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Protests Grow In Turkey; Victims' Family Demand Answers From Poultry Plant Explosion In China; Massive Floods Engulf Central Europe; Jose Mourinho Returns to Chelsea

Aired June 4, 2013 - 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: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

A second person has been killed during more protests in Turkey.

Remembering Tiananmen Square 24 years after the anti-government crackdown in Beijing.

And massive flood affects parts of central Europe.

Turkish workers are joining anti-government protests in Turkey. An alliance of workers' unions has called a two-day strike against what it calls the, quote, "fascism" of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party.

Now meanwhile, Turkey's semi-official Anadolu news agency says a second man has been killed during the violent demonstrations. It reports that the 22 year old was killed with a firearm in Hatay in southern Turkey late on Monday night. And the Turkish Medical Association says another man died earlier on Monday from injuries he received during a protest in Instanbul.

Now the group also reports that more than 3,000 people had been injured in clashes between protesters and police.

And this just in to CNN from the Anadolu news agency. Now Turkey's deputy prime minister is now apologizing for what he calls police aggression against, quote, citizens who were involved in the initial protest and acted with environmental concern.

Now Istanbul's Taksim Square has been a flashpoint for these demonstrations. And your senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is at our bureau overlooking the area. He joins us now live.

And Ben, first describe the scene at the square today.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Kristie, we have members of that 240,000 member trade union confederation who have just entered this square. And of course their participation in these protests represents the first real organized group to join the protests. Until now, it's been a largely ad hoc group of individuals representing a variety of parties and just people here coming to express their dissatisfaction with the policies of prime minister Erdogan.

Now as you mentioned just a little while ago, there was a lengthy live statement from Bulent Arinc, who is the deputy prime minister in which he did express a certain amount of understanding for the anger of many Turks over the violence used by the police in the initial days of these protests. It does not appear, however, that that has gone any way to blunt the anger in the square here behind me, Taksim Square, or the many other towns and cities in Turkey where these clashes, these demonstrations have taken place.

It's widely expected that once the day wears on, by the evening there may be clashes once again here in Istanbul. There were clashes just before sunrise.

But at the moment, I'm hearing speeches in he background, but apparently no attempt by the security forces to regain control of this central square in Istanbul -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now the anger is still there. You are anticipating more clashes today. And Ben, as you report on another anti-government protest in a major city square, are there comparisons, are there shades of another Arab Spring type situation here?

WEDEMAN: Well, I wouldn't jump to conclusions there. There are similarities. Certainly when you walk into Taksim Square, it looks a lot like Tahrir did during the 18 day uprising that led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. There are people who have set up basically food stands, cafeterias, clinics. There are sort of teaching groups -- apparently there's a yoga group in the square.

But you don't have the essential political dynamic that existed in Egypt. President -- Prime Minister Erdogan, after all, has been elected three times democratically to his position as opposed to President Hosni Mubarak who had his six year term renewed in sham elections. Nobody is denying that the prime minister here did win fairly in these elections.

In June 2011, he won 49.95 percent of the vote and therefore he is well aware that -- whereas you do see many people in the streets of Turkish towns and cities that there's still a large number of Turks who support his policies, policies that have resulted in an amazing economic boom here in Turkey.

It's worth noting that in the last 11 years since Erdogan became prime minister, the per capita income has almost tripled. Exports have increased by ten-fold.

So there are many Turks who look at those positive aspects of Erdogan's rule and do not support these clashes, these demonstrations around the country -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Good to know. Thank you for giving us a complete picture of popular opinion on the ground in Istanbul.

Ben Wedeman joining us live, thank you.

Now the unrest began as a sit-in against plans to turn a park into a development that includes a shopping mall, but it's morphed into violent complaints against this man, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government.

Now Ivan Watson profiles the prime minister and his politics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He's perhaps the most powerful and popular politician Turkey has seen in generations. But prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may also be the most polarizing.

Among his accomplishments in office, overseeing a decade of unprecedented economic growth in Turkey. His political reforms have brought Turkey more in line with the European Union.

Erdogan is an important ally of the United States and President Obama and a key political player in efforts to resolve the continuing crisis in Syria.

But now he faces the biggest protest movement at home since he was elected more than 10 years ago.

