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NEWS STREAM

Egyptian Military Barricade Presidential Palace; Battle For Aleppo Leaves Ancient City Scarred; Lionel Messi Goes Down With Knee Injury; Profile of Spanish Roller Hockey Captain Pedro Gil; Rescue Efforts In Southern Philippines Hampered By Mudslides

Aired December 6, 2012 - 08:00   ET

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


KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

Now in Egypt, protesters have been ordered away from the presidential palace, but pressure remains firmly on Mohammed Morsi.

Plus, rescue efforts in the Philippines. Hundreds are missing. Nearly a quarter of a million people are homeless after deadly Typhoon Bopha.

And it could have been a historic night for Lionel Messi, instead he gave his fans quite a scare. We'll tell you about the football star's injury.

Now firs to Egypt where a dozen army tanks and six armored personnel carriers are now deployed outside the presidential palace in Cairo, that after days of largely peaceful protests ended in deadly clashes on Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi threw rocks, fireworks, and Molotov cocktails at each other in front of the palace. At least five people were killed, more than 400 injured.

Mr. Morsi's chief of staff says the president will address the nation later today.

Now Prseident Morsi is Egypt's first freely elected leader. He took office in June following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in February of last year. But when Mr. Morsi recently granted himself sweeping powers, many Egyptians responded with anger saying the revolution may not be over yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IBRAHIM EISSA, TALK SHOW HOST (through translator): Egypt is continuing its revolution and revolting against everything that hung on to her revolution from impurities, problems or obstacles that were put in place by the old regime and all of its allies, supporters and representatives in the current system.

Therefore, today, the people want to topple the regime just as they had wanted a year ago exactly in the same scenes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now a CNN iReporter, a professor in Cairo, echoes that sentiment. And he shot these images during the protest on Wednesday. He says Egyptians are unified and they will not let go until Morsi reverses his decree and a referendum on the draft constitution is canceled.

Now the final draft of the new constitution was approved last week. And a referendum is scheduled for December 15. Reza Sayah is at the presidential palace in Cairo. He joins us now live on the phone. And Reza, after these violent clashes over night, is Cairo bracing, is it facing, more confrontation today?

SAYAH: Well, we're going to find out in the coming hours, but for now we're seeing the first signs of peace and calm outside the presidential palace. Most of the demonstrators, most of the protesters have cleared the area, this after the Republican Guard released a statement calling on the demonstrators to withdraw from this neighborhood.

For much of this morning and last night, the main road right in front of the palace was occupied by supporters of the President, thousands of them. And about an hour-and-a-half ago they started clearing the area. Now what you have is a small group of anti-Morsi demonstrators who have gathered behind these barricades, behind the military tanks. But we're getting word that opposition factions are still sticking with their place to march down here. It looks like they're not going to get through these barriers, but look for at least some crowds that come here to this area in the coming hours.

Also, we're keeping a close eye on the president. He's scheduled to make an address to the nation at some point today. We're not sure what he's going to say, but tremendous pressure on this president to calm things down after an ugly night last night where these two sides, the supporters of the president and his opponent literally brawled it out throughout the night, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, relatively calm in Cairo today. We were looking at some live pictures on our screen just then if we could bring it up. People are out and about gathering. Everyone is awaiting for the Egyptian president to make his address. We still don't know exactly when that's going to happen. Tension is high.

And Reza, the big picture here, I mean it's been almost two years since the fall of Hosni Mubarak and yet Egypt is still mired in chaos and uncertainty. We're looking at scenes very reminiscent of what we witnessed in February of 2011. What's next and what hope is there for a democratic transition in Egypt after the Arab Spring?

SAYAH: Well, I don't think there's any question that this is a fight for Egypt's identity. You have a whole bunch of movements and political groups with different visions and they want their vision to be the future of Egypt. And what they're doing right now is fighting it out. And I think both sides understand that this is a critical moment. Obviously the president knows that he has the power right now. He has the executive power. He's inherited legislative power. He has additional powers with those controversial decrees. And his position is that the best way to move this country forward is to vote on this draft constitution in about 10 days.

