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Boy Scout Found Alive in NC
Aired March 20, 2007 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TINA WHITE, NATIONAL PARK RANGER: ... this has been a very traumatic situation of even just having to stay outside overnight.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
WHITE: Part of that, getting him off the trail, we'll be doing that with medical personnel. So he will have that additional care. Certainly he needs medical treatment. That will come first and that will be something that would be a higher priority than anything else.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
WHITE: That's a good point, because I was with all of you folks on site at that time. I didn't think to look at my watch, but 10:58 -- right before 11:00 is a rough estimate, because we haven't been back here at this site long. So yes, I think that's a very good call that roughly before noon, right before 11:00 is when we got that initial report. And I think those of us who were out on scene, we heard the initial report.
QUESTION: Do we know which trail he was found near?
WHITE: No. No details about the location.
QUESTION: Could it have been in the area where the dog got a scent? You said that was a number of 35 sections you were going to look at. Is it where the dog smelled something?
WHITE: I think your first question was, could it be? Yeah, it could be. It could be different places. But I have absolutely no more information about exactly where he was found. That will be part of, not only debriefing with Michael himself, but also, the search and rescue workers who found him. We do not know if it's a dog team or what kind of group actually found him on the trail. It might have just been ground searchers. But they were all searchers out there that were working for Michael today, and I'm sure that those rescuers are very pleased that they were able to be able to help find this young man and get him back with his mom and dad.
QUESTION: How do you feel?
WHITE: I feel great. This is such a wonderful ending to this event that we've been through the past few days. It's been very frustrating, and I know I'm speaking for the rescuers, too, I know. It's very frustrating. You want so badly every day or every night that you go out there to begin your shift, you want desperately to find this young man. A part of you wants to be the one that finds this young man. But it's something that I know that everyone was feeling very anxious about how far we've gotten into this incident with not being able to find Michael yet, so, this is the best news of the day.
QUESTION: Now that you do have the happy ending (INAUDIBLE), but looking back on it now, were you genuinely getting worried that it was not going to be a happy ending?
WHITE: I was genuinely still very optimistic, definitely still so. Of course, I was getting worried. He was in my prayers last night. So, I was definitely worried about this young man and the conditions he might be facing, especially if we do get rain tomorrow. That was concerning me probably the most.
QUESTION: How unique was this search, for the duration and the scale of it, for an instance like this?
WHITE: It was pretty unique in a lot of different ways. The turnout, the response, the media response was definitely unique. But certainly, the turnout of the search and rescuers and the folks who were out on scene, wanting to help and assist. It's not uncommon that when we're looking for someone who is missing, that we do have resources that come from different parks, different areas, state agencies, so, we often work together with some of our surrounding counties and states that the Blue Ridge parkway runs through. But this was quite a turnout, wasn't it? It was quite a long search, yes, you are correct.
QUESTION: You said that the rescuers have their hands on Michael. Are his parents being brought to his side, do you know if they have their hands on him?
WHITE: No. They do not at this point. We have taken his parents to another location where they can all be reunited.
QUESTION: What (INAUDIBLE) there parents saying?
WHITE: The parents, I haven't spoken to them. But I saw them. I saw lots of tears. I saw lots of hugs and lots of smiles. The parents were just elated. And in addition to that, there were quite a few family members, church members that were also friends with the family there on site. So, a lot of tears and a lot of hugs and I'm sure that this is just a moment they'll never forget.
QUESTION: That initial radio transmission, said A-1, is that the first you heard he was located?
WHITE: That was, when we were all on site and we all heard it together, that was the first I had heard anything myself.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
WHITE: I couldn't believe it. We were actually discussing that as we were driving out to the site that wouldn't this be wild when we take all the media out to the site that something actually happens while we are there. Had no idea it would actually really happen while we were there. But this was -- this was quite an experience and it was a feel-good moment to actually be there when the report came through and to see not only the family's immediate response to the news, but also the search and rescue workers, the media, everybody was smiling, everybody was joking around and it was just a great response to where I think all of us have come together, sort of as one big family supporting Michael in this search.
QUESTION: Any indication what sort of vehicles have been dispatched to bring him back to his family?
WHITE: I'm not sure. I would assume that there's going to be some either medically trained people in regular vehicles, probably ranger vehicles. But it would determine on whether or not they have him, you know, laying down, in a condition like that. Even if he is in a litter or a carryout kind of equipment, that is, still has been stressed to me that that is just because he is weak probably from lack of food and water. It does not reflect the fact of any medical injuries, but certainly, if we see that we have a need for him to be examined further, then that will most certainly take precedence over everything else.
