Greek Government Troubles; Spain`s Economic Woes
Aired May 14, 2012 - 04:00:00 ET
CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: A lost and found story that takes place in the world`s largest desert. The details on that are coming up as we kick off a new week of CNN Student News. Welcome and hello. I`m Carl Azuz.
First up, Greece is having some trouble trying to put together a new government. A week ago the country held elections for parliament. Seven different political parties won seats, but none of them got more than 19 percent of the vote.
AZUZ (voice-over): So the leaders of the different parties have been trying to organize a coalition. That`s when they`d work together as Greece`s new government with one party`s leader in charge as prime minister.
@coalition: a government consisting of people from two or more political parties
There have been three attempts to do that since last week`s elections. All three failed. At another meeting yesterday, some of the politicians insulted each other.
If these parties can`t put together plans to form a new government by this Thursday, they`ll have to go back and hold another round of elections. If that happens, the new vote will be sometime next month. And the world is watching.
One issue those Greek leaders are facing is the same reason for rallies this weekend in Spain. Austerity measures -- when a government makes cuts to try to lower its debt -- is the cause. Huge crowds gathered in cities around Spain, protesting the government`s austerity measures. Spain`s economy is struggling severely.
The nation`s unemployment rate: 24 percent. Five years ago, it was just under 8 percent. Al Goodman now has more on this weekend`s protests.
AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF: The May 15th movement is back. This movement also called the Indignant Ones, or the Outraged, starting last May 15th and which sparked protests across Spain and in many other countries, had gone relatively dormant in recent months, even as a new conservative government came into power here in Spain, made austerity cuts in the deep economic crisis and yet the movement this day has again filled the emblematic Puerta del Sol square in central Madrid, considered the Ground Zero of the movement.
@indignant: shocked and angry, because you think that something is unjust or unfair
And they are staying past the 10:00 pm deadline set by the government, which said they could go only till that hour and then they had to clear out.
JEREMY KROPOTKAIN, STUDENT IN MADRID: The whole system needs to be changed. This movement is about making a difference, not through the usual political channels, but through people`s power.
PAOLA ALVARADO, PURCHASING AGENT: We choose our politics for represent us and not for represent the people from the banks.
GOODMAN: As the night wore on, the crowds thinned out. A few tents did appear, but the government said this time there would be no camping. The protests are due to continue through Tuesday -- Al Goodman, CNN, Madrid.
@wear on: passes in a way that seems slow
@thin out: become fewer in number, or less thick
AZUZ (voice-over): Today`s Shoutout goes out to Ms. Boron`s current events class at Haines High School in Haines, Alaska. Which of these wars included fighting in northern Africa? You know what to do. Was it the Hundred Years` War, the Boer Wars, the War of 1812 or World War II? You`ve got three seconds, go.
The only one of these conflicts that included fighting in northern Africa was World War II. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.
AZUZ: Well, our next report is about a British fighter plane that went down in northern Africa during World War II. After the crash, the pilot was never heard from again, and the plane was presumed to be lost forever in the sands of the Sahara Desert.
That is until now. You`ve got to see this report by Barbara Starr.
BARBARA STARR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): It sat quietly for 70 years in the Egyptian desert, waiting for someone to find it. The wreckage of a British Royal Air Force P-40, one of hundreds of Kitty Hawk fighter bombers that took on the Nazis across North Africa.
@take on : employ or hire, allow to enter or come on board, decide to do something
A Polish oil worker exploring the Egyptian desert just came across the wreckage and took these extraordinary images. The plane, mostly intact, after decades in the desert, the cockpit controls from an era gone by, enough to inspire even modern fighter pilots.
@cockpit: part where the pilot or driver sits
COMMODORE KEN MCCANN, U.K. AIR ATTACHE: I just thought what an amazing, amazing story for an aircraft 70 years ago to have gone down in the desert, to be in such good condition and to be found intact after all these years.
STARR (voice-over): Even some ammunition and guns remain.
@ammunition: bullet and rocket made to be fired from guns
This archive film shows the plane in action in World War II. In North Africa, its job, to protect troops on the ground fighting the Nazis.
MCCANN: It was an absolute workhorse. It flew extensively throughout that campaign and some may well say it was decisive in tipping the balance in favor of the Allies in North Africa.