But then you have these opposition factions who simply do not trust the president and the Muslim Brotherhood. Yesterday you had the opposition leaders demanding for the president to annul and cancel the constitution and start the whole process over again. At this point, the president has given no indication that he plans to do that. We'll see what solutions he comes up with today, if any - Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Reza Sayah reporting for us live from the Egyptian capital. Thank you, Reza.

Now let's get more now on the crisis in Syria. And Germany says it will send PATRIOT missiles and up to 400 soldiers to Turkey as part of a NATO mission to help Turkey defend itself against any spillover of Syria's civil war.

And it comes after an NBC News Report that the Syrian military is loading chemical weapons components into aerial bombs and awaiting orders from President Bashar al-Assad. Now CNN has not confirmed the NBC report, but earlier this week we reported that Syrian government forces have begun combining chemicals that could be used to make deadly sarin gas for weapons.

Now let's bring in Barbara Starr from Washington. And Barbara, if this is true what does that mean at the Pentagon? How does it change military planning?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, you know they are going to have to - the commanders are going to have to be able to give President Obama options. He might decide to go down the diplomatic route, continue working through the Russians and others to pressure Assad diplomatically.

But he's got to be ready. He is the one that put the so-called red line out there. So if you're going to have military options, what are we talking about? You have to know exactly where those chemical weapons are. Your intelligence has to be up to the minute. You have to know how you're going to get past Syrian air defenses if you send in bomber aircraft or Tomahawk missiles, maybe. You have to know that there's no civilians around - or at least if you're going to minimize civilian casualties. And you have to be able to work with the countries in the region - the Israelis, the Jordanians, the Turks who are on the Syrian border and growing increasingly concerned about this prospect.

It's just becoming more of a potentially serious matter by the day, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, the U.S. has said that the red line is out there. And we don't know how immediate this threat is. But Barbara, what assets does U.S. military have in the region to potentially respond and mobilize to an attack?

STARR: Well, sure.

Now, look, the U.S. Navy, of course, regularly, routinely keeps a number of ships in the Middle East and in the Mediterranean. These are ships that are capable - aircraft carriers that can launch aircraft, ships with Tomahawk missiles which are satellite guided missiles, very heavy missiles that go to very precise locations. They are programmed to hit. There are aircraft in the region that could drop bombs. Any number of things.

But again it really gets back to the point, you have to have your absolute precious intelligence if you want to go down that route. And that means you can bet that U.S. reconnaissance satellites, telephone intercepts, listening in, agents on the ground, every element of intelligence collection is underway so they can figure out what's really going on - Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, the focus right now is on the intelligence. Barbara Starr reporting live from the Pentagon, thank you.

Now all this week we've been bringing you exclusive reports from Aleppo, Syria, where rebels and government forces have been engaged in street battles for months. Now Arwa Damon shows us how the war is stripping away the city's ancient heritage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Aleppo's old city has not seen such devastation since occupied by the Mongol invaders eight centuries ago.

This mosque, for example, dates back to 1315. This is Syria's rich cultural heritage. And now everywhere we look it's bee scarred by war.

Once bustling, winding streets now a maze of ever shifting front lines.

Overhead, the thundering of fighter jets. A small han (ph), lodging for caravans down the ages lies in ruins.

For more than three millenia, Aleppo has been a crossroads for traders. We hurried through the courtyard of a traditional home. Sheets are strung across streets to block snipers' line of sight. Those who dare venture quickly across.

A unit of fighters records people's names and license plates. Only those who have shops here are allowed through.

Abu Bashif (ph) says, "they are trying to clamp down on robberies."

He shows us the list. The highlighted names have cleared out all their possessions.

In one market, a shop recently hit by army fire still smolders. A man who doesn't want to appear on camera rushes to clear his wares.

The stench of filth and cordite has replaced the once intoxicating smells of spices that wafted through these streets.

Down one narrow street, we run into Khalid (ph) carrying an infrared camera, he's about to install.

"There are government snipers, so we've started putting up cameras to observe and target them," he tells us.

A former electrician, Khalid (ph) has so far managed to put up four and string together a jumble of power cables.

As we move toward the front line, he picks up a mortar and points out the rebel's former firing position. Now, they've moved it up a block.

