Quick Guide & Transcript: Bush asks for patience on Iraq, China plans to enter aircraft market

Adjust font size:

(CNN Student News) -- March 20, 2007

Quick Guide

Four Years Later - Hear what the president is calling for on the four-year anniversary of the Iraq war.

Rivals in the Sky - Learn how China hopes to break up what some say is a passenger plane duopoly.

Climbing Clean - Ascend to new heights of mountain maintenance with a conscientious climber.

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: Thanks for tuning in or logging on to CNN Student News! I'm Danielle Elias at CNN Center. On the anniversary of a four-year-old war, President Bush asks for patience. Though polls suggest that's wearing thin. On two runways on two coasts: A modern-day "Spruce Goose", sort-of, makes a landing and hopes to land a profit. And on the slopes of some magnificent mountains: A conscientious climber concentrates on cleaning up.

First Up: Four Years Later

ELIAS: First up: Four years into the Iraq war, that country's prime minister says the al Qaeda terrorist group, is the biggest threat to Iraq. Now you may remember that sectarian, or religious, violence has claimed tens of thousands of lives over the past year. This week, Nuri al-Maliki said that that type of violence was all but over with. But the insurgency goes on. Elizabeth Manresa shows us how that's affecting Iraqis and Americans' opinion of the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH MANRESA, CNN REPORTER: It's an image many Iraqi's and Americans will not soon forget - the toppling of Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein. A moment many thought symbolized an end to the war in Iraq. But fast forward four years and the violence continues. In northern Iraq Monday, six explosions rocked the city of Kirkuk, killing more than a dozen people. But President Bush told reporters Monday, victory in Iraq remains possible.

U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: The fight is difficult, but it can be won. It will be won if we have the courage and resolve to see it through.

MANRESA: But support for the war is dwindling. A new CNN-Opinion Research poll shows a dramatic drop in support for the war since it began in March 2003 - now at 32%. The president is asking for more time, saying the consequences of leaving now would be devastating.

BUSH: The new strategy will need more time to take effect, and there will be good days and there will be bad days ahead as the security plan unfolds.

MANRESA: That plan includes sending in more U.S. troop reinforcements, a move many are protesting, including lawmakers and some military family members who are demanding a timeline for U.S. withdrawal.

STEPMOTHER OF SOLDIER: Real support for our troops means ending the U.S. military occupation of Iraq.

MANRESA: Lawmakers are now considering an emergency war spending bill that includes a troop withdrawal deadline of September 2008. For CNN Student News, I'm Elizabeth Manresa in Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Your Opinion

ELIAS: You know what the president says, what the protesters say, but what do you think about the Iraq war? Log on to CNN.com/EDUCATION today, and shout out your opinion by clicking the "contact us" link. Your response could be featured right here on CNN Student News!

Word to the Wise

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: A Word to the Wise...

duopoly (noun) a situation in which two companies own almost all of the market for a given product

Source: www.dictionary.com

Rivals in the Sky

ELIAS: Some say Airbus and Boeing have a duopoly in the passenger plane market. And here's one reason why: The innovative -- and just plain huge -- Airbus a-380! One landed in New York yesterday, the other in Los Angeles. Both airports are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make their runways big enough for this behemoth. Its wingspan is almost the length of a football field! Now China is hoping to soar into the airplane game. Todd Benjamin reports on the country's efforts to get a rival carrier off the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BENJAMIN, CNN REPORTER:China has never hidden its desire to become a major force in the aviation and aerospace industries. And Sunday's announcement that it plans to challenge Airbus and Boeing's current duopoly by building big passenger jets isn't exactly a shock.

KIERAN DALY, AIR TRANSPORT INTELLIGENCE: I don't think there's any surprise that the Chinese are saying that they're going to build their own aircraft in due course. But I think it'll be at least couple of decades before they have an aircraft that makes any meaningful dent in the market, and quite possibly several decades.

BENJAMIN: To help realize there ambition China can draw on technical expertise developed over 50 years. And it has already demonstrated a remarkable ability for replicating complex, highly technical manufacturing systems.

The first homegrown Chinese jetliner, the medium range A-R-J-21 or Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st century, should start to roll off the production line later this year. China expects to sell 300 of the 100 seater planes to Chinese customers over the next 20 years. There are 71 firm orders from smaller domestic carriers, and China intends to target export markets in Asia, Africa and South America. China is the world's second largest market for planes outside of the U.S. Sales are booming as the country's airlines race to meet the surge in demand for domestic air travel. According to a leading London consultancy, Boeing currently leads the way in China with a 64 percent market share, but Airbus is closing the gap. Both companies have invested heavily there, manufacturing parts in the country and transferring technical 'know how'.