Critics say this is the result of Erdogan's steady accumulation of political power and his intolerance of dissent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only thing that we want to be is that we don't want ATP (ph), we don't want Tayyip Erdogan, and we want him resigned.

WATSON: Under Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party, Turkey lifted curbs on public expression of religion, including one strict limits on women wearing Islamic style head scarves. Erdogan reduced the political influence of Turkey's military, self-appointed guardians of the country's secularism. And he's made significant progress in ending the 30 year guerrilla war with Kurdish separatists.

While Erdogan has strong support from Turkey's culturally conservative voters, he has a growing number of opponents, including many journalists who say press freedoms in Turkey have declined under Erdogan's rule.

His critics call him authoritarian, some even say he's becoming more like a dictator.

The prime minister rejects all talk of a Turkish spring.

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRIME MINISTER OF TURKEY (through translator): They say Tayyip Erdogan is a dictator. I have nothing to say if they call the person who has committed himself to serving his nation a dictator.

WATSON: With his term set to end next year, Erdogan has repeatedly announced plans to transform the country's political system from a prime ministerial form of government to a more powerful presidential system with himself as the head of state.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now this Reuters photograph has become an iconic image from the last week of unrest in Turkey, shared widely on social media.

Now the Turkish prime minister has blamed the protests on extremists, a description belied by this image of a woman simply carrying a shopping bag.

Many protesters, it epitomizes what they say has been the disproportionate use of force by police. And for some Turkish women, it's become a symbol of what they see as they the erosion of their rights.

Mr. Erdogan has publicly called on women to have large families, has promoted the right to wear an Islamic head scarf.

And you can read more about how women's rights groups feel about the prime minister's policies in this opinion piece on our website. And in it, Lesley Abdela from the equality rights group Shevolution Consultancy, writes about the divisions arising from secular and Islamist views on women's place in Turkish society. Click on to CNN.com/opinion and you'll find it there.

Now, to South Africa where the murder case against Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been postponed until August 19th.

Now this was the scene as Pistorius arrived at the courthouse earlier today. It was his first public appearance since he was granted bail back in February.

Now Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder for the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp who was shot dead at Pistorius's home on Valentine's Day.

Now Robyn Curnow joins us live from outside the courthouse in Pretoria. And Robyn, the last time Pistorius appeared in court, he was very emotional. How did he appear in court today?

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. Well, he was indeed far more composed, some of those emotional scenes we saw back during that bail hearing. That said, he was quite emotionless. And he stared sort of blankly ahead during the proceedings, very short proceedings for the postponement.

What I think is key is that the postponement was asked for by the state, agreed to by the prosecutors, because the state say they're just not ready, they need more time for investigation.

Now I have with me CNN's legal analyst, she's also a lecturer of law at the University of Cape Town, Kelly Phelps.

What does this mean? What does this indicate, this postponement, this delay?

KELLY PHELPS. CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it indicates one of two things. Either the prosecution is losing confidence in the basis of its case and it needs more time to strengthen the evidence that they've gathered. Or it also could indicate the strategic misstep at the point of bail that they came out of the gates arguing very strong for planned and premeditated murder essentially to flesh out Oscar's version of events and then used the defense version of events in order to build their case.

I call this a strategic misstep, because in a sense they then set themselves up to look somewhat incompetent, because when the voracity of their case was tested at the bail proceedings, they ended up not having sufficient evidence to support many of the claims that they've made.

CURNOW: OK, and one other complication that came out today which has happened in the last few days is that there were images from the crime scene, it appears, perhaps even evidence, leaks to the media.

Now many people here issued concerns about that, but the magistrate specifically issuing quite a strange and unique warning in court today about this.

PHELPS: Yes, I mean, the (inaudible) serious implications for the course of the trial. If the magistrate chose to bring a contempt of court proceeding against any of the parties involved or any members of the media, then that would probably quite significantly delay the trial.

Having said that, the legal standard that needs to be met in order to prove a case of contempt of court is very high indeed. And therefore, at this stage in terms of what's been leaked, is unlikely that that is what will transpire. But it's certainly the magistrate putting all parties involved on a stark warning that they need to tow the line because he will take it to that extent if need be.

CURNOW: OK, great, thanks so much. Kelly Phelps there, CNN's legal analyst and a law lecturer at the University of Cape Town.

So the next time we see Oscar Pistorius will be here on the 19th of August. We're expected on that day for a trial date to be set, for the charges to be laid out, at least one more step forward in this process.

