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NEWS STREAM

New Delhi Court Bombing; Newest Threat in Libyan War: Looted Weapons; Guantanamo Reflections; Experts Warn of al Qaeda's Increasly Sophisticated Bombs; Middle East Still Suspicious of U.S. Intentions; Netherlands Blanks Finland 2-0

Aired September 7, 2011 - 08:00:00   ET

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


KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: Welcome to NEWS STREAM, where news and technology meet.

I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong.

And we begin in India, where the government says terrorists are to blame for a deadly bombing on a New Delhi courthouse. Now, the death toll from the blast is rising as investigators continue to work at the scene.

And it's been 10 years since the 9/11 terror attacks, and since then, al Qaeda's methods have evolved. We'll test out their latest bomb-making materials.

And a tale of one city's fight to survive. We'll return to one of the areas hardest hit by Japan's earthquake and tsunami.

Indian police say an Islamist militant group is claiming responsibility for the devastating bombing outside New Delhi's High Court. At least 11 people were killed when the explosion tore through a packed reception area just hours ago.

Now, dozens of people are injured and investigators and bomb-sniffing dogs are combing the scene. New Delhi is now on high alert. The explosion happened as crowds of people were waiting to enter the court on one of its busiest days.

CNN producer Sumnima Udas joins us from the Indian capital.

And any new details on this courthouse blast?

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN PRODUCER: Kristie, this is really a developing story, and we're just getting information in bits and pieces. What we know right now is the government has released two sketches of the two suspects right now. One is supposed to be in his 50s, the other one is supposed to be in his 20s, but that's all the information we have so far.

The other information we have is the government has received an e-mail from an Islamic fundamentalist group called Harkat ul Jihad al Islami, also in short known as HuJi. We don't know much about this group other than the fact that they were responsible for an attack in a city called Pune last year, in 2010, at a German bakery, and also for some attacks back a few years ago in Varanasi as well.

But the government is not releasing any other information. They are saying they are on standby. They're taking this e-mail very seriously, and we will have more information in the next few hours -- Kristie.

STOUT: OK. Now, the High Court was the target of this attack, so what is the government doing to safeguard other judicial and government sites?

UDAS: Delhi and Mumbai are on high alert. We've seen security everywhere. Not just the Delhi policy, but also the army. And we're also seeing the NIA, which is the National Investigation Agency, really a group that was formed right after the Mumbai attacks in 2008, to look after such terror cases. And we've seen security stepped up everywhere, as I said.

Now, the government has come under a lot of criticism for its lax security in the past few months, because remember, this High Court was attacked back in May of this year. And since then, apparently there were no CCTV cameras put into place. Even the metal detectors didn't always work.

So the government is being criticized for that. The home minister had to speak for this in parliament, and this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PALANIAPPAN CHIDAMBARAM, INDIAN HOME MINISTER: It is suspected that the bomb was placed in a briefcase. The scene of the incident was cordoned off immediately. Ambulances reached the scene and removed the injured within 20 minutes.

Our CFSL (ph) team is at the place of the incident. Teams from the NIA and NSG are also at the place of incident. The intelligence pertaining to threats emanating from certain groups were shared with Delhi police in July, 2011. At this stage, it is not possible to identify the group that caused the bomb blast today.

Government unequivocally condemns the terrorist attack that took place today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UDAS: Now, the prime minister was actually on his way back from Bangladesh, also made a statement saying, "This is a very cowardly attack," and that "India will not succumb to these kinds of threats" -- Kristie.

STOUT: All right. Sumnima Udas, joining us live from New Delhi.

Thank you very much for that update.

Two deadly explosions also today in neighboring Pakistan. Suicide bombers targeted the home of a senior paramilitary officer in the southwestern city of Quetta. One rammed his explosives-packed car into security vehicles outside, and the other made his way inside and blew himself up. At least 20 people were killed, 40 others wounded.

The Pakistani Taliban are claiming responsibility and threatened more attacks in revenge for the arrests of al Qaeda militants.

Now, in Libya, the National Transitional Council isn't any closer to gaining control of a major pro-Gadhafi stronghold. Negotiations between Libya's new leaders and tribal elders in Bani Walid fell apart on Tuesday, and there are reports that loyalists shot at elders as they returned from the talks.