QUESTION: Is he still wearing the clothes that he had on?
WHITE: I do not know. I do not know. There will be a lot more information yet for us to share with you folks, to -- more information about what actually, the details were of the search and the rescue, but also, hopefully, we'll get an opportunity to find out more firsthand from the family. OK. Thank you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have just been listening to Tina White with the National Park Service. She's a National Park ranger actually, taking questions from the press and giving us the very latest info on that little boy in your upper right hand screen there. Twelve-year-old Michael Auberry has been found alive after being missing from his camp site in Doton (ph) Park, North Carolina, a Blue Ridge mountain parkway. And it's almost been three days. So it is really a terrific story, especially because of some of those pretty cold temperatures throughout the night. They talked a lot about what his survival skills might be as a Boy Scout. But he's 12. And it is pretty remarkable. We don't have details on this yet. What he may or may not have remembered about survival and looking for shelter and so forth. Found about a mile and a half away from the primitive camp site area. But as Bob Franken pointed out earlier, really not sure at this point how far he may have been walking or for how long. So want to get to Bob Franken standing by now. Bob, you heard the press conference. There's something about Tina white. She just beams, doesn't she? She's a great spokesperson. That's for sure.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We learned something today and that is when you hear, they use the radio call 0-1, that means good news to use her words, a feel-good moment. Well, at a little bit before 11:00 a.m. Eastern time today, we certainly had an 0-1, when that radio report, we heard it on CNN awhile ago, came from searchers out in that dense forested area, that A, they had found the young man, and B, he seemed to be in good health. What we've learned subsequently in this news conference, where all of this had been officially confirmed, it had been confirmed a variety of other ways before that as you know, but officially confirmed.
We found that although he possibly could walk out, he was in weakened condition. There's a surprise. And so the decision had been made to take him out in a medical device, some sort of ambulance or something like that. Perhaps, Heidi, there's that ambulance you saw meandering its way up the hill, heading toward the mountainous area a little bit earlier when we were on the air.
In any case, he's now going (AUDIO GAP) -- a debriefing process which we learned also is going to be a medical examination. There are all kinds of medical implications. None of them seem to be anything that we would categorize as serious. In addition to which and this is probably as important as anything, the family that has been on this roller coaster, to use the words of Michael's father, the family is getting some private time. They are ecstatic as you might imagine. It's a wonderful moment, they said. I saw according to Tina describing the family quote, I saw lots of tears, lots of hugs, they were just elated, a moment they will never forget.
Well I think this is going to be a moment that's going to live with a lot of us. What you had was a situation where one young boy who had gotten lost in the woods had really united a country at least in concern for him and it certainly got the officials going very, very intensely to try and find him, never giving up, never succumbing to the pessimism that might have really overtaken, saying that they are always possibilities here. And what we have just seen is that sometimes when there are possibilities, they become realities.
COLLINS: That's right. I think you hit the nail on the head. Bob Franken, thanks for bringing that to us today. It is certainly a terrific end to a story. Appreciate your reporting on this, coming to us from McGrady, North Carolina. Bob, thanks.
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And we want to get you an update on a story we've been following on the health of Vice President Dick Cheney. Let's get you to White House correspondent Ed Henry who has an update for us.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Tony. We can report now the vice president is back here at the White House. His motorcade arrived a short time ago. As you can see, we had some exclusive pictures of the vice president's motorcade arriving. He got out, went towards the west wing, appeared to be going back to his office. His office in fact confirming he is back there at work. Interesting, they were saying this morning, this was a routine visit to George Washington University medical center following up on the blood clot in his lower left leg experienced last month.
And obviously at the time, we reported that he would be treated with blood thinning medication for several months. That would obviously require some checking up with his doctor. But what was odd this morning is, when we first talked to the vice president's office, and we said that we heard he was heading to GW, they said he was actually still in his office and there was really nothing up. And they said, we are going more information. We're going to have to call you back. So, if it was routine visit, it did seem a bit odd that they did not know about it initially, at least when we called. It may have just been some hiccup in the schedule. But the bottom line is the vice president is back here now. He was over at George Washington University medical center. His office stressing he was not in the hospital. It was not an emergency visit, that it was a routine check up with his doctor. But he's now back at work here at the White House, Tony.
HARRIS: All right, our White House correspondent Ed Henry for us, thank you Ed.
HENRY: Thank you.
