Quick Guide & Transcript: Assessing the 'nuclear club,' Week in Review

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(CNN Student News) -- October 13, 2006

Quick Guide

Nuclear Club - Find out how North Korea's nuclear ambitions could expand membership in a so-called nuclear club.

Week in Review - Hear why some New Yorkers thought a plane crash was a terrorist attack, and review the week's other headlines.

Honoring Hispanic Heritage - Venture beneath some of Atlanta's bridges where a Hispanic community leader reaches out to the homeless.

Transcript

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

DANIELLE ELIAS, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Happy Friday, guys, and welcome to another edition of CNN Student News! I'm Danielle Elias. North Korea wants in -- a very exclusive club. Why the communist nation's not welcome among existing nuclear powers. A fire in the sky triggers new terror fears. Relive New York's latest scare as we review the week's headlines. And for a superstitious date, we've got a superstitious shoutout. If this day makes you nervous, we've got your number.

First Up: Nuclear Club

ELIAS: First up today: The growing international fear about a nuclear North Korea. The U.S. wants the U.N. Security Council to pass a strong resolution against that nation, possibly by today. America's been calling for action since Monday. That's when the reclusive communist country claimed it had conducted a successful nuclear test. If North Korea gets the bomb, it joins an exclusive club. Aneesh Raman tells us why current club members don't want anyone else to join them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN: She may have seemed happy, but what the North Korean announcer said on Monday morning stunned the rest of the world. North Korea now claims to be a nuclear armed nation, the latest member of an exclusive club.

RAMAN: For nearly half a century only five countries were known to have nuclear weapons: The United States, Russia, Britain, France and China, what now could be called the "old guard," all tested nuclear weapons by the early 60s. Then, in 1968, amid growing fears of nuclear Armageddon, came the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which basically said that the nuclear club was closed, that those with weapons couldn't spread them and those without couldn't try to acquire them. But in the past decade or so, membership has almost doubled.

RAMAN: Israel has long been thought to have a nuclear arsenal, though the government neither confirms nor denies its existence. And in 1998 came the stunning news that India and Pakistan had become nuclear neighbors. Now we expect to be adding North Korea to the list. Keep Iran in mind as a candidate member, though the government says its pursuing civilian energy. And the world seems to be inching towards something far worse a new cold war.

COREY HINDERSTEIN, N. KOREAN ANALYST: We may be facing the nuclear threat not just from new states but also potentially the spread of nuclear materials or weapons to terrorists.

RAMAN: A big part of the problem is that the world is beset by regional conflicts. A year after President Bush called Iraq, Iran and North Korea the "Axis of Evil," Iraq's Saddam Hussein was deposed by a U.S.-led invasion. Some analysts say North Korea and Iran began to wonder whether a nuclear arsenal was a way to avoid a similar fate. And as those countries pursue nuclear programs, they pose new threats to their neighbors. A nuclear North Korea raises fears Asia could be on the brink of an arms race with South Korea and Japan forced to keep up. For now, Japan says it has no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons -- but the prospect is being discussed.

SHIGERU ISHIBA, FORMER JAPANESE DEFENSE MINISTER: The U.S. is saying to China that it should take action against North Korea because otherwise Japan would have to have a nuclear weapon.

RAMAN: And the Middle East could be in for its own arms race, with some Mideast experts suggesting Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are contemplating nuclear arms of their own. While some countries have given up nuclear programs to gain international clout, North Korea shows no sign of doing so. which leaves the rest of the world struggling for a solution between outright acceptance and war. Aneesh Raman, CNN

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Week in Review

ELIAS: Around the globe, North Korea's reported nuke test rattled nerves. In New York, a plane crash rattled an entire city. Those were just two among the many stories we tracked. And for our "Week in Review," we bring you the sights and sounds that changed your world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Today's Week in Review brings your class the images of stories that made headlines this week. Included here is a brief description of each topic:

On October 8, Pakistan marked the one-year anniversary of a devastating earthquake that killed an estimated 73,000 people. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf led a memorial ceremony in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. With winter approaching, relief agencies continue to build permanent shelters for the earthquake's refugees, which include about 40,000 orphans. In some camps, basic classrooms have been set up, and many children have shown progress in adjusting to their new lives.

North Korea surprised the world on Monday with the announcement that it had tested a nuclear weapon. The country's U.N. ambassador, Pak Gil Yon, said he was proud of his country's scientists, who had conducted a "successful nuclear underground test." Other members of the U.N. were less enthusiastic. While they considered whether to penalize the communist nation, Japan's government voted on Thursday to impose its own economic sanctions on North Korea.