"Step this way, there is a sniper," he warns.

This is the rebel's so-called field operations center: a flat screen TV in a Medieval setting.

The camera that Khalid (ph) wants to set up is going to be in front of the building that we can just see from here. And right in front of it is a makeshift slingshot. And that is how they're firing the mortars. An ancient weapon deployed in a very modern war.

In a narrow alleyway, the Moazen (ph) makes the call to prayer. There is no power to amplify his appeal. And his voice echoes off the walls, punctuated by the ricochet of bullets.

The heart of old Aleppo, now the historic battleground for the very uncertain future of Syria.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Aleppo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Haunting sights and sounds inside Aleppo there.

You're watching News Stream and coming up next, rescue crews in the Philippines are continuing to search for survivors of Typhoon Bopha. We are live with the latest straight ahead.

Four poisoned dogs, a dead neighbor, and a millionaire on the run: but now deportation may be the latest twist in the bizarre saga of software tycoon John McAfee.

And the Twitter-Instagram feud. Why the sites users are likely to be the losers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now you're looking at a visual rundown of all the stories in the show. And we started by bringing you the very latest in Egypt where the army is clearing protesters. And later, we will update you on recovery efforts in the Philippines after deadly Typhoon Bopha. But now to Britain and the Duchess of Cambridge has left a hospital where she was being treated for acute morning sickness.

Now she had been there since Monday when the palace was forced to go public with news that the royal couple was expecting their first child. And Atika Schubert is following the story. She joins me now live from our studios in London. And Atika, perhaps we'll bring up the video again, how did Kate appear when she left the hospital?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, she seemed really relaxed. She looked very good. She was bundled up with the coat and a warm scarf and some yellow flowers over her tummy with Prince William by her side. She looked quite well. And I think that was probably a little relief for a lot of people who were a little concerned that she had spent a few days in the hospital since they announced her pregnancy.

They have canceled a lot of her events that she was scheduled to go to for the next week or so. And that's in order to give her the kind of extended rest that doctors say will be necessary.

It's likely that because she had this acute morning sickness, she was - some of the symptoms are feeling dizzy, tired, and because you can't keep any food down, sometimes they put you on an IV drip just to make sure you're not getting any dehydration and making sure you're getting, you know, all the nutrients you need, essentially.

So she looked fine. She looked great. She smiled and waved at photographers. And so certainly it bodes well for the rest of her pregnancy.

LU STOUT: OK. She did, though, spend some four days in a hospital. She was ill, as you said, with this acute morning sickness.

About this condition in general, Atika, for anyone who suffers from it, will it general improve in the weeks to come or could it last during the entire pregnancy?

SHUBERT: It could last longer. In most cases it does go away after about 14 weeks into the pregnancy or so. But it really depends on the individual. And doctors have said it's a very rare condition. And it's only in extreme cases where somebody might have to be in the hospital for extended periods of time. And really the concern is that because of that extreme nausea, mothers might not be able to keep food down. And that's the concern for doctors.

In this case, it does seem, however, that Kate is certainly well enough to be - to leave the hospital. So it doesn't seem to be a problem. But it is something they are going to monitor. And you better believe that there are going to be doctors very closely monitoring her pregnancy.

LU STOUT: You know, and yesterday it was revealed that these two radio DJs from Australia had tricked hospital staff into revealing some key details about Kate's condition. How has that affected the royal couple?

SHUBERT: Yeah. That has not gone over well. I mean, as far as the royal family is concerned this is another attempt to really invade their privacy. These radio DJs basically called up as prank callers and were able to talk directly to the Duchess of Cambridge's private nurse and get some of those, you know, private medical details. And this is something that as far as the hospital and the royal family is concerned was a breach of their privacy.

So it has affected the royal couple. Fortunately, a lot of those details did not go out to the wider public. But still, there's a lot of concern, especially since we've got, you know, nine more months of this pregnancy. Are we going to see more attempts on their privacy like this. And it is something that the royal family really wants to draw a line at and say, you know, this is private time for the royal couple. They don't want to have any more of these incidents.

