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United Nations 73rd General Assembly; Rivers in Nigeria Are Flooding; CNN Hero; Video Games
Aired September 18, 2018 - 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: Hi. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10. You`re down the middle explanation of events taking place around the world. The 193
numbers of the United Nations are gathering right now. Starting on Tuesday, the International Organization is kicking off it`s 73rd Session.
This has been called the biggest world stage. Leaders from all over the planet speak here. It`s like a museum for the art of diplomacy. Global
tensions are brought up. Sometimes they heat up at the General Assembly. This is the only branch of the U.N. where every member country has equal
representation, one country, one vote.
But not every world leader will actually be attending the session. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin aren`t scheduled
to be at this meeting. They`ll send delegates. Still issues that concern these countries like North Korea`s nuclear program and Syria`s civil war
are sure to be discussed. The 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement is also on the docket. Pretty much anything that`s a major concern of this 193 member
organization can be brought up at the U.N. General Assembly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s the United Nations. Meeting place for most of the world`s countries from the most power such as the United States, China, and
Russia to the smallest and most vulnerable. For 68 years, the U.N. has been involved in everything from assisting refugees to negotiating peace
among nations. Of all the languages in the world, the U.N. uses six to communicate, Al Alarabiya, Chong-Win (ph), English, France. Rouski (ph)
and Espanol. In some combination of those six, the U.N. deliberates on global issues.
For judicial matters, they look to the International Court of Justice. The Economic and Social Council otherwise known as ECOSOC deals with, you
guessed it, the world`s economic, social and environmental issues. The Trusteeship Council helps countries become self-governed and independent
while the Secretariat, another part of the U.N. family tackles day to day issues that include keeping the press informed. Where I`m standing is one
of the more recognizable places in the U.N., the Security Council. It determines threats to international peace and works to solve those problems
right here in this chamber.
A gift from Norway in 1952 and on top of that, this council selects the Secretary General who is then formally appointed by the General Assembly,
the main representative body of the U.N. The G.A. as it`s called, meets from September to December every year but the worlds problems don`t exactly
follow the calendar. The U.N. has to operate year around and one of the ways they`re staying current is through social media. And you can follow
the organization in any of it`s official languages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARL AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. Which of these nations has the largest population on the African continent? Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa or
Sudan. Nigeria has both the largest population and largest economy of any African nation.
There are two major rivers in Nigeria, the Benue and Niger Rivers and both of them have flooded. The country is in it`s rainy season. Flooding is
common at that time. It`s made worse by poorly planned communities and bad drainage systems but it`s not usually this bad. More than 100 people have
been killed in the rising waters. Thousands have had to leave their homes and farmland has been destroyed along with unharvested crops. Heavy rain
has hit some of Nigeria`s rural areas the worst. The government is telling people who live near the rivers to get to safer places while it prepares
relief and security to help victims recover.
Nigeria also saw flooding like this in 2012. The government said that disaster killed more than 400 people and forced more than 1 million to
leave their homes. Today`s 10 Second Trivia mentioned that Nigeria has Africa`s largest economy but most of it`s 190 million people still live in
poverty. In fact, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency says that more than 62 percent of Nigerians live in extreme poverty. A computer programmer in
the Nigerian city of Lagos or Lagos works with an organization called the Pearls Africa Foundation. It`s helped train more than 400 girls to change
their lives. She`s a CNN Hero.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I got introduced to the world of computer programming, I was just natural with it. It just load. It`s all about
solving problems. Lagos is the biggest city in Africa. It`s (inaudible) to be the Silicon Valley of Nigeria. (inaudible) by men. Why should we
leave that to guys? I believe girls should be given opportunities. When I went to (inaudible) for the first time I was surprised to see the living
condition of human beings. They believe in chances. Sanitation is bad. The water is black in color. Life growing up for me was really, really
tough. (inaudible) at the age of four I would be beaten by my father was really difficult.
I needed to fend for myself. In Makoko Slum most girls are trapped in vicious cycle of poverty. They know that (inaudible) nothing (inaudible)
education. They plan for the future. I believe you can still find diamonds in these places. They need to be shown another life. (inaudible)
your website will work. Your (inaudible) will function. (inaudible) girls 10 to 17 how to program. Not everyone is from the slum. Many of the girls
who work (inaudible) never saw computers before they joined us. Every element is a big deal. If you miss a comma you can actually look for that
comma for two weeks. The curriculum we teach includes (inaudible) java scripts, CSS. We want them to be creators of tech and not (inaudible).
It is no longer about just (inaudible). They try to solve problems. (inaudible). The slogan we have for girls students is, when girls learn to
code the wall will run with outboards.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Watching them write codes is beautiful. It`s mind blowing. The joy on their faces, that`s more than money. I can`t buy it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coding helps me to solve problems.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coding makes me feel inspired.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s fun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coding is everything to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my website.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One thing I want my girls to hold on to is to get less of where you`re coming from you can make it. They are coders. They
are thinkers. Their future is bright.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARL AZUZ: As far as video games go, research is all over the map on the effects they have on gamers. A number of studies suggest links between
violent video games and violent or antisocial behavior. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that violence in games is connected to
aggressive behavior. But there are also a number of studies that suggest games help people work out their anger and improve social behavior. Where
ever you stand in the games, one thing that`s indisputable is that they are big business.
(VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: No doubt it`s a growing "segament" of the economy and some folks have "nidten" notions of playing all their lives whether they were "a bit"
by the centipede bug in the 1980`s or they`ve come face to face with the virtual reality of having spent a fortnight or a "fortune" thinking outside
the "X-box" on "pixcelerated" graphics. I`m Carl Azuz showing my pun game on CNN 10.
END
