CNN Student News Week 50, 2013

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. As the new week begins, many people around the world are paying tribute to Nelson Mandela. He helped end apartheid, South Africa`s practice of racial segregation. He became the country`s first democratically elected president. Mandela died last Thursday at 95. Our show from last Friday covered his life and legacy.

Yesterday was the National Day of Prayer in South Africa. An official memorial service is scheduled for tomorrow. Several world leaders are set to attend. Mandela`s memory is being honored around the globe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. JACOB ZUMA, SOUTH AFRICA: Our nation has lost its greatest son. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves.

REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOWPUSH COALITION: He was just this huge larger than life figure.

F.W. DE KLERK, FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: He was a magnanimous person. He was a compassionate person.

PETER GABRIEL, MUSICIAN: For the world, you know, there`s been no (inaudible) leader like him in my lifetime.

RICHARD BRANSON, FOUNDER, VIRGIN GROUP: It was remarkable, I mean we can sense the humor, a twinkle in his eye, and yet at the same time there was this serious side to him.

PRINCE WILLIAM: What an extraordinary, an inspiring man Mr. Mandela was.

TONY BLAIR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: He was the person that, I think more than any other person in the late 20th century represents its – the triumphs of the human spirit over adversity.

CROWD (singing)

GEN. COLIN POWELL (RET.) FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: He didn`t cover my (inaudible), and he was so gracious, a gracious man. Very seldom you can find that combination of virtues and values and principles all in one person. But it was all then, one man that we all came to know and laugh, Madiba, Nelson Mandela.

BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Many around the world were greatly influenced by his selfless struggle. He touched our lives in deeply personal ways.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I`m one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela`s life. My very first political action was a protest against apartheid. The day he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they are guided by their hopes and not by their fears.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would ask everybody at the Atlanta (inaudible) to stand, please, for a minute silence in respect of the life of Nelson Mandela.

OBAMA: For now, let us pause and give thanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: For our first “Roll Call” of the week we thought we`d add a little color to “Roll Call” festivities. We are going to start with the purple Riders from Martins Ferry`s High School in Martins Ferry, Ohio. Over in Fishers, Indiana, we`ve got the Golden Hawks from Riverside Junior High, and we`ll round out our roll with the Red Devils, they are from Central High School in Phoenix City, Alabama.

Economic indicators and winter weather. Economy`s up first. The new U.S. unemployment rate seven percent. Lowest it`s been in five years. In November, the economy added 203,000 jobs. Some experts see this as good signs for the economy. But there are still 11 million unemployed Americans and more than a third of them have been out of work for at least six months.

Like economic data, weather reports are full of highs and lows. In Dallas, last Wednesday, for example, the high was 80 degrees. By Thursday night, a low in the 20s. A winter storm blasted into the region bringing freezing rain and sleet. The winter weather moved east over the weekend. Experts predicted temperatures would be back on the rise today.

When someone from one country visits another, it`s unusual for that person to be held prisoner. That`s what happened to Merrill Newman, though, when he took a trip to North Korea. The country isolates itself from most of the rest of the world, so it`s very difficult to understand its decisions. One thing we do know is that the situation involving Merrill Newman is over.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MERRILL NEWMAN, FMR. NORTH KOREAN DETAINEE: Good morning. I`m delighted to be home.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Merrill Newman, the 85-year old Korean War veteran, spent six long weeks in captivity. It`s not clear why the North Korean government suddenly let him go. But the state`s news agency said he was deported for humanitarian reasons and because he was repented.

NEWMAN: I can (inaudible) understand that in U.S. and Western countries there is misleading information and propaganda about PPRK.

SIMON: It came a week after the former Army intelligence officer and later Silicon Valley executive gave this statement for his alleged war crimes while in Korea some 60 years ago.

NEWMAN: And killed three innocent operators to delay the munition supply.

SIMON: Some described it as highly scripted political theater.

BILL RICHARDSON, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR: This is the pattern of the North Koreans. They make some of this prisoners do confessions they basically feel they have enormous leverage over you and, you know, you are in North Korean prison. You say that.

SIMON: Following his release, Newman first went to China, been flew home to San Francisco. His son and wife by his side at the airport.

NEWMAN: It`s been a great – great homecoming. And I`m tired, but – it was my family now and thank you all for the support we got.

SIMON: Here, in Palo Alto, at Newman`s retirement complex, you can see the yellow ribbons to welcome him home. Though the U.S. has no former relations with North Korea, a White House officials says that Newman`s release was the direct result of contact between Washington and the North Korean capital.

Thousands of Westerners travel to North Korea each year at their own peril. Newman went there in October as part of a ten day tour. The day before leaving, he had reportedly spoken to some Korean authorities about his military service. He was eventually pulled off his airplane just minutes before it was to depart.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s time for “The Shoutout.” How many countries have teams in the FIFA World Cup Tournament? If you think you know it then shout it out! Is it eight, 16, 32 or 64? You`ve got three seconds, go!