LU STOUT: Yeah, it is an incredible challenge for them. Their every movement is being monitored by the world. Atika Shubert reporting for us live from CNN London. Thank you.

Now, the social media sphere has been blowing up with the biggest sports story of the day. Lionel Messi, once on top of the world, suddenly found himself in a world of hurt on Wednesday. We've got the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Live from Hong Kong, you are back watching News Stream.

Now Barcelona fans, they were hoping to celebrate another Lionel Messi milestone, but the crowd went silent last night when their idol went down with an injury. Amanda Davies joins us now with the details. And Amanda, this is a big scare for the fans.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It is, Kristie, yeah. We were hoping that we would be celebrating a new all-time record for most goals scored in a calendar year. That was Gurd Muller's record, 85 goals. Everybody expected Messi to break it last night. And then he was would stretch it off.

But there is some good news this morning for Barca fans who were worried, the coach, Tito Villanova has said he's not too concerned about Messi's injury and insists he did make the right decision bringing on the three-time world player of the year as a substitute.

Fans, of course, had turned up for their Champion's League encounter against Benfica hoping to see Messi break Gurd Muller's record. But they were very much left holding their breath when the Argentine was stretchered off clutching his knee. It's thought now, though, to be a bruised bone and nothing more serious than that.

Well, it ended as a goalless draw at the Camp Nou. So that result combined with Celtic's 2-1 win over Spartak Moscow means the Scots progress to the quarterfinals with Barca, something the Hoops manager Neil Lennon describes as a miracle.

Well, Villanova has been criticized for playing Messi in a game that Barcelona didn't actually need to win, because they'd already qualified for the knockout stages. And Don Riddell got the thoughts of the Bleacher Report's world football editor Will Tidey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL TIDEY, WORLD FOOTBALL EDITOR, BLEACHER REPORT: Well, I think people will argue did they need him today? I mean, did you need to risk him in a game - you know, Barcelona were assured at that spot in that Champion's League group. But of course a player like Messi, he thrives on the fact that he plays so many games and you know the sharper he gets, the more he wants to play. And obviously he's been on this goal spree because he's been playing so regularly.

I think they'll be very, very cautious, because with the last 16 in the Champion's - you've got a bit of a gap in the league, so they can afford to not take their foot off the gas, but they've got enough talent at Barcelona they can win games without Messi for the time being.

I think we'll see them act very cautiously with bringing him back.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: And it was quite a surprise to see him leaving on a stretcher, because this is a player that hardly ever seems to get injured, does he?

TIDEY: Yeah, it's funny. With great players like Messi, it reminds me sort of going back to a player like George Best (ph). I mean, it's about the balance and - but Messi is such an athlete and he avoids contact so well. You know people try and tackle him hard. They try and harm him, but his balance is so good, he's so quick, so fleet footed that he doesn't often get injured. And it's remarkable, really, that it's rare for him to get an injury. He's such a player who carries the ball so often.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Well, from the Champion's League Chelsea boss Rafa Banitez says his side now do have their sites set on winning the Europa League after failing to make it out of the group stage, that's despite a 6-1 win over Nordsjaelland on Wednesday.

Chelsea knew they were very much relying on a favor from Shakhtar Donetsk to avoid the embarrassment of becoming the first defending champions not to make it through. But they will have been cheered by their first win in seven. And two goals from the under pressure Fernando Torres to see the end of his scoring drought.

In the end, though, the Blues needed Donetsk to beat Juventus. That didn't happen. So despite Chelsea's win, they don't go through. Juve went through top and the Ukrainian side through in second place on a better head-to-head record.

Well, away from football, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday in the NBA by 16 points, but that isn't the biggest talking point when all is said and done, that honor goes to Kobe Bryant. He made history. With a minute and 16 seconds to play in the second quarter with his running jumper in the lane, Bryant reached 30,000 career points, becoming only the fifth player in NBA history to reach the milestone. And at 34 years old age, the youngest.

Bryant said of his achievement there's been a lot of sacrifice on my part and my family's part. A lot of time away and just working extremely hard.

So, Kristie, not the record that we were expecting to be celebrating on Thursday, but at least we have broken one sporting record for you.

