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French President`s Visit to Washington D.C.; China-Taiwan Historical Meeting in Nanjing; Celebrations of 35th Anniversary of Islamic Revolution in Tehran; The Large European Acoustic Facility Built to Imitate Space Flights; Mutts at Westminster Dog Show.
Aired February 12, 2014 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: We crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans today on CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz reporting from Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. First up, a trip from France to Washington, D.C. French President Francois Hollande stopped by the U.S. capital for a state visit. This isn`t a casual get together for lunch. State visits have pump and circumstance. There are welcoming ceremonies. Sitting assignments at dinner. Last night`s event was the first state dinner of President Obama`s second term. He and the French President, a socialist elected in 2012, discussed economic struggles in Europe, the civil war in Syria and Iran`s controversial nuclear program. Hollande says, trust has been restored after news came out last year that the U.S. National Security Agency had spied on U.S. allies, including France.
To another diplomatic meeting now, in Nanjing, the city in China. This meeting is historic. It`s the first time in 65 years that officials from Taiwan and China have met with each other. China`s formal name is People`s Republic of China, Taiwan`s formal name is Republic of China. Both governments consider Taiwan to be a province of China. But while all that`s pretty close, there are some differences here. Taiwan`s government type is a multi-party democracy. China`s is a communist state. And both say, they`re the legitimate rulers over all China, so you can see why there are some tension at the table of this government officials.
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PAULINE CHIOU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The delicate relationship between China and Taiwan took center stage at historic talks in Nanjing this week. The two sides agreed to a new chapter in their relationship. While no formal agreements were signed, both marked the moment as a step forward. This is the first time government officials from Taiwan and China have met since 1949. That`s when the communists forced nationalists to flee to Taiwan. Since then, island and mainland have been government separately, both claiming to be the true government of China. While their relationship has improved since 2008, Beijing still refuses to recognize the government of Taiwan to this day. That issue was sidestepped at the meeting, and officials were addressed by their titles. And a sense of diplomacy inside the conference room. As you can see, there were no flags placed around the room. Nanjing is also a symbolic location for this meeting. It was China`s capital city before the split. Pauline Chiou, CNN, Hong Kong.
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AZUZ: The United States and Iran are rivals. There are no diplomatic relations between them. The U.S. labels Iran a sponsor of international terrorism, and says its nuclear program could be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran says, the program is only for peaceful purposes. Ties between the two countries fell apart decades ago, during the Islamic revolution of 1979. There was a violent uprising that overthrew Iran`s ruling monarchy and led to the creation of the Islamic Republic that Iran has today. The anniversary of that revolution is being celebrated in Iran this week. A new political tone seems to be coinciding with an old one.
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REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thousands marked the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Teheran. A celebration that`s always part gushing tribute to the Islamic Republic.
And part kicking the teeth to Washington.
And many here in Iran still see the U.S. government as the world`s bully. And this ceremony has long been used to send a message of defiance against Washington. And that message is, we`re not scared of you and you`re not going to push us around.
Chants of death to America, one of the iconic symbols of Iran`s defiance, still ringing out. 35 years after Washington and Tehran broke off diplomatic ties. "America, you can`t do a thing to us," says Zahra Elohi (ph).
But this year with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pushing to improve relations with the West, you get the sense here that the tone of the anti- American rhetoric is softening just a little bit.
In his speech, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was firm. Rejecting Western sanctions and stating Iran will never give up its civilian nuclear program. But he also said, Iran wants peace.
"We want regional countries to know. Iranphobia is a lie. Iran will never think about aggression against any country," said the president. It was a sentiment echoed by many in the crowd.
"It`s not about attacking anyone," says Sayah Kozowi (ph). It`s about defending ourselves.
"If they pay attention to us, they`ll see we can be good friends who can help bring peace and love all over the world," says Mortizad Datha (ph). Cautious calls for peace, reconciliation and mutual respect on the anniversary of a revolution that ended U.S.-Iran relations. Perhaps, an early sign that 35 years of bad feelings re finally starting to ease.