The NTC's chief negotiator says they believe they are several major players from Gadhafi's old regime currently hiding out in Bani Walid. And an NTC spokesman says the council no longer feels the situation can be handled peacefully. But even if a deal had been reached, there is still no guarantee that residents of Bani Walid would have changed their allegiances.

Now, Barak Barfi from the New America Foundation, he explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARAK BARFI, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: While the NTC is taking control of almost 90, 95 percent of the country, and Gadhafi's loyalists only have fallen back in a few cities such as Sevron (ph), in the south, his birthplace of Sirte, and Bani Walid. So they don't want to spill any more bloodshed.

However, these places are where he historically recruited people to staff his security services, and he lavished and he patronized these areas, and they have not forgotten him. And they will not relinquish this loyalty to him, even after it's clear that his regime has fallen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Our Ben Wedeman has been following events closely in Libya. He joins us now for a report on the newest threat in the Libyan war -- looted weapons. And he joins us now, live from Tripoli.

Ben, what have you learned?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We just got back from a warehouse on the edge of Tripoli, a warehouse where, during the Gadhafi -- sort of the last few months, there was lots of surface-to-air missiles and artillery rounds and other ammunition being kept. Now, what we've discovered is many of those -- all of those surface-to-air missiles have disappeared.

And we spoke there with a representative of Human Rights Watch, and he said that these weapons that have gone missing are very deadly. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER BOUCAERT, EMERGENCY DIRECTOR, HRW: This is SA-24 Grinch surface-to- air missile, one of Russia's most advanced surface-to-air missiles. It has a range of 11,000 feet.

We have to look at what it says. It was sold by the Russians, 2004. This is box 84 of 241 boxes. So that means they sold 482 of these missiles. And this is the missile that America has been trying to keep out of the hands of the Iranians.

You add up just the lots in there, and there's 2,000, 3,000 surface-to-air missiles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: Now, what's important to keep in mind is that during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the United States supplied the Afghan Mujahideen with hundreds of Stinger missiles. Stingers are essentially the equivalent of the SA-24.

They spent millions of dollars after that war to try to buy those back to prevent these missiles from getting in the hands of terrorists. Now, what we're seeing is that Libya has as many as 20,000 surface-to-air missiles. And as the representative of Human Rights Watch told us, in every town and city they've gone into where armories have been looted, the first thing to disappear are these surface-to-air missiles.

These are missiles that could easily shoot down an incoming or an airplane taking off. They have a range of 11,000 feet. And according to military experts, they have a deadly accuracy -- Kristie.

STOUT: Ben, with this report of missing weapons, major ramifications on security inside a new Libya. Of course, security in the region as well if these weapons get outside of the country.

While we have you live there in Tripoli, we want to ask you about these talks that have broken down between Libya's new leaders and tribal elders in Bani Walid. And Ben, let's get your thoughts. What happens now?

WEDEMAN: Well, the last we heard yesterday evening was that they've sort of given up on negotiations. The fact that the people they were speaking to in Bani Walid, when they tried to return home, they came under fire and were sent away by the Gadhafi loyalists. So what the NTC is saying is that we've given peace a chance, and now we're going to explore other options.

Obviously, that's the military option. But there's not a lot of enthusiasm to go in there with guns blazing, get more casualties. I suspect that the diplomatic approach may be revived yet again to avoid yet another battle here in Libya -- Kristie.

STOUT: For the sake of the people who are still there, the civilians in Bani Walid, let's hope that's the case.

Ben Wedeman, joining us live from Tripoli.

Thank you, Ben.

Now, in Syria, activists say at least seven people have been killed in a crackdown in the city of Homs early Wednesday morning. They say that security forces stormed the city overnight in tanks. These attacks come just one day after the Syrian government canceled a planned visit Wednesday by the head of the Arab League, citing, "circumstances beyond their control." The visit was meant to address concerns over the ongoing civilian crackdown.

Now, ahead on NEWS STREAM, the September 11th attacks not only changed life in the U.S., the impact has been felt around the world. And we will hear from a former Guantanamo Bay detainee picked up in the massive U.S. security sweep after the attacks.