COLLINS: As we continue to follow that story, we also continue to follow the 12-year-old Boy Scout who has been found in the mountains of North Carolina. Michael Auberry, you see him there waiting to hear more information about that situation, as well as developments in the Purdue University case where a body has been found and identified. More details on all of these stories coming up after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have found Michael. He is OK. They are getting ready to walk out now. Do you copy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I copied that. I did copy that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: There you go. This was the radio call. Best we can tell, came in at 10:58 to the rescue crews there. We have now gotten 100 percent confirmation from National Park ranger Tina White that yes indeed,12-year-old Boy Scout Michael Auberry has been found. He's been found in good condition. However, he is weak, as you may of course imagine after being out there for nearly three days. Right now, they are bringing him out, apparently on some type of vehicle. Not sure if that's an ambulance or not, along with medical personnel and he will go from there of course to be reunited with his family and do a bit of a debrief as to how this may have happened in the first place.
HARRIS: Bob Franken has been following this story for us. Bob, I got to tell you something, we had a horrible story last week with little Christopher Barrios. We cover these stories so often where the outcome is far different than what we're reporting today. And it was, it was so reassuring to hear the optimism expressed by Kent Auberry, Michael's dad and also the park ranger staff that they really felt that they had a really good opportunity to get a good outcome on this story.
FRANKEN: And often times, Tony, what you have is something where they put on a brave public face, but you know that that's not really the reality of what they're thinking. But in this particular case, time and again, we got to be fairly -- very good relationship with the people in the park service and cordial relationship with the family, and particularly the professionals said, no, this is the kind of thing that's survivable for so many different ways. First of all, his youth worked in his favor, as it also probably worked in his disfavor, causing him to go and so carelessly get lost. But the fact is is that here was somebody who had had some training in surviving in cold outdoor conditions, number one, number two, it wasn't that cold. As we heard a little while ago, the weather, while cold, was not in the dangerously cold area, particularly when he was dressed so warmly. The parents particularly had insisted on maintaining this steely optimism. They had not wanted to go on camera for awhile, because they really are kind of private people. But this morning, the father, before his son was discovered alive talked about the last time he had seen him before he left on this hike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENT AUBERRY, MICHAEL'S FATHER: He said to me was, well, if I come back and I didn't have a good time, will you give me $5? And I said, Michael, I won't do that for you, but if you come back and you tell me you didn't have a good time, I promise you, we'll have a good time on Sunday. So, that's -- and he was -- he was in good spirits. Michael sometimes -- we need to give him a word of encouragement or two to do something he really likes to do, so -- he is -- he likes to chill. So -- sometimes we need to say, Michael, it's time for an adventure.
QUESTION: If he comes back, are you going to give him $5?
AUBERRY: He's going to get the $5, yes. And we'll do something fun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: They're going to have plenty of time Tony to do something fun.
HARRIS: Great ending to the story. Bob Franken for us, Bob, thank you.
COLLINS: We want to go back and get to our story that we have been following about Vice President Dick Cheney. You may remember that he had been diagnosed with a blood clot, a DVT, deep vein thrombosis, you probably heard those words now over the past few days. We are also learning from our Ed Henry that he has gone to George Washington University apparently for a routine checkup which is usually the protocol in this case. Want to get back out to Ed and find out more about what's going on here. Ed?
HENRY: Heidi, a little bit of an update, some contradictory information from the vice president's office. As reported earlier, his spokeswoman Megan McGinn (ph) was saying that there was no episode this morning. This was just a follow-up visit that it was routine. Megan has now e-mailed me since my last report, saying that, quote, the vice president experienced discomfort in his left lower leg this morning.
After consultation with his physicians, he was asked to return to the George Washington University medical center for repeat ultrasound imaging of the deep vein thrombosis, that's basically the clot in his left lower leg that we've been reporting on. The ultrasound, the update now revealed no extension or complication of the clot. His blood thinning medication, which he's been on since his first episode was found to be therapeutic. Quote, these results are expected and reassuring and the current course of treatment will continue. The vice president has returned to the White House to resume his schedule. That's what we reported a little earlier as well, that his motorcade as you saw those pictures had returned. He's now back at work.
But odd, that again, when we called about 11:00 a.m. Eastern time, the vice president's office said, he's in his office right now, there's nothing going on. They said, hold on. We are getting more information. Then they called back and said, yep, he's headed over to GW and he's there now. This was say 11:30, noonish and they said that it was routine. And there was no specific episode. Again, now an update saying that in fact he experienced some discomfort in the left lower leg and that's what prompted him to go over to George Washington University medical center. So, some contradictory information there. But the bottom line is he is now back at the White House and they are now saying that same course moving forward on his condition, Heidi.