LU STOUT: That's right. Go Kobe. The youngest to score 30,000. Quite a feat. Amanda Davies there. Thank you.

Now we know that Brazil is set to host the first South American Olympics in year 2016. But on Wednesday, the country said good bye to a visionary who had shaped its future. The architect Oscar Niemeyer. Now he was the man who built the daringly futuristic capital city of Brasilia. Now Niemeyer said that he was inspired by curves, the curves of ocean waves, mountains and women's bodies. Now his inspiration lead to Brasilia's famous crown shaped cathedral.

Now Niemeyer is perhaps better known for creating the national congress building in Brasilia. Now it's unique design, it resembles two bowls, one facing up, the other facing down.

Now Niemeyer was inspired by the concept of renewal. He once said in an interview, quote, "a work of art should cause the emotion of newness."

Niemeyer was 104 years old.

Now a huge Typhoon has ravaged the Philippines. Their, the roads are flooded, communities are cut off leaving rescuers struggling to save lives.

And in Tibet, protesters are increasingly harming themselves to fight what they say is rising Chinese repression. When we come back, we'll look at the rising number of self immolations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

In Egypt, tanks and armored vehicles are now guarding the presidential palace in Cairo. The state news agency says that they are there to secure the building. Now late on Wednesday at least five people were killed and hundreds injured when fighting between rival protesters. President Morsi is set to address the nation today.

The United Nations envoy to Syria is meeting the U.S. secretary of state and Russia's foreign minister today to discuss the increasingly tense situation in Syria. Now the concern is growing in the U.S. that the Syrian military is preparing the ingredients for chemical weapons. This video purports to show missiles that have been modified to carry a chemical load. Now CNN cannot confirm its authenticity.

Four bodies have been recovered from the North Sea after a ship carrying cars collided with a container vessel off the Dutch coast. Six people are still missing. And a search was resumed at dawn, although the Dutch coast guard says there's almost no chance of finding anyone alive. Now 13 people have been rescued so far.

In Britain, the Duchess of Cambridge has left the hospital where she was being treated for acute morning sickness. Now Katherine's husband, Prince William, escorted her to a car. Now the royal family announced on Monday that the couple are expecting their first child.

And more than 90 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 to protect Chinese rule. Now Chinese state media report Beijing will charge anyone caught aiding or inciting Tibetan self immolation with murder. This is the latest official response to this escalating crisis.

And according to human rights groups, 28 people died from self immolation in November alone. Steven Jiang has more on this disturbing trend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVEN JIANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a tale of two Tibets as China ushers in new leadership. Online, reports of Tibetans setting themselves on fire to protest what they call religious and cultural repression by the Chinese government. And horrifying videos like these, smuggled out by pro-Tibetan and human rights groups, though the videos cannot be independently verified.

On state television, a scene of ethnic unity and harmony with Tibetans thanking the ruling Communist Party for policies they say have improved their daily lives.

Differing views, but one thing is certain human rights groups say despite tightened security in Tibetan areas within China, the disturbing trend of self immolations shows now sign of abating.

They estimate that since last year, more than 90 people have set themselves ablaze. That includes more than two dozens since the beginning of November just before the Communist Party opened its national congress in Beijing for a power transition.

As the list of mostly young victims grows longer, activists say it reflects a painful and desperate state of mind for many Tibetans living in what they describe as an increasingly repressive environment. And they warn if the Chinese government continues to tighten its grip on the Tibetan people in the name of stability, it's only going to create more resentment and backlash.

Chinese authorities insist self-immolations are isolated incidents. They say most Tibetans do not sympathize with or support such actions. One senior official from Sichuan, a province with a large Tibetan population that's seen the most self immolation cases so far, says he knows exactly who is to blame.

LI CHANGPING, SENIOR SICHUAN PROVINCE OFFICIAL (through translator): They plot, incite, and instigate. The root cause for such acts is the Dalai Lama clique. His loyalists have called those who committed self- immolation national heroes, or freedom fighters.

