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Welcome to 10 minutes of international current events.
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From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, I'm Carl Azuz.
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We're starting in the Caribbean nation of Cuba.
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Yesterday was the third time the Cuban President Raul Castro and U.S. President Barack Obama
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met face to face since the two sides agreed to normalize relations.
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It was the first time that a U.S. president visited the island
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since Calvin Coolidge went there in 1928.
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President Obama is hoping to influence the Cuban leader to make significant reforms,
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especially when it comes to issues like human rights
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and the communist government's control over Cuban businesses.
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Cuba hasn't moved as quickly to address these issues
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as the Obama administration had hoped
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and President Castro says there are profound differences
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that would always remain between Cuba and the U.S.
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But President Obama says the intention is to get the ball rolling,
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knowing that change wasn't going to happen overnight.
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It's a communist-run island just 90 miles off the United States, and for more than 50 years,
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relations between Cuba and the United States have been chilly at best, until now.
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Beginning of the rise of power of Fidel Castro in Cuba.
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Castro and his joyous troops were joyously acclaimed
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following his incredible victory over Batista.
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In 1959, Fidel Castro leads an army of thousands into Havana,
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forcing out the dictator at the time,
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and becomes the country's new leader.
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There are high hopes for the young revolutionary,
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but also immediately confrontation begins with the United States.
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The U.S. places an embargo on Cuba and soon after it breaks off, diplomatic relations.
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Later the infamous, failed U.S. invasion at the Bay of Pigs.
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The CIA hatches plots to assassinate Castro, hundreds of plots, according to the Cubans.
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And soon, the Soviet Union secretly deploys nuclear missiles to Cuba.
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To regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba
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or against any nation in the Western Hemisphere
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as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States.
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The Cuban missile crisis lasts just two weeks.
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But Cuba and the United States remained locked in Cold War tensions for decades.
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In 1980, an exodus as more than 100,000 Cubans come to the United States
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after Castro loosens restrictions.
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Two decades later, another Cuban leaving by boat, 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez.
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His arrival in the United States sparks custody battles,
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which Fidel Castro transforms into a propaganda victory.
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Fidel Castro said he expected to die in power.
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But in 2006, a mystery illness forces him to step down.
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His brother Raul takes over, and in 2015, does what many considered to be unthinkable:
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Restores diplomatic relations with Cuba’s long-time nemesis, the United States.
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One thing you notice when you see scenes of Cuba's capital -- old cars.
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Many of them American, classics like Chevy Bel-Airs, vintage Plymouths and Pontiacs.
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There are an estimated 60,000 of them left in Cuba,
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and they could easily be described by some visitors
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as romantic icons of American automotive history.
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But only a tiny percentage of Cubans can actually afford cars,
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and for those few who can, keeping these classics running is their only choice.
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How Cuba keep old cars running.
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A lot of you have been asking,
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how the Cubans keep all of these classic cars on the road?
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And you can see what Alberto is doing here right now.
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He's replacing the engine of this 1954 Chevy.
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Having an old car isn't a luxury here in Cuba.
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It is a necessity because since Fidel Castro took power in 1959,
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it is extraordinarily difficult for ordinary Cubans to import foreign cars or car parts.
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So, as a result, you have vehicles on the road that are 60,
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sometimes 70 years old and the parts are just as old as well.
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So, sometimes you have an American car like this
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with an engine from Russia, with parts from Germany.
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They have a bartering system.
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They let each other know what they need.
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They buy, they sell and they trade.
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And as a result of the isolation of the embargoes,
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Cuba is home to some of the most creative mechanics in the world.
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They patch together these cars to keep them going,
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long after they've been discarded in most other countries.
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As the restrictions start to lift, Cuban may have more new cars.
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They might not have to do what they're doing right now.
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But at least in the meantime,
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this is how you see all of these vintage cars really an icon of Cuban culture.
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It gets down to the nitty-gritty, patching things together,
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doing the dirty work, to keep carros antiguos on the road.
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In the final months before the Olympic Games,
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it's common for international officials to ask if the host city will be ready.