COLLINS: At the risk of sounding like a physician, Ed, which I certainly am not -
HENRY: Neither am I.
COLLINS: I have had a blood clot. I can tell you one thing for certain, once you've have one and you know what could ultimately happen by way of that blood clot breaking apart and turning into a pulmonary embolism, you have that pain. You're going straight back to the doctor to make sure that it's OK. So --
HENRY: Obviously a serious condition, and that's why he wanted to get the medical attention just to make sure that he was on top of the situation. Again they are now saying he's back at work. But obviously there was some sort of episode this morning where he experienced this discomfort. Heidi.
COLLINS: Take your (INAUDIBLE) and elevate that leg, vice president. Ed Henry, thanks so much for that. We know you'll let us know if anything else should develop on that front
HARRIS: As we often say around here, the news keeps coming, we keep bringing it to you. We are following the good news today about 12-year-old Michael Auberry, safe, pretty sound after being found in the woods there near that Doton (ph) camp site in North Carolina. We are waiting, boy -- it would be great to get that first picture of Michael. We are also going to check in with Betty. She's following the story, a sad story out of Purdue University, a body found now, identified as that of Wade Steffey. We are following these stories. An update coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We are following a number of stories here today in the CNN NEWSROOM and we have two more to tell you about. Betty Nguyen is in the NEWSROOM for us now on a situation in Florida. It doesn't look very good.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, not at all. In fact I want to throw those live pictures up, if we could, an accident there off of the Okeechobee Road which is near Miami. You are looking at a helicopter here. One person had to be air lifted to the hospital. In fact, that person was taken out of the vehicle via the jaws of life. And you can see exactly why, with the new video that's coming in to CNN. This car just plowed into a box truck. We don't know what sparked this accident. But obviously, it's causing a lot of traffic tie-ups as this zooms out. You see that the road is just shut down.
And another person right there being taken. That must be the one person that we were talking about, who had to be taken to a helicopter the on to a hospital. But was able to get out of that vehicle only thanks to the jaws of life, which is an indication of how the impact was of this accident. Look at that, just a bigger shot of it. The road shut down in all directions, so, so this is going to be a major traffic mess there in Miami. And of course as we get more information, we will bring it to you. But folks listening via the radio, satellite radio, you are headed to Okeechobee Road there in Miami, you might want to take a different route this afternoon. Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Betty, I know you are also following another story for us, a little bit earlier today and that of the body that was found at Purdue University.
NGUYEN: Yeah. Don't seem to have any good news for you today this is really a sad story out of Purdue University. Look at Wade Steffey. You see him right there, 19-year-old who went missing on January 13th after a fraternity party. Apparently he was headed to the Owens dormitory, Owen hall, that is, on the campus of Purdue University, when he was trying to open a door to get in and get his coat. Apparently, the door that was unlocked was to a high voltage utility room and according to authorities there at Purdue University, he apparently tripped and fell onto a power transformer.
But to give you a little more information as to what's happening and why investigation is under way, this door was unlocked from the outside. When you go into this utility room, it is very dark in there, so especially if it is late at night, he doesn't know where he is and the door behind him once he's in the room locks and there's no way out, he's having to feel around and try to find his way out. There, he tripped, fell on that power transformer and was electrocuted. No one really knew what had happened to him until a worker investigating a pinging or popping sound in the utility closet found the body yesterday. And today his parents finally know what has happened to their 19-year-old son, Wade Steffey from Bloomington. So some unfortunate information out of Purdue University today. But at least one piece of the puzzle has been solved there. There's going to be an investigation into why that door was unlocked, especially when it led to a high voltage utility room. Heidi?
COLLINS: Betty Nguyen for us, covering these stories today, Betty thank you. HARRIS: On Capitol Hill, stacks of paper, mountains of questions and a show of support from the very top. All pointing to the future of this man, Alberto Gonzales, the attorney general. You will see him in a second. Congress is shifting through some 3,000 pages of document handed over by the Justice Department . Among the papers, e- mails. They show the White House was concerned about the firing of eight Federal prosecutors and whether those dismissals could stand up to scrutiny. Democrats and at least one Republican are calling for Gonzales to resign. They say the prosecutors were fired for political reasons and not the performance issues that were publicly cited. President Bush has phoned his embattled friend to voice his support.