STARR (voice-over): Records show the plane went down in the Sahara Desert on June 28th, 1942. According to British newspapers, the pilot is thought to be Flight Sgt. Dennis Copping (ph).
ANDY SAUNDERS, MILITARY AVIATION HISTORIAN: I think the important part of this story is the story of the man that was flying it and what happened to him.
STARR (voice-over): It`s believed he was flying the already damaged plane to a repair site when he crashed. These bullet holes a mystery. Was he shot down? Parachute remnants suggest the young pilot survived and tried to make himself a shelter from the hot sun. But no remains have been found. He may have died in the burning desert looking for help.
STARR: The British military will now visit the desert wreckage site in the coming days and try to make a determination about whether it is feasible to begin a search for the remains of a young World War II pilot who`s been missing for so many years -- Barbara Starr, CNN, The Pentagon.
AZUZ (voice-over): On this day in history, in 1607, the Jamestown colony was founded in Virginia. It was the first permanent English settlement in North America.
In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set off on their famous expedition from St. Louis, Missouri, to explore west of the Mississippi River.
And in 1948, Israel was established as an independent country.
AZUZ: This past weekend was graduation at Virginia Tech University. Five years ago, the commencement address was about overcoming tragedy after a deadly shooting on campus a month before that. Brianna Keilar talked with some of this year`s seniors, who said that the attack might have played a role in their decision to attend Virginia Tech, but it doesn`t define them or their school.
@commencement: begin
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It`s time to graduate at Virginia Tech.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m going to throw this, and it`s going to be great.
KEILAR (voice-over): That`s Kathleen Whitley (ph) and Rebecca Clayton (ph) were high school juniors when the April 2007 shootings shocked this campus and the nation. Now they`re part of the first graduating class that applied after the tragedy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The shooting does not reflect any part of my four years here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It could have happened anywhere.
KEILAR (voice-over): For these graduates, there`s distance from the event that has become synonymous with their school.
@synonymous: two things are very closely associated with each other so that one suggests the other or one cannot exist without the other.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like every year there`s a little bit less connection for every class.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good.
KEILAR (voice-over): Rachel Webb had second thoughts about applying, but ultimately decided to follow in the footsteps of her brother and sister --
RACHEL WEBB, VIRGINIA TECH GRADUATE: We do flag football --
KEILAR (voice-over): -- and come to Tech. She did not know the victims, but like many students, told us she remembers them often.
WEBB: It`s a reason to come out to school every day and be excited to be at school, because others can`t.
DR. CHARLES STEGER, VIRGINIA TECH PRESIDENT: Virtually no student that`s here today was here on April the 16th, 2007. But it`s still a powerful memory.
KEILAR (voice-over): And it had a surprising effect on the students now graduating.
STEGER: Actually, our enrollments went up. It was quite amazing.
@enrollment: the number of people who have arranged to join school
KEILAR: Really?
It was at the stage where you pretty much needed to make up your mind.
KEILAR (voice-over): Alex Foldenauer (ph), an engineering student, is one of only a few still here who five years ago had already been accepted to Virginia Tech. He committed to going in the days following the shootings. Now he`s graduating. But first, it`s time to move.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you get newspaper?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible) packed --
KEILAR (voice-over): And here in Blacksburg, Virginia, it`s also time to move on.
AZUZ: Well, you probably don`t think twice about trusting a machine to grade multiple choice tests. But what about using a computer program to grade essays? A recent study took 16,000 student essays and put the robograders up against the humans. What were the results?
AZUZ (voice-over): You can find out at CNN`s Schools of Thought blog. That`s where we cover all things education, from people to policy to practice. It`s for parents, teachers, students or anyone who`s ever been a student. That`s all of us. The Schools of Thought blog. Check it out at cnnstudentnews.com.
AZUZ: And before we go, we might have an early contender for this year`s Gold Glove award.
@contender: someone who is in competition with other people
AZUZ (voice-over): Want you to pay attention to the area in focus. In this YouTube video, the Little League game in Georgia, first, he catches the pop fly, one out. Then he hustles over and steps on third base, two outs. Finally, he tags the runner coming to third. Three outs. It`s an unassisted triple play made by a 6-year old. In the Major Leagues, only 15 of these have ever been recorded.
AZUZ: So if you think this kind of thing happens every day, you are way off base. Definitely a diamond in the rough, but we`re out of time. So we`ll come to a "shortstop" and see you back tomorrow for more CNN Student News.