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This happened in Beijing, London, Sochi.
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But in Brazil's case, in Rio's case, there are concerns that go far beyond
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whether the venues will be finished.
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For one thing, Brazil is in its worst recession,
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a period of economic decline in 25 years.
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Budgets are tight. In some cases, they're getting smaller.
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For another, there’s widespread political unrest.
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A massive corruption scandal involving Brazil's largest company,
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a government-owned oil company has brought down several executives and politicians.
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Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff denies being involved in that,
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but millions have called for her impeachment.
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And she caused controversy last week
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by appointing Brazil’s former president as her chief of staff.
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That could protect him from being prosecuted for crimes he's been accused of.
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Protests have been far and wide and sometimes violent.
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And on top of all of this, the Zika virus is still spreading in the country.
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So, uncertainty is soaring over the August Olympics and Brazil's future itself.
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Next today, exporting U.S. sports.
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The NHL, the MLB, the NBA, the NFL, they've all played games in other countries.
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It's not just to show off what's popular in the states.
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American sports organizations believe there's a potential for growth,
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to make more money when their away games include locations as far away as Australia.
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The NFL has a program that aims to both globalized the sport
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and help young people with limited opportunities.
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It recently brought several pro-football players to the North American nation of Egypt.
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Hey, no, don't do that. Do not lead with -- don't do that. Not this, not that.
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This is how you get into beast mode.
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Hey, don't dive like that.
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Learning to hit from former NFL running back, Marshawn Lynch.
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American football is going abroad, bringing the hits, the pain, and unique motivation.
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It's American football without barriers, or AFWB for short.
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Ten NFL players held a three-day camp in Egypt.
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Here's a sport that it's newer, it's different in their culture.
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But it's a fun sport. It's a huge team sport.
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It's really the definition of a team sport.
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And it builds friendships and life-long friendships.
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This is something that we want to live with.
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Football isn't completely unknown in the land of pharaohs.
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Egypt already has two leagues and a dozen teams.
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Actually, I prefer for lineman defense because I love hits.
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I love being aggressive on something like that.
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Get out of here, get out of here, let’s go, let's go, let's go!
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Four hundred people signed up within hours to learn from the best,
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including from Egypt's two all-female teams.
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I had a dream like, for the sport, especially for women here in Egypt
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for american football to prosper here.
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For y'all, y'all show great teamwork, and that's very important in the sport of football.
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But there's more to football than the hitting, drills and push- ups.
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We want to polish it up from a standpoint of, you have to eat right,
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you have to be healthy when you play this sport,
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you have to make sure that you have the right equipment.
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Because when you have these popup sports in other countries
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they're not always doing it right.
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It's unlikely the gridiron will overtake the pitch, at least any time soon.
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Soccer is still king in Egypt.
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But who knows, football could make an interception and lead to a touchdown here.
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Going somewhere we've never been before on the "Roll Call",
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so take out your passport and say hello to our viewers in Kosovo.
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In the capital of Pristina, thank you for watching at the American School of Kosova.
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We're making a stop in the U.S. state of New Hampshire next.
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Dover Middle School is in the city of Dover and it's where you'll find the Green Wave.
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Finally to Northwest Idaho, we land in the city Post Falls,
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where the Jaguars are watching at Genesis Prep Christian Academy.
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It's the biggest and most advanced British research ship ever built.
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It's a 400-foot icebreaker.
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Britain's Natural Environment Research Council asked the public to name it,
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suggesting something inspirational, like historic figure or a landmark.
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The RSS Henry Worsley, the David Attenborough,
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the Pillar of Autumn all got some votes.
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But the leading name for this refined vessel, Boaty McBoatface, as in Boaty McBoatface.
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The council doesn't have to go with that name,
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but the public has spoken, and the public says Boaty McBoatface.
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So, in this case, refinement isn't what the public has all hoped.
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But hey, with options, you're supposed to pick whatever floats your boat.
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And folks aren't bowing to pressure.
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They're in stern support of the name and if the council sinks it,
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well, that would be an aboat-face.
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I'm your captain, Carl Azuz, and I'm shipping out.