Your personal business under scrutiny by the FBI. A Justice Department probe finds a law aimed at terrorists may have been used against ordinary citizens and today a House committee hears from the man who did the investigation. He says FBI agents routinely abused the Patriot Act to gather information on U.S. citizens. At issue, what's called national security letters. The FBI can use them to get phone, e-mail, and banking records without a warrant. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales calls the problem, quote, serious, but he defends the use of national security letters as vital to fighting the war on terror. Congress is deciding whether that Patriot Act provision should be revised to limit the FBI's power.
All right, we're going to take a quick break, come back and we will update the story. Let's take a look at 12-year-old Michael Auberry. We will update his good news story. He's been found safe and pretty sound, we understand. We haven't seen that first picture that we are all waiting for to see him for ourselves, but we received word that he has been found. We heard the actual indications of that initial moment. We can listen to that just right here for just a moment, that radio traffic indicating that he had been found, and a celebration, that, of course, touched off. He had been missing since Saturday, had some survival training, very limited. But the optimism that was displayed by the people conducting the rescue paid off in a successful operation, Michael Auberry, found safe and sound.
COLLINS: And my favorite words of the whole thing were from Tina White, with the National Park Service, when she said, we have our Boy Scout home with his family. Now quite home yet but certainly, we believe that reunion to be under way as his medical condition is assessed at this time. So, great, great outcome to that one.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And thanks so much for watching, everybody. We had an awful lot of news to report here today. "Your World Today" is coming up next. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Have a great day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And a warm welcome back to our viewers joining us from more than 200 countries and territories around the globe, including the United States. JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR: This is YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Jim Clancy.
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Here are some of the top stories we've been following.
"The New York Times" reports Russia is threatening to withhold fuel from a nuclear power plant it's helping build in Iran unless that government stops enriching uranium. Now both Russia and Iran deny there's been any ultimatum. The countries are locked in a dispute over delays in construction of the plant. Russia says Iran is behind in its payment, an accusation Tehran denies.
CLANCY: Former Iraqi vice president under Saddam Hussein, Taha Yassin Ramadan, was put to death on Tuesday morning. He was hanged without incident for his role in the killing of 148 Shia Muslims after an assassination attempt on Saddam Hussein in 1982. His body was then flown to Saddam's hometown of Tikrit for burial.
CHURCH: The government of Robert Mugabe is Zimbabwe is facing increasing international pressure today as it threatens foreign diplomats with expulsion. Diplomats are being warned that speaking out on behalf of Mugabe's political opposition will get them kicked out of the country. The opposition leaders say they have been beaten and not allowed to leave the country.
CLANCY: Those diplomats are not the only international observers that are facing Mugabe's criticism, though. Western journalists will not be allowed to enter the country. The government says they are all foreign agents. Michael Holmes spoke to the Zimbabwe ambassador to the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why do you not allow western news organizations to report from your country? For example, CNN, we're not allowed to report from Zimbabwe. Why not? Will you allow us to do so?
MACHIVENYIKA MAPURANGA, ZIMBABWEAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: No, we would not allow you to do that because the CNN and the BBC, they champion the imperialist interest of the British and the Americans. So they are totally biased and . . .
HOLMES: How so? How so? Why don't you allow us to come in there and report on the ground? It's very difficult to report from outside the country, isn't it?
MAPURANGA: No, because you will be misleading the world. So we do not allow enemy agencies, like the CNN and the BBC, to report on Zimbabwe.
HOLMES: So CNN is an enemy agency?
MAPURANGA: As far as they espouse the regime change agenda of the United States government. HOLMES: Reporting the comments of other government is not acting on their behalf, it's reporting.
MAPURANGA: We have been monitoring CNN reports on Zimbabwe, BBC reports on Zimbabwe, and they are clearly hostile.
HOLMES: So you're saying, no. If I wanted to come down and do some feature stories from Zimbabwe, the answer is no?
MAPURANGA: Yes, the answer is no.
HOLMES: Until when?
MAPURANGA: Until the opposition in Zimbabwe has renounced violence and until . . .
HOLMES: What's that got to do with CNN?
MAPURANGA: Until the British and the Americans abandon their policy of regime change.
HOLMES: But what does that have to do with media organizations?
MAPURANGA: Well, because the media organizations support these two governments. You may say that is not the case, but we know that is the case.
HOLMES: How can you accuse media organizations such as CNN, and the BBC for that matter, of this bias when you're on our air right now saying what it is you want to say?