Plus, rebuilding in Japan. We'll look at one city's efforts to recover in the past six months since the country's massive earthquake and tsunami.

And the moon in high def. We'll explain what's so special about these new NASA pics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Now, Sunday marks 10 years since the September 11th attacks, and some people are remembering that tragic day in a beautiful way. Now, we will introduce you to artist Marcus Robinson, who has documented the rebuilding at Ground Zero. But nearly one decade later, the terrorist threat remains.

This white powder is known as PETN. And al Qaeda's notorious bomb maker knows just what to do with it, and we will show you its explosive power.

And ahead of this significant anniversary, CNN's Wolf Blitzer sat down with former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney, who stood by the Bush administration's response to the attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD CHENEY, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A lot of the most controversial things we did that people didn't like and criticized us for are things like the terrorist surveillance program, or enhanced interrogation things, were things that allowed us to save lives. And the net result, the value of our policies is best evaluated in terms of the fact that after 9/11, there were no further mass casualty attacks against the United States, that we stopped every single prospective on the U.S. for the last seven-and-a-half years that we were there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: After 9/11, hundreds of suspected terrorists were taken to the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center in Cuba for interrogation. Most have now been released or transferred back to their home countries, but as one ex- detainee tells CNN's Atika Shubert, he still hears the sounds of the shackles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp in Cuba, known as "Gitmo" by its military abbreviation. The war in Afghanistan began a month after the 9/11 attacks. Three months later, Gitmo was opened in January, 2002.

Many of the prisoners taken in battle were brought here, but by bringing them to Guantanamo, the U.S. made clear it did not consider them to be prisoners of war to be protected under the Geneva Convention. Instead, they were called "enemy combatants."

Moazzam Begg of Britain was one of them. Captured in Pakistan, he says for associating with the Taliban. He was handed to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, ultimately transferred to Guantanamo.

MOAZZAM BEGG, FMR. GUANTANAMO DETAINEE: The shackles. The shackles and the sounds of the shackles dragging against a metal floor, that sound is constantly in my head.

SHUBERT: Begg says he spent the first month in solitary confinement, undergoing endless interrogations. In 2005, he was released without charge.

Since then, he has campaigned for Guantanamo to be closed, setting up the advocacy group Caged Prisoners. He has found some surprising allies in some of his former jailers.

In 2009, he embarked on a speaking tour with former Guantanamo guards.

CHRIS ARENDT, FMR. GUANTANAMO PRISON GUARD: I witnessed men stuck inside of cells that are approximately five feet by eight feet all day long, with nothing to hold on to, no real hope, nothing to even fight against, no charges to deny, no accusations to deny.

SHUBERT: Supporters of Guantanamo say that evidence gleaned from the interrogation of detainees eventually led to the killing of Osama bin Laden this year, but Begg says that's not enough to justify the existence of the sprawling prison camp.

BEGG: Remember, Guantanamo was set up immediately after 9/11 for the purposes of showing the world that we are catching the perpetrators and stopping any other attacks taking place. Out of the hundreds of people held in Guantanamo, not one person has ever been convicted of anything to do with the reason why Guantanamo was set up after 9/11. And here we are at the anniversary, 10 years later, none the better.

SHUBERT: And he's still waiting for President Obama to deliver on his campaign promise to close the prison down.

BEGG: I think sometimes that the greatest trick Obama ever played was to tell people that Guantanamo was going to close.

SHUBERT: Two days after becoming president in January, 2009, Obama signed an executive order to close Gitmo in one year. Some prisoners have been released or transferred to other countries, but Gitmo is still open. Begg devotes much of his time now to getting those that remain in Guantanamo either released or charged and put on trial. A hundred and seventy-one detainees remain there today.

Atika Shubert, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: And for much more of our complete coverage of the 9/11 anniversary, be sure to check out CNN.com. You'll find stories, pictures, and firsthand accounts of the day that changed history and that no one who experienced it will ever forget.

Now, up next on NEWS STREAM, refusing to walk away. The tsunami destroyed everything, but the residents of this Japanese fishing town are determined to stay put and rebuild.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: On Sunday, Japan will mark six months since the magnitude 9 earthquake and massive tsunami ruined large parts of the northeast coast. And on top of this overwhelming destruction, the country is also still struggling with the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima plant.

