CNN news 2012-04-22 加文本

cnn news 2012-04-22

First up, two rocket launches with two very different reactions. We`ve talked about North Korea`s failed launch last week. Yesterday India ran a successful test of a long-range missile. Other nations, including the United States, criticized North Korea for its launch. But other than some mild disapproval from China, no one said much about India`s missile test.

The difference? India is an ally of the U.S. and it has a better reputation in the international community than North Korea does. Jim Clancy has more on India`s test.

JIM CLANCY, cnn CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Agni-V missile blasted through the clouds from an island off India`s east coast early Thursday, heading skyward on what India called a successful first flight. The Agni, which means "fire" in Hindi, can carry a 1-ton nuclear warhead and is believed to have a range of 5,000 kilometers, putting major Chinese cities, including Beijing, within striking distance.

India`s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, calls the launch a major milestone.

Manmohan Singh, India`s prime minister: The successful launch of Agni-V missile is a tribute to the sophistications and commitment to national causes on the part of India`s scientific and technological community.

CLANCY (voice-over): The launch was flagged in advance, but India did not attract the kind of international criticism that North Korea received for its failed rocket test last week. The launch puts India in a very small club of countries.

Only the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S. -- along with Israel -- are believed to have such long-range weapons. Indian leaders say the missile is meant as a deterrent only.

PALIAM RAJO, INDIAN JR DEFENSE MINISTER: As we all know, I mean, there are -- we live in a very challenging neighborhood, so I think the weapons capabilities that the nation can build are of vital importance.

CLANCY (voice-over): Analysts say they believe the launch puts India`s nuclear armed neighbors -- namely China and Pakistan -- on notice. Chinese officials acknowledged the launch, but downplayed any sense of rivalry between the two nations.

AZUZ: A tragic and shocking event at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, happened exactly 13 years ago today.

AZUZ (voice-over): Two students carrying guns and bombs went into the school and opened fire. They killed 13 people and wounded 23 others. The gunmen then took their own lives.

A memorial for the victims of that attack at Columbine opened in a park near the school in 2007, this shooting made school safety a nationwide priority and it led to programs and policies that aimed to stop future attacks before they happened.

Today also marks the two-year anniversary of this explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

Eleven of the 126 people who worked on the rig were killed. The explosion led to the worst oil spill in U.S. history, more than 200 million gallons of oil leaked out into the water. Some of it washed up on Gulf Coast shores. It took 85 days to stop the flow of oil into the Gulf, and nearly four months to completely seal the underwater oil well.