CNN news 2015-03-12 加文本

cnn news 2015-03-12

CARL AZUZ, HOST: Wherever you`re watching today, thank you for taking 10 minutes for cnn STUDENT NEWS.

We`re covering stories from around the world today, from Europe to the Middle East to Asia.

We`re starting in Italy, where two American tourists were recently arrested. They were in the Italian capital of Rome visiting the Coliseum.

The world-renowned landmark dates back to the year 70, when construction started.

Today, there`s a law against defacing the roman amphitheater. The two American women, both from California and in their 20s, are accused of

scratching their initials into one of the Coliseum`s walls and then taking a selfie of it. They could be fined for aggravated damage on a building of

historic interest.

Last year, there were five tourists caught carving graffiti on the Coliseum. One of them, who shaped the letter K in the brick work, was

fined more than $21,000.

From Italy, we`re taking off toward the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates forms the southern border of the Persian Gulf. It`s from there

that two pilots are attempting to fly into history. In fact, they have already finished the first segment of their flight, from the United Arab

Emirates to neighborhood Oman.

The U.S. Army air services first flew around the globe in 1924, but this flight is powered by the sun. And while it could be early August

before it returns to Abu Dhabi, the excitement about their departure on Monday still hangs in the air.

AMIR DAFTARI, cnn CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The final touches to a world first -- a solar plane getting ready to fly into history.

(on camera): We`re in the early hours of the morning here and this aircraft, the Solar Impulse 2, is being pushed out onto the tarmac, ready

to embark on its ambitious around the world journey powered purely by nature.

(voice-over): But once out on the runway, delays. Technical problems and poor visibility mean the plane, with more than 17,000 solar cells built

into its wings, has to sit idle. Then after an hour, the all clear.

Twelve years of hard work come down to this single moment.

Then takeoff without using a single drop of fuel.

But this is not flight of fancy. The pilots believe this is the future of aviation. And ahead of the big day, their anticipation was

soaring.

BERTRAND PICCARD, CO-PILOT, SOLAR IMPULSE: Nobody has done it before and we don`t know exactly if it`s possible or not, honestly. We have to

try it. Like every new thing in history, you have to try it.

DAFTARI: And history should be made in just a few months, when they`re set to land back in the UAE capital.

But how does it all work?

ANDRE BORSCHBERG, CO-PILOT, SOLAR IMPULSE: This wing is the largest that you can find. I mean it`s bigger than the wing of a 747. So it -- we

are propelled by electric motors, so we have four gondolas. And in each, we have a motor and we have a set of batteries which will help us to fly

through the night.

And, of course, on top of this wing, we have solar cells. And that`s the source of energy.

DAFTARI: For Swiss co-pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, the journey will undoubtedly be a record breaking show of technology and

invention. They`ll share grueling shifts in a tiny cockpit with few comforts, making the attempt a mental challenge, too.

PICCARD: The entertainment in that cockpit is the beauty of the world when you fly with no fuel, no pollution, no noise and you just feel the

privilege you have to fly the most extraordinary airplane in the world.

DAFTARI: The 35,000 kilometer trip will take place over 12 stages, bunny hopping from cities like Nanjing in China to Phoenix, Arizona. And

until its return back here, the Solar Impulse team will be hoping that the sun just keeps on shining.

Amir Daftari, cnn, Abu Dhabi.