DALY: The technological lead in the West is absolutely enormous at the moment. Not just in building aircraft, it's in providing engines for aircraft for example. Now that is an incredibly difficult engineering task to do and a lot of that technology came out of the military in the first place. It's really inconceivable that in any kind of foreseeable time frame, that the Chinese will be building their own engines which will be economically competitive with those coming out of the West.

BENJAMIN: It will be decades before China can realize it's ambition to mount a serious, 'big jet' challenge to the global dominance of Boeing and Airbus. But with more than a trillion dollars in plane sales expected globally in the next 20 years, it's easy to see why China is keen to get on board. Todd Benjamin, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

I.D. Me

AZUZ: See if you can ID me: I'm a volcano whose name means "everlasting life." I'm generally considered active, though the last eruption was in 1707. My peak is the highest point in Japan, and there's actually a shrine built on it! It's been said that "he who climbs Mount Fuji once is a wise man; he who climbs it twice is a fool."

Climbing Clean

ELIAS: When you think of Mount Fuji, Mount Everest, or even Mount McKinley, you probably think snowy caps, beautiful scenery, maybe a tough climb! But unless you've set foot on their slopes, you probably don't think canisters, computers or car batteries. That's what's littering many mountainsides these days. James Macdonald tells us who's hiking up, to clean it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES MACDONALD, CNN REPORTER: From a distance, it's a post-card image. Get a bit closer to Mount Fuji you'll find something that spoils the scenery. Japan's iconic mountain has a garbage problem. A stark contrast to a country known for its cleanliness.

KEN NOGUCHI, JAPANESE MOUNTAINEER (TRANSLATED): Mount Fuji is known around the world. Many foreigners visit, especially in the summer. When they come to climb it they see rubbish like this, it's embarrassing.

MACDONALD: For mountaineer Ken Noguchi the trash is a disgrace and the inspiration for a global crusade to clean up what he climbs. Noguchi is Japan's most famous alpinist. At one time, the youngest man to summit the world's seven highest peaks. Scaling Mount Everest for the first time, he found the Himalayan wonder wasn't exactly what he expected.

NOGUCHI (Translated): Before going, I always saw beautiful images of Everest on TV. I thought it would be like that. But, once I got there, I found litter everywhere.

MACDONALD: Climbers leave behind plenty. Much of the rubbish baring Japanese labels. Noguchi set out to clean it up. Over several expeditions his international team has removed eight tons of trash from Everest, hardly an easy job at those altitudes.

NOGUCHI (Translated): Carrying the garbage from 8000 meters to 6000 meters, again and again, for two months is really hard, especially when temperatures are up and there is one avalanche after another. I was worried I may become garbage myself.

MACDONALD: Noguchi has since turned his attention closer to home. He leads a local club on frequent clean-up trips to restore the natural beauty. The volunteers are finding some of the last things you'd expect to see at the base of Mount Fuji. You have a 27 inch television set, a computer monitor, a collection of car batteries - and that's only after 15 minutes of cleaning. Within hours the trash is piled high. A surprising site, even for seasoned climbers.

SOT: I have climbed many mountains in Japan, he says. But this one has the most garbage. Most climbers have good etiquette, but there are many visitors and some heartless people dump their trash here.

MACDONALD: Still, seven years of scrubbing are paying off, particularly on the upper reaches. Though few will ever reach the heights he's experienced, Noguchi hopes to inspire people to take better care of the slopes.

NOGUCHI (Translated): An alpinist goes into dangerous conditions. But the most important thing is to never give up. It's the same with environmental problems. You can't do it all by yourself, but if you get a group of people together, anything is possible.

MACDONALD: To a man used to near-impossible tasks, it's just one more adventure. James Macdonald, CNN, near Mouth Fuji Japan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Before We Go

ELIAS: Before we go, it wasn't exactly a band on the run, though it took a band of folks to round-up this runaway ruminant! World's scariest police chase? Not exactly. But a cow on the mooooove isn't a sight you see everyday in Miami Gardens. An animal control expert eventually got a rope on the bad-tempered bovine. But it put up resistance reminiscent of a rodeo, before it was trucked to a nearby farm!

Goodbye

ELIAS: Well don't you run away. More Headline News is next, and more CNN Student News returns tomorrow. I'm Danielle Elias. See you then!