MAPURANGA: Oh, right now, I think you -- it is -- you have no choice but to try and hear what the government is saying. But when we allow you to go into Zimbabwe, we know that your agenda is not a noble one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Zimbabwe's ambassador to the U.S. talking there with our Michael Holmes.
So how did Zimbabwe fall into such a state? Soaring inflation and poverty, immersed in this political turmoil. Our Jonathan Mann gives us some insight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Zimbabwe did not have to be an impoverished, parries (ph) state. But under 83-year-old Robert Mugabe, that is what it's become. Mugabe emerged as a leader in the guerrilla war against white minority rule 40 years ago in what was then Rhodesia. In 1980, he became the prime minister of newly renamed Zimbabwe. He's been re-elected ever since. Most recently in 2002, in a violent vote widely considered unfair.
DESMOND TUTU, FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN ARCHBISHOP: I have always admired President Mugabe, until recently. He was a (INAUDIBLE). We used to oppose (ph) pointing out to him, pointing at him as a wonderful representative for our continent. Something very grievous has happened to him.
MANN: Grievous things have happened to his country. Most of Zimbabwe's 13 million people live on the land, though much of it, and the best of it, was in the hands of the country's white minority. Even after decades of land reform, whites maintained the most profitable farms, raising enough food to feed the country and export as well.
In 2000, Mugabe launched a new redistribution scheme and allowed veterans of the guerrilla war an his own party loyalist to seize farms by force. Often with violence.
ROBERT MUGABE, ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT: White farmers have not right to that land in the first place.
MANN: But most blacks remain landless and many of the new land holders failed on the farms they had taken. There were food riots on the streets of the capital as prices rose. Since then, prices have gone up incomparably more. The inflation rate now estimated at around 2,000 percent, the highest in the world. Zimbabwe has only grown hungrier.
TOM CASEY, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: If a political leadership had set out on a course to basically undermine what had been one of Africa's more successful economies, they couldn't have done a better job than the policies that have been implemented over the past few years.
MANN: It's not just food that's harder to find. It's also shelter. In 2005, the Mugabe government launched what it called a slum clearance scheme that bulldozed major shanty towns, brutally displacing hundreds of thousands of people. The opposition movement for democratic change says the urban poor are its voters and it says the government was trying to scatter its support. Now, the regime has gone after the opposition in a different way, with direct, physical attacks by police on its leaders. And when foreign diplomats protested, Mugabe told them to be careful.
MUGABE: Or else we kick them out of our country. We will kick them out of this country.
MANN: Zimbabwe has only known one leader. And decades after he began his fight for power, Robert Mugabe is still fighting.
Jonathan Mann, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And you can read more about the international pressure growing against Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, on our website. Just go to cnn.com/international.
CLANCY: The British government says schools must put student safety and learning first, even when deeply held religious beliefs are in play.
CHURCH: And that apparently gives schools the legal grown to ban Muslim pupils from wearing anything that covers the face.
CLANCY: But it also requires that schools take parents and community views into account. Katie Razzel (ph) has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATIE RAZZEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): It's a sensitive and thorny issue that's reached the highest court in the land. Shaben Abagam (ph) eventually lost her long battle to be allowed to wear the jilbab, a full length Islamic gown, at school when the house of Lourdes (ph) ruled it would be irresponsible for a court to overrule the decision of his head teacher. Miss Abagam accused Denbigh High School in Luton, which does allow pupils to wear less, all encompassing religious dress, of infringing her human rights. Another, this time anonymous child in Buckhinghamsher (ph) is appealing last month's court decision to uphold her school's ban on the niqab, or full face veil.
Today, the education department issues new guidance, which says schools must reasonably accommodate religious requirements, "providing they do not pose a threat to security, safety and learning or compromise the well-being of the whole school community." It adds, if they do, "schools are within their rights to take appropriate action, but they must make any decisions in consultation with parents and the local community."
JOHN DUNFORD, GEN. SECY. OF SCHOOL, COLLEGE LDRS.: I'm hoping that the guidance will provide us with much greater clarity in relation to religious forms of dress, such as the niqab. But in the end, it may well be that things get challenged by parents. And in the end, it may be the courts that decide. But if the courts have got this guidance to go on, albeit it's not statutory guidance, that does strengthen the hand of head teachers and I think that's very important.
RAZZEL: The guidelines are part of a wider set of pointers for consultation, which suggests schools should have uniforms to help instill discipline and pride, but they should be available to buy on the high streets so poorer people aren't penalized. But if the ruling on religious dress that's gaining headlines, this is political. Last year, Jack Straw talked of asking female constituents who visited him in full face veils if they'd mind remove them. Tony Blair has called the niqab a mark of separation.
