CNN Student News with transcript Week 11, 2014

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: What caused a passenger jet to disappear in Asia? There are a lot of theories, but so far few answers. That mystery leads of today`s edition of CNN STUDENT NEWS. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 took off early Saturday morning from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was carrying 239 people to Beijing, China, but had vanished from radar and tracking records at around 35,000 feet. There was no distress signal, the weather was clear. With nothing found as of last night, rescuers expanded their search area. They are looking for clues in the Gulf of Thailand, between Malaysia and Vietnam. As they are searching from air and sea, Interpol is investigating on the ground. This is an international organization with ties to police from more than 180 countries. And it`s investigating whether people on the flight with stolen passports might have had anything to do with its disappearance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s one of the biggest mysteries in the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. How in a post 911 world did two passengers board an international flight with stolen passports? Even more surprising, they were in plain sight, among the names listed in Interpol`s lost and stolen travel documents database. One, since last year, the other, since 2012. Both stolen in Thailand. And it appears the two passengers who used the passports of an Italian and an Austrian citizen, bought their tickets together.

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: When you book your ticket, the airlines isn`t able to actually make an inquiry with Interpol or even the local police about whether you`re wanted or whether the passport has been reported stolen. The country – the government does.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And according to Interpol last year alone, passengers were able to board planes without having their passport screened against Interpol`s databases more than one billion times. The database and Interpol headquarters in France contains an astounding 40 million records of stolen travel documents.

FUENTES: You know, the member countries, the 190 members that belong to Interpol are not charged a fee for accessing any of those databases. So, if the country has sufficient resources and technical capability to wire into – to Interpol`s virtual private network that`s running 24 hours a day. And, you know, they certainly would be able to access that database and check it – it`s just up to the wheel of the country to set it up and do it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble said, now we have a real case where the world is speculating whether the stolen passport holders were terrorists, while Interpol is asking why only a handful of countries worldwide are taking care to make sure that persons possessing stolen passports are not boarding international flights.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Edward Snowden says he has no regrets about leaking classified government information to the public. Yesterday, he asked people at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas, to help fix U.S. government surveillance. Snowden is a controversial man. He`s a former worker for the National Security Agency, the NSA. He`s now living in exile in Russia because the U.S. government wants him to face felony charges back home. It says Snowden broke the law when he leaked secret information about the NSA. Specifically, that the spy agency collects American citizens phone and Internet information. The U.S. government says its programs help protect Americans by preventing terrorist attacks.

Snowden supporters see him as a whistleblower who`s protecting Americans rights to privacy. His teleconference yesterday was the first time he`s directly addressed the American public since he fled the country. He asked developers at South by Southwest to make secure networks for users, so that no one including the government can easily access Americans information.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m one of the Great Lakes of North America. In fact, I`m the only one located completely within the U.S. I`m connected to Lake Huron by the Straits of Mackinac.

I`m Lake Michigan, and I border that state as well as Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.

AZUZ: And almost anywhere you look at Lake Michigan, you`re going to see ice, more than 93 percent of the lake is covered. That`s the most ice Lake Michigan has seen since 1979. All the Great Lakes have had a winner like this, and the snow and cold have helped their water levels, which have been below normal in recent years. But one downside – how do you get boats through this? Lake Michigan is important for shipping, everything from grain to coal to iron ore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are onboard the Mobile Bay, which is a Coast Guard cutter and an icebreaker and check out this ice. It is absolutely incredible. They are trying to open up the shipping lanes for the Great Lakes shipping season, which is just getting under way this week, and you could see the chunks of ice. They are just incredible. And this is an area actually – that you`re looking at right now that they`ve gone through already and broken up. It refreezes. They break it. They refreeze it. Commander John Stone is with us. And Commander, you`re saying in some areas you`re looking at four feet, which is just an incredible amount of ice. Even this thing is having the tough time getting through.

CMDR. JOHN STONE, U.S. COAST GUARD: That`s correct. So, on the Great Lakes, we are seeing over 90 percent coverage through all the lakes this year, and in some places, upwards of over five feet fitting this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are out today the way they do it when they get into the really thick areas as to stop, go backwards, stop go backwards – like when you get your car that stuck, it`s just rolling back and forth.