Every four years, there are 32 nations in the World Cup soccer tournament. That`s your answer and that`s your “Shoutout.”

AZUZ: Now, we know which countries will be playing each other in the opening round of the next World Cup. Last Friday, the draw was announced. Eight groups, four countries per group. Starting mid-June, they`ll face off in stadiums like this one all over Brazil. The people will be watching from all over the world. That`s why the teams aren`t the only ones trying to get in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As teams from countries the world over, we`re fighting for one of the caveated 32 spots, big global brands who are battling it out to be associated with the FIFA World Cup. Estimated by some at a cost of $100 million each to be an official sponsor.

THIERRY WEIL, FIFA DIRECTOR OF MARKETING: So, when you are talking to companies, which are looking to have a global exposure, World Cup is the platform where you have global exposure.

BOULDEN: When it comes to current sponsors for FIFA, it`s Visa, not MasterCard. Adidas, not Nike. McDonald`s, not Burger King. Coca Cola, not Pepsi.

ARNAB ROY, COCA-COLA GLOBAL FOOTBALL MARKETING DIRECTOR: The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle.

BOULDEN: For Coke, the World Cup is key.

ROY: In 2010, the campaign was the biggest ever marketing plan for brand Coke ever. And the ambition is to go higher.

BOULDEN: Coke estimates some 2 billion people were actively quote, “engaged” with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Not just watching a match or two. Their goal, says Coke, attracting teenagers.

Brand experts say, global corporations are often associated with other big sporting events as well.

STEPHEN CHELIOTIS, CHAIRMAN, SUPER BRANDS COUNCIL: If you sponsor things like the World Cup, the Olympics, the Champions League, you got a big ad in the Super Bowl, effectively, you are saying to people, we are a big great brand. You should aspire to be associated with us. You should want our products.

BOULDEN: And Jeff, you aren`t there. Your competitor will be.

ROY: This is the – the number one passion for Latin America, for Europe. It`s more than just a sport, it`s about culture. You have to be there. You have to go and own that space.

BOULDEN: That space also goes totally against the new trend of niche marketing and micro-targeting. Though for the brands, it`s not about selling a specific product. It`s about your brand basking in a glow of the Super Bowl, or the Olympics, or the FIFA World Cup. Jim Boulden, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: You probably heard your parents say don`t chew with your mouth open. I don`t think anyone is going to tell that to this shark. This video comes courtesy of a camera that was attached to the bottom of a boat. The sailors strung out bait and got this view of a shark chewing down. Animals just thought it was having lunch, little did it know it was about to become a YouTube sensation. It`s a classic bait and switch. After the sharks hunger head abated, it might have felt guilty, but that`s a different tale. We`ve reached today`s finish line. Enjoy the rest of your Monday. We`ll see you again tomorrow. Bye now.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: My name is Carl Azuz. Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. Winter doesn`t officially start for another 11 days, but the weather outside is frightful right now. That`s happening across the U.S. Freezing temperatures in parts of California and Nevada, windshields 40 below zero in the Midwest. Snow and ice in the Northeast. On Monday, it was warmer in Anchorage, Alaska than it was in St. Louis or Denver. If you are driving or flying, this winter weather can cause serious problems.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Snow, freezing rain and dangerous ice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Plano, Texas, residents captured this video showing sheets of ice cascading down from the rooftops.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And another early winter storm is wreaking havoc across much of the nation. The frigid storm put Dallas in a deep freeze over the weekend. And made mess from Ohio valley to the Northeast. Road crews were out in full force plowing and salting streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re not going to stop working until the roads are clear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The wintry mix created treacherous conditions on major roadways.

REBECCA THIMMESCH, RESTON, VIRGINIA RESIDENT: It`s been really rough. I think every year people forget how to drive in the snow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The dangerous mix of snow and ice caused this 50 car pileup on the Pennsylvania Turnpike killing at least one person. Roads and highways in the Milwaukee area also have their share of problems. Three separate wrecks involving over 100 cars. Busses in ditches, semitrailers jack-knifed causing a number of injuries.

LUIS ALANIS, BUS PASSENGER IN 1-94 ACCIDENT: It was bad. Like you could barely see (inaudible) just swerving through cars, dodging cars and we ended up in a ditch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But it`s not just a driver`s feeling the impact. Over 2800 flights were canceled nationwide on Sunday. And the number of cancellations continued to grow. This morning, the travel will be in airports along the busy I-95 quarter including Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. Heavy snow was the headline in at least four NFL games on Sunday. Blowing snow made it nearly impossible for fans to tell exactly where the ball was. The football field looked more like ice rings with players slipping and sliding.

