Fighting continues in Angola, as government hopes to attract tourists
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There are estimates of over half a million refugees in Angola's capital, Luanda
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November 22, 1999
Web posted at: 11:54 p.m. EST (0454 GMT)
By Patricia Coughlin, CNN World Report
Portugal's RTP traveled to the war-torn country of Angola, and reports on the continuing violence in Huambo.
UNITA rebels shelled this central Angolan city and fought government troops for control of a ridge overlooking the city. The government troops won this battle, but it seems all Angolans are losing this war.
RTP reports that over half a million refugees are living in makeshift homes in Luanda, Angola's coastal capital city. Thousands more displaced people are seeking shelter in the rest of the country.
The United Nations' World Food Program is appealing for more funds to replenish its dwindling food stocks. The country, WFP officials say, is on the verge of a major humanitarian catastrophe. And with the world's attention fixed on Kosovo, the call for aid could go unheeded.
In March of this year, the United Nations lowered its flag in Luanda and ended its peacekeeping mission there. The United Nations agreed to allow only its vital humanitarian missions to operate in Angola.
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The Angolan Government hopes to lure tourists to Luanda's beaches
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The United Nations helped broker the Lusaka Protocol in 1994, an attempt to bring peace between UNITA rebels and government troops. But peace didn't last. Today, the WFP says an estimated 1 million Angolans face starvation, in the midst of this ongoing fighting.
But Angola's government television, TPA, paints an entirely different picture of the country.
TPA says people are continuing their lives as normal in Luanda.
Overall, tourism is still dormant in Angola, but some visitors from countries such as Japan and Egypt enjoy the beautiful beaches in Luanda.
Angola also hopes to attract investors to its abundant oil and diamond industries. Scattered land mines and continued warfare have halted most investments in Angola. But the government still promotes the country as a "sleeping giant," ready to awake.
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Controversial Youth News Network in Canada: Is it a bribe or educational TV?
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It's a modern-day challenge for teachers to hold the attention of their students long enough for kids to listen and learn.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reports on one controversial program, set to make its debut this fall.
In Canada, the Youth News Network, or YNN, attempts to use television programming as a learning tool by gearing its programming to reach high school audiences.
YNN subscribers will teach current events to students through a 12-minute news program. But that's not all. Canadian schools that sign on to receive YNN are given TVs, VCRs, satellite dishes and computer labs -- all installed and maintained by the network.
YNN pays for everything. For school districts that could not otherwise afford the technology, it's an alluring option.
But critics say it comes at a controversial price, a price that many teachers believe will hurt Canadian students. YNN programs carry two minutes of paid commercials within their news package. The idea of advertisements in the classrooms has some parents and teachers saying the YNN offer is nothing short of a bribe.
Gary Pelltier, from YNN, says the network is simply meeting the needs of the school.
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Human cremated remains turned into fashion accessories in South Korea
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South Korea is facing a shortage of burial grounds. The government warns that in the next 10 years, there may not be enough space to bury all of the dead.
South Korea adheres to a strict Confucianist ethic of ancestral worship, and cremation is not in line with this ethic. But one man hopes to change this attitude.
South Korea's Arirang News tells the story of Kim Sang-kuk, who is transforming human ashes into jewelry.
That's right: necklaces, bracelets and rings with a shiny stone made of cremated human remains.
Kim has patented his method, which involves reheating human ashes at 2,000 degrees Celsius and producing greenish, sometimes milky blue beads. Kim says the idea comes from "sarira" -- a Buddhist tradition of saving corporal relics from the bodies of Buddha and his followers.
Kim works for a Seoul-based charity group that is part of a national drive to encourage cremation over burial. Every year, cemeteries must produce about 200,000 new graves -- an area 27 times the size of Seoul's Olympic Main Stadium.
Kim hopes his creative jewelry will provide a viable alternative for South Koreans who want to remember their loved ones after they die. He charges about $800 for his services.
Kim asks if it is real piety "burying a loved one somewhere in the mountains and not taking care of the grave."
Kim says he believes "genuine respect for your ancestors means keeping them always nearby."
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Green-haired Tortoises: The secret? It's in the algae
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Hair on a tortoise? Well, sort of.
The "green-haired" tortoise doesn't exactly have hair, but the parasitic algae that lives on its shell gives this creature the appearance of long, green locks.
This treasured animal is one of the most valued in Chinese society, some say more than the panda. The urine of the green-haired tortoise is considered a valuable tonic. Traditionally, these creatures are given to older Chinese people on their birthdays, as a symbol of long life.
China's Wuhan Cable TV brings us the story of Zhang Zhonghua, who devotes his time to raising these green-haired tortoises.
Zhang lives in downtown Wuhan, China, and, for 20 years, he has raised more than 200 tortoises of 38 different breeds.
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Zhang Zhonghua takes special care of his long-haired pets
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It takes a specific kind of algae to grow on the shell of the tortoise. To find the proper parasitic algae, Zhang has to travel to the rural countryside, collecting this plant life in freshwater lakes.
Zhang treats these tortoises as his children. He prepares special food for them every day, including meat and melon seeds, and even combs their long, green hair with a paintbrush.
He cultivates the urine of these special animals to create tonics that he hopes will one day improve the health of others so that the green-haired tortoise is not only a symbol of long life, but a source of it, too.
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Internews Network Talgat Suyunbaev reports on hunting with the golden eagle
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In the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan, environmental damage has led to the loss of habitat for animals, and that is indirectly hurting the age-old sport of falconry.
For centuries, Kazakhs have trained the golden eagle to hunt wolves, foxes and other prey, while caring for the predatory bird.
Now, as CNN World Report contributor Internews Kazakhstan reports, some falconers are having to stage hunts for much-needed tourism money. And that is drawing criticism from traditionalists.
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