STONE: That`s correct. The ship can break about 2.5 feet of ice continues, but once it gets over that, we are (INAUDIBLE) through the ice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: You didn`t need to see all that to know about the impact this winter has had – the snow, the cold, the ice. It hasn`t hit everywhere. California still baking under drought conditions, and the weather hasn`t helped much with that. But it has helped in the eastern part of the country where some farmers are hoping the precipitation will keep falling as temperatures rise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Through all the bitter cold and blowing snow, through the misery and madness, the long running winter has brought long-awaited water. And the head of the Maryland Farm Bureau, Chuck Fry says after some dry years that`s a big relief.

CHUCK FRY, MARYLAND FARM BUREAU: Whether it`s a dairy farm on the East Coast or whether you live in D.C. or whether you live your food comes from the farm, and it`s all hedged upon that water.

FOREMAN (on camera): And winter water counts .

FRY: Absolutely counts.

FOREMAN (voice over): As a rule, every 20 inches of snow will melt into just one inch of water and that may not seem like much, but a year ago well over half the country was in drought conditions. Now, the dry spots are down to around 35 percent, and that`s mainly in the west, places like California.

BRIAN FUCHS, NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER: They are not going to even get to normal by the time the wet season ends later this spring.

FOREMAN: In simple terms, it comes down to this: with enough snow and enough rain, a farm like this can more than double its output of corn and soybeans and so much else.

So, as John Sewell prepares for planting .

JON SEWELL, FARMER: I hope it does this in the summer time. Not snow, but precipitation.

FOREMAN (on camera): If this keeps up.

SEWELL: Yes. If this keeps up that`d be fantastic. That`s what we all hope for.

FOREMAN (voice over): I hope amid the high waters that winter is leaving behind.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Tuscarora, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: When you`re traveling through the Wild West, you`ve got to be on the look out for Bandits like the ones at Clear Creek middle school. That`s where the Bandits are online in Buffalo, Wyoming. Right next door, in the bee-hive state of Utah, the buzz is all about the Warriors, happen to be party a day at Weber High School in Pleasant View. And over onto East Coast, beware of the Buccaneers – Allatoona High School in Akward (ph) Georgia, you guys are piratical.

Here are some seriously old news: scientists say it`s a 150 million years old. This could have been the largest predator ever to roam Europe. It was discovered in recent years in Portugal, but just identified as a new species. It was named Torvasaurus Gurneyi. It is thought to have been 33 feet long, about four or five tons and it had a set of at least 11 teeth that could have chewed through just about anything smaller.

It`s believed to be a little older than the well-known Tyrannosaurs Rex, not quite as big. And if you`re wondering how it wandered over to Portugal – many scientists believe all land was once connected on a supercontinent named Pangea. In theory, dinosaurs might have been able to just roam wherever.

AZUZ: OK. This probably won`t revolutionize the way you order pizza. But it looks kind of fun in this YouTube video. Pizza Hut and a design agency baked up this idea. It`s a concept meaning it`s not in full production yet. It`s basically a touch screen table. You sit down, play around with everything from sized to crusts to toppings, place your order and maybe play games while you wait. It`s still a table, so it might be tough to keep it working and to keep it clean. Some might think the idea is cheesy, others might call it weak sauce, or maybe half-baked. The idea maybe a pie in the sky, but it`s kind of fun to see the process “Pizza by Piece.” We`ve been on the cross of this technology for a while. You know what – for something your order and as far as Pizza Parlor innovation goes – it`s topping (INAUDIBLE). I`m Carl Azuz. I`m going to lunch. We`ll see you tomorrow.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: New information in the search for a missing passenger plane, but still no closure for families. This is CNN STUDENT NEWS. There`s little hope and a lot of grief for the families of 239 people. That was the number onboard Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared early Saturday morning. Word came out yesterday from Malaysia`s government that somehow the plane`s transponder was turned off. That`s an instrument that transmits altitude, location and direction. Malaysia`s air force was still able to track the flight as it apparently turned, and flew over the Straits of Malacca, hundreds of miles off course. Unfortunately, that`s where the answers end.