Kelly telling me a little bit earlier that previous cases such as this can take from beginning to end essentially three years. So a long road ahead not just for the Pistorius family, but also for Reeva Steenkamp's family.

Back to you.

LU STOUT: Yeah, a very long road ahead, also for the people of South Africa. And what has been the reaction there as the murder trial and the case against Oscar Pistorius is postponed, as it drags on? Is it testing the patience of some South Africans?

CURNOW: You know, this is a case that has polarized South Africans. Before February 14, Oscar Pistorius was a hero, a superman -- you know South Africans defined themselves by him. He was probably after Mandela, some people say, the most famous South African. And the spectacular fall from grace really issued quite a vehement response from a lot of the South African public who felt like he had betrayed them. They immediately assumed he was guilty or not guilty. There have been heated discussions within families and bars and restaurants. I mean, this is still a very big talking point in this country.

And I think many people have taken very serious positions over what they think has happened.

But as many people say, the legal experts say listen we know nothing. We cannot make any judgments on this. All we know is that Reeva Steenkamp is dead and that she was shot through a bathroom door. Why it happened, what happened, and the details of that, you know, are going to come out in court, as simple as that.

LU STOUT: All right, Robyn Curnow joining us live from Pretoria, thank you.

Now you're watching News Stream, and still to come, on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, netizens in China get creative with their use of Chinese characters to get around the online censors. We'll show you how.

And the last Boston bombing victim leaves the hospital giving thanks to a mystery woman who helped save her life. Her story of survival is straight ahead.

And a deadly deluge submerges parts of central Europe. We'll go live to Germany. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: You're looking at live pictures of Victoria Harbor here in Hong Kong. And in Victoria Park, that is where an annual vigil during this lightning storm is held to remember the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square. Organizers say that they expect more than 100,000 people to attend.

Of course, there will be no such memorials in Mainland China for the pro-democracy protests. The government blocks all references to the crackdown. But Netizens manage to find ways around the online censors.

Now here is one creative use of Chinese characters. Now the one at the end means Man. And this one, it means Occupy, but it resembles the shape of a tank. So this is used to refer to the tank man. Now he was captured in this iconic image standing up to the Chinese military.

Now netizens have recreated this picture with several mediums from Legos to even the big duck currently here in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor.

And the Wall Stree Journal says that has led censors to block the search term "big yellow duck."

Now the date June 4, it's also a banned term online, but a little math gets around that problem. Some people are using the Roman numerals for six and four. Six-four is, of course, an abbreviation for June 4. Others are using eight squared.

Now Professor Yuen-Ying Chan at the University of Hong Kong says the internet serves as a virtual Tinananmen Square. She says it's a place where people can protest despite the government's attempt to stop them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PROF. YUEN-YING CHAN, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: People use code words, use symbols and all -- and also post information very, very quickly to beat the censorship. And also mobile phone is a big advantage on the side of the people. China's more than 1 billion mobile phone subscribers, more than 20 percent have subscription to 3G.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Hong Kong U's Yuen Chan there.

Now critics have repeatedly called on China to address the Tiananmen massacre and human rights in general. And the country's use of so-called reeducation camps has come under fire. Now state security can detain citizens for up to four years without trial.

David McKenzie meets one woman who experienced it first-hand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In Beijing's back alleys, we meet Liu Xiuzhi. Her hand-made purses tell a tragic story.

It began after a legal dispute with a powerful neighbor, she says. He had her beaten unconscious. She says the police wouldn't help.

So following Chinese tradition, she petitioned the state for justice. Security agents caught her with messages like power and money rule China.

LIU XIUZHI, CHINESE PETITIONER (through translator): I was trying to petition, but they beat me. I have no power. I have no power.

MCKENZIE: She crossed an invisible line.

XIUZHI: I have suffered through pain that ordinary people won't be able to even imagine.

MCKENZIE (on camera): Liu says she was held in a detention center for nearly 10 days and then brought to this part of Bejing. And she was put in a dreaded reeducation through labor prison camp.

(voice-over): Without a single day in court, put here in Xian Prison.

Despite repeated requests, officials wouldn't comment on her case.

But facilities like this exist across China where minor offenders like prostitutes and petty thieves are put to work. But they also house a very different class of prisoner.

