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CNN 10
Disputes Take Place on South China Sea Between China and The U.S. Navy; One of The Leading Fatal Accidents are Lead by Texting and Driving
Aired October 04, 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 HOST: Hi I`m Carl Azuz with your down the middle explanation of world events, this is CNN 10, we`re happy to see you just
one day away from Friday. Our first story is on what was like a game of chicken between two warships in the South China Sea.
Here`s what happened, the USS Decatur an American destroyer was conducting a freedom of navigation operation on Sunday. It was sailing near reefs in
the Spratly Islands, which are located in the South China Sea, when a Chinese destroyer approached the American ship.
The U.S. Navy says the Chinese warship gave warnings for the American vessel to leave the area and conducted a series of increasingly aggressive
maneuvers, at one point forcing the USS Decatur to make a radical move to avoid a possible collision.
The Navy says at one point the two vessels were within 45 yards of each other, you can see how close that is by these photos released by a Maritime
vlog site. A former U.S. Navy Captain says the USS Decatur would have had the right of way under international law, but that the Chinese ship broke
the rules of the road.
All of this centers on disputed reefs in the South China Sea. China has built islands there which it claims as its territory, but the U.S. and
several other countries don`t recognize these man-made islands as Chinese territory. So when the U.S. Navy sails nearby on freedom of navigation
operations, it says it`s enforcing the right of international ships to pass freely through international waters.
Well China says it`s defending and safeguarding Chinese territorial waters. This dispute has been building just as the islands have been built up in
the South China Sea.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The South China Sea is one of the busiest and most militarized shipping routes in the world. Experts also believe a wealth of
oil and gas is lying below the area`s surface. China claims almost all of this body of water for itself, ignoring competing claims from countries
like the Philippines and Vietnam.
To complicate things further, Brunei, Malaysia and the island Taiwan also have territorial claims. To legitimize its claims China has built up
artificial islands in the Spratly Chain.
Take Fiery Cross Reef, for example, in 2015 CNN flew with the U.S. Navy over Fiery Cross Reef which was already a man-made island. And this is
what it looks like today, air strips, radar towers, four and five story concrete buildings.
Lieutenant Lauren Callen is the Commander of the U.S. Navy, who flies over the South China Sea.
LIEUTENANT LAUREN CALLEN, U.S. NAVY: It was very surprising to see just essentially air parts (ph) out in the middle of the ocean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Much of China`s territorial claims are based on something called the Nine-Dash Line, which is used by Beijing to mark out
what it sees as Chinese territory. The Nine-Dash line takes in nearly all of the South China Sea, an area the size of Mexico.
Historically, the Nine-Dash line has caused a lot of attention, so much so, that when the Philippines took China took the Permanent Court of
Arbitration in the Hague back in 2016, the court rejected most of Beijing`s claims over the South China Sea, finding them illegal, but there`s no real
way to enforce the court`s ruling.
So China has refused to abide by it, instead, continuing to build up artificial islands to reinforce its claims of sovereignty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`ve militarized these new artificial islands, so they`ve built airstrips, they`ve put missile systems on there, they`ve put
radar-jamming stations, they`ve put radar installations. And so, all of that (inaudible) mentality, over the last several years, has really caused
tensions to rise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where the U.S. comes into the dispute. For the past year, it has stepped up its naval operations in South China Sea,
sailing within miles of China`s artificial islands, showing its commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation. It also monitors developments from
above, regularly flying over the South China Sea in Navy reconnaissance planes.
