An up-close look at naval hardware

A look inside the Dolphin, a new German-built, Israeli submarine

November 22, 1999
Web posted at: 11:54 p.m. EST (0454 GMT)

In this story: People, plant life in path of Three Gorges water Malaysian development forces relocation of elephants Thais, Africans work to improve health conditions Precautions recommended for European eclipse viewers Celebrating a long life, a dog's life and feats of strength RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Kevin Grieves
CNN World Report

In an era when dramatic air combat seems so often to capture the spotlight, warships still play an important role in the strategic systems of a modern military. That's certainly true for the Israeli Navy, as it recently welcomed a new addition to its fleet from an outside source.

The Dolphin, Israel's first new submarine in more than two decades, is furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, including a modern missile system that some experts say can be retrofitted to accommodate nuclear warheads.

The Dolphin comes to Israel from a German shipyard, and the German government picked up the tab. Germany approved a military aid package to Israel following embarrassing revelations during the 1991 Gulf War about German firms providing arms to Iraq. Two more submarines from Germany will follow the Dolphin at a later date.

Israel's IBA shared a sneak peek below deck of the Dolphin with CNN World Report. Sensitive military capabilities were off limits, but reporter Dennis Zinn did get a chance to observe how crew members spend some of their time aboard the sub.

Zinn dropped in on the vessel's cook and related this bit of undersea wisdom: "...crew members on submarines have a long-standing agreement that they don't eat fish, and in return the fish don't eat them."

CNN World Report viewers were also treated to a look at life aboard an aircraft carrier half a world away. South Korea's Arirang News met the USS Constellation at the port of Pusan as it arrived from San Diego for a routine deployment. The launching of jets from the flight deck by catapult was a highlight of the tour.

It's not scheduled for completion until 2009, but the half-built Three Gorges Dam is already making plenty of waves in China. The Chinese government has promoted the project as a means to secure ample hydroelectric power from what it bills as the world's largest power plant. China also hopes to use the dam to control the devastating floods that frequently wreak havoc along the Yangtze River.

Many environmentalists say the dam will do more damage than good.

Long a source of criticism elsewhere, the dam's costs are causing more and more concern inside China. There are reports of increasing dissatisfaction within the Chinese government directed at the financial drain of the $24 billion project. And the Chinese public is beginning to hear more about the human and environmental costs.

More than 1 million Chinese will be displaced by the new reservoir, and resettlement of those people has been a bumpy ride so far. Cultural preservation groups say they may only be able to save a tiny fraction of the ancient artifacts in this area of the Yangtze Valley.

China's Wuhan Cable TV gave CNN World Report viewers a glimpse at one of the environmental ramifications of the dam construction: The potential loss of rare plants. Reporter Peng Qimin detailed the efforts of area botanists in relocating some of the plants to a garden on higher ground.

Peng told viewers: "Researchers show confidence in their protective efforts, and they promise that this work would continue to the next century when the whole Three Gorges project is completed."

Malaysian elephants are transported to a new home with more room to roam in the state of Terengganu

The largest land mammals on earth are in need of protection in southeastern Asia. The forests of peninsular Malaysia are shrinking to make way for human development in the form of oil palm, rubber and fruit plantations. The traditional habitat of Malaysia's elephants is disappearing along with the forests. As a result, elephants searching for food are increasingly causing damage to the plantations, despite the widespread use of electric fences and guards. Malaysian officials are turning to a method called "translocation," whereby elephants are captured and moved to protected areas such as national parks.

CNN World Report contributor RTM covered the first translocation of elephants this year in the Malaysian state of Terengganu. The staff of an animal conservation center employed two trained elephants to lead sedated wild elephants first onto the backs of flatbed trucks, then onto a ferry that took them across a lake to their new home.

Thai officials have launched a campaign to improve the sanitary conditions of the canals in Bangkok. The Singapore broadcaster TCS noted that the once-picturesque canals have become filled with garbage and untreated sewage. Now, just as Singapore once did, Thailand is preparing a major clean-up, including the installation of new treatment facilities.

A new effort is underway to clean up the dirty canals in Bangkok, Thailand

But that's proving a slow process, and Thai officials are appealing to individual initiative, asking Bangkok residents to stop throwing trash into the waterways.

Concerned individuals are at the forefront of a care project in the African nation of Zambia with a special focus: AIDS patients. The AIDS virus is ravaging Zambia's population. The World Health Organization estimates 1.6 million Zambians will die of the disease in the next decade, roughly 10 percent of the country's current population.

Zambia's ZNBC showed CNN World Report viewers the human face of these statistics in the town of Mumbwa. Government health centers are overwhelmed by the dramatic rise in AIDS cases in Mumbwa, and patients often have nowhere else to turn.

"Many of the sick have been abandoned by friends and relatives," reporter Henry Ngilazi said.

A program supported by the Catholic church is stepping in to assist AIDS patients. Volunteers were seen visiting the sick and helping them eat and take medicine.

Not only are those infected with HIV being victimized by Africa's AIDS epidemic, but parents succumbing to the disease are leaving behind thousands of orphaned children, some 700,000 by next year in Zambia alone. In central Africa, Uganda has enlisted the help of an older generation to care for orphaned youngsters. United Nations Television profiled a grandfather whose own family was decimated by AIDS and is caring for nine orphans.

Medical authorities warn stargazers to wear proper eye protection when viewing a solar eclipse

Stargazers from southern England to Romania are gearing up to witness a historic event that will last only a few minutes. The midday skies will darken on August 11 as a solar eclipse moves across Europe, an extremely rare occurrence that comes around to the same location only every 350 years or so. Romania is expected to be a prime viewing spot, and tourism officials say every hotel along the path of the eclipse is already completely booked.

Along with the excitement comes a medical warning. Swiss TV-SRI reported that health authorities advise people not to look directly at the eclipse without some form of protection. The sun's rays can harm the retina, causing damage that becomes apparent only later.

Eclipse watchers are urged to choose eye protection carefully. Not all methods adequately shield the eye from the dangerous rays. Eye specialists say the safest way to see the eclipse is to use a pinhole to shine the sun's image onto another surface.

Mariana Joao celebrates her 120th birthday at home in Angola

She may not be able to see an eclipse twice in the same place, but Mariana Joao's 120th birthday was quite an event for those around her. Angola's TPA explained to CNN World Report viewers that with Angola's average life expectancy estimated at around 42 years, 120 seems "like an eternity."

Reporter Isidro Sanhanga observed that Mariana is "...still alive and breathing the oxygen of the trees that were planted with her own hands."

A woman in Turkey finds cheer despite her cancer diagnosis, thanks to a plethora of canine companions. Turkey's NTV introduced viewers to Esin Elingur, 64, a former architect from Istanbul whose farm is home to 400 dogs.

"Every morning," she says, "I wake up with 400 smiling faces."

A 64-year-old man in Lebanon, Amin Jaber, is not letting life drag him down. He calls himself the "elderly savage," and he makes a strong impression on those around him.

VIDEO
Zeina Khodr reports on Lebanon's aging strongman
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