Tom Hanson: Hey guys. I am here in Iran and we will have more on the country later on in the show. I am Tom Hanson and Channel One News starts right now.
Azia: We will get to Tom in just a bit.I am Azia Celestio and first up,thousands of people in the Philippines are still dealing with a monster typhoon after it made landfall yesterday.
The slow moving typhoon left at least two people dead and more than 16,000 people displaced. One of those killed was a teenage boy who was crushed as the powerful typhoon tore down a tree.
Towns have been cut off from power as Army troops are still working to rescue residents trapped in flooded villages. Today, the weather conditions are beginning to improve in some towns, but there is now concern the water and flash floods could set off new massive landslides.
Last year a typhoon in the Philippines left over $100 million dollar in damages, and another in 2013 left thousands of people dead.A typhoon is a type of hurricane that forms over the Pacific Ocean.
Alright coming up, we take you to a country unseen by the eyes of most Americans.
After months of tough negotiations, the Iran nuclear deal officially went into effect yesterday. That means that the deal between seven nations is now a reality.
The U.S. and its allies will lift some of the punishments against Iran after Iran has proved that it has limited its nuclear program. Now, all of this news about Iran got us questioning, what is this country like? So Tom Hanson and Maggie Rulli set off to find out and give you a look “Inside Iran.”
Tom: Mysterious, terrifying, ancient and modern.The Middle-Eastern country of Iran is a complicated place. Some say Iran is a threat to the world…
They are saying death to Israel, death to America.
…Others say it is misunderstood.
What do you think Americans think of Iranians?
Boy: We’re terrorists.
Boy #2: They hate us.
Boy: They hate us.
Tom: Maggie Rulli and I wanted to see what life is like there for ourselves, a hard thing to do as an American reporter.
That's where we are going. That little dot right there, Tehran which is the capital of Iran.
After months of waiting, we finally got permission for a seven day trip to a land where America is known as the “Great Satan.”
For all you hear about Iranians in America, Actually [they’re] surprisingly nice. I have gotten a lot of hellos, a lot of how are yous, a lot of welcome to Iran. That's not really what I expected coming here.
What do you think of American people?
Girl: American people? Actually, I love them so much because they're so cool, friendly. I love them.
Boy: They're cool people. I think we have something in common.
Maggie: People are going out of their way to say hi to us, to invite us out with them. They just seem like they really want to share a part of their culture with us.
Tom: We found that Iran is a land of ancient customs from one of the oldest civilizations on Earth, Persia, a nation of modern cities and educated people who take pride in their country, even for non-Muslims who live here.
Girl # 2: If there were a war between Israel and Iran, I would fight for my country. First, I am Iranian, and then it's my religion that matters.
Tom: But it's also a place with little freedom.Ninety-nine percent of the country is Muslim, and all of the 77 1/2 million people living in Iran have to follow strict Islamic law.
Boy: No parties. Drinking alcohol, not allowed. Being gay, not allowed. No hijab,that’s not allowed. And smooching outside, not allowed.
Tom: Islamic law says men and women can't even hang out together unless they are married. But on the streets of Tehran, we noticed that wasn't being obeyed.Still, women have to dress modestly.
Maggie: So, it is illegal for me to go outside showing too much arm or leg. I have to wear loose clothing and I have to always keep my head covered.
The only time when I am in Iran and I can take my headscarf off is once I get back to my hotel room. After 110 degrees today, it feels good to let my neck breathe a little.
Tom: Pictures of the country’s religious leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, are everywhere, giving the feeling the government is always watching who you can hang out with, what you can listen to, even which websites you can visit.
Tom: When I typed in Channelone.com it takes us to this page. This page basically says that the information is restricted and that we cannot access it. Give it about 20 to 30 seconds and it redirects you to this. This is a government website.
Now we tried this with Buzzfeed, Netflix, Washington Post. All are restricted and all take you to this page.
And breaking the rules can land you in jail, or worse.
Girl #3: I’m in trouble for my hair, my dresses.
Tom: And what happened? Did you just get a fine or a ticket?
Girl #3 :They actually arrest me.
Tom: Oh they arrested you? Wow.
It is a common story here.In a case that made headlines in 2014, seven young people were arrested and sentenced to a public beating, all for making this video and posting it on YouTube.
Needless to say, people were very careful about what they said to us on camera.
Boy # 3: I can't say that.
Tom: You can't say that?
Boy #3: No, sorry.
Tom: Iran executes more of its prisoners than anyone in the world. It treats women and religious minorities as second class citizens and it ranks at the bottom of several lists for human rights.There is no freedom of the press and many journalists have been put in prison, including a Washington Post reporter, who was recently convicted in an espionage trial.
We were told we would be watched the whole time.
Maggie: I guess here, even when you are allowed and you have a permit, it doesn't necessary mean that they’re going to still let you do it [film].
Tom: But even the strict control is weakening. The country is slowly changing as a huge population of young people is pushing for a more open society.And with the new deal between the U.S. and Iran, and a more moderate Iranian president, change may be coming even faster.
A lot of people would say, two countries with governments that have such strong differences, how could they possibly get along?
Boy: The opportunity here now is the global village. We are much closer now. We talk more often to outside people. And so yeah, I thinknothing can get in our way.
Tom: Over the next few weeks we will take an in depth look, from the people, to the places, to the politics, to see how this emerging nation fits into the world and the controversy around it.
Tom Hanson, Channel One News.
Azia: Tomorrow, we go back in time to find out how Iran and the U.S. became enemies.
Now, to find out more about what it was like to get into Iran, reporting on the ground, and why Tom and Maggie had to carry around thousands of dollars in cash, just head to Tom's page at Channelone.com.
Alright guys, coming up after the break, blink and you might miss this bot break a record.
Alright guys, now Keith is here with me and it is time to get our geek on.Now,this Rubik’s cube may seem like just a toy, a frustrating one at that.
Keith: Yeah, but the way to beat it is to put your math skills to good use and your coding skills. That’sat least what one high school senior did. Check this out.
In the right hands, a Rubik’s cube can be solved in about five seconds, but how about six sockets?
Zack Gromko: It has no problem solving down to about 1.8 seconds.
Keith: High school senior Zack Gromko is the designer, programmer and engineer that built this robot that he claims is the fastest in the world at solving this 3-D puzzle.
The innovation he says is in the robots six arms and two cameras, and the code that Zack wrote to program it.
Zack: It consistently breaks the world record. I can set it to solve it exactly as fast as I want to.
Keith: So last week, his fellow students at St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Bradenton, Florida packed the gym to witness a potential world record.
For the first time, Kyle Koughan wasn't the fastest cuber at his school.
Kyle Koughan: Brings a tear to your eye; kind of bittersweet.
Keith: He can solve a Rubik’s cube in less than 10 seconds.
Kyle: 9.59 seconds.
Keith: But even he admits no human will ever solve it this fast.If you blinked, you might have missed it.That was an unofficial world record of 2.4 seconds.
And after trying it myself, I was able to solve it in just five seconds.
Azia: Really?
Keith: Well, no. But I did once did eat a cheeseburger in five seconds.
Azia: All right, guys,that’s all for now. But have an awesome day and we will see you right back here tomorrow.
1 | Page