As of last night, there was still no sign of the plane. We can show you what it`s like to search the area near the plane`s last known location.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is no easy task. This C-130 plane has been carrying out regular search and rescue missions since flight MH- 370 disappeared. It`s the first time the minister for defense and transportation and the chief of defense force have been out to survey this massive operation. They invited CNN to join them.

(on camera): I have to put this life jacket on because we are now descending to just 500 feet above sea level. Lying low, the doors are opened for the search to begin. We flew past the number of ships, scouring the sea for the plane, those on board or any clues at all to what`s happened.

DATUK SERI HISHAMMUDDIN HUSSEIN, MALAYSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER: I just want to find the plane, you know, at all costs and as long as we are still standing and as long as people are out there, praying for us, we will continue to (INAUDIBLE), and this is something that I will not stop. This is what I promised to families.

MOHSIN (voice over): We flew to the Malacca Straits to the west of Malaysia.

(on camera): For 16 ships surveilling this area, that`s more than 12,000 nautical square miles. They are joined in the air by 14 air crafts.

(voice over): And that`s just the area to the west of Malaysia. There are more than 30 aircraft and more than 40 ships in the entire operation. As we look how to cross these vast expense of water, far into the horizon, holding his hat in his hands, the minister tells me he`s over overwhelmed.

HISHAMMUDDIN HUSSEIN: When you are looking for something, this – sea, it`s a reality check. I have to find, what a huge craft like a triple seven, but we must never, never give up hope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: What`s next today, their countries may be at odds politically, but cooperation is strong in the space program. After five months on the international space station, an American, a Russian, and a native of Crimea made it safely back to Earth together on Tuesday. There is no space shuttle program, so you might be wondering how they got here. Well, here we go -they got onboard the Soyuz, a Russian space capsule, and rode it back toward the Earth. The Soyuz has a shield that protects it from the heat of re-entering Earth atmosphere. Once it`s there, a small parachute deploys, slowing the capsule down, then a larger one slows it further. And about two seconds before touchdown, some engines fire making the landing as soft as possible. NASA pays Russia`s space agency to transport American astronauts two and from the space station. Each trip costs the U.S. $71 million.

You might not be familiar with the name Tim Berners-Lee, but you probably can`t imagine life without his invention. You used it to view the show: The World Wide Web appeared on the scene 25 years ago today, and it made accessing the Internet a lot easier for untold numbers of people. But even in the mid-1990s, when there were some actual pages on it, they were sparse, think black or gray text on a white background, maybe a couple of low resolution pictures. It was slow. You want to visit a web page, be patient, it would load minute or two, or five.

Even six years after the Web was introduced, only 14 percent of American adults had Internet access. Now, it`s more than 77 percent of all Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the Shoutout. Which of these has the most influence over your sleep cycle? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it your respiratory system, circadian rhythm, sebaceous glands or cerebellum? You`ve got three seconds, go!

The circadian rhythm is your 24 hour cycle of human activity, which includes sleeping and waking. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

AZUZ: Of course, we all try to modify and master our circadian rhythm, but researcher say, there is really not much we can do to change it. It`s closely tied into the sun. When it`s up, our bodies released hormones that make us more awake and alert. When it sets, hormones tell us it`s time to start shutting down. The doctors say if you get too far off track from your natural circadian rhythm, it will throw your body out of whack. It can increase your chances of getting sleep disorders, obesity, diabetes. It might even contribute to mental health issues. And as far as your students are concerned, some research has shown that those with unnaturally early start time, so figure those who have to be awake before the sun is up, don`t do as well academically as those who start a little later.

We love global news, we love global schools. Here, just a few of those watching in this World Wide Wednesday “Roll Call.” First up, hello to the students of Ibaraki High School. They are watching from Osaka, Japan. Next, we are headed to Linz, Austria. The students of Bor Glintz (ph) on Panara (ph) Strasse. Glad to see you. And in the nation of Tanzania, we some viewers at Icorongo Secondary school. Thank you for watching in Mara.