At the Eagles Lions game in Philadelphia, snow measured as high as six inches in the middle of the field.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Next up today, we are heading to Eastern Europe where a country is being pulled in opposite directions. For decades, Ukraine was under Soviet rule. It gained its independence in 1991. Now, some Ukrainians think their country should align with Western Europe, others want to stay more connected to Russia. When Ukraine`s president recently refused to make a deal with the European Union, the pro- Europe side started protesting, calling for change in the government. On Sunday, this protests brought down a monument of a former Soviet leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a symbolic act of defiance. The pro- European protesters toppling that stature of the Russian revolutionary Lenin in the center of Kiev, hacking it to piece with hammers. Pro-government supporters staged their own demonstration nearby, amid concerns that Ukraine, a country of nearly 45 million people is increasingly divided. Hundreds of thousands have gathered in a capital Kiev, calling for the government there to step down. This wide spread anger after the Ukrainian president rejected closer ties with the European Union in favor of a trade pack with Moscow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See, if you can I.D. me. I`m an African country that got its independence from France in 1960. My capital city is Bangui. I`m located almost exactly in the center of the African continent. I`m the Central African Republic. Home to around 5 million people.

AZUZ: There have been waves of violence in the Central African Republic since the country`s president was forced out of power in March. The Central African Republic`s government has struggled since it`s got its independence from France. After decades of military rule, a civilian government took over, then it was overthrown. The man who took over the government then is the one who was forced out this year. That led to current violence between rival militias. One supports the old president, the other supports the new leader. France is sending troops to help establish and maintain security there. Thousands of peacekeeping troops from the African Union are heading to the Central African Republic as well. U.S. officials said American military aircraft will help transport the African and European troops.

Back in the U.S. researches are looking at dangers on the road. We`ve talked a lot about distracted driving, you`ve heard warnings about drinking and driving. According to this new information, being extremely tired can have the same effect on your body. Officials say drowsy driving is responsible for more than 100,000 crashes a year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dramatic dashboard video captured a 71-year old woman asleep at the wheel. Her car crashes through the windshield of an oncoming car. Everyone survives. And in Florida police officer`s dash cam captures a reported drowsy driver smashing into his cruiser. Both lived. Drowsy drivers cause an estimated 40,000 injuries and more than 1500 deaths annually. Being awake for more than 20 hours can cause impairment equal to a blood alcohol level of .08 percent, the legal limit.

DR. GHOLAM MOTAMEDI, MD, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Similar to alcohol intoxication, your reflexes and responses and data processing speed would be slower.

MARSH: 20 percent of accidents involve drowsy drivers. That`s according to researchers here at Virginia Tech. And no sleep means bad moves on the road.

Awake for 21 hours, I got behind the wheel. I drove the 2.2 mile test track at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Nearly an hour later, cameras installed inside the car captured my eye movements. Slow blinking, one indication of a drowsy driver.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your turn signal on that you`re going to pass them.

MARSH (on camera): Oh, wrong thing.

RICHARD HANOWSKI, PH.D., VIRGINIA TECH TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE: So, I mean you start making errors and now you`re drifting outside the lane a little bit.

BRIAN LESSON, VTTI RESEARCH ASSOCIATE: If I`m starting to kind of nod off, I fall with my face down.

MARSH (voice over): Virginia Tech researchers are developing facial tracking software that could one day be installed in vehicles.

(on camera): How did I do?

HANOWSKI: It was good. I mean there certainly you had some effects of fatigue, that`s a lot of slow eyelid closure. So, I could definitely tell that you were fatigued, but we made it back in one piece.

MARSH (voice over): One sleep expert says a ten-minute nap can restore the body somewhat. But the more, the better. Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Today is Tuesday and we`re selecting schools whose title and team offer opportunities for awesome alliteration. Take the Terra Nova Tigers from Pacifica, California. They fit this theme to a T. The Faribault Falcons in Minnesota align with this alliterative effort as well. And in Spencer, West Virginia, the Roane County Raiders round out our roll.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Would it be more than a peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked? Who knows. What we do is that when it comes to tongue twisters, there may be a new king.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Researchers at MIT say they`ve turned up the toughest tongue twister to twist-tie tangled tongues, but unlike other famous phrases that are fun to stumble over, like the top cop saw a cop top, or she sells seashells by the seashore, this one doesn`t make sense. Pad kid poured curd pulled cold. That`s it. Pad kid poured curd pulled cold. Some of the volunteers in the MIT study reportedly couldn`t get through it, while others just stopped talking. Totally tongue-tied. A psychologist who worked on the study says its value is in learning how the brain processes and plans speech, and this phrase certainly upsets those plans. But is it hard for everyone? To someone who`s paid to talk, like a news reporter, it helps that this phrase is made of words we commonly say. Well, except curd. But it came a lot easier than the seething sea ceaseth (ph), and thus the seething sea sufficeth (ph) us, which I practiced and still can`t get right. And then there`s the Guinness world record holder for toughest tongue twister. The sixth sick sheik`s sixth sheep`s sick.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The six six sheik sixth ship six – sick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That one is harder. The sixth sick sheets sick sixth ship sick.

