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Britain`s Prime Minister Resigns; Glimpse Into Memorial Day Events in the U.S.; Death Toll Rises on Mt. Everest
Aired May 28, 2019 - 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: Welcome back to CNN 10. I`m Carl Azuz. Our 2019 winter/spring season winds down this week. Friday`s our last day and
an explanation of why we were off yesterday is three minutes away. But first though, we`re reporting on an upcoming leadership change in the
United Kingdom. On Friday British Prime Minister Theresa May announced she would resign as her nation`s leader. The main reason, what the prime
minister described as a deep regret that she was unable to deliver the Brexit, an international agreement on how Britain would leave the European
Union. The deal that Prime Minister May had with the EU needed to be approved by Britain`s parliament to take effect and it never was.
She said that though it was right for her to keep trying, even when the odds against success seemed high. It`s now clear to her that a new prime
minister would be in Britain`s best interest. There are several members of her political party, Britain`s Conservative Party, who are hoping to
replace May as prime minister. Lawmakers say they plan to choose a new leader by July 20th and May will serve until then. But whoever gets the
job will still have the challenge of forging a Brexit plan that both Britain`s parliament and the European Union agree to. If one isn`t
reached, what`s called a No-Deal Brexit could happen, when Britain suddenly breaks off from the union of 27 other countries leaving a lot of questions
in the air about economics, immigration, trade deals basically how Britain conducts business in politics with the rest of Europe and the rest of the
world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY: It has been the honor of my life to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An emotional retreat as Theresa May finally bows to intense political pressure from within her own party and announces she`ll
shortly step down. Her tenure may be characterized by a single issue and a single word, Brexit. May prepared for post Brexit deal to a vote on three
occasions. It was rejected by the House every time reflecting a political system in stalemate and a nation divided.
MAY: I have done everything I can to convince and appease to back that deal. Sadly, I have not been able to do so.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Britain`s leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, tweeted his approval saying she was right to resign.
JEREMY CORBYN: What she was offering had already been put on the table. Yes we want to prevent a No-Deal Brexit and we will do everything in
parliament to prevent a No-Deal Brexit. But the reality is, a new conservative leader isn`t going to solve the problem.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: May`s announcement ignited a frantic race to succeed her. Boris Johnson, the former Foreign Secretary who`s personality
politics have been compared to Donald Trump, commands significant support among grassroots members of the party to replace May.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Boris Johnson I think would be a great prime minister.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Johnson bitterly opposed the withdraw that May negotiated with the EU and resigned from her cabinet over it. On Friday,
he described May`s statement as dignified and said it is now time to follow her urgings, to come together and deliver Brexit.
BORIS JOHNSON: Brexit is unstoppable in the - - as - -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The opposing side of the European negotiating table were more sympathetic. Chief EU Negotiator Michel Barnier expressed full
respect for his departing counterpart noting the determination with which she persevered. And outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude
Junker said to through a spokesperson, May`s speech left him without personal joy. May`s failure to unite her party or garner enough cross
party support behind her deal proved her undoing. Her successor will seek to find consensus where she could not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Since the U.S. Civil War when American`s used flowers to decorate the graves of their loved ones who died in battle, the country has paused
to remember its fallen troops. The event that began as Decoration Day came to be known as Memorial Day. It`s not observed on the last Monday in May
which fell on the 27th this year. Memorial Day is held in honor of everyone who`s died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Flags are
flown. Troops are saluted. Events, parades and ceremonies are held all across the country.
Last Thursday before he left for a planned state visit to Japan, U.S. President Donald Trump joined First Lady Melania Trump in planting flags at
Arlington National Cemetery. And on Monday, U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence was there participating in the wreath laying ceremony, visiting the tomb of
the "Unknown Soldier" and delivering a speech in which he said that Memorial Day is the day that makes all other American days possible.
10 Second Trivia. The world`s highest peak, Mt. Everest is named for whom? A British surveyor, a New Zealand mountaineer, an American explorer or an
Australian geographer. Sir George Everest or Everest was a British surveyor who helped map India but Mt. Everest is named for him.
It was New Zealand Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepal`s Tenzing Norgay who became the first climbers recognized for reaching Everest`s summit. Since they
did that in 1953, several thousand other climbers have reached the mountain top. Several hundred people have died on the mountain. That included 11
mountaineers who died in this year`s climbing season making it one of the deadliest seasons on Everest. May is considered the best time to climb the
mountain because the weather`s usually a little better and the winds aren`t as extreme as in other months.
But a mountain guide told CNN that this year`s weather hasn`t been great and that it`s left a limited window of days that are good for climbing.
Combine that with overcrowding on the mountain, a number of inexperienced climbers, and some expedition companies that may not be prioritizing safety
and you have the reasons why climbers say it`s been particularly dangerous in 2019. The Nepalese government issued a record number of permits this
year to Everest climbers.
Nepal is a poor country that benefits from tourism but its government blames the companies offering guided treks to the summit for the deaths.
Whoever`s responsible, the pictures of crowds in places where the human body simply can`t survive for long clearly show part of the problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It`s really quite striking to be looking at these images that climbers are posting on social media. That
long trail of people during the final push to try to reach the summit of Mt. Everest and those photographs are from an area that`s known as the
death zone. And it`s called the death zone because of the levels of oxygen there, the incredibly low levels of oxygen. Just a third of what you would
find at sea level and this year we`re talking about at least nine deaths happening during this climbing season which is really only a few weeks
long. On average there are about five to six but a lot of climbers have been saying that this treacherous attempt is made even riskier because of
the wait, about two to three hours.
One British climbers seems to have been well aware of the risks. Robin Haynes Fisher who died on his way down from the summit had posted to
Instagram saying with a single route to the summit, delays caused by overcrowding could prove to be fatal. He had decided to wait to see if he
could hit a time when there would be fewer climbers. Other experts that we have been talking to are saying that the Nepalese government needs to do
more. They say that it`s baseless. That these deaths were caused by the backlog. They say that they are trying to regulate who gets to go by
insuring that people who are issued permits have a certain level of experience but then all of this is also being compounded.
The risk is being compounded not just by the number of permits and the backlog but also by what many are saying, it is the lack of experience
level among some of the climbers. And then all of these companies who are really trying to push forward to get their climbers to reach the summit
that it is resulting in some cases in a lack of due diligence when it comes to care for the cliental and how commercial all of this has become. And
one expert mountaineer who we were talking to was saying that unless something changes, every year he`s expecting is going to be even deadlier.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Katmandu.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Underwater. One of the places where you wouldn`t want an Uber driver to take you unless of course, you ordered up a ride on the Scuber.
This costs more than a ride to work. It`s over $2,000 but for that money you get a car and helicopter ride to a mini-submarine and then you get a
one hour underwater tour of Australia`s Great Barrier Reef. It`s part of a partnership between Uber and an Australian state to promote tourism.
So if you`re in Australia and the price doesn`t "sink" your budget, you may want to "scuber" up the opportunity to tour the "Great Bariuber" Reef.
It`s a "drive" and a "dive", a "plunk" for a "plunge", a "trip" and a "dip" as long as you`re not nervous below the "service". It could be the ride of
your life that`s "ubermemorable". I`m Carl "Azuber" for CNN.
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