Palm oil is something you`ll find in everything from crackers to microwave popcorn, to shampoo. It is the most widely used vegetable oil on the planet. Mars Incorporated, the maker of Snickers, Skittles, (INAUDIBLE), Lifesavers, Five Gum, says from here on out, it`s only going to use palm oil that`s obtained without hurting the environment. One way to do that is by planting oil palm trees and making sure that much of the palm oil they produce goes to good use.

But there`s another way to get the ingredient. One that`s more harmful for the environment, one that involves deforestation. What does that matter?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Deforestation is the practice of cutting down forests for various different reasons, but it`s fundamentally cutting down trees and living behind a vast open wasteland.

Deforestation is most common in countries like Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico, Papua New Guinea, and Russia.

The main causes of deforestation can be classified into three categories. Basically, industrial uses, chopping down the forest to build factories or to build residential areas. The second one is agriculture. So cutting down forest in order to grow, for example palm oil plantations. Agricultural deforestation can also be caused by non-food crops, for example, paper plantations. And the third cause is life stock. So, in many places, for example, in Brazil, deforestation is caused by farmers clearing the land to create pasture land for cows.

Deforestation can happen on a lot of different scales. It can be anything from illegal squatting, a dozen folks in local village using small rudimentary chainsaws and cutting down the trees and then, of course, on the other end of the spectrum is massive industrial scale. Deforestation, when they bring in lots of heavy machinery for advanced technology, and they can go in and clear forest in a very short amount of time.

Deforestation affects the environment in two main ways: trees, of course, absorb carbon dioxide and as human beings put more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the more trees we cut down, the more we hinder the ability of the planet to balance how much carbon is in the atmosphere.

But another impact of chopping down forests is, of course, reducing the habitat for animals to live in. Every year over thousand different species go extinct around the world. That is a conservative estimate, and a big chunk of that happens because of deforestation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Follow the leader – a boy and his bear. It sounds like some sappy children story, but it seemed to play out in real life, when a boy and a bear who is much bigger started imitating each other at a zoo. Not something we`d recommend anyone ever try without the glass, and we are not entirely sure the bear is just having fun instead of trying to catch lunch. But it`s not every day the two get to play and no one gets hurt. I just don`t think anyone can bear to watch that. Even what we just saw is just barely bearable. They do seem to make a fine bear, no harm is brought to bear. There is no sign of beardom, but though it`s made for possum (ph) video, a clawsome encounter, the boy would have just been (INAUDIBLE) for asking, what`s our sign? We`ll have more tomorrow, if you can bear it.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you for taking ten minutes for CNN STUDENT NEWS. We`re glad to be part of your Thursday. First story we have is from Manhattan in New York City. Wednesday morning a large explosion collapsed two buildings, a church and the piano store. Officials aren`t certain why this happened, but a utility company said it got a call about a gas leak just after 9 a.m. New York`s mayor says that was the only indication there was any danger. Dozens of fire fighters arrive to search for survivors. At least two people were initially confirmed dead, but because some were severely injured, and others were missing, the death toll may be higher.

Natural gas doesn`t have a smell. Utility companies add an odor to it, so that people can detect a leak. If you ever think you smell it, calling the gas company or 911 is a good idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See if you can I.D. me. I`m a method of gathering information. I`m usually done online with help from the public. I`ve been used in crime investigations and the search for asteroids. I`m crowd sourcing, a way of getting info often without paying for the help.

AZUZ: Crowd sourcing may be able to help in the search for a missing Malaysian Airlines plane. A company called Digital Globe has posted satellite images of the area online, thousands of people are scouring them, trying to help. Malaysia Airways Flight 370 disappeared early Saturday morning. Less than an hour after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the plane`s transponder was either turned off or it just stopped working. The transponder sends signals about altitude, locations and direction of a plane. There are conflicting reports from Malaysia`s government about whether the plane turned and flew in another direction. Last night, a Chinese satellite image was released showing what might have been wreckage, but it couldn`t be confirmed immediately. The search area is bigger than the state of West Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look at what we know. Here`s what we actually know about the situation there. If you look at it the plane took off. We know that it left from down here and went up here. And that all the transponding stopped at about 1:30. That`s really all we know. We were getting signals that there was a turn that was leading the plane this way, and then it was spotted by radar over here somewhere around an hour later.

