(CNN Student News) -- November 12, 2009



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• Brazil • Pakistan • Macon, Georgia



Transcript



THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.



SUMAYA AHSAN, PAKISTANI STUDENT: He's like a legend to us because he saved our lives, our friends' lives.



CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: We've got that incredible story coming up in just a minute. I'm Carl Azuz. CNN Student News starts right now!



First Up: Executive Agenda



AZUZ: First up, a look at President Obama's executive agenda. Today, he's taking off for Asia, making a nine-day trip to the region to meet with world leaders and to take part in an economic conference. Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea. All of them are stopping points along the way. The president plans to talk about the importance of the U.S. and Asian countries working together on things like economic growth, climate change and the war in Afghanistan.



That last subject, the war, is something he discussed with his war council yesterday. It was the latest in a series of meetings to review the U.S. approach to the conflict in Afghanistan. President Obama is said to be considering four options, some of which may include sending additional troops to the country. That's something that military leaders have requested and some Republican lawmakers have urged the president to do. In a recent CNN poll, 56 percent of people were against sending more troops, while 42 percent were in favor of it.



Earlier in the day, President Obama took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. Just one of the Veterans Day events held around the country. He and first lady Michelle Obama walked through the cemetery's Section 60, where service members from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been laid to rest. During a speech yesterday, the president said "to all who served in every battle in every war, it's never too late to say thank you."



Is this Legit?



RICK VINCENT, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? Brazil is the biggest country in South America. Legit! In fact, Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world, and it's home to nearly 200 million people.



Blackout in Brazil



AZUZ: About 60 million of those people were left in the dark Tuesday night by a massive power outage. Officials say it affected 18 of Brazil's 26 states, including some of the country's largest cities. There's some uncertainty about what actually caused the power outage, but it's been linked to a hydroelectric dam. The power was back on in most areas by Wednesday morning.



Unsung Hero



AZUZ: Pakistan is a country that's seen a lot of violence this year. Three weeks ago, suicide attacks at a university claimed seven lives. One of them was a janitor who had only started working at the school a week earlier. But his reported actions on that day have many people in Pakistan calling him a hero. Ivan Watson shares his story.



(BEGIN VIDEO)



IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, ISLAMABAD: 70-year-old Kurshaid Siddique makes this walk every day, clutching a photo of her son. Pervaiz Mahsi was killed on October 20th when a suicide bomber attacked the university cafeteria where he worked. Pervaiz was a janitor. He barely earned enough money to feed his family. Now, some people are calling him a hero.



SUMAYA AHSAN, STUDENT: Now, he's like a legend to us because he saved our lives, our friends' lives.



WATSON: 20-year-old Sumaya Ahsan and her classmates are also in mourning. The suicide bomber killed three of their friends in the women's cafeteria of Islamabad's International Islamic University. But if it wasn't for the janitor named Pervaiz, they say many more of their classmates could have been killed.



AFSHEEN ZAFAR, STUDENT: If he couldn't stop that suicide attacker, there could
Who was being hailed as a hero? Where do Obama traveled? What did Obama do in Asia? What are some topics President Obama plans to address?
Pervaiz Mahsi Asia, take part in an economic conference. economic growth, climate change
question: Who was being hailed as a hero?, answer: Pervaiz Mahsi | question: Where do Obama traveled?, answer: Asia, | question: What did Obama do in Asia?, answer: take part in an economic conference. | question: What are some topics President Obama plans to address?, answer: economic growth, climate change