CNN news 2014-03-27 加文本

cnn news 2014-03-27

First up this Monday, President Obama headed overseas last night on a week- long trip. His first stop in Amsterdam, the capital of Netherlands. He`ll attend the summit on nuclear security there and touch base with a group of leaders from Asia before he travels to that region next month. Then, he`s on his way to Brussels, the capital of Belgium. He has a speech scheduled there on Wednesday. A major focus of this trip will be the crisis in Ukraine. President Obama wants more sanctions against Russian for annexing Crimea, making that region part of Russia.

But European leaders depend on Russia for some of their energy resources. They might be hard to convince.

The president is also visiting Rome, Italy and touring the Coliseum. He`ll meet with Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church. The president has praised the pope for some of the topics he has addressed, but the Obama administration has clashed with the church on other issues.

Last stop is Friday in Rhyiad, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Possible topics of discussion include everything from Iran`s nuclear program to Syria`s civil war. A lot of ground and Syria`s subjects to cover.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for the "Shoutout." Whose flag is this? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it the flag of Scotland, Finland, Greece or Guam? You`ve got three seconds, go!

This is the flag of Scotland, which is part of the United Kingdom. That`s your answer and that`s your "Shoutout."

AZUZ: Scotland has been part of the United Kingdom since the U.K. was created in 1707. But that might change in September. That`s when Scottish voters will decide whether to remain part of the U.K. or to make Scotland independent once again.

British Prime Minister David Cameron wants Scotland to stay as it is. He says this will give Scotts security and strength as part of the U.K., but the Scottish National Party, which supports independence says the vote for it will mean a better and fairer life for Scotts. The British government agreed to the vote, but the U.K., doesn`t have a written constitution to guide this process.

One other questions, wouldn`t independent Scotland still recognize Queen Elizabeth II as its queen? The monarchy is mostly ceremonial, of course, but it`s popular. A second vote may be needed to determine that.

FAREED ZAKARIA, cnn CORRESPONDENT: In six months the people of Scotland will cast their votes on secession from the U.K. If they vote for independence, Scotts have been warned that they risk losing the pound as their currency. London could lose some control over oil and gas in the North Sea, but they might also have to say cheerio to something more symbolic, the beloved Union Jack. You see, the current flag which hasn`t changed in over 200 years is a mix between England`s cross of Saint George, Scotland`s Cross of St. Andrew and Ireland`s cross of St. Patrick. If Scotland leaves the union, would St. Andrew`s cross get the boot? People send ideas for alternatives to the U.K.`s national flag charity, and the guardian experts to choose from 12 options. Should Britain incorporate the Welsh flag of Saint David, slide the Welsh national flag into the corner, what about adding the royal coat of arms to a modified Union Jack? The winner, this one. Well, the Brits are nothing if not traditional. Scotland`s blue has simply been replaced with black, perhaps to mourn the loss of Scotland. Luckily, many say this won`t be necessary, after all what would happen to all the British overseas` territories and a few countries for that matter, that include the Union Jack in their national flags.

AZUZ: In the small town north of Seattle, Washington, a landslide struck on Saturday night. The region has gotten a lot of rain over the past month. Officials say, the ground got so saturated that it just gave way. The governor of Washington State said he`d never seen devastation like it. About a square mile was affected. At least three people were killed and several others are still missing.

There are a couple of challenges for rescuers here. One, getting the people who might be trapped behind or underneath mud that`s like quicksand. Emergency officials say it`s 15 feet deep in some places.

Two, the ground is still highly unstable in some areas. There is still the threat of flooding, so rescuers can`t search everywhere they need to. At least six houses were destroyed in this, and many more were damaged.

China says its satellites might have located some debris from a missing Malaysia Airlines plane. Satellites images from Australia, from France, also indicate possible large objects. Search planes are continuously scouring parts of the Indian Ocean where floating objects were detected, but so far nothing has been recovered. No sign of the aircraft, no sign of the 239 people aboard more than two weeks after it vanished.

There are two major search areas over 23,000 square miles of ocean.