This has created tense standoffs between the U.S. and China, like this warning the crew received while CNN was flying with them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: U.S. military aircraft, this is the Chinese military. China has sovereignty of the Nansha Islands, including the reef and its
adjacent waters. Leave immediately and keep off to avoid any misunderstanding.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) United States Naval aircraft conducting lawful military activities beyond the national airspace of any coastal
states and exercising these rights, as guaranteed by international law. I am operating with due regard to the rights of duties of all states.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time may be running out to effectively challenge China`s claim in the South China Sea, though. Admiral Philip Davidson, the
new head of the U.S. Pacific Command, told senators, during a conformation hearing in April, that China is now capable of controlling South China Sea
in all scenarios, short of war, with the United States.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
AZUZ: Ten-second Trivia. On average, which of these celestial objects is about 140 million miles away from Earth? Is it the Moon, the Sun, Mars or
Pluto? Though the exact distance varies because it has it has its own orbit, Mars is an average of 140 million miles away.
So getting there, if and when a manned Mars mission gets off the ground, could take nine months, and that could mean some major problems as far as
an astronaut`s health is concerned.
Previously, we`ve discussed the eye and back problems that astronauts on longer missions have experienced. Since the late 1980s, more than half the
Americans who`ve spent time in space have complained of back pain.
Now researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have published a new study paid for by NASA. It found that deep-space missions could
permanently harm astronauts intestines, causing stomach and colon cancer.
Scientists got their results by exposing mice to heavy ion radiation, which is believed to be like the galactic cosmic radiation that someone would be
exposed to in deep-space. At low radiation doses, the long exposure times caused a lot of intestinal problems for the mice. It also prevented them
from absorbing nutrients from their food.
Researchers say it`s harder to prevent radiation exposure like this in deep-space, and that there`s no medicine to reverse the permanent organ
damage that his radiation causes. They believe that other organs, besides the intestines, would be affected to.
Relatively short space trips, like those to the Moon, might not lead to this kind of damage, according to researchers.
Our next story today, no country on earth has an average life expectancy of 100. We told you earlier this week that Monaco, which you see right here -
- has the longest life expectancy, that`s 89-1/2 years. And the other nations in the top 10 for that people can expect to live on average,
between 82 and 85 years.
But if you were hoping to become a centenarian we have some new tips for you in our ongoing living to 100 series. CNN`s Doctor Sanjay Gupta is
getting back to basics today, basic safety.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICIAL CORRESPONDENT I don`t think a lot of people realize this but if you`re under the age of 45 in this country the
number one cause of death is from unintentional injuries. All the other things -- heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer -- all those things are
typically in people who are older. But it`s trauma usually from unintentional injuries that is most likely to kill somebody who is younger.
Just think about that every time you get behind the wheel, 32,000 people die every year, 2 million are injured every year in car accidents. The
biggest problem I think now, especially for this generation is looking at the phone, texting and driving.
And there`s been plenty of evidence to show how much you can divert your attention even by looking at the phone for a split second, from the road,
and how far your car can actually travel during that time -- that`s another prescription for an accident.
I love to bike, I think you can do it on the open road and you can do it safely but you`ve got to keep a few things in mind. You always want to
obviously ride with traffic, you want to obey traffic laws just like the vehicles do. And I`m not saying this just because I`m a neurosurgeon, but
never forget to wear your helmet. And keep biking, because it`s good for exercise. It`s good for your body, and it`ll help you live to 100.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
AZUZ: High-end athletic shoes can set you back anywhere from $80 to $160, the most expensive men`s dress shoes I can find were $1,900. These are
priced even higher, now before I tell you how much they cost here`s a few things to keep in mind -- they`re made of leather, silk, gold and diamonds.
That includes two flawless stones of 15 karats each. They`re on sale in Dubai United Arab Emirates, they`re custom made and they`re believed to be
the most expensive shoes on the planet. Now for the price, $17 million, that`s more than some islands. So I guess it comes down to what you want
to set foot on. You`d have to be more than well heeled to afford those high heels.
You`d have to stilet-go (ph) of a fortune, and they could be a shoe-in for foot pain, so you may win the shoes but still have the agony of defeat.
It`d be interesting to see which buyer puts their best foot forward and steps out to toe the line on such over archingly (ph) expensive shoes.
She`ll only need one since they already cost an arm and a leg.
I`m Carl Azuz and that`s CNN.
END
