President Obama Visits Israel; Malala Yusafzai to Attend British School

Aired March 21, 2013 - 04:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS from Churchill High School.

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CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: From that I-Report in Sartell, Minnesota, we`re heading to the Middle East as we kick off today`s show. President Obama is on the four day trip to the region. And it started yesterday in Israel. That`s where he met with Israelis president Shimon Peres. Now, one interesting point here, in Israel`s government the president is mostly a ceremonial position. The person who runs the country`s government is the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. President Obama also met with him yesterday. Leaders talked about some of the issues they both face: like how to address Iran`s controversial nuclear program. Another issue on the agenda for this trip: the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Today, President Obama is scheduled to visit the West Bank, a Palestinian territory. He`s set to meet Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority. So, he is talking to leaders on both sides of this conflict. Tomorrow, after a few other stops in Israel, the president will head to Jordan. There, he`s scheduled to do a news conference with Jordan`s King Abdullah. Then he heads back to the U.S from Jordan on Saturday. So, why is the president making this trip? Part of his job is diplomacy to represent the United States to the world, that`s why he meets other world leaders. Plus, the U.S. And Israel are close allies, so visiting that country reinforces the strength of that relationship.

Quick side note to this trip. Yesterday, we told you about the Beast, the U.S. President`s personal limousine. It went to Israel ahead of President Obama, so it could be there when he landed. Unfortunately, the Best went bust. It wouldn`t start, had to be towed away. An official said the driver accidentally filled it up with regular gas instead of what it needs diesel fuel. Oops. Nothing to worry about, though, and the president travels overseas, multiple vehicles are usually along for the ride, so when President Obama landed, the backup Beast was ready to go.

It`s hard to forget someone like Malala Yousafzai. In her home country of Pakistan where fewer than half the women can read and write, Malala worked toward women`s education`s rights, even after she got death threats to stop. She survived a shooting by Afghan terrorists, the 15-year old has been recovering in the United Kingdom where on Tuesday she was once again able to continue her education in school. ITV News` Rupert Evelyn was there.

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RUPERT EVELYN, ITV CORRESPONDENT: The education campaigner is herself learning again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you will go to school by yourself, OK, you will be independent.

EVELYN: Anxious and escorted by her father, Malala Yousafzai heads towards her first day at a new school, swapping the classroom of Pakistan`s Swat Valley for the private halls of Birmingham`s Edgbaston High School.

MALALA YOUSAFZAI: I think it is the happiest moment that I`m going back to my school and today I, I held (ph) my books, my bag and I would learn, I would talk to my friends, I would talk to my teacher.

EVELYN: It is five month since the Taliban attempted to assassinate Malala. Her life saved in Pakistan, her skull rebuilt in Birmingham. She has defied the odds, and with these images released by her and her family, she defies he enemy`s attempts to silence her.

Her return to school is a symbol of the simple yet powerful message Malala conveys: her campaign for women`s education will not be stopped either by a change of country, or by a bullet.

RUTH WEEKS, HEADMISTRESS, EDGBASTON HIGH SCHOOL: We aim that when she`s in school, she`ll be a normal girl, she`ll follow the normal rules, she`ll be taught along with everyone else. And we will support her.

EVELYN: Her new school motto translates as faithfully, bravely and successfully.

Her new classmates will not have to look far to find someone who encapsulates those characteristics. Rupert Evelyn, ITV News, Birmingham.

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AZUZ: It might seem strange to think of someone risking her life for an education. Especially if you`ve heard news reports about other people dropping out of school. What does your education mean to you? Is it a priority, or are you just going through the motions? Talk to us at cnnstudentnews.com, it`s the same site where your teachers can comment on today`s show.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to Mr. Winer`s classes at Okeeheelee Middle School in West Palm Beach Florida. Who`s the author of Frankenstein? You know what to do? Is it Stephen King, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker or R.L. Stine. You`ve got three seconds, go!

Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein" in 1818, nearly a century before the first Frankenstein movie was made. That`s your answer and that`s your Shoutout.

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AZUZ: Mary Shelley`s book about a scientist who created a monster influenced pop culture to this day. This is part of our women`s history month coverage. We are looking at women in the arts an their impact on world culture. See if you can guess whom we are talking about: First up, she is a famous actress who`s been nominated for 17 Academy Awards. She recently won an Oscar for her role of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. So who played the Iron Lady? Meryl Streep has won three Oscars in her decades long career. Next up, she was a French fashion designer. She`s been called the Grand Dame of modern women`s fashion. And she`s world famous for her number five fragrance. She is Coco Chanel. And Chanel number five was the first perfume that had a fashion designer`s name on it. We`re bookending this segment with another author, you probably read a series of her books, and she`s still writing, just not about Harry, Hermione and Ron any more. You know this one. J.K. Rowling, seven books about Harry Potter were turned into eight movies. You can find all these artists and more in the resources section of cnnstudentnews.com.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this legit?

The words "orchestra" and "philharmonic" are synonyms? It`s true. They both mean a group of musicians who perform together.

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AZUZ: Our next story from Rafael Romo is about a youth orchestra in the South American country of Paraguay. The instruments that these musicians use may sound the same as any other orchestra, but when you see what they are playing, it`s very different story. You know the saying, one man`s trash is another man`s treasure. Get ready to meet the landfill harmonic.

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cateura, Paraguay, a town built on top of a landfill were 1500 tons of waist are dumped everyday. The town`s 2500 families are employed by the landfill recyclers, and their children live along the trash. 

Favio Chavez is a musician and ecological engineer with an inspired idea. He started teaching the children to play music, but he only had five instruments to lend out. Soon, the orchestra of recycled instruments was born, fashioning instruments was trash. 18-year old Andres Riveros (ph) is a saxophonist with the group.

ANDRES RIVEROS, SAXOPHONIST: The instrument is made of galvanized pipe used in the gutters for houses.

Then this is made with caps, coins and these are keys from doors.

ROMO: Playing in this orchestra ha provided a way out of the landfill for children and a way to help their families.

FAVIOS CHAVEZ, DIRECTOR, ORCHESTRA OF RECYCLED INSTRUMENTS (through translator): We see that they are not changing their own lives, but those of their families, too. We`ve seen cases where the parents with addiction problems have quit taking drugs to go to their kids concert, and in a lot of cases the parents have gone back to finish school because their kids are being seen all over and they think, they are going forward. I want to, too. They are not only changing their lives, but the lives of their families and their community.

ROMO: Myriam Cardozo once dreamed of becoming a musician. When she heard about the program, she signed up her granddaughter right away.

MYRIAM CARDOZO, GRANDMOTHER OF VIOLINIST (through translator): I signed her up and it happened. And now my granddaughter is fulfilling my dream. It makes me so happy, that is why I can die happy.

ROMO: Her granddaughter Ada is now a violinist in the orchestra.

ADA RIOS, VIOLINIST (through translator): The people cannot believe it, they have to see it to believe it. Because they don`t believe it is trash.

I`ve been to three countries, Brazil, Panama and Colombia. And I never thought I`d leave the country.

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AZUZ: All right. Stick with us for a last story today, because it`s better than it seems. Driver hits a deer, assumes it`s dead, puts it in his trunk to take home. But when police officers come across the vehicle, and the guy pops the trunk to show them -Wow. Deer looks very much alive. You know what happens when you assume something? You get a live deer popping out of your trunk. Officers say the animated animal was unscathed, and that it took off for the woods. The guy originally planned to make the deer into a meal. Let`s just hope the creature doesn`t come back for retribution against the driver`s family. He`ll go after the guy first and ven his son (ph). If he really wants to be jerky, maybe an antler or uncle, too, Oh, dear. We hoof to go for now, we`ll be back tomorrow with more CNN STUDENT NEWS. See you then.

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