AZUZ: Yeah, the sheik may recover, but your tongue won`t. Compared to these, pad kid poured curd pulled cold seems easy. But if you`re the type who struggled with tongue twisters ever since you first heard kitty caught a kitten in the kitchen, you can always say cat`s got your tongue.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Of course that`s not literal. When you say that kind of thing, it`s totally tongue in cheek. That`s a mouthful for today, so we`ll just say goodbye and see you again tomorrow for more CNN STUDENT NEWS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It took a man like Madiba to free not just the prisoner, but the jailer as well.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: To show that you must trust others so they may trust you to teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past, but a means of confronting it with inclusion and generosity and truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. You just heard President Obama speaking in Johannesburg yesterday. The event honoring former South African President Nelson Mandela. Three things to know about Mandela`s memorial service: one, it was huge. It was held in the soccer stadium and attended by tens of thousands of people, street sweepers, actors, religious leaders, Mandela family members who spoke in between the cheers.

Two, it was symbolic. This is the same stadium where Mandela himself spoke 23 years ago after he was released from prison. He`d been serving a life sentence for fighting South Africa`s apartheid government. Mandela later became a symbol and advocate of human rights, and Tuesday`s events coincided with U.N. Human Rights Day.

Three, it was historic: 91 heads of states were there. A crowd of world leaders echoing attendance of Winston Churchill`s funeral in 1965 or Pope John Paul II in 2005. President Obama, former president George W. Bush, and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton all traveled to South Africa on the same plane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID GERGEN, SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Air Force One is a very intimate setting. So, that`s place where you can have quitter conversation. Once you get to one these massive events, it`s very hard to have real conversations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These long flights, believe it or not, can forge friendships. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan couldn`t attend the funeral of Egypt`s Anwar Sadat. So, he enlisted Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter to attend instead. The flight was said to be initially awkward and very long. But one notable friendships emerged. Evident at Ford`s funeral more than 25 years later, when Jimmy Carter eulogized his longtime friend.

JIMMY CARTER: For myself and for our nation I want to thank my predecessor.

GERGEN: Fast forward to 1992, Bill Clinton and President George H.W. Bush were fighting a bitter presidential contest, but seven years later when they traveled together to attend the funeral of Jordan`s King Hussein in 1999, that ice began to thaw, and now there are partners in philanthropy all over the world. Such a gathering of most or all living presidents is typically reserved only for monumental, usually sad events. But journey itself holds the potential for conflict and resolution on the first class scale.

GERGEN: It`s going to make a big, big difference and the atmospherics on Air Force One, with George W. Bush there with his successor. That President Bush has been so reserved in making any negative comments, he is not second guessing his successor. And I think that the Obama people really appreciate that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This gang has seen more of each other than usual. In April the group suited up to attend the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Texas. Then, in August, Clinton, Obama and Carter joined forces to honor the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

GERGEN: No former president likes to be marginalized. They`ve always been the center of attention, and here we are going to have three formers and a current president. Four centers of attention, that`s a lot to juggle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: You are now looking at pictures Mary Barra. She`ll make history next year. On January 15th she`ll take over as the CEO of General Motors. Barra will be the first woman ever to lead an American carmaker. It`s an industry dominated by men, women make up 21 percent of its total workforce. Barra has been part of it since she was 18 years old, working her way up over the past three decades. She was paid almost $5 million last year, as an executive focused on design, engineering and quality. A car research official says choosing a female CEO is a smart idea because most car buying decision in the U.S. are made by women. GM`s been profitable for several years, but has aggressive competition in the U.S. and challenges selling cars in Europe.

At a place near the South Pole, satellites recorded a measurement of 135.8 degrees below zero. This happened in 2010, but was recently made public. It could be the coldest temperature ever recorded. But some scientists say, it doesn`t count because it was measured remotely by satellite, and not by instruments on the ground. But what makes it so cold?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Here`s the Antarctica story. There`s the dome we are talking about. The middle of the South Pole right here, not that far from it. 135.8 negative Fahrenheit. How does it all happen? Well, if you have clouds, it acts like a blanket. And that cloud cover keeps that temperatures warmer. Antarctica didn`t have a cloud cover that day. It cleared, and all of the heat went away. Just like taking the blanket off you at night when you are sleeping, you get cold. So, heat is released to space. All of the colder that was on top of the mountain has to go somewhere. It drains because of gravity, and it drained down onto the hill, and as a satellite flew over it, took that measurement, it measured 135.