The case of Isha Asme (ph), the Jews (ph) re-teaching (ph) assistant who was bound from wearing the veil at work, divided opinion. One Muslim Greek (ph) called today's guidelines shocking. A lawyer argues they don't clarify the situation.
CAROLINE HAMILTON, ATTORNEY: I think what it does is leave us in the same uncertainty. We still don't know whether in school A you could wear a jilbab, a long dress down to the floor, or perhaps it would be allowed in school A but not in school B. We could still see a lot of variation and difference between different schools.
RAZZEL: While the majority of schools do try to find the right balance, it's probably not the last time the courts will be asked to rule.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And that was Katie Razzel reporting there.
And, of course, it's not just Britain that's had this situation. We watched this last year, didn't we, in France. Very similar controversy over the veil.
CLANCY: That's right. It's heated up in Britain, though. It's sparking debate, in fact, now all around Europe, especially though, there where Britain has some 1.6 million Muslims.
We're going to take a short break. When we come back, America's natural wonder, the Grand Canyon.
CHURCH: Now there's a manmade structure with a million dollar view prompting a major controversy. You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY.
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CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN International and YOUR WORLD TODAY.
CLANCY: We're covering all the diplomatic changes and the politics around the world. But also some of the picturesque. All right. Imagine standing over the ledge of the Grand Canyon in Arizona 1200 meters above the ground. Talk about picturesque. It's like walking on air.
CHURCH: Now the breath-taking view is courtesy of a new attraction called Skywalk. But as Chris Lawrence tells us, critics want the Skywalk grounded.
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CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The Skywalk is sheer glass and higher than three Empire State Buildings stacked on top of each other. But when tribal leaders and environmentalists peer over the edge, they see two very different views.
ROBERT BRAVO JR., HUALAPAI TRIBE: I mean, look at this thing. I mean this is a, you know, a modern marvel of the world out here.
KIERAN SUCKLING, CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: The Eiffel Tower is an architectural wonder. Do I want the Eiffel Tower sitting on top of the Grand Canyon? No.
LAWRENCE: Environmentalist Kieran Suckling expects more than half a million tourists to make the two hour drive from Las Vegas. He says speculators are already buying up the land in between, hoping to build hotels and restaurants.
SUCKLING: We don't need to bring Los Vegas to the Grand Canyon.
LAWRENCE: Our view from a helicopter was stunning. And for $75, tourists will be able to step over the edge and look 4,000 feet straight down.
It looks so precarious, just jetting out over the canyon like that. But the builders say you could land 70 Boeing 747s on top of the Skywalk and it could still support the weight.
More than 100 steel bars were drilled 40,000 feet into limestone bedrock, then capped with steel plates. The Hualapai leaders compare it to Canada's development of Niagara Falls.
BRAVO: I mean, did they desecrate that and is that OK for them to do that? Why isn't it OK for the Hualapais to do it?
LAWRENCE: The tribe is small and poor. Unemployment is at 50 percent.
SHERI YELLOWHAWK, HUALAPAI TRIBE: We have to go 50 miles to get groceries. We have to -- we don't have a gas station in town. We don't -- there's a lot of things we don't have.
LAWRENCE: They're hoping that every visitor who sets foot on Skywalk puts the tribe one step closer to getting them.
A Las Vegas developer paid $30 million to build this Skywalk and, at least for the first few years, the developer and the tribe will split the earnings. But eventually, the tribe will control and own the Skywalk.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, on top of the Grand Canyon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: Well, I don't think that controversy is going to go away.
CHURCH: Oh, no.
CLANCY: But I think a lot of people are going to come to take a closer look at that.
CHURCH: That's right.
CLANCY: We're going to take a short break. When we come back, a closer look at India and its young adults and its many religions.
CHURCH: Now it's the birthplace of three of the world's great faiths. And we ask the question, just how well do they all get along? Stay with us and find out.
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CLANCY: All right. Three of the world's major religions originated in India, and many in that nation consider themselves not just spiritual but deeply spiritual.
CHURCH: That's right. And with a billion people and strongly held beliefs, you might expect constant conflict.
CLANCY: Well, while there has been some violence, that has to be noted, what has been found by our reporters among India's young people was a real desire to get along.
CHURCH: That's right. Satinder Bindra has in this edition of "Eye On India."