And all this week, CNN is looking at how this disaster continues to affect people's lives.

On Monday, we met Akiko Iwasaki (ph), the hotel owner in Kamaishi who was sucked under by the waves but survived. Now, she and her staff are now focusing on rebuilding her hotel.

And on Tuesday, we heard about the increase in suicide cases and the lack of resources to prevent them. But in the town of Otsuchi, a volunteer psychiatrist is encouraging those who survived the disaster to talk about their grief and overcome the social stigma against getting help.

And today, we're taking you back to the city of Kamaishi. You may remember seeing this image shortly after the tsunami hit in March, a fishing boat in a sea of debris, clearly illustrating the strength of the waves.

And then there was this site of a nearly 5,000-ton freighter washed up on a pier. Now, the M.V. Asia Symphony, take a look at this. It's still there, though the area around it has been cleared since May.

And six months ago, this city worker spoke with our Kyung Lah. She met up again with him on her first trip back to Kamaishi since the disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despair flooded Kamaishi in March, a town swallowed by the nation's historic tsunami, debris crushing its main street, thousands of its people homeless or injured, the faces of the missing and dead wallpapering the temporary city hall.

Against these seemingly insurmountable challenges, Kamaishi city spokesman Daichi Murai (ph) told me his city will not die.

(on camera): Do you believe that Kamaishi will come back?

(voice-over): "I believe it. I'm convinced it will come back," he said.

(on camera): Why do you believe it so much in your heart?

(voice-over): "This is the city I was born in. I don't want to lose my hometown. I want to see my city come back."

Today, Daichi Murai (ph) is still working for his hometown and still carries the same determination.

(on camera): Six months ago, you were determined that, this is my hometown, Kamaishi will come back. Do you believe Kamaishi is coming back?

(voice-over): "Kamaishi will come back," he says, "and will become an even better city. That sort of spirit didn't exist before the tsunami. We all have a passion and we're all determined." He adds that, "Only 2,000 residents have left Kamaishi. Thirty-seven thousand people about 80 percent of the residents, refuse to leave."

(on camera): When you look around, do you feel like the town is making progress?

(voice-over): "There are still many places in ruins," he says, "but there others, like here, where reconstruction has started. Wood boards are in place. The hotel around the corner is already open. Restoration is moving forward."

Murai (ph) readily admits while moving forward there are massive challenges. The seal and fishing industry, Kamaishi's economic base, have yet to significantly relaunch. Businesses and jobs have not come back. Thousands remain in temporary housing, with no immediate prospects of income.

Murai (ph) himself, with his wife and two children, are also in temporary housing. But one by one, the city is tackling each obstacle with a shared mission and gratitude.

(on camera): Have you changed with your town after this disaster?

(voice-over): "The way I think about life has changed," he says. "At the end of each day, I now think, another day has ended and I'm glad to have lived this day, and I'm glad when morning comes."

Kyung Lah, CNN, Kamaishi, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now, we will bring you another personal survivor story from Japan tomorrow, right here on NEWS STREAM.

Plus, tomorrow, Andrew Stevens will be anchoring "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" from Tokyo, focusing on how Japan is recovering financially from the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.

(WEATHER REPORT)

STOUT: Now a story we do need to update you here on NEWS STREAM about the shark fin soup bill. Now, shark fin soup could soon be a think of the past in California. The Chinese delicacy moved a step closer to extinction on Tuesday, as the state Senate passed a bill banning the sale of shark fins.

The fins themselves are often acquired with finning, slicing them off. It's a brutal practice while the shark is still alive. And the rest of the body is then tossed into the sea for the shark to then drown.

The proposed ban has seen some stiff opposition in California, one of the largest importers of shark fins outside Asia, with many claiming it unfairly targets the Chinese-American community. Now, the bill will now go to the governor's office for approval.

Coming up next on NEWS STREAM, the ax swings at Yahoo! Carol Bartz is out of a job, and with a rather unceremonious end to her tenure as CEO.