JIANG: The Dalai Lama has long denied China's assertion that he's seeking Tibetan independence. He says he wants only genuine autonomy. He's also repeatedly called on Chinese authorities to investigate and address the causes for the recent spate of self-immolations. The exile of Tibetan's spiritual leader has (inaudible) China's late (inaudible) leader when expressing his wishes that Beijing reassess its Tibet policy.

TENSIN GYATSO, DALAI LAMA: Their leaders should follow (inaudible) advice seeking truth from fact. That's very, very important.

JIANG: With the rise in Tibetan self-immolations, a long running dispute is now back in the spotlight for China's new Communist Leaders.

Steven Jiang, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And turning now to the southern Philippines. Washed out roads and fallen power line are making it extremely difficult for rescue crews. They're trying to reach communities devastated by Typhoon Bopha. Aid workers say that the need for food, water, and shelter is becoming desperate. And the death toll just keeps rising.

Right now, at least 327 people are dead, hundreds are still missing.

Now CNN's Liz Neisloss is in the south of the country not far from where the storm first made landfall as she joins us now live from Davao City. And Liz, as just mentioned, hundreds are still missing. It's now nightfall. What is the latest?

LIZ NEISLOSS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're right, Kristie. And nightfall will make rescue search efforts that much more difficult. These are vast, sometimes isolated areas. And what officials say, tell us that mud has blocked many roads. They believe there are many more bodies yet to be found that were buried from flash flooding, under landslides.

There is approximately a quarter of a million people, Kristie, that have found shelters in evacuation centers. Now many of these evacuation centers are simply community gyms. People are crowded with little fresh water. There is some food. They will certainly need more food and clean water. And there certainly is no power in the area.

We were in Kompeshtela Valley (ph), one of the hardest hit areas. We saw power lines toppled over, trees ripped up from their roots and houses simply flattened. People just waiting for aid.

So this destruction is enormous. And there are complicating factors including many, many sharp shards of corrugated roof which have been thrown around and people are working their way among all this debris.

Food aid is in short supply. We saw it in a provincial authority area. And it was being readied to be distributed. And even officials are calling this just preliminary aid, telling us that in addition they will need medical aid and people who can counsel those traumatized - Kristie.

LU STOUT: A quarter of a million people in shelters and some incredible visuals just then of the widespread damage to property, villages just completely flattened. You mentioned the aid that they still need. Does the Philippines have enough aid to help itself, or does it need international assistance?

NEISLOSS: It - there are calls for additional assistance. I think the extent of the damage is not yet clear. In the coming hours, President Aquino of the Philippines will tour the damage. And as the days go by I think the tally and the need will rise, the need for money, the need for aid. So that will just continue to grow in the coming days, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now stunning scenes of this storm's aftermath. Liz Neisloss reporting live from Davao City. Thank you.

Now scores of people missing, rescue efforts still underway. What kind of conditions are they up against? Let's get the latest now with Mari Ramos. She joins us from the World Weather Center - Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, so much going on for the people in the Philippines. You know, right now the weather - of course the typhoon has moved on. It has weakened, but they're getting some scattered rain showers on and off. And it's very warm and it's humid. Look, there's a thunderstorm right now moving just north of Davao here.

And that's important, because you know any amount of rain that falls could really hamper the rescue effort. It's hot. It's humid. And something definitely we've got to keep monitoring.

Bopha is now a tropical storm. And winds 111 kilometers per hour. It's way out here out to sea. But some of that moisture trailing back up northward into Luzon, also into Palawan getting some scattered rain showers.

What's going to happen with Bopha? It's really important because everybody is monitoring, especially here in the South China Sea, even back in the Philippines they're still looking at this saying, well, what's going to happen with the storm, because some of the computer models kind of have it looping around here over the next few days. And that's important too.

The forecast track still remains somewhat uncertain. We have a cold front that's coming down, diving down here from Chian. And that's kind of slowed it down. It's not letting it move northward anymore. So that's why it's been staying over the same general area. As that happens, some of that moisture will continue to trail over Luzon as I was telling you, and still over Palawan. And the storm will kind of sit here for the next couple of days so that future track is still, you know, uncertain to say the very least.

