is with me." She adds she's not asking for power or money. "So if local government has any sense, it will support me fully," she says.

Behind the language of fate lies a will of steel and the solid hope that even for women who may have never dreamed of taking a place in civil society somebody will do so in their name.

Lisa Rose Weaver, CNN, Kandahar, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRIEDMAN: A final note, the last woman we just heard from did make the delegation. You can learn more about Afghanistan's diversity on our web site. That's CNNSTUDENTNEWS.com. You'll find a colorful map there of the various ethnic groups.

WALCOTT: OK, so "In the Headlines" today, nuclear foes India and Pakistan take a step back from the brink of war. Now India has reopened its airspace to Pakistani planes. The move comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld heads to the region on a peace keeping mission.

Satinder Bindra has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): India's announcement to open its airspace to Pakistani planes comes just a day before the U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is scheduled to visit the region. Analysts believe the step marks a significant de- escalation for the lowering the looming threat of war between the nuclear neighbors. India's been under pressure to announce some conciliatory measures after Pakistan recently told a visiting U.S. envoy it was willing to put a -- quote -- "permanent end" to the infiltration of militants from Pakistan onto the Indian side of Kashmir.

NIRUPAMA RAO, INDIAN SPOKESPERSON: We had mentioned at that time that India would respond appropriately and positively at the right moment. So this is a follow up to that.

BINDRA: Senior diplomatic sources tell CNN New Delhi will soon make other announcements.

(on camera): These sources tell CNN New Delhi may soon pull back its naval forces from waters close to Pakistan towards the western Indian port of Mumbai. Indian officials also say they're considering sending back diplomats who were recently recalled from Pakistan following the escalation of tensions between the neighbors.

(voice-over): All this is welcome news for Neha Dwivedi. Three years ago, her father, Major Chundra Bushin (ph) Dwivedi, was killed fighting Pakistani intruders who had encroached into Indian territory.

NEHA DWIVEDI, WAR VICTIM: He basically believed they should talk and negotiate, you know. I said they should make some compromises. Some should be on India's part, some should be their part. So you have -- they have to settle this thing down.

BINDRA: To settle things down, both India and Pakistan now appear to be making significant concessions. India says infiltration is down in recent weeks. Analysts say Pakistan seems to be scaling back a decade's old policy on Kashmir. And India, say analysts, is now willing for the first time in years to accept the presence of visitors, like U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, to try to defuse tensions over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

JYOTI MALHOTRA, POLITICAL ANALYST: Rumsfeld will take back a message from Delhi to Pakistan which is that New Delhi is prepared to begin dialog with Pakistan.

BINDRA: It's still not clear when this dialog will begin. And for all the recent success of U.S. diplomacy in the region, more needs to be done. One million Indian and Pakistani troops still remain on the border in a state of high alert.

Satinder Bindra, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRIEDMAN: We focus once more on Afghanistan and the diversity of its people. This time we look at families who are the last of a once thriving community. The international aid pouring into Afghanistan has helped many problems go away, but some, like old prejudices, take more than just cash and new leadership.

To Afghanistan now and a small village of Sikhs and Hindus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELINA FUHRMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These people see themselves as an endangered species in Afghanistan, a small island of several hundred Sikhs and Hindus in a Muslim sea. They say there are only 38 of their families left here in Kabul after years of war and devastation. The Soviet invasion in 1979 and six years of Taliban rule drove the once thriving community of bankers and merchants away. "The Taliban asked us to grow beards and wear yellow scarves and turbans," says this Hindu man.

Just last spring the Taliban also required that yellow flags mark the houses of Hindus and Sikhs, a measure often compared to the Nazi treatment of the Jews.

But not everyone fled, and the few who stayed were too poor to leave. They now live in a Kabul ghetto and struggle to survive in this conservative Muslim society. Yet these Sikhs and Hindus want their presence known.

"For 2,500 years we have been living here. It means seven generations of my people," says this man, adding, "it's my home."

But home is only a two-block neighborhood around the temple and not many have the courage to venture out into the overwhelmingly Muslim city.

"If I go somewhere, I get teased and stoned," says this boy. "Muslim kids pull my hair and call me potato head," adding, "it hurts my feelings. But what can I do?"

Adults are more cautious about what they say openly. They're watching carefully the steps the interim government of Hamid Karzai is taking. The signs so far, they say, are positive.

(on camera): Sikhs and Hindus in this Kabul neighborhood place much faith in the present government. But one man privately told me their temples are still being desecrated and the Muslim government offers no solutions. It just shrugs its shoulders.

(voice-over): But pride here seems to take precedence over safety. Pride also sustains this community's self-preservation. So small are their numbers now that despite discrimination and prejudice, Sikhs and Hindus pray for a better life and say they now believe it is possible.