And the world has changed since 9/11, but so, too, has al Qaeda. We talk to a bomb expert about the terrorist group's methods today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines. An Islamist militant group is claiming it is behind today's deadly explosion at the high court in New Delhi, India. At least 11 people were killed and dozens more injured in the bombing. The government is releasing sketches of two suspects. India's prime minister says his country will not be cowled by terrorism.

Israel says at least three of its diplomats are being expelled from the Israeli embassy in Turkey. That comes after Israel refused a Turkish demand that it apologize for last years deadly raid on a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza. Now Turkey recently suspended defense ties with Israel.

Now the court in Perugia, Italy Amanda Knox's appeal against her conviction of murdering Meredith Kercher has been adjourned until September 23rd. Now key DNA evidence is being called into question. A forensic scientist acting for the defense told the court that DNA on the knife used to kill Kercher could not have come from blood.

Now European investors are breathing a sigh of relief after Germany's highest court ruled that the European bailouts are legal. Now several complaints had been lodged against Germany's role in providing billions of dollars to some of its beleaguered European neighbors. For more on this stay tuned for World Business Today in half an hour.

Now all this week we're running special shows in the build-up to Sunday's 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. And so much has changed in the nearly 10 years since the world was shocked by these scenes. Now for many, the memories are as fresh as if the attacks happened only yesterday.

Now CNN has been speaking to viewers across the world to find out how people's image of America has changed in the last 10 years. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a first time I really didn't like how the United States faced that attack, because like I said before the Muslims were discriminated and I think that wasn't fair.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We still need America to be around in the economic and in the security terms. I really don't know what it can do, because it is stuck in a very difficult position of protecting itself and its interests. And if they can't defend their own interests a lot of people in the world will be in trouble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now the day after the 9/11 terror attacks the French newspaper Le Monde ran the front page headline "We Are All Americans." And that summed up the outpouring of support for the U.S. from almost every corner of the world. But Jill Dougherty reports after a decade of war that good will has largely faded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the first days and months after 9/11 much of the world was on America's side. But that sympathy soon began to fade.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger.

ANDREW KOHUT, PEW RESEARCH CENTER: With the invasion of Iraq, we saw the image of the United States plummet all around the world.

DOUGHERTY: Surveys taken by the Pew Research Center in the Muslim world showed growing concern that the war on terrorism was really a war on Islam. Even today that suspicion lingers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since September 11th Afghanistan was invaded, Iraq, and lots of actually (inaudible) happened to the Arab world and generally Muslim world.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect.

DOUGHERTY: President Obama reached out directly to the Muslim world.

KOHUT: His initial approval ratings in 2009 were extremely high. The image of the United States was repaired.

DOUGHERTY: Two weeks after President Obama's Cairo speech Secretary of States Hillary Clinton asked Farah Pandith to serve as U.S. Special Representative to Muslim communities. And she has visited more than 50 countries creating links with Muslims through education, science and technology and entrepreneurship. She says 10 years later the shadow of 9/11 affects even young Muslims.

FARAH PANDITH, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: What they're trying to do is trying to say I don't want al Qaeda to define me. I don't want anybody else to define me. The images that you see on the front page of the paper aren't who I am.

DOUGHERTY: So if you were to put your finger on the pulse right now where are we in terms of the United States? Love us, hate us, what is it?

KOHUT: Well, the United States is well regarded once again by its allies. It's well regarded in Japan, it's well regarded in India. But in the Muslim world we continue to have problems.

DOUGHERTY: Efforts to improve the U.S. image can do some good, Kohut say. But...

KOHUT: In the end it's policies and the big notions that people have about how America conducts itself that shape its image.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the Obama administration I thought things would change, but I've yet to see evidence of that.

DOUGHERTY: It appears the president has his work cut out for him.

One thing that did change was the image of Osama bin Laden and terrorists like him. Right after the invasion of Iraq some did support him for sticking a finger in the eye of the United States. But then terrorist attacks began claiming more and more Muslim lives. Support for extremism diminished. And by the time Osama bin Laden was killed he was largely discredited in the Muslim world.

Jill Dougherty, CNN, the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now there is no denying that airline security is tighter now than it was in 2001. But al Qaeda has evolved as well and is coming up with new methods of attack. Authorities say its last attempt to blow up a plane was last year. And it was using one of these, a printer cartridge. It was packed with PETN, an explosive that is very hard to detect.