AZUZ: Well, you see it just about everywhere in public. What`s often called the handicap symbol in parking lots, businesses, restaurants and movie theaters. Is it time to change what`s known around the world as the international symbol of accessibility?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It`s the symbol that`s been around since the late `60s. And many people recognize it right away. But Brian Glenney, a professor of philosophy feels that times have changed, and so should the international symbol of accessibility, or ISA. That ubiquitous blue and white handicap icon.

BRIAN GLENNEY, CO-FOUNDER, ACCESSIBLE ICON PROJECT: We started to ask ourselves. If we could bring about real change into how people perceive others with disabilities? Sarah heard about the project, and she saw a more active symbol of what people (inaudible) handicap symbol. And I`m like, why isn`t that everywhere? And we looked at each other and we`re like let`s just do it. Let`s just make our own.

FIRFER: And with that, Glenney, a former graffiti artist and Sarah Hendren, a Harvard art student, came up with the new symbol, one they feel is more progressive.

GLENNEY: This has been a real large complaint in the disability community that if you are in a chair you get looked at as if you are not a person. She used a symbol that was leaning forward to represent kind of how active people are that use these accessible spots. There needed to be a change in the way that we symbolize people with disabilities, but also the way that we perceive them as people who are active and – in body and upwardly mobile in society.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good afternoon!

FIRFER: The redesign implements ideas that separate the person from the chair.

GLENNEY: That figure is leaning forward. One arm is back, and that`s supposed to symbolically represent that that is the future, that people with disabilities are just going to be moving forward into the job arena, into the school arena. There is going to be inclusion and secondary education and elementary school.

FIRFER: For many who active in wheelchairs, like members of Quad Rugby team the New York Warriors, the change is long overdue.

JARRETT DREYER, NY WARRIORS QUAD RUGBY: Past symbol wasn`t really anything good to look at, it`s just kind of showed somebody who is in the chair, who, you know, they are not doing anything. And, you know, that`s one of the stereotypes that needs to be broken.

GEORGE TABORSKY, CO-CAPTAIN, NY WARRIORS QUAD RUGBY: To show that we are more just people sitting around doing nothing in wheelchair. The new emblem just shows someone active, active, pushing forward, if not pushing forward in the chair itself, it`s pushing forward in society.

GLENNEY: It`s just amazing how we`ve evolved from a public art project to what might be an international advocacy project in support of people with disabilities. Our symbols need to evolve in the same way that our words need to evolve.

FIRFER: Holly Firfer, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Well, the new design is gaining acceptance. Some critics say it`s still showing a stick figure instead of a person, and still showing a wheelchair when many people with disabilities don`t use.

Celebrating our viewers from around the globe, it`s World Wide Wednesday on the CNN STUDENT NEWS “Roll Call.” We are staring in Wiesbaden Middle School where the wildcats are watching from Wiesbaden, Germany. Then we are heading East to Songlim High School in Seongnam City South Korea. Their mascot it the pine. And we wrap up our “Roll Call” in Japan with our viewers from Tokyo Metropolitan Kokusai High School. Thank you all for watching.

It`s one of the sounds of the season. Bells ringing in the air, outside churches, houses, stores and malls. Three members of the Salvation Army, on in Texas, one in California and one in Minnesota decided they`d try to reign in a record, standing and chiming for 105 hours. For each of them, it meant going without sleep for four days. But on the plus side, it meant bringing in thousands of dollars for charity. An accomplishment they might not call unbelievable, but to say it took a lot of effort certainly rings true, and though people might not have showed up everywhere to clapper, there is just no disputing, this was a good chime. We`ll be bell tomorrow to ring in another edition of CNN STUDENT NEWS.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. I`m Carl Azuz. It`s a country of nearly 45 million people, one of the largest nations in Europe. And right now it`s in a struggle with itself. We`re talking about Ukraine. Kind of a crossroads, Western Europe to one side, and Russia to the other. The tension happening in Ukraine right now is over which side the country should be closer to. Ukraine`s president and many of its people prefer to be aligned with Russia. Ukrainians who want to move toward Western Europe have been protesting. They`ve taken over parts of the capital city, Kiev, and put up barricades around their gathering spots. That is until late Tuesday night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANA MAGNAY, KIEV, UKRAINE: It`s 2:00 in the morning, and it would appear that the riot police have decided that this is the time to go into the square in full force. I don`t know how we`re going to get in, this is the only way down, and there are police three deep (ph), but we`ll try.

(CROWD NOISE)

MAGNAY: (INAUDIBLE) How are they going to push through these barricades, which have been up there for a long time. You can see the protesters manning the barricades and there are hundreds of riot police here, but no easy access for them through into this square, which is exactly the way the protesters want it.

