CNN news 2012-06-03 加文本

cnn news 2012-06-03

CARL AZUZ, HOST, cnn STUDENT NEWS: How could I after that awesome iReport? Thanks to Mr. Wybul`s (ph) class for that introduction, and thanks to all of you for spending this last day of May with cnn Student News.

First up today, a 50-year prison sentence for Charles Taylor, the former leader of Liberia. Taylor was found guilty by an international criminal court last month. He`s the first former world leader since World War II to be convicted of war crimes.

AZUZ (voice-over): Taylor was president of the African nation of Liberia from 1997 through 2003. during that time, he was accused of being involved with the civil war in a neighboring country, Sierra Leone. The charges included murder, slavery and forcing people younger than 15 to fight in the conflict.

A special court in The Netherlands handed down Taylor`s sentence yesterday. The judge says Taylor was responsible for, quote, "aiding and abetting some of the most brutal crimes in human history." The former Liberian leader is appealing his conviction.

AZUZ: International anger about what`s going on Syria is growing. The United Nations Security Council is looking for ways to pressure Syria`s government to stop the fighting that`s gone on for more than a year now. Thousands of people, most of them civilians, have been killed in this violence.

AZUZ (voice-over): There`s anger inside Syria as well. This protest was in the city of Houla. That`s where more than 100 Syrians were killed last Friday in what some people describe as a massacre. One big question is what the international community can do about this.

No country is openly pushing for military action. Some have spoken out against the idea. Others say it should be an option. Some officials say right now the situation in Syria is at a tipping point.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s first Shoutout goes out to Coach Ivy and Coach Guerra`s civics classes at Manor High School in Manor, Texas.

What city is hosting this year`s Republican Party National Convention? Is it Charlotte, North Carolina; St. Paul, Minnesota; Denver, Colorado or Tampa, Florida? You`ve got three seconds, go.

Tampa is hosting the Republican National Convention at the end of August. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.

AZUZ: During that convention the Republican Party will officially name its presidential nominee. That is now almost certain to be Mitt Romney. This week the former Massachusetts governor unofficially won his party`s nomination, thanks to the Texas primary. Governor Romney has been winning delegates and primaries and caucuses since January.

Tuesday`s win in Texas put him over the so-called magic number of 1,144. That`s how many delegates it takes to win the Republican nomination this year.

One of the people who offered congratulations to Mitt Romney, his opponent. President Obama called Governor Romney about the milestone yesterday. The president will officially be named the Democratic nominee at that party`s national convention. That`s taking place in Charlotte in September.

The states hosting those conventions and others along the U.S. East Coast are dealing with rain and wind from Beryl. This is the same severe weather system that we reported on earlier in the week.

AZUZ (voice-over): Wednesday evening, Beryl was no longer a tropical depression, even though it was losing strength, it was still raising concerns, though, because in addition to the wind and the rain, Beryl was also causing dangerous rip currents.

One person was swept away in Florida on Monday. Around 170 other swimmers had to be rescued from the surf over the weekend. Forecasters said rip currents were a threat along the coast from Florida up through North and South Carolina.