The Bush administration held a summit in Maryland on Tuesday in the hopes of preventing future school violence. President Bush said adults should take action when they see signs that children are in trouble, and safety experts said students should speak up if they think a colleague is behaving suspiciously. No funding or new policies were announced at the event; the president said its goal was "to help educate."

President Bush was in the headlines on Wednesday as well for a news conference in which he addressed international and domestic issues. He said the U.S. was working with the international community to ensure serious repercussions for North Korea's nuclear test. The president also rebuked a report that more than 650,000 Iraqis have died from violence since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Regarding the Mark Foley scandal in Congress, Bush said he supported House Speaker Dennis Hastert's efforts to get to the bottom of the controversy.

Baseball fans across the country are mourning the loss of Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, whose small plane crashed into a Manhattan apartment building on Wednesday. Tyler Stanger, a 26-year-old flight instructor, also died in the crash. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the Cirrus Design SR20 aircraft to slam into the Belair Condominium building on 72nd Street. The incident brought jarring memories of the September 11 attacks for several New Yorkers who witnessed it.

The U.S. stock market continued its upward climb on Thursday, closing at a record high of 11,947.70. The year's lowest oil prices, earnings reports by several key companies, and an indication that the economy was strengthening contributed to the advance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Promo

ELIAS: Teachers, if you miss anything, you can get all the details behind each day's stories from our show transcript which is posted on our Web site. And if you want to make current events a weekly challenge, give your students our weekly Newsquiz. It's available every Friday in PDF format. That means it's printable and ready for the classroom. Just go to CNN.com/Education.

Honoring Hispanic Heritage

ELIAS: All week, we've been marking Hispanic Heritage Month. Today we follow Colombian immigrant Serge Restrepo. As a business owner in Atlanta, Restrepo pursues the American dream. But outside of work, he helps fellow immigrants who've fallen short of their dreams and into homelessness. Carl Azuz is here with that report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGIO RESTREPO, "People on the Way": We started publishing in the press that there was abuse in the youth populations in rural regions of Colombia, and that's where the problem started.

CARL AZUZ, CNN: It was because of this that Restrepo, a lawyer who specialized in public health, emigrated to the United States through contact with a Christian church. He quickly found a job installing floors. Today, he and his wife have a business as tax assessors, although this work actually doesn't take up the majority of his time.

RESTREPO: We bring them blankets. Everyone gets soap, an electric razor, and a little bit of food.

AZUZ: His office is in the streets, or even better stated, it's below the streets. This is one of the eight bridges that are within a six-mile radius in the city of Atlanta. Underneath each one of these, there are anywhere from 15-25 homeless people, and this bridge specifically represents what is the immigrants' theme. On the South side of the river, the Hispanic homeless, and on the North side, American homeless. This is where Restrepo arrives to offer them a little bit of food, health care, and a message of hope.

RESTREPO: We're going to give a little bit of medical attention, dental care, and there's no need to worry about immigration officials arriving.

AZUZ: He speaks to them of free health care brigades that he has led for the last five years. With these brigades, he has extended medical services to more than three thousand lower-income Hispanics. He recruits volunteers and money all because of his saying, "When there is a spirit of volunteering, opportunities arise."

RESTREPO: Right around here, there are a lot of homeless, and the police keep hassling them.

AZUZ: He doesn't know any better way to learn a city than by going bridge to bridge, shedding light and giving back as a community leader. Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, I'm Carl Azuz.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Shoutout

AZUZ: Time for the Shoutout! Today's Shoutout goes out to Mr. Vargas' 5th grade class at Owens Intermediate in Bakersfield, California! What's the fear of the number 13 called? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A) Arithmophobia B) Potamophobia C) Triskaidekaphobia D) Sesquipedalophobia You've got three seconds--GO! C -- triskaidekaphobia -- is the answer! And the fear of Friday the 13th is known as paraskevidekatriaphobia! That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

Before We Go

ELIAS: Before we go, let's tip-toe through the tulips. In a few months, folks in Boise, Idaho, can do just that thanks to one charter school. Idaho is hosting the Special Olympics in 2009. To raise money for that, these students sold tulip bulbs for a buck each. They planted them all earlier this week. Students even dug things up at the Capitol and the Governor's Mansion. This flower power really added up. All told, they raised $4000.

Goodbye

ELIAS: That's all for this edition of CNN Student News. Best of luck on this Friday the 13th. I'm Danielle Elias. We'll see you on Monday.

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