We know more about this right now. This wasn`t some kind of tracking of it. We don`t even know for sure that it did turn, because authorities are now saying that`s not clear either. What we know is that there`s single radar reflection over here. Why does it have the word reflection in here? Because if the transponder is on the plane, when the radar pins the plane, the plane essentially answers back. It says who are you, and the plane says we`re this Malaysian air flight. If the transponder is off, all the radar can do is say there`s something out there. And this is what we are talking about. So, this becomes very confusing, as where this had anything to do with what was going on over here. But, the result – boy, you cannot miss the results here, because the result is a sure thing here.

Look at what happens to the search areas. They were focused right over in this area. Now they are having to add all these other territory out here, which just complicates it further and further because every bit of that will now have to be searched, a piece at a time you`ll have to grid it off, the say you would for any search. And fly over each area until they illuminate each little cube to figure out where they are going.

The families of the missing are grieving. They are frustrated. They are tired of waiting for answers. Malaysian police are searching the home of the pilot. They are also questioning the friend if two Iranians who boarded the flight with stolen passports. So, they are not believed to be terrorists. Still, finding the plane itself may be the only way to find out what exactly happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How can Malaysia Air Flight 370`s transponder fail? The cockpit voice and flight data recorders will tell us.

(on camera): It surprisingly looks kind of primitive. What does it do?

ROGER CONNOR, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: It essentially has an armored shell and even within that there`s what`s you call an armored bathtub that houses the memory chips that record all the flight data.

MALVEAUX: The crucial last 30 minutes of conversation between the pilots is captured on way device: the air craft`s altitude, speed, direction and hundreds of other parameters measured on the other.

CONNOR: On the further box, we see a radio beacon allows that the box to be located after a crash. This is housing the solid state memory chips that are recording all the flight data. So, that`s the critical part of the unit that needs to be salvaged after an accident.

MALVEAUX: This so called black box is an older, but similar version of the Malaysian plane`s recorders. The newer models are about half the size and collect more than 1000 pieces of data, which makes them so unique, is their ability to survive just about anything.

CONNOR: The box is designed for impacts of over 3,400 Gs. This is about 7,000 times what would be a fatal car accident for a human. So, incredible impact. In terms of temperature, it`s designed to withstand temperatures over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit for short duration. So, this would cover scenarios where it`s sitting in the middle of burning jet fuel for an hour or so.

MALVEAUX: What is more likely critical for the Malaysian Airline, is the recorder`s ability to withstand the tremendous pressure from the depth of the sea.

The technology has come a long a way now. Aircraft of this era, like this Boeing for 1954, didn`t have flight data recorders. It was shortly after the start of the jet age, that they became common. Aircraft like the Concord, which had a major accident benefit from the advanced technology.

But the problem is getting to the recorders fast enough to make them useful. The box emits a signal or beacon in fresh or salt water from as deep as 20,000 feet below. But the battery often runs out in just 30 days.

But the Air France flight that went down in the Atlantic in 2009, it took searchers two years to find the data recorders, because they were far from the wreckage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: East Coast, West Coast and in between, it`s time for the CNN STUDENT NEWS roll call. We`ll start in Marco Island, Florida, home to the Eagles in Marco Island Charter Middle School. Good to see you.

As we move across the country, we`re taking roll in McAlester, Oklahoma, it`s where the buffaloes roam, at McAlester High School. And in the Pacific northwest, this suns are up, they are shining bright at Southridge High School in Kennewick, Washington.

This Woman`s History Month, we are honoring people like Keren Taylor. She`s doing something a lot of your English teachers do. She`s giving young people a way to express themselves the creative writing. But the way she got there is a little different. Taylor was a sales executive laid off from her job who used her severance pay and savings to start “Write Girl,” it`s a non-profit organization to help teenagers in Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I blossom with each pen mark.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I found myself in the words.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every girl has a story to tell.

KEREN TAYLOR, CNN HERO: Some of our girls are facing some of the greatest challenges teenagers could ever face – pregnancy, incarceration, violence in their family, at school. Those girls need a mentor. They need to be inspired about their own voice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Life in the light can be so bright. Nothing can be so pure.