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SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Time to shake a leg or two on the weekend. With a thriving movie industry and growing access through cable TV, to more and more modern influences, Indian youth are borrowing many western ways. But that doesn't mean they're giving up on their old, established traditions. A recent survey conducted by an Indian newspaper, "The Hindustan Times," and CNN's sister network, CNN IBN, shows 93 percent of all Indians, including the young, believe in God and are religious.
Twenty-four-year-old Shawar Muhammad Khan is among India's 135 million Muslims. His favorite past time, a game of cricket. But to calm down, Shahwar says he always seeks refuge in Allah and prayer.
SHAHWAR MUHAMMAD KHAN, STUDENT: The sense of happiness which I get after doing the thing, that gives me -- that motivates me spiritually. And I'm a very superstitious person. So, again, because of that, I do these things.
BINDRA: Shahwar also enjoys reading the Koran. Not because anyone in his family asks him to do so, but simply because he says faith and belief are a large part of who he is.
Religion plays a very major role in Indian life. About 850 million Indians are Hindus and they worship at such temples across the country. But even though Hinduism is the dominate faith here, the Indian constitution allows all forms of religious worship.
Besides Hinduism, Sikism (ph), which promotes personal meditation, was born here. India's also the land of birth for Buddhism and Shanism (ph) that stress nonviolence. Sometimes it's violence that stains the Indian landscape. Hindu/Muslim riots do occur. This round of rioting in western India in 2002 claimed more than 1,000 lives. But many Indians, like Bharat Bagga, a young and deeply religious Hindu studying fashion marketing, say what's more significant is how a country of so many different faiths and more than 1 billion people stays together.
BHARAT BAGGA, HINDU STUDENT: I personally feel that tolerance plays a very important role. And youth are the face of tomorrow. This is what we project to the generation after us.
BINDRA: Not just empty words. Bharat loves working out, believes and lives by them. Shahwar, who's also a fitness enthusiast, is his best friend. They hang out together, spending time window shopping. Both say even though they're from different religious backgrounds, what brings them together is their common interests and their larger Indian identity.
KHAN: When I do my religious stuff, it's very personal for me. I don't need to show it to the world. When I'm with my friends, I'm with my friends.
BINDRA: Analysts say such maturity and belief in a truly multi- cultural country by young Indians like Shahwar and Bharat, is one of independent Indian's greatest achievements.
RENUKA NARAINAN, ANALYST: There is something in the social chemistry between Indians and a basic philosophy or a world view which says it's kind of rude to keep fighting and you have to be polite and make things work.
BINDRA: Bharat and Shahwar realize some political forces will continue to exploit religious differences in India. But they say they won't let that affect them or their friendship.
Satinder Bindra, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And we've got our "Eye On India" all this week. But we're not just taking a close look at India.
CLANCY: We've been asking young people in India to be part of our special coverage by sending us in their photos about their lives and their aspirations.
CHURCH: All right. Well, let's bring out a couple of those.
This photo was taken by Chetan Poojary as he headed to a temple with some friends in Germany where he works as a software engineer. He says he's proud to be working abroad, but his heart is still in India.
CLANCY: And Yashodhan Hazare, a second-year computer engineering student from Notwore (ph), hanging out with his friends. He says he and others are determined to make India a better place for everyone to live.
CHURCH: That's right. And keep those pictures and videos coming. You can join our coverage, too, by doing that.
CLANCY: Yes. Log on to cnn.com/ireport and submit a photo. And, who knows, we might just select your submission and put it right here on the air. How about that?
CHURCH: All right. That's it for this hour. I'm Rosemary Church.
CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. And this is CNN.
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DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. This just in to CNN. You're looking at live pictures coming in from our affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is believed to be the 12-year-old missing boy who's now found, Michael Auberry, found just over an hour ago in the woods in North Carolina. But this is the first pictures we're getting, at least of him.
You can see that rescuers and police officers, park rangers there, escorting him from that white SUV that you saw into this facility, apparently to be checked out. We are told that he was found this morning, weak and dehydrated, in the rugged North Carolina mountains. But there you go. He's been taken into that facility. Not exactly sure what the facility is.
But again, the good news in all of this is that he has been found safe. Live pictures happening right now. I'm Don Lemon here with Brianna Keilar.
Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I believe we have Bob Franken, who's been covering this all along. He is on the scene.
Bob, what can you tell us?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, there is a term that they use for radio traffic when the news is nothing but good, and that is A-1. Well, about two minutes before 11:00 Eastern Time this morning, they got news over the radios that could definitely be described as A-1.
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