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STUDENT NEWS

Syria Faces First Chemical Weapons Deadline; World Record Wave?

Aired November 1, 2013 - 04:00   ET

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


CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz. Welcome to our November 1 edition of CNN STUDENT NEWS. Today is the first deadline for Syria regarding its chemical weapons program. International officials say the country is on target. Syria`s civil war started more than 2.5 years ago. It`s not over. Government troops and rebel forces were fighting yesterday. But Syria is following an international agreement to get rid of its chemical weapons. Today`s deadline was about destroying equipment at chemical weapons facilities. Inspectors say that happened on time. But they couldn`t get to two of the sites, because they were considered too dangerous.

Syria says those sites are abandoned and empty, but inspectors say they can`t be sure, so they only certified the sites they went to. The next deadline for this mission is in two weeks. By November 15th, the inspection agency has to approve Syria`s plan for how it will destroy its supply of chemical weapons.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And please turn off all cellular phones and other electronic devices.

AZUZ: Sounds familiar? On U.S. flights, passengers can`t use electronic devices during takeoff and landing, but that rule is getting grounded. The Federal Aviation Administration says airlines can let passengers use smartphones, tablets or laptops throughout the flight.

The devices have to be in airplane mode, and you still cannot make phone calls. Plus, airlines can ask passengers to turn off their devices in certain situations. The old thinking was that the devices were a safety issue. The concern was about radio signals interfering with the plane systems. Newer studies show most planes can`t handle the interference. Airlines will have to prove that to the FAA before they can put the new rules into effect.

The first two days of November mark two holidays celebrated around the world. November 1st, All Saints Day, November 2, Day of the Dead. We`ll start with All Saints Day. The meaning of the holiday is right there in the name. It`s the celebration of all Christian saints. In Christianity, a saint is someone who is officially recognized as very holy because of how he or she lived. There`s not one definitive explanation for how or when All Saints Day started, but we do know that Pope Gregory IV made it an authorized holiday starting in the 9 century. Many Christians celebrate the day after All Saints Day as All Souls Day, when people pray for friends and relatives who have died. It`s the same basic idea as the Day of the Dead. That holiday is mostly celebrated in Mexico, although other parts of Latin American and Mexican-American communities in the U.S. have celebrations as well. In Spanish, the holiday is called Dia de los Muertos. It`s not supposed to be a sad or a scary occasion, the ideas to honor dead loved ones and to think about death is a natural part of life. People often celebrate in their homes, making altars with pictures and special objects from their loved ones. Sculls and skeletons are common symbols of the Day of the Dead, but they are often used in light-hearted ways.

100 points in a single NBA game. Wilt Chamberlain. Seven career no hitters, Noland Ryan, 208 career touchdowns, Jerry Rice. Sports are filled with records and with athletes trying to set new ones. Off the coast of Portugal, one surfer just took on a mammoth wave, whether or not he set a record, is up for some debate.

It`s the big wave seen around the world.

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CARLOS BURLE, BIG WAVE SURFER: Like going down a mountain (ph) that never ends.

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Surfer Carlos Burle describes catching a ride on what maybe a world record wave. It happened Monday off the coast of Portugal. Everyone is still talking about the Brazilian surfer`s amazing fit. But not everyone is sure it`s a record.

LAIRD HAMILTON, BIG WAVE SURFER: Boy, if he is claiming that he`s ridden (ph) the biggest wave ever ridden, I`d say maybe he wiped out on the biggest wave ever ridden.

SWEENEY: Eyewitnesses say, Burle rode a tiring wave, estimated at 30 meters or 100 feet in height. If that`s confirmed, it would break Garrett McNamara`s current world record. He surfed a wave nearly 24 meters or 78 feet high in the same spot back in 2011. This time, McNamara was a member of Burle support group and he says ....

GARRETT MCNAMARA, BIG WAVE SURFER: You know, I watched all the waves, and I didn`t see any waves that were bigger than the wave I caught last year. There was definitely no waves over 100 feet ridden.