Now Nic Robertson reports on the growing concerns about the materials used to make bombs and the bomb makers themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 10 years after 9/11, al Qaeda is still trying to blow up planes.

SIDNEY ALFORD, EXPLOSIVES EXPERT: Here we have proof positive for the forensic examiners that this is something to do with printers (ph).

ROBERTSON: Bomb expert Sidney Alford is recreating their last attempt a year ago. 400 grams, about one pound of the high explosive PETN hidden in a printer and sent as air cargo from Yemen to the United States.

ALFORD: If that had been part of an airplane's fuselage, then heaven help the airplane. It would have -- that would have been a terminal event I'm afraid.

ROBERTSON: Is there still a vulnerability to this type of bomb getting through?

ROBERT LISCOUSKI, FORMER DHS EXPERT: I think it's fair to say there is. You know, we haven't gotten everything covered yet because it's a -- the system is very large.

ROBERTSON: Liscouski, a former top DHS official, fears air cargo is still a weak link in passenger safety as so much of it flies on passenger aircraft.

LISCOUSKI: There's opportunity for improvement there. We need to be employing the standards more uniformly. And the technologies probably need to be upgraded a little bit as well.

ROBERTSON: And the threat could be about to get a lot worse. The printer bomb and the device smuggled on board as U.S. airliner, the so- called underpants bomb, were both made in Yemen. And that country is close to civil war.

The man who made the underpants and printer bombs, Ibrahim al-Asiri is still on the loose. And western diplomats say he is always working on new ideas and fear that as Yemen slips into chaos and al Qaeda takes advantage taking control of more towns and villages that al-Asiri will use the time and space to develop even more dangerous hard to detect bombs.

It raises the prospect Asiri and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula could establish camps similar to those the terrorists had in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

LISCOUSKI: You've got to keep them moving. Once you give them an opportunity to be comfortable, once you give them an opportunity that they can have a safe haven and then they can, then they can operate, they can communicate, and they can ultimately try to be successful.

ALFORD: He is at the clever end of the scale, there's no doubt about this. This is an ingenious way of doing it.

ROBERTSON: Alford assesses that Asiri's bombs are increasingly cunning not just hiding circuitry in plain sight and replacing toner powder with the explosive PETN, but knowing it could pass undetected through an x- ray machine.

Keith Riordan is an expert with a leading explosives detection company.

KEITH RIORDAN, SMITHS DETECTION: Some of the evidence is that some techniques they've used, some of the means of attack they've used is based on what measures are in place now, which shows that they understood what was happening. They understood the technology and what it did up to a point.

ROBERTSON: And he agrees that the explosive PETN, colorless and odorless, is very hard to detect.

RIORDAN: Managing the risk is what we're trying -- what we're all trying to do which means the risk is never removed totally.

ALFORD: I bet that every airport keeps its eyes well open now for these so-called terror cartridges, but other containers exist in the world and they will be wondering, oh, what else have we been careless about, what else should we now be considering?

ROBERTSON: In the 10 years since 9/11 al Qaeda has proven itself a learning enemy. Asiri epitomizes that. Yemen may yet give him the space to prove it to deadly effect.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: And all this week CNN has special coverage leading up to the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in the U.S. It includes four new specials plus full coverage each day in connect the world, that's right here on CNN.

Now Somali leaders have signed a deal to hold elections to hold 12 months and reestablish stability in the war ravaged nation. Now Somalia has not had a functioning government for two decades and now it's in the grip of a severe drought.

Now children are most at risk. Nkepile Mabuse reports on the babies born into famine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: She's six months old but weighs no more than a newborn baby.

"She's been sick since the day she was born," her grandmother explains.

The milk she's been given in the hospital her body is rejecting.

"She's not drinking. She's not eating."

Laila (ph) has no appetite for food. She was born to a starving mother, born into hunger that's gripped more than half of Somalia's population.

The biggest children's hospital in the capital Mogadishu is bursting at the seams, treating malnutrition and related illnesses. With scant resources, there's very little doctor's here can do if there are complications in the children's conditions.