Elina Fuhrman, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRIEDMAN: The late Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill, once said, "All politics is local." It's a message true the world over, even in South Korea, host to the World Cup. It seems politicians are warming up to soccer and its fans alike as the country's political parties look for winning connections that last beyond the game.

Tim Lister explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM LISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Who said politics and sport don't mix? After their thrilling 1-1 tie against the United States, the South Korean team has every chance of qualifying for the second round of the World Cup. Ahead of local elections throughout the country this week, politicians of all strikes are looking for ways to turn football into votes. Both the governing Millennium Democratic Party and the opposition Grand National Party want to own the red and blue of the national team to share in the feel good factor generated by Korea's strong showing in the tournament.

On the stump, candidates not renowned for their tactical expertise dress in soccer uniforms or the garb of the official supporters group the Red Devils. And then they wax lyrical about the hard work and the positive attitude of the national squad.

(on camera): As they campaign for these crucial local elections, many of South Korea's politicians invoke the name of a man who is neither a candidate nor a party leader. In fact, he's not even Korean.

(voice-over): He's Guss Hiddink, the Dutch coach of the South Korean sport, a man whose endorsement would be a free ticket to victory.

"Coach Hiddink has 25 years of experience. Korean politics is divided between those who do and do not have political experience. Hiddink has global experience and has emerged as a figure that gets things done."

MIN SUK KIM, SEOUL MAYORAL CANDIDATE, MDP: Now Hiddink is sort of a hero in Korea and his leadership is characterized as rejecting (ph) all the fashion style.

LISTER: The voters would like more Hiddink's among their politicians.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Coach Hiddink chooses players based on their talent and not on their background. I wish our society will do the same when choosing politicians.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think he's someone who really works hard. He's come all the way here as a foreigner and achieves everything he's worked for. I wish our politicians would behave the same.

LISTER: The only problem is that South Koreans, especially the young, are so engrossed by the World Cup that they probably won't vote. Despite a loud campaign urging people to do their civic duty, as few as 40 percent are expected to bother.

For one man, the World Cup could pave the way to a bigger stage, Chung Mong-joon is head of Korea's World Cup organizing committee. A good run by the home team and he may just run for president in the next set of elections in December.

He wouldn't be the first to try to score through football. Back in 1966, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson called an election soon after England won the World Cup and was duly reelected.

This year's tournament may even help cool (ph) relations between North and South Korea. That at least is the hope expressed in one TV commercial that ends let's play together next time. This week it was announced that a team from North Korea will travel South in September to play at the World Cup stadium in Seoul. Politics imitating sport?

Tim Lister, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

WALCOTT: You know in Russia, like most other places, old habits die hard, even the ones that should never have become accepted at all. Domestic violence is a major problem in a country fueled by alcohol and unemployment. Now there is no specific law targeting spousal abuse in Russia.

But as Jill Dougherty reports, attitudes and behaviors are beginning to reflect change and a concern for human rights.

A word of caution, our subject matter is intense.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the ancient Russian city of Novgorod traditions die hard. Even if this house is not a fortress, at home the man is boss.

Twenty-eight years ago, Natalya Vorontsova fell in love. He was tall with curly blond hair, she recalls, strong and handsome. I idolized him. But Demitri (ph) had another side to him.

"He used to beat me as if there were no tomorrow," she says. "He broke my arms, my leg. I'm partially paralyzed as a result."

He cut her, he burned her, he broke her jaw. Natalya told no one and never called the police. She was too ashamed. After more than two decades of torture, she finally called the local hotline run by a crisis center called Sisters. Demitri (ph) is now in prison. But for other women, the abuse continues.

(on camera): There's an old Russian saying that goes if he beats you, it means he loves you, and literally millions of Russian women are being beaten and thousands killed by the men who supposedly love them.

(voice-over): According to the Russian Association of Crisis Centers, approximately 15,000 women a year die from domestic violence in Russia, 10 times the number of victims in the United States which has a significantly higher population. The violence is fueled by unemployment, lack of housing, alcoholism and tradition.

For years it's been a taboo subject. Nadezhka Lisitsina, a former lawmaker, is trying to change that, getting out the word on radio and TV in Novgorod that domestic violence is a crime.

"One man called and said, what do you mean, I can't hit my wife if she doesn't make a good dinner?" It was a shock for them.

Her organization, partially funded by the city of Novgorod and a $10,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development, helps women prosecute their abusers and works with police and the courts to pass laws to protect women.

"There is no specific legislation on domestic violence in Russia," says lawyer Galina Vasilyega. "There are laws on violence in general, and right now that void is being filled by organizations like Sisters."

In a quite neighborhood in Novgorod, Sisters runs a shelter for victims of domestic violence and their families, one of only six safe houses in all of Russia. That's where Maria Khimova, along with her 13-year-old daughter, is living after 16 years of marriage and countless beatings from her husband.

"He told me get out. If I see you again, I'll kill you," she says, "and I believed him."

