A new month, a new week and a new day. Welcome to CNN STUDENT NEWS. We`re starting December
in Thailand. The country is a constitutional monarchy. That means it has a king. The government
is run by an elected prime minister. Right now, that prime minister is Yingluck Shinawatra.
Some people in Thailand want her out of power. They say she`s a puppet for her brother. He
was prime minister until he was forced out of power and convicted of corruption. Yingluck
Shinawatra denies the accusation against her. Her critics have been calling for her to step
down for weeks. Yesterday, protesters tried to force their way into government headquarters
in Bangkok. On Friday, they jumped the gate at the army headquarters, demanding help to
overthrow the government.
For the most part, the protests have been peaceful, but on Saturday, four people were
killed when protesters fought with Prime Minister Shinawatra`s supporters. Each side blames
the other for starting the violence, but the situation in Bangkok is tense.
The tear gas canisters are starting once again, and you can see everyone starts to run. Look
over here. Some of these tear gas canisters are actually being thrown back. The (inaudible)
police lines by the protesters. Watch (ph) the car (ph).
Some of the protesters are actually firing straight back, as soon as they see the tear
gas coming. Over here.
We have to try and get away from the tear gas at this point. Otherwise we just can`t
keep reporting. But you can see the sheer level of the tear gas that`s here at the moment.
This basically disperses the crowds in a matter of minutes, but then they just come straight
back once the tear gas actually clears. So it`s a very difficult situation here on the
streets of Bangkok as you can see.
In the Bronx, a borough of New York City, investigators are trying to figure out what
caused a passenger train to jump off the tracks. About 150 people were on board when it happened
Sunday morning. At least four were killed and more than 65 were injured. By Sunday afternoon,
authorities thought that all passengers were accounted for. Seven of the eight cars were
off the tracks. At least two turned on their sides. One car was just a few feet away from
the Harlem River. This happened in the same area where a freight train derailed in July.
Just the facts. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It interferes with the body`s ability
to fight off diseases, and it can cause AIDS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. In 2012,
more than 35 million people worldwide were living with HIV or AIDS. There is no cure
for HIV or AIDS, but medications can slow down the progress of the disease.
HIV/AIDS can be spread through sexual contact or by sharing a needle with someone who is
infected, and mothers with the disease can pass it on to their babies if they`re not
treated properly. Getting that word out is part of the goal of World AIDS Day. It was
yesterday, December 1. And it is symbolized by red ribbons that are worn or displayed
at events around the globe. Those who participate remember people who died from the disease
and help raise money to fight it.
HIV used to be considered a death sentence. That`s not the case today. There are medicines,
as you heard, that can help those who are infected live longer. Problem is, not everyone
has access to these medicines, and not everyone with HIV/AIDS is diagnosed in time. World
AIDS Day aims to change that.
A White House official says the difference is like night and day. He`s talking about
changes to healthcare.gov. It`s a web site for Americans to sign up for Obamacare. When
it launched on October 1, the site struggled through breakdowns, error messages, long delays.
President Obama`s administration set a November 30 deadline to make improvements. Now officials
say the site`s running smoothly for the vast majority of users. Officials say the work
isn`t over. They`ll keep dealing with bugs and glitches. Some Republicans who have been
critical of the Obamacare law say the White House should wait before declaring that the
web site truly is fixed.
Movie fans probably know Paul Walker best from the "Fast and Furious" franchise, but
the actor`s career started back when he was 2. He worked on TV shows, movies, and he helped
start a charity focused on disaster relief. Sadly, Walker`s life was cut short over the
weekend.
Right behind you.
One of Hollywod`s most bankable stars, Paul Walker, who has made a name for himself in
the "Fast and Furious" movie franchise, died in a fiery car crash in Santa Clarita, California.
A second person also died in the accident. Both were attending a charity event for Walker`s
organization, Reach Out WorldWide. The event was intended to benefit the victims of typhoon
Hayian in the Philippines. The crash happened just north of Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.