Human rights groups say that the prisons are often used for petitioners, activists and journalists as a vast extrajudicial network.

ROSEANN RIFE, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: It deprives them of their liberty without access to a court. There's no independent judicial review. They are arbitrarily often placed there solely at the discretion of the police, nobody else gets to comment on it and they can't seek any sort of review of that punishment as well.

MCKENZIE: It's a way to silence people.

RIFE: It's a way to silence people. It's a way to silence dissent and keep those quite who offend government.

MCKENZIE: The Chinese government claims it will be reformed this year. But Liu doesn't believe it. She was released last year from Xian Prison. They charged her with hooliganism, prostitution, theft and fraud.

In prison, she'd refused to admit any wrongdoing, so they threw her into a dark cell alone.

Prison broke her, but she says she will never be silenced.

David McKenzie, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And if you still haven't seen our age of China's special then tune in four hours from now. That's 8:30 pm in Abu Dhabi, 5:30 in London. You can also watch our reports online. It's part of our in depth coverage at CNN.com/China.

You're watching News Stream, and up next a survivors story, the last of the Boston bombing victims to be released from the hospital remembers the attack and those who helped save her life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. You're watching News Stream. And let's show you a visual version of all the stories in the round-up today.

Now earlier, we were live in South Africa for a court appearance by Oscar Pistorius. And later, we'll take you to Germany where massive flooding is hitting parts of the country, but now to the U.S. And after 50 days in the hospital, a school teacher from Maryland is finally home.

Now Erica Brannock was among the more than 250 people injured in the Boston bombing attacks in mid-April. And on Monday, she was the last of those victims to leave the hospital.

Now Randi Kaye gained exclusive access to her as she prepared to go home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIKA BRANNOCK, BOSTON MARATHON SURVIVOR: Every once in a while I paint my nails.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's almost time for Erika Brannock to leave the hospital, so she's getting one last pedicure from her nurses. Above her bed, a dragonfly hangs.

BRANNOCK: It had the saying on it that it was a symbol of strength and courage and getting through hard times. So it's kind of been like my mascot.

KAYE: Hard times is an understatement. On marathon day, Erika, her sister and brother-in-law had gone to see her mother run. They were standing near the finish line when the bomb went off.

BRANNOCK: And I fell backwards. I could hear the sirens, and I could hear people crying and screaming.

KAYE: Erika was also screaming, for help. The lower part of her left leg had been blown off, and her right leg was broken.

BRANNOCK: I had a conversation in my head with God and told him I wasn't ready to go. And it was almost instantaneously she heard my thoughts, this woman kind of crawled over to me. And she grabbed my hand, and she could hear -- she had heard me screaming for help, and she said, "My name is Joan. I'm from California, and I'm not going to let you go." And she stayed with me the whole time.

KAYE: Joan used her belt as a tourniquet on Erika's leg. Erika never got Joan's last name or contact but swears the woman in the yellow jacket with brown hair saved her life. She desperately wants to find her and thank her.

BRANNOCK: Yes, that's her.

KAYE: We showed her a picture of Joan helping her from the "Boston Globe."

BRANNOCK: That's Joan right there. She's holding my hand right there. And this is my right leg.

KAYE (on camera): In all, Erika had 11 surgeries. And each time, she'd be wheeled down this hallway and then through those doors, where she'd pick up the elevator. She soon learned, though, that the entire wing of the hospital back there had been shut down, because that's where the surviving bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was being held.

She started to have nightmares about him, nightmares that he was going to blow up the hospital, so she met with the FBI, who assured her that he was going to do nothing of that sort, that he would never hurt her again.

(voice-over): Erika had some brighter moments, too, like a visit from actor Kevin Spacey and some girl time with her mom, who didn't even know Erika was alive until hours after the bombing.

BRANNOCK: We've been hanging out a lot.

KAYE: But what's really kept Erika going is the preschool class she teaches back home in Maryland. This little girl made her a video on YouTube with some help from mom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you want to tell her?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What else did you tell me? You missed her very...?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very much. Bye!

KAYE: Erika also made a video for her students.

BRANNOCK: The doctors and nurses are taking very good care of me and helping me get better. I can't -- I love you guys very much and can't wait to come home and see you. Bye.

KAYE (on camera): How much has that connection helped you heal?