(CROWD NOISE)

MAGNAY: So, the police have moved on here with chainsaws to try and saw through these barricades and also use brute force to pull them back. And it does look as though in that corner it is giving way.

(CROWD NOISE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (SPEAKING RUSSIAN)

MAGNAY: Now, you have the sea of helmets, the red helmets of the protesters against the black helmets of the riot police, head on head. And we`ll see what happens next.

(CROWD NOISE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: On Wednesday, protesters in Kiev started rebuilding those barricades that were torn down overnight.

Catching up on a few other stories now, starting with Merrill Newman. The 85-yar old American is home after being held in North Korea for weeks. That country`s government released a video, in which Newman read a supposed apology for things he did during the Korean War. Newman says that apology was given under duress. “Anyone who has read the text of it knows that the words were not mine, and were not delivered voluntarily.”

Next up, a lawsuit involving human rights for non-humans. The Non- Human Rights Project was suing to get chimpanzees some of the same rights as the legal person. Their goal was to get some animals move from private owners to sanctuaries. Three courts of New York have rejected the lawsuits. The Non-Human Rights Project says it will appeal those decisions.

And finally, a follow up about outbreak of meningitis, which involves inflammation around the brain and spinal cord. After several cases of the disease at Princeton University, school officials decided to offer students there vaccine. This particular vaccine is approved in other countries, but not in the United States. Princeton says it will cover the cost of the vaccine and only offer it to students and certain members of the university community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s time for the “Shoutout.” What did Queen Elizabeth II, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mark Zuckerberg have in common? If you think you know it then shout it out. Have they all been Nobel Prize winners? “Time`s” Person of the Year? Awarded the Medal of Freedom? Or Harvard Graduates? You`ve got three seconds, go!

The Queen, MLK and Zuckerberg have all been “Time`s” Person of the Year. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

AZUZ: When picking a person of the year, the editors of “Time” magazine consider who affected the news and people`s lives the most? Good or bad? And who embodied what was most important about the year. “Time`s” pick for 2013, Pope Francis. He was elected to lead the Roman Catholic Church in March of this year. One of “Time” magazine`s editors says that since he became pope, Francis has changed he church`s image and its substance, focusing on service and helping the poor.

Some people thought “Time`s” Person of the Year should have been the runner up (ph) Edward Snowden. The former U.S. National Security Agency contractor leaked information about government surveillance programs. People pushing for Snowden to be person of the year say he had a bigger impact on the world than the new pope.

This next story is kind of about technology, it`s kind of about the environment, it`s kind of about business. But it`s mostly about perceptions, and that old advice not to judge a book by its cover. Think about the aps that people use on smartphones. Now, try to picture what the people who design those aps look like, and now watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Patrick, the kind of driven computer wiz who starts companies in college. He came to New York hoping to meet someone in tech that would buy his ideas and change his life. He just didn`t know it would be the homeless guy on the walk to work.

PATRICK MCCONLOGUE, SOFTWARE ENGINEER: He just has something about him. And the first time I remember thinking of him ahead like – you know, who is this guy?

WEIR: This is Leo. As a kid, he was obsessed with science, astronomy, chemistry, physics, but then he fell in with the wrong crowd, became a father too soon. And two years ago first lost his job, and then his home.

(on camera): What did you think he wanted?

LEO GRAND, SOFTWARE DEVELOPER: I didn`t do anything.

(LAUGHTER)

GRAND: You got the wrong guy.

(LAUGHTER)

GRAND: No, he just said, hey, I`m just – it may sounds strange, but I`ll put you an offer. I`ll either give you $100 and you spend it however you want to or I (inaudible) with this brand new laptop and teach you how to code. And instantly, I just said, in my mind, number two.

WEIR (voice over): He would write code for hours, for days, on the banks of the Hudson or in the corner nook in Patrick`s office. At night, Patrick would go home, and Leo would go back outside. Shelters just aren`t his thing. Which all seemed fine, until winter blew in.

(on camera): How do you stay warm on those really bitter nights?

GRAND: I can go to train station or bungalow (ph) like tons of blankets.

MCCONLOGUE: It`s getting really cold, and I keep telling this, and he, you know, he`s like, I`m good, man, let`s keep going.

WEIR (voice over): See, Patrick just wanted to get him employed and housed ASAP, but Leo had other priorities.

(on camera): What is it you wanted to do with this information he was teaching you?

GRAND: Make the world a better place.

WEIR (voice over): See, he is a passionate environmentalist. His heroes are scientists who brave the rugged outdoors.

GRAND: This is what life is supposed to be like, you know.

WEIR (on camera): Going outside?

GRAND: Yeah. I want to be around plants and I want to breathe as much oxygen as possible.

WEIR (voice over): Since he`s really worried about a changing climate, he decided to use his new skills to create a carbon cutting ride sharing app, called Trees for Cars.