So we need to monitor it closely. It's still fairly close to land. And we're not expecting it to come back over the Philippines even though some computer models are showing that sometimes. But I think we should just watch it over the next couple of days and see what exactly is going to happen. But for now, an uncertain track, an uncertain future for those areas.

Next hour on World Business Today I'm going to talk a little bit more about the Philippines and talk about some of the damages to the crop. It's a mining area. It's an agriculture area that was hard hit. And that could hurt them long-term. We'll talk about that later.

So there's the storm, there's the front that I was telling you about that's beginning to move on. Very cold conditions behind that cold front, especially for you in Beijing. At minus 9, the coldest temperature so far this year. Minus 6 right now in Seoul.

Meanwhile in the southern hemisphere of course it is summer. And we had a tornado yesterday right here across the North Island of New Zealand not too far from Aukland. Let's go ahead and roll the pictures, because they are pretty impressive.

Look at that, a lot of damage. And all of the tale-tell signs that you would see with a tornado. At least three people were killed. The storm caught many people by surprise. And you can see that the trees just snapped in half in many cases. There were about a dozen people that were taken to the hospital because of this storm.

Now we're expecting the weather to improving as we head across New Zealand over the next day or so, but you can see the widespread damage, some roofs of homes completely torn away. This is another reminder that tornadoes really can and do happen anywhere around the world.

Come back over to the weather map. We return to the winter weather. This is a picture from Stockholm in Sweden. You know what, you're not going to be alone with this mess with the travel, expect significant travel delays, improving in Sweden, but spreading across much of western Europe.

I'm going to go ahead and start with the temperatures. It's very cold. A lot of moisture in place here still. And with all of this happening we're going to see unfortunately more snow to come not just across the UK, but across many parts of Western Europe. This is going to be an ongoing problem over the next few days. And I'm particularly concerned about northwestern Europe. For you guys in France, the low countries for Germany, big travel delays expected through here. It's going to be a big snowstorm, certainly the biggest one we've had so far this season.

Let's go ahead and take a break right here on News Stream. More news in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Well, it's got six skates and a lot of attitude. And while roller hockey may not have a high profile in the sporting world, the game requires a lot of skill. Now in this week's human to hero, we meet Spanish team captain Pedro Gil who has more medals and trophies than he can shake a hockey stick at.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PEDRO GIL, ROLLER HOCKEY CAPTAIN: My name is Pedro Gil. I play roller hockey and I'm a forward. I've scored lots of goals, and I've never kept count, but I hope to score more.

I'm the captain of the Spanish team. I've won five world cups, seven European championships, and three cup of nations with Spain.

Roller hockey is a sport which you play with skates and a stick so it's a sport which is difficult because you have to master two skills, the stick in your hand, and roller skating.

It's a fast sport. Last year there was a study, which said that a shot with a stick in roller hockey, is around 120 kilometers per hour. People hit the ball hard in this sport.

I've been the captain of the Spanish national side for the last four years. I've played for Spain since 2000, for 13 consecutive years. To wear your national team shirt is an indescribable, special moment. I feel a huge responsibility. When you're captain, you have ot show why you're captain. You have to set an example to your teammates.

We all have weak points. And training on those each day improves you as an all-around player. In this respect I think that my dedication from day to day, trying to improve my technique, training, means that from year to year I am among the best players in the world.

It appealed to me to win things in other countries. I have to win, win titles. I will never get tired of winning.

I've played in Spain, Portugal and now Italy.

(inaudible) two hours a day everyday and one hour of stretching and fitness. My favorite way to relax is to spend time at home with my family.

There are few vices you can afford to have as a sportsman. So the only one left is tattoos, which I indulge in. It's an art for me. I have 40 odd tattoos, I've lost count of how many exactly.

I have this, the number nine, which is related to my roller hockey career. I've always worn the number nine shirt and it means a lot to me in my life and my sport. It's my lucky number.

There was no one in my family who played roller hockey. I was the first, and then my brother, and now my son also plays. But I was the first in the family, with my school friends, at four years of age.

We used to live opposite the roller hockey rink in my village. I live for this sport. It's a low profile sport, it's small, but for me it's the greatest thing of all. For me, there's nothing better than being where I am now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And coming up next, Washington State goes green, and we're not talking about recycling here. We've got that story just ahead.