For now Maria and her daughter are safe. What comes next she doesn't know, but she won't go home again.

Jill Dougherty, CNN, Novgorod.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALCOTT: Smoking by high school students has dropped to the lowest level since 1991. Now that's according to a recently released government report. That's welcome news to child advocates who nervously watched the percentage of teen smokers rise during the '90s.

Christy Feig takes a look at why experts think fewer teens are now lighting up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Public health officials celebrated the news, the number of teens who smoke is at the lowest level since 1991. When surveyed last year, less than 30 percent of high school students said they had smoked a cigarette in the previous month. Five years earlier, that number was 36 percent.

TERRY PECHACEK, CDC: If this current trends continues, we will be able to cut rates of smoking in half by the year 2010.

FEIG: The government says the reason for the good news is twofold.

PECHACEK: Between 1997 and 2001, the price of -- retail price of cigarettes increased 70 percent. As well we've had a large increase in the number of states that are making available effective counter marketing campaigns.

FEIG: Experts say this payoff is a wake up call for states not doing enough. MATTHEW MYERS, CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO FREE KIDS: For those states who aren't funding comprehensive tobacco prevention programs, it's like there's a vaccine to lung cancer and they're not giving it to their kids.

FEIG: And there's a reason to target kids.

MYERS: Ninety percent of all of the long-term smokers in this country start as teenagers.

FEIG: The thinking is, if you can prevent teens from picking up the habit then, chances are they won't pick it up as adults.

Christy Feig, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALCOTT: A Korean marshal art known as Tae Kwon Do is helping people of all ages get into shape. Its roots trace back a couple of thousand years, but the modern sport actually gained popularity just a few decades ago. Many universities, including Michigan State, now offer Tae Kwon Do training and have teams that compete in national competitions.

Our CNN Student Bureau looks at the mental and physical preparation involved.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN COE, CNN STUDENT BUREAU (voice-over): When translated, Tae Kwon Do means the way of the foot and the fist. But to some students of the marshal art, like Michigan State University elementary education senior Chad Johnson, it simply shows the way.

CHAD JOHNSON, TAE KWON DO STUDENT: What first kind of drew me in was the athletic ability and stuff, and then actually the personality of our master, Mr. Southwick, just kind of pushing me, not by his standards, but getting me to want to push myself.

COE: The Michigan State University Tae Kwon Do team pressed (ph) its strength and endurance in the national championship tournament. The Olympic style competition will include full knock out sparring in a forms event giving each participant a chance to display skills, grace and power on a non-violent level. The tournament held in Detroit will attract some of the best competitors in the country.

(on camera): Members of the Michigan State University Tae Kwon Do team practice in a building right next to the Spartan football stadium. But the Tae Kwon Do players don't receive university funding. They don't have scholarships either, but they work out two hours a day to achieve a combination of mental and physical balance and the skills they'll need for the upcoming event.

(voice-over): The instructor of the club and team coach, Master Ron Southwick, has led the program at Michigan State for over 15 years and thinks more of improvement rather than wins and losses. RON SOUTHWICK, TAE KWON DO INSTRUCTOR: You know I'm not concerned with winning. I am concerned with, you know, students giving the best of themselves and finding out on their own the lessons that they need to learn.

COE: Food industry management major Dae Woo Kim from South Korea has been training with the club for two years and found a youthful edge being on the team.

DAE WOO KIM, TAE KWON DO STUDENT: The fighting, I don't really see my opponent eyes and body (ph). I mean -- I mean whether he look at me or not, I cannot see anything. But you know, sometimes I turn myself into a survivor mode.

COE: Another instructor, who's trained in Korea, sees Tae Kwon Do as a lifelong pursuit.

JEONG DAE LEE, TAE KWON DO INSTRUCTOR: I want students to carry something very positive, things like etiquette and respect and also discipline.

COE: Southwick, who teaches for free and out of respect for his master, believes in continuing tradition through his students.

SOUTHWICK: When they come to me and they say, you know I loved what I just did, that was the best performance I ever had, and they know it themselves, that's the most gratifying for me.

COE: It's still difficult for competitors to ignore a drive to succeed.

CHRISTINA BRADFORD, TAE KWON DO STUDENT: Hopefully gold at nationals and well, it's more than that.

COE: To some, Tae Kwon Do helps overcome insecurities.

JOHNSON: You ain't get (ph) a fear of having somebody kick at your head, you know, as hard as they can. But if you kind of just step up to it and say you know what, I don't care if they do, I'm going to give my best, then the chances of that happening goes down and your chances of winning go up.

COE: The tournament's just a small part of the sport and spirit of the way of the foot and fist.

Ryan Coe, CNN Student Bureau, East Lancing, Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALCOTT: That's it for today. We'll catch you back here tomorrow.

FRIEDMAN: Bye-bye.

WALCOTT: Bye.

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