GRAND: These would be riders in the same area who want to ride with you.

WEIR (on camera): OK.

If you make money off of this app.

GRAND: Right.

WEIR: Are you going to go get an apartment? What are you going to do?

GRAND: Oh, yes, of course! Trump (inaudible) Hotel.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Central Florida, western Pennsylvania, southern Indiana. That`s where we are heading for today`s “Roll Call.” In Florida, we are checking in with the Hawks from Lake Minneola High School. From there it`s up to Pennsylvania and the Warren Area High School Dragons. And finally, we`ll make our way over to Clarksville, Indiana, where the Providence Pioneers close out today`s roll call journey.

Going to the gym is always a little easier when you`ve got a workout buddy. And who better than men`s best friend? In fact, this gym is designed more for the pooches than their personable pals. The owner says it`s designed for dogs to relax and have fun, apparently get a serious workout, too. There are programs for athletic dogs, for older dogs. Treadmills, waterobics. Presumably, it`s open to groups who want to lose some weight because after all, gym is a perfect place to deal with dog pounds. Of course, there`s only one way to describe how these pounds come off: shedding. It`s a weighty subject, but we still like to have a little pun in every show. We`ll work out some more and meet you bark here tomorrow to close at the week.

CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Fridays are awesome. Even when they are freezing, which is why we have flannel Fridays. Earlier this week, we talked about the thermostat setting a new low – 135.8 degrees below zero. That was the temperature reading in Antarctica in 2010. And some researchers say it could be the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth. Things aren`t that cold in the United States. But the winter weather is in full effect. Snow, ice, freezing rain, sleet and bitter cold – these storms spread across huge parts of the country. They can have a physical impact we all know about, but winter weather can also take a mental toll and an economic one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LONNIE QUINN: Everybody throughout the area is at the freezing mark.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you thought today was cold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next few days are going to be very cold.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Frigid temps gripping the nation as another blast of Arctic air has millions from the Great Lakes to the northeast waking up in a deep freeze.

City after city experiencing temperature 20 degrees or more below average. The coldest it` got in the taste of winter. Forecasters say the windy city already filling like its earliest subzero temperature since 1995. Earlier this week, morning temps plunged to six below zero.

It`s the same story in frozen Fargo. They`ve had single digit temps or below for a full week. New Yorkers bundling up for their morning commute with brutal windshields that feel like the teens and 20s. Bitter cold temps made fighting this apartment fire in Wisconsin challenging for the firefighters. It`s so cold in Wisconsin that a reporter for CNN affiliate WAOW left his banana outside in negative two degree air for just 30 minutes.

EMILY NEUBAUER, WAOW REPORTER: So when we come back, we find the banana completely frozen solid. So frozen, in fact, I can actually use it to hammering this nail.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And in Minnesota plucking in as one of the coldest spots in America. Hospitals there already preparing for an influx of hypothermia and frost-bite cases. And doctors urging people to stay indoors.

DR. KAI TUOMINEN, ST. JOHN`S HOSPITAL: As you get colder and colder your decision making gets worse and worse. The longer you are out, the more damage is done and it can be fatal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: All right, we`ve been reporting for a while on political unrest in Ukraine. The country split between people who want closer ties with European Union and people who want to be more aligned with Russia. A country`s alliances can affect who it trades with, and some of the decisions that its government makes. The current unrest started when Ukraine`s president rejected a trade agreement with the European Union. But yesterday, President Victory Yanukovych met with representatives from the E.U. and afterward, they said he`s changed his mind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHERINE ASHTON, EU HIGH COMMISSIONER: He indicated he still wishes to sign the association agreement with the European Union. From our perspective, we think that`s good for this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Nothing will be official until President Yanukovych signs the deal, and commissioner Ashton says the Ukrainian leader still needs to resolve the conflict in his country.

Next up today, phones in flight: should you be able to make a cell phone call on a plane? On our blog a few weeks ago, Dylan said it`s a good idea, Rob said no way, and Hannah said yes, but only if research proves it won`t cause problems. The big question is, what does the FCC thing? The Federal Communications Commission currently has a ban on in flight cell phone calls. But yesterday, the FCC voted three to two to consider lifting that ban. At the same time, the U.S. Transportation Department said it might look into banning cell calls during flights. One thing is for sure on all this – this issue is dialing up a lot of debate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We can already connect from almost everywhere. And cell phone calls from cruising altitude may be next. The Federal Communications Commission chairman says the ban on cell phone use on passenger flights is outdated and restrictive, and he`s proposing allowing cell phone use above 10,000 feet. The FCC says technology`s advanced enough, so that cell phone transmissions from the air would no longer interfere with cell towers on the ground. But it`s the response from the flying public that`s all the buzz.