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LU STOUT: A new twist in the bizarre international saga involving John McAfee. The internet pioneer has been detained in Guatemala just after he crossed into the country to seek political asylum. His lawyer says that McAfee faces police persecution if he returns to Belize where authorities want to question him about his neighbors murder.

Now here is CNN's Martin Savage.

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MARTIN SAVAGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's ironic that he goes to Guatemala to avoid being arrested by authorities and yet when he ends up in Guatemala what happens less than 24 hours later is he's arrested. Now, as you point out, he's being arrested apparently in connection to the fact he entered the country illegally. In other words, he didn't come across the traditional border.

Is this a serious offense, is it a formality, is it part of this attempt on his part to seek out asylum, we don't know. But certainly many people are wondering tonight what is the next step in this whole, incredible saga.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now the Guatemalan government says McAfee could be sent back to neighboring Belize where he had been hiding for weeks.

Now for many of us, Instagram is all about making our pictures prettier, but there's nothing pretty about its growing feud with Twitter. On Wednesday, Instagram pulled its photo integration function from the microblogging forum. Now boss Kevin Systrom explained while Twitter had been a good means of sharing content previously, quote, "we've since launched several improvements to our website to allow users to directly engage with Instagram through likes, comments, hashtags. And now we believe the best experience is for us to link back to where the content lives."

Now let's not forget Instagram is now owned by Facebook and was once eyed by Twitter. Now you might say it's all getting pretty anti-social.

Now would be entertainers frequently turn to YouTube to promote their unique talents, but such self-promotion can sometimes get you into trouble. Jeanne Moos reports on a young woman whose posturing on YouTube could earn her a place in prison.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Note to accused bank robbers. Doesn't help your case to post yourself on YouTube waving around cash and holding a sign saying, "I robbed a bank" while the band Green Day blares appropriate lyrics.

And you might want to reconsider titling your video "Chick Bank Robber."

Nineteen-year-old Hannah Sabata was arrested one day after the Cornerstone Bank in Waco, Nebraska was robbed. According to Sheriff Dale Radcliffe, who had to keep a grip on her as Sabata jerked away...

SHERIFF DALE RADCLIFFE, WACO, NEBRASKA: No gun was ever shown inside the bank. She just said that she had a gun with her. The note said she had a gun.

MOOS: The suspect seems to like writing notes. Like the one that said, "Then I stole a car." And indeed, a stolen car was used in the bank heist.

(on camera) We're not exactly sure why, but all of the signs in the video are backwards. Not to worry, she helpfully supplied subtitles.

(voice-over) So why you need a mirror to read "Then I robbed a bank," there is the subtitle in case you don't happen to have a mirror handy.

And she wrote not only that she stole a Pontiac, but that it was a shiny one.

She dangled the keys as Green Day played on.

(GREEN DAY: "Down with the moral majority")

MOOS: She displayed the green, even supplying an exact count, $6,256, money the sheriff says was recovered from her home, along with the sunglasses and backpack police say she wore on the bank's surveillance photo.

Her defense attorney wouldn't comment. Sabata wrote, "I told my mom today was the best day of my life. She just thinks I met a new boy." Instead, she met these boys.

HANNAH SABATA, ARRESTED FOR BANK ROBBERY: They didn't read me my Miranda rights.

MOOS: What led to Sabata's arrest wasn't the YouTube video but rather tips from people like her ex-husband, who recognized her in the bank photo.

In her video, Sabata brandishes a pipe she says is full of weed and complains that "the government stole my baby," and she makes a cradling gesture. Records confirm she did lose custody of a child.

The sheriff says she wore the same outfit in the bank, at her arrest, and in her YouTube video, and YouTube is now evidence that could send her down the tubes.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: OK. And this just into CNN, British media reports say that Max Clifford has been arrested. Now he is the well known publicist. And British media say that Clifford is being held in what's known as Operation: Yewtree is what netted him. And this probe, it was sparked by the Jimmy Saville sex abuse scandal that has rocked the BBC.

Now we will continue to get more information on this. It's a developing story. We'll bring you the latest as we get it.

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

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