According to his representative, Paul Walker was not driving the 2005 Porsche. When deputies
arrived, the car was on fire. Both people in the car pronounced dead at the scene.
There`s nothing. We tried. We went through fire extinguishers.
All that remains, burned mangle metal, and a light pole that`s been knocked down. Authorities
say speed was a factor.
Walker wasn`t just a car enthusiast on screen. Off screen, the actor competed in the Red
Line Time Attack racing series. He had been filming the seventh installment of "Fast and
Furious" at the time of his death, and some of Hollywood`s biggest stars are reacting.
Co-star Vin Diesel said on his Instagram account, "Brother, I will miss you very much. I am
absolutely speechless. Heaven has gained a new angel. Rest in peace."
And another "Fast and Furious" co-star Ludacris tweeted, "Your humble spirit was felt from
the start. Wherever you blessed your presence, you always left a mark." And fellow actor
Tyrese Gibson said, "My heart is hurting so bad, no one can make me believe this is real.
My God, My God, I can`t believe I`m writing this."
Warner Pacific College in Portland, Oregon, signed a 10-year-old to its women`s basketball
team. She doesn`t get any playing time on the court, but the team`s coach says the newest
member offers some perspective to her teammates about life off the court.
Do you remember what you`re going to say to them?
The coach leads the newest member of the Lady Knights onto the court. They circle up. She
has a message.
Work hard.
10-year-old Lexie De Las Raos (ph) just signed with the women`s basketball team at Warner
Pacific College.
Go, Knights, go. Yay, Knights, woo-hoo!
Officially, she is the honorary sixth man.
Go, girls!
Unofficially, she is a role model at 10.
With iPhones and iPads and the I-World, we`re trying to get them to think outside of I and
think about somebody else besides themselves.
Lexie is that somebody else.
Are you excited about the game tomorrow? Yeah.
She`s been fighting cancer nearly as long as Jessica Owens (ph) has been dribbling a
basketball. That`s nine years, if you`re counting.
What surprises me is just the amount of hope that she has. And strength. I`ve never known
someone that strong, especially being so young.
I think it just changes their whole outlook straight away when she walks in the gym, and
she has a smile on her face, and she`s limping, and I mean, it`s just amazing to see the turnaround
in their personalities when that happens.
Such an overwhelming feeling. It`s just great, it`s wonderful.
I wouldn`t, like, be able to do half the things she does. She`s like really brave. She trusts
people. And I like that about her.
Getting poked with needles and just all the pain and all the medicines, and then just
losing her sight last year. There`s no really way of getting used to that.
All the gym, all the cancer talk disappears.
Life is so much more than just the sport that we play. Really, it`s about just caring about
others.
She`s a member of a college basketball team. She follows the game, cheers with friends,
forgets about the pain.
Go Lady Knights, it`s time to fight! You can do it!
Lexie is having fun, and the players are learning a valuable lesson - never give up.
We are storming into a new month of roll call schools. Today, we`re reaching weathering
(ph) heights. Starting from a sand storm. The Sandys from Amarillo High School in Amarillo,
Texas. Next up is a surprise. Surprise, Arizona, home of the Valley Vista High and the Monsoon.
From there, we will take an eastern view to Virginia and check out of the Cyclones from
Eastern View High School.
There is a pretty good chance you`ve seen a gingerbread house, maybe a gingerbread lane.
What you`re looking at here is a gingerbread village, and even that might be minimizing
this miniature marvel, especially since it set a record as the largest gingerbread village,
ever. More than 150 buildings, the whole thing weighs 1.5 tons. The man who made it all by
hand started this project in February, and with so many intricate details to worry about,
we`re sure he worked gingerly, but it sure turned into one sweet project. It`s going
to eat up all our time for now. Have a great rest of the day. We`ll see you again tomorrow.