BRIAN TODD: You can use them almost everywhere else: on buses, on trains, but as for airplanes, there is some pretty steep resistance to the use of cell phones. Here`s passenger Judy Carol. Judy, what do you think of it?

JUDY CAROL, PASSENGER: I think the phone call can wait. I think that, you know, if it`s that important, do it before you board the plane. Wait until you land.

MICHLER BISHOP, PASSENGER: You might want to talk the entire flight in a loud voice about every single problem you have in your family, blah-blah- blah, right? So, I`m afraid it won`t work.

TODD: That potential tension between passengers is also a safety hazard: according to the Flight Attendants Union, which is against the idea, they say it`s also a security risk.

VEDA SHOOK, PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: We have concerns about the ability for those who might wish to do harm to be able to coordinate during the flight or amongst (ph) flights.

TODD: But some passengers say the ability to communicate trumps all.

AMY RATCLIFFE, PASSENGER: There is lots of work that I do that I need to be in touch with people, and the hour and a half that I spent flying between Atlanta and D.C., I lose that time.

TODD: But in a time when we all face more crowded flights, delays, added charges for bags and meals, be ready to pay more for calls from the air. A consumer advocate says airlines and wireless careers will pass the costs of installing this capability to you.

CRAIG AARON, FREE PRESS-CONSUMER ADVOCATE: You`re going to either have to sign up for extra service, or you`re going to have to pay serious roaming charges, you know, probably in excess of $2 per minute for every phone call you make.

TODD (on camera): In the air?

AARON: In the air.

TODD (voice over): Or maybe much more. Outside the U.S. where the capability already exists, some customers have been charged $12 a minute. As for the U.S., if the FCC lifts the cell phone ban, it`s going to be up to the individual airlines to choose whether to provide cell service to passengers. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s time for the “Shoutout.” On a baseball field, what shape is home plate? If you think you know it, then shout it out! So, is it a pentagon, square, diamond or rhombus? You`ve got three seconds, go!

Home plate has been a five-sided shape since 1900. So, if you said pentagon you hit it out of the park. That`s your answer and that`s your shoutout.

AZUZ: Even though it`s a sport with charging, striking, hitting, popping and slamming, baseball is generally not seen as a contact sport, except for this: a catcher is positioned in front of home plate. The runner headed for home collides with him hoping the catcher will drop the ball allowing to run the score. Major League Baseball is hoping to make this illegal starting next year. The reasons are clear: too many guys, both runners and catchers were getting hurt. Catchers got ten of the 18 concussions that sent players to the disabled list this year. Buster Posey who was National League MPV in 2012 missed most of the season in 2011 when a collision broke his leg and tore ligaments in his ankle. The proposed rule change still has to be approved by owners and players, and penalties for breaking it still have to be worked out. And it has its critics. Some saying this cuddles the players. Some saying the risks of getting hit by a fastball or a line drive, or colliding with another player, are all part of the sport and should stay that way. But if the MLB gets its way, home plate collisions will soon go the way of the spitball.

The mascots for the schools in today`s “Roll Call” definitely have a major league flavor: First, (inaudible) are the cubs from Alcester-Hudson High School in South Dakota. Next location to pop up is Loveland, Ohio, home of the Tigers from Loveland High. And hitting cleanup (ph), the Marcy Marlins (ph) from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Cubs, tigers, marlins, and now the “Roll Call” is out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this legit? George W. Bush was a 43rd person to be U.S. president. Not true. There were 41 people to be president before him. Grover Cleveland is counted twice since he served non-consecutive terms. That`s why President Bush is considered the 43rd president.

AZUZ: Cade Foster is also number 43. That`s his jersey number. Foster is a kicker for the University of Alabama football team. In a recent rivalry game, Foster missed two field goals and had another blocked. He got a lot of criticism, some of it very harsh, but he also got some encouragement from former President George W. Bush. Foster posted this letter on Instagram. It says, quote, “Dear Cade, number 43, life has its setbacks. I know, however, you will be a stronger human with time. I wish you all the best. Sincerely, another 43.” Foster said he`d be framing the handwritten note when he shared it on social media.

Here comes Santa Claus. Here comes Santa Claus. Now, Santa Claus – come on. Apparently he brought a bunch of his friends. These Santas opted for skies or snowboards while this one seems to have upgraded from Santa`s usual sleight. Who needs reindeer when you`ve got horsepower? And ho-ho- hold the bow, because scuba Santa wants to dive and to make a splash in this segment. Do you know scuba is an acronym? Stands for Santa Contained Under Water Breathing Apparatus. Ah, Santa puns – they are (inaudible), and we squeeze them in just in that nick of time.

2013 is almost over. We want to know what you think were the biggest stories of the year. If you`re already on Facebook, go facebook.com/cnnstudentnews this weekend. Tell us your pick for the top story of 2013. Have a great weekend.