TAYLOR: Writing in self-expression can give them a tool for moving forward.

Say something that nobody else has said before. Because you have your own way of saying things.

TAYLOR: We matched underserved girls with professional women writers for mentoring and group workshops.

I want to match you, Christa, with Christie.

The moment you ask a young person, tell me about something you`re passionate about, they are writing and the ideas just flow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what you`re going to read today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was kind of scared – like I`m really quiet, and I keep to myself, but Emily – and she`s so excited and enthusiastic about writing. I absolutely love her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Writing gave me that position in life like I`m grown, I have a story to tell.

TAYLOR: Their senses are deluded by the sparkling things across their eye.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

(APPLASUE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to help girls see that their voiced matters.

TAYLOR: And he`s got a lot of good stuff here, and what I like to hear more is about you.

To give a girl tools to be able to be positive and thrive and rise above whatever challenges she`s facing, what`s better than that?

UNIDENTIFIED GIRLS: Never underestimate the power of the girls and (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: We`ve seen a lot of cool basketball shots, some in game, some just because they are trick shots, and they are awesome. Thanks to YouTube, this is the first we`ve seen in golf. First, Dude chips it up, sets it up, second dude spikes it or drives it. Might have sliced it. First dude takes credit, says that was cool. That was cool.

In golf, you are not allowed to hit the ball twice with one swing. But if two guys hit the ball with one swing each, they are part of a rare club. Their synergy is like iron. They put teamwork over cuddliness, making lesser golfers green with M.B. I know, I know the puns are sometimes tough to putt up with, but we always take a shot at ending on the up note. That`d be a hole in one show without them, and their fans would be really teed off. We`re going to golf for now, but I hope you`ll make tea time for us again tomorrow.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Pie days are awesome. They only bake up once a year. We`ll bring you a slice of info about that later today on CNN STUDENT NEWS. First up, a vote: will Crimea, a region of Ukraine, become part of Russia? 2 million people leave there, and their local government has scheduled a referendum for Sunday that could determine their political future. Many Crimeans want closer ties to Russia. There`s a good chance they`ll vote for it, but the new leaders of Ukraine as well as the U.S. and some other members of the international community say the vote goes against Ukraine`s constitution. That this part of the country can`t just break off from it and join another country.

Russia would likely welcome that decision. We`re bringing you two very different perspectives on this today. First, from the capital of Ukraine, where many people want closer ties with Europe than with Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Independence Square, the Maidan, they call it, where the protest movement began and so many people lost their lives. But the story, of course, has now moved hundreds of miles away to Crimea. So, we are going to ask young people here what they think about the possibility of losing part of their country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that this would be the disaster. This definitely would be the disaster because we consider Crimea as a part of Ukraine and those people who live there despite the fact that they speak Russian, they are Ukrainian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This referendum is completely illegally. And all this is inspired by Russian agents and foolish people who thinks that in another country they will have a better life than in their own country.

HOLMES: Already some in Crimea are leaving, many heading to Kiev to be with family and friends, not wanting to wake up next week in another country. Michael Holmes, CNN, Kiev, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Very different take on this in the Russian capital of Moscow. We`ve talked about how Crimea gives Russia access to its only warm water port in the Black Sea. So, it`s important strategically to Russia, but as Phil Black found, it`s important in other senses as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At Moscow`s Danilovsky (ph) Market, you`ll find quality food, middle class shoppers and workers who aren`t quite so well off. This microcosm of the Russian capital is a long way from the Crimean Peninsula, but almost everyone here says they feel a connection to it.

“Crimea was always Russian, and it should stay Russian,” and it`s all he says. Not surprisingly, Vladimir Putin`s handling of the crisis is popular, which explains approval ratings up around, 68 percent.

“Absolutely, I support it. That`s not even up for discussion,” Irina says. “Well done, Putin, I`m extremely grateful we have such a leader.”

Most of these people admit they are informed by Russian media, much of which is controlled by the state.