DR. MOHAMMED JIM'ALE, SOMALI PHYSICIAN: We don't have an ICU. We don't have oxygen. So we use a lot of small increments, small medication. And we will see about 50 percent will die, sometimes 70 percent.

MABUSE: The doctor says Laila's (ph) brain will probably never fully develop.

But this 10 year old in another ward keeping her eyes open seems a mammoth task. Standing or playing is out of the question. In order to save the babies, experts have suggested breast feeding.

We are told that in some communities stronger mothers are having to feed two to three babies over and above their own in a desperate attempt to save lives.

Breast feeding isn't an option for some mothers weakened by malnutrition many struggle to recover from the punishing ordeal of child birth. That's why Laila (ph) is being cared for by her grandmother. The family couldn't afford to seek treatment for both and is pinning all their hopes on saving the child.

"It's very hard for me to come to terms with the fact that one of them may die," she tells me.

Tens of thousands are believed to have already perished, with the UN recently warning 750,000 more could die if they're not reached in the coming months, among them babies born into a famine that's wiping out a significant portion of a generation.

Nkepile Mabuse, CNN, Mogadishu.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome back.

Now at Yahoo the former chief financial officer is taking the reigns at the struggling internet company. Tim Morris replaces CEO Carol Bartz on an interim basis. Now Bartz was suddenly sacked on Tuesday. And she wrote this in an all staff e-mail.

She said, "I'm very sad to tell you that I've just been fired over the phone by Yahoo's chairman of the board. It's been my pleasure to work with all of you. And I wish you only the best going forward."

Now in an official statement, Yahoo's chairman of the board had this response. Now he writes, "I want to thank Carol for her service to Yahoo during a critical time of transition in the company's history and against a very challenging macroeconomic backdrop."

But Yahoo's challenges existed before Bartz became CEO in 2009. Now you will remember that she took the position after her predecessor rejected a buyout deal from Microsoft. Now Bartz later secured a search partnership with Microsoft's Bing, but that's been widely panned as a bust.

Now once upon a time Yahoo was the dominant search engine, but it has continued to lose ground to Google now the industry giant. Now Yahoo has also lost ad revenue to Facebook. Critics say Bartz failed to recognize the social network as a rival.

Now tomorrow, I'll be speaking with Nick Thompson, senior editor at The New Yorker. And he will be the first of our weekly chats about all things tech. So don't miss it.

And now for a look at the day's sport. Don Riddell joins me live from London -- Don.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kristie. Thanks very much. It was a very busy day on Tuesday with two more football teams ensuring their passage to next year's European championships in Poland and Ukraine. Holland are as good as there following a 2-nil win against Finland.

The 1998 European champions were in Helsinki trying to make it eight wins in a row in group 3. And they got their noses in front midway through the first half. Holland's promising PSV Eindhoven midfielder Kevin Strootman beating Lukas Hradecky there.

The Fins had a glorious chance to get back on level terms. Kasper Hamalainen chipped Maarten Stekelenburg, but Erik Pieters was there to clear the ball off the line.

The Dutch managed to add insurance to their lead. Luuk de Jong finishing a quick counter attack.

So Holland win yet again. They need just one more point now to be absolutely sure of qualifying for the finals.

16 teams will be in Poland and Ukraine. And we now know the identity of five of them. Each of the hosts will obviously be there plus Germany who booked their tickets on Friday. Italy's winner against Slovenia in Florence saw the Azzurri through while Spain qualified with a 6-nil drubbing of Lichtenstein.

England's game against Wales here in London was marred by the death of a Welsh supporter outside Wembley Stadium. Police have opened a murder inquiry and have made several arrests.

On the pitch it wasn't the most entertaining game, but England got the three points they were hoping for to consolidate their lead in Group G. Stewart Downing made the only goal of the game for Ashley Young 10 minutes before halftime.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter was a face in the crowd for France's group D clash with Romania. Les Bleus are still still on course to qualify for the finals but a goalless draw means theyr'e only a point ahead of Bosnia- Herzegovina. That said, France were perhaps lucky to have escaped with a point. Twice in the first half Romania could have scored. Hugo Lloris did well to make the save there.