SWEENEY: Experts are also questioning Burle over a close call involving his surfing partner. Burle helped rescue Maya Gabera (ph) on Monday after she nearly drowned attempting to catch one of these monster waves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She doesn`t have the skill to be in these conditions, and she shouldn`t` be in, you know, in this kind of surf. And I feel like it`s Carlos`s responsibility to take care of her, and he`s just lucky that -- that she didn`t drown.

BURLE: She wanted to surf badly, you know, and sometimes people think that I push her, but that`s not true, because I`m just here to help her.

SWEENEY: Gabera suffered a broken ankle, but is otherwise OK.

When it comes to the record, that will only to be sorted out by officials from Guinness World Records. But Burle says, he`s confident he has set the bar.

BURLE: You can check all the images. You can check the footage, all the pictures and it`s incredible. I made it, and I made it, and I was glad just to do it, you know.

SWEENEY: Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN.

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ANNOUNCER: It`s time for "The Shoutout." Pesky`s Pole, the Green Monster and Yaz Door are all part of what stadium? If you think you know it, then shout it out! Are they in Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park or Camden Yards? You`ve got three seconds, go.

Those are all famous features of Fenway Park. Home of the Boston Red Sox. That`s your answer and that`s your "Shoutout."

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AZUZ: Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and 2007. But not at home. The last time the Sox won a championship in Fenway Park was 1918. World War I was about to end. The first-ever Tarzan movie premiered. And the first class stamp cost three cents.

Then, this happened Wednesday night. Boston beat the St. Louis Cardinals and won the World Series. It`s been nearly a century since Sox fans could celebrate their teams victory in Boston. That allowed for moments like this. Boston fans who found their way to the finish line of the Boston Marathon, the site of the terrorist attack back in April. The phrase Boston Strong developed after that bombing. It became a rallying cry for the city, and a mantra for the Red Sox. After Wednesday night`s World Series win, NVP David Ortiz said this is for you, Boston. We`ve been through a lot this year, and this is for all of you.

In honor of the Red Sox championship, today`s "Roll Cal" schools all hill from the state of Massachusetts. We`ll start in Leominster with the Blue Devils from Leominster High School. The Taunton Tigers from Taunton High School get a spot on today`s "Roll Call." And the warriors from Foxborough, High, round things up for us.

Something to look forward to do this weekend. An extra hour of sleep. Most folks in America fall back on Saturday night, setting our clocks back one hour, as daylight saving time officially comes to an end. But what exactly are we falling back to?

Daylight saving time sounds kind of special. You`re not just saving time, you`re saving daylight time. But it puzzles the day lights out of some folks. Why we fall back to standard time? That`s what it`s called, standard time. We spend eight months out of the year in daylight saving time, but standard, which is hardly the standard, is still called standard. It`s been shrinking since World War I. That`s when daylight saving time was first implemented to save energy. The switch made the sunset time later in the day, so people didn`t have to turn their lights on as early. But what about winter, and the fall back to standard? Well, look at it this way: most parts of the U.S. only get about 9.5 hours of day light in winter time. That`s not much. If we didn`t` set our clocks back in the fall, sunrise wouldn`t be until 8:30 A.M. in many places. You`d be starting and ending your day in the dark. Following back to standard keeps the time of dawn a little closer to what we are used to. It helps us start our day in the light. Plus, there is that whole extra hour of sleep thing, assuming you go to bed on time when we fall back. So, less daylight, but more sleep. Unless you happen to live in Arizona or Hawaii, most parts of Arizona and all of Hawaii don`t observe daylight saving time. They don`t have to. It`s not required by law.

So, at least during standard time, they may have an easier time computing time differences for phones calls or travel to other time zones. After all, that takes time.

A lot of dogs love going for a ride in the car. But not Tommy. This YouTube video catches a petrified pooch who is looking more like a scaredy (ph) cat. And what does the dog do when it`s nervous? The same thing you might do during the scary movie: hold hands with the person next to you. Tommy doesn`t want to let go. When his owner tries to put that hand back on the wheel, Tommy says, ho-ho, no, you don`t.

Whether you call it nerves, or affection, it makes sense to commend Tommy`s performance. After all, he deserves a hand since he obviously wants a pause. A paw pun (ph). Nailed it. But it`s time for us to paws. Hope you have a great weekend, everyone. For CNN STUDENT NEWS, I`m Carl Azuz.

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