Rezah Sayah, CNN, Tehran.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the "Shoutout." This is a unit for measuring what: if you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: loudness, resistance, elasticity or depth? You`ve got three seconds, go!
The letters are an abbreviation for decibels, which are used to measure how loud a sound is. That`s your answer and that`s your "Shoutout."
AZUZ: So, something at 30 decibels would be pretty faint. Maybe somebody whispering to you in a library. You are probably listening to me at a level of around 60 decibels right now, unless you`re sitting right next to the speaker.
Exposure to anything above 85 decibels for too long can cause hearing loss. So, why would someone want to invent something louder than 154 decibels?
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A vacuum cleaner, a freight train. `80s heavy metal gods, "Manowar." None of this can stand up to this monstrous system: it`s so loud it will literally kill you.
Or at least completely rupture your eardrums. It`s called the Large European Acoustic Facility. LEAF, for sure. It`s operated by the European Space Agency in the Netherlands. They use it to simulate the rigors of spaceflight. Things like the noise from a rocket launch. Or the intense friction experience for passing in and out of the atmosphere.
The giant room that makes up the speaker, has massive horns that can blast air so powerfully, that sounds inside the room can exceed 154 decibels.
That`s like standing in the center of a group of jets if they take off all around me. And so, the scientists don`t melt their brains. The room is surrounded by steel-reinforced concrete and rubber padding. Plus, the horns won`t operate unless all the doors are locked and sealed.
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AZUZ: Welcome to the "Roll Call." It`s worldwide Wednesday. That means, we are going global to see who is watching CNN STUDENT NEWS. In Manila, Philippines, hello to the students of Santa Thomas University. Our next school is in Yerevan, Armenia. Thanks to all of those watching at Quantum College Middle and High School. And we`ll make our third stop in Ontario, Canada. We are glad to be part of your day in Victor Loreston (ph) Public School.
The Westminster Kennel Club hosts what it calls the World`s Most Famous Dog Show." Recent winners that were awarded best in show, included affenpinscher, a Pecanese, a Scottish deerhound. They don`t include any mutts. But at least one part of this show, every dog has his day.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Finally, mutts are back at Westminster. At least, they are allowed in Westminster`s new agility competition that takes place before the main event.
But how do you separate the purebreds from the mutts?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on camera): Mutt or no mutt?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Neither one of them is a mutt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mutt or no mutt?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No mutt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mutt or no mutt?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s an Australian shepherd.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mutt or no mutt?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a .
MOOS (voice over): A mere question was enough to offend a purebred border collie.
Out of 225 dogs competing on the agility course, only 15 were mutts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a mutt.
MOOS: Meet Sadie (ph), from Connecticut.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s thrilled.
MOOS: And though some of the mutts accidentally went around jumps .
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or seemed to be slow running the weave polls compared to the more practiced purebreds, still even the purebreds messed up. This one had to do a do-over, but once again the polls near the end proved distracting. The winner, the agility champ was Kelso, the purebreds border collie. A husky mixed name Rou won for highest score in mixed breed. They don`t use the word "mutt" around here.
(on camera): Would he have anything against mutts?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, no. Not at all.
MOOS (voice over): The purebreds competing without mutts for best in show, were blissfully unaware of any breed warfare, but will Westminster ever hear of allowing mutts to have the equivalent of best in show?
(on camera): What about best in mutts?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. You`ve got to have a standard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I love that.
MOOS (voice over): And when it comes to best announcer, we are putting our money on Woody.
(on camera): Woody cute! Yes! Yes!
(voice over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
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AZUZ: Guess, now it`s a mutt see event, though some would say, it`s gone to the dogs. For some mixed breeds, it`s a new found land of opportunity. You know what`s going to happen a schnauzer or later, though one thing we may never know, is who let the dogs out? There is no more time to terrier. We`ll beagle back tomorrow on CNN STUDENT NEWS.
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