The French improved in the second half and had a couple of chances through Johan Cabaye there. And then Franck Ribery. Neither were on target though. And so it ended up as a goalless draw.

Nil-nil the score. There are two games left in Group D.

Organizers of the U.S. Open might have a real job on their hands getting the years final tennis major finished on time. Heavy rain meant that Tuesday schedule was completely washed out. And the New York weather could make things difficult for the rest of the week. There's no roof at Flushing Meadows. And they may be forced to extend the tournament beyond Sunday.

If there isn't much action today, some players could be faced with the prospect of four matches in as many days. Therefore, they will be putting on the matches as and when they can.

Here's the schedule for today, weather permitting, Rafa Nadal's match with unseeded Gilles Muller will be first up on the Arthur Ashe Stadium. That's in about two hour's time. Andy Murray versus Donald Young, and David Ferrer versus Andy Roddick are also scheduled to begin before lunch.

In the women's draw, last year's beaten finalist Vera Zvonereva and Samantha Stosur will follow the Ferrer/Roddick match on the Louis Armstrong Stadium court, while the other ladies quarterfinal will be third in line, coming after the Simon/Isner match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Kristie, we've got our fingers crossed that we can get these matches up and running, otherwise it's going to be a tough run into Sunday.

STOUT: That's right. Finger crossed. Don Riddell, thank you very much indeed.

Now the eyes of the world have long been on Ground Zero watching as a new skyline develop. But few have seen its transformation in as much detail as Marcus Robinson. And we talked to the photographer who has spent the last five years documenting the rebuild. And he plans to be there until it's done.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Now for the past five years, Irish born photographer Marcus Robinson has devoted endless hours to filming the rebuilding at the World Trade Center site. Now each morning he dons a hard hat and he enters Ground Zero with his camera equipment in a tool box.

Now Marcus says he will keep the camera rolling until the building is complete. And he gave us a sneak preview of his documentary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARCUS ROBINSON, PHOTOGRAPHER: On September 11th I was making a film about the demolition of a fire station. And we were preparing to film a very large explosion. And I had a call from my father saying I don't know if you've heard the news, but the World Center has collapsed.

I still -- when I look back, I still think it's beyond belief. It is something that you just can't ever imagine happening. So it was something that transcended almost beyond what you think of as reality.

Having grown up in a construction family in Ireland I think I have a deep affection for working people and particularly the whole construction environment.

My name is Marcus Robinson. And for the last five years I've been filming the rebuilding of the World Trade Center.

I never thought I just wanted to do documentary. I'd always thought of it as being something that would be very artistic, it would be an artistic vision of the transformation of this site bringing together the various things that I love to do which are I love drawing and painting. So since the very start I've been drawing the changing aspects of the landscape and doing paintings on site. And, you know, particular type of time lapse filming using 35 mil. film and focusing on different parts of the site over periods of the day or half the day.

What I would do over and over again would be to get up very early, usually some time between 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning. A lot of the time lapse shots I would be doing would be transitioning hours of night into day. And then I would just allow the day to unfold by just following what seemed like interesting things happening, interesting -- interesting sights, interesting sounds.

And in a way, you never actually know what's going to be happening or what the light is going to be like.

I mean I think I would like it to be one of the most cinematic experiences that people have ever had had. And at the same time, obviously one of its main purposes is to honor the amazing work that the guys here are doing. And, you know, everybody from the architect, (inaudible) in the Port Authority and the thousands and thousands of people who are putting huge amounts of hours and work into this. I am doing this as a celebration of the spirit of working people.

There will definitely be moments when I do slightly think I'm losing my mind, but if you start something and you commit in your heart, you commit to doing something, there's no -- you know, you're not going to stop. There's no real way out. And I will stay until all the buildings are built and the film can have a poetic and beautiful finale.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: And I'll be looking out for that documentary.

Now here at CNN we are just getting some new reports of a plane crash in the Russian city of Yaroslavl. Now Interfacts (ph) says that the small passenger plane, it crashed and burned during take off. Security sources quoted by Interfacts (ph) say 36 of the 37 people onboard were killed.

Now so far little is known other than that. But we are trying to bring you more details as soon as we learn them.

And that is News Stream. But the news continues at CNN. World Business Today is next.

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