Inna knows Western reporting tells a different story. She wants Crimea to stay with Ukraine. It`s a minority view. Most believe Crimea is like the delicacies available here at the market, a vital part of Russia`s history and culture.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: It`s been more than six days since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished over Southeast Asia. And when we produced this show, there was no word on what happened to it or the 239 people aboard. U.S. officials said on Thursday, they might expand their search area to look in parts of the Indian Ocean. That`s far west of the last known location of the flight between Malaysia and Vietnam. They said there`s new information that the plane could have flown for hours after its transponder stopped working, and quit sending signals of the plane`s location and altitude. Some experts are saying, it`s possible that the jet`s engines might have been sending info to satellites for four or five hours after the last transponder signal. But even that`s not certain. And Chinese satellites photos that appeared to show something floating off the Malaysian coast, turned out nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the “Shoutout.” A 22-year old is considered to be part of which generation? If you think you know it, shout it out. Is it Millennials? Baby boomers, Silent Generation or Generation X? You`ve got three seconds, go!

People born in the 1980s or `90s are generally considered to be Millennials. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

AZUZ: When it comes to money, Millennials tend to have less of it than previous generations like Gen Xers or baby boomers. Millennials student loan debt is higher. Their unemployment is higher. Despite that, they are optimistic about the future. In a recent Pew survey, 85 percent of Millennials said they either had enough money to live the lives they want, or that they expect to one day. It`s interesting how their generation is impacting housing in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It`s the fastest growing part of the housing market you may not see in your neighborhood. New apartment buildings popping up everywhere. Now, at the largest share of total new home construction, since the 1970s. New rental apartment projects surged 56 percent in 2011. 36 percent in 2012, 25 percent last year. And they are forecast to rise nine percent this year. So, has this rental rise reached the top floor? Experts say not yet. Why? Call it housing`s millennial effect. Unemployment still stubbornly high for younger Americans. And many already owe tens of thousands in student loans. When Millennials find a job, they just want a roof over their head, not a mortgage. Plus, credit is tight. So, buying is tough, a down payment even tougher. Also, Millennialls value mobility. And urban areas offer convenience.

That demand pushing up rent prices across the U.S. Rent is up three percent over the past year, and nearly twice that in renter-heavy cities like San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle and Boston. But long term, the Millenniall effect could produce a familiar result. As this generation grows up, as children finds more steady employment, the need for more space and the financial prospects of owning a home could push Millennialls into single family homes. And lift the housing market for everyone else. Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

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AZUZ: A royal welcome to all our kingly viewers in the Midwest today. Starting with the River Kings and Queens of Clinton, Iowa, they are watching from Washington Middle School.

Next, long live the Kinsman (ph) of Penn High School. They are online in Mishawaka, Indiana, and we`ll wrap our royal journey in Kingman, Kansas, home of the Eagles of Kingman High School.

Anyone can learn the solve for explit (ph), no one has solved Pi. The Guinness world record for reciting numbers in Pi is held by a Chinese man who memorized just under 68,000 digits. We usually just abbreviate it to 3.14. That makes today 3.14, March 14, Pi Day.

Who doesn`t like Pi? Whether it`s an old fashioned apple pie, the Oscar- winning “Life of Pi,” a pepperoni pizza pie. Unless it`s a slice of humble pie, it brings us together. Of course, if you dropped the “E” in it, you`ll drop some of the enthusiasm. But the true mathletes out there can always bake up a little fun on Pi day. It`s celebrated every year on March 14. That`s 3/14 is in the first few digits of Pi, the ratio of a circle circumference to its diameter. You could call our fascination with it irrational, and that`s just the kind of number it is. An irrational one. It just goes on and on without stopping or repeating. At least as far we know. Computers have calculated Pi to its 2 quadrillions digit. Don`t ask me what that means, I majored in telecommunications. What I can tell you is that when it comes to this ratio, the Pi is the limit.

I know a lot of you like it when we pike on puns. A lot of you count on it. We could just say, good pie without any good pie puns, without waiving good pie, without adding a single word. But given the chance to cook up a report like that, something that could apple to a lot of students, something that could really oven things out at the end of the week – well, you can always crust us to try our berry best, make a bake and aim for a refreshing batch of Friday pie day puns.

All right, we are going to leave you with some images we`ve seen on CNN STUDENT NEWS throughout the week. I`m Carl Azuz. See you Monday.