BRANNOCK: Oh, tremendously. Just still having that connection with them and being able to interact with them. Knowing that I'm still in their thoughts and that they miss me. They've kind of given me the kind of push to get home and do as much as I can and go as far as I can with my healing.

KAYE (voice-over): In Maryland, Erika will start physical therapy and learn to walk with a prosthetic leg. Her motto is "She's one tough cookie." She knows it will be a long road ahead, but with a send-off this sweet, Erika Brannock's fresh start at home will have a touch of Boston Strong.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A touching story of healing and forging ahead.

You're watching News Stream. And still ahead, accusations and demands for answers after a deadly fire at a poultry processing plant. Hear from workers at the scene of one of China's deadliest workplace accident in years.

Plus, flood waters are burying buildings like this across central Europe, threatening lives and livelihoods. The latest forecast is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now Turkey's deputy prime minister is apologizing for what he calls police aggression against citizens who were involved in initial protests at Istanbul's Gezi Park. Now that's according to Turkey's semi-official Anadolu news agency. In the past week, those demonstrations have morphed into violent complaints against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government. An alliance of workers unions has called a two-day strike against what it calls the, quote, "fascism" of the ruling party.

In South Africa, a pre-trial hearing in the Oscar Pistorius murder case has been postponed until August 19. Now prosecutors say they need more time to prepare their case against the Olympian. Now Pistorius is accused of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home back in February. He says he shot her because he mistook her for an intruder.

A UN panel on the war in Syria says that there is credible evidence that chemical weapons have been used in Syria. Now the commission examined four separate attacks in March and in April, but could not determine who was behind them.

U.S. analysts say North Korea can get its nuclear reactor back online as soon as next month. They say a new cooling system for the Yongbyon plant is almost finished. Observers are concerned that North Korea could resume production of weapons grade plutonium at the nuclear site.

Japan has become the first country to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. They join Brazil who as the host country have an automatic spot. Now Japan drew with Australia just a few minutes ago to secure their place at next summer's tournament. Japan and Brazil will be joined by 30 more teams when the tournament kicks off next June.

Now an update on the factory fire in northeastern China. Authorities say the Monday morning blaze killed at least 119 people, making it one of the deadliest workplace accidents in recent years. But it's unclear how many more people are still trapped in the poultry processing plant.

Now the state-run Xinhua news agency reports and ammonia explosion may be to blame for the fire. And victims' relatives are demanding more answers. And some spoke to our Nic Robertson despite attempts to stop them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Overcome by grief, a mother lying in the road, her only child is dead where so many lost their lives at this industrial poultry farm. There is anguish and anger.

As this lady tells us, her aunt is still missing. A policeman shuts us down.

We are told to move away from the crowd.

Across the road, another relative of a victim of the chicken farm fire is manhandled away from us. This lady shouts at him not to leave, but to tell reporters the truth. When he does go, she cries out, "my sister-in- law died right there. I have nothing to fear now. They died such a horrible death because the door was shut."

Another relative quietly tells us, workers couldn't get out, adding they'd complained about the doors before.

At the nearby hospital, more anxious relatives scrutinize a list of survivors. Inside, police control the corridor to the injured, relatives huddle nearby.

"My cousin only just got out alive," this lady tells us. "She went to one door. It was locked. She went to another and just managed to get her arm out through a tiny hole before she was overcome and collapsed."

As we wait, this woman wheeled off for surgery. She tells us she can barely talk, her jaw, arm and leg were damaged jumping from a window.

Meanwhile, close to the farm, a scuffle between families and police.

(on camera): The crowds have been growing through the morning, passions are rising, tempers are flaring. And it's now developed into a sort of a standoff with the police line. And the people here anxious to know about their relatives kept back from the chicken factory.

(voice-over): When we talked to this man, the reason for so much anger becomes clearer.

Wang Shu-Feng's (ph) wife is missing. He tells us she went to work at 4:00 am and has heard no news since.

Everyone is trying to add their story, but he persists.

"No one liked working there," he says. "16 hour days, not enough toilet breaks. No holidays. For a little over $300 a month."

Left with only anguish and no answers, anger is rising, bitter authorities are blocking them rather than finding their loved ones.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Mishazi, Chian.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And the unrelenting rain has brought flooding misery to parts of Europe. They are feared to be the worst since the devastating floods there of 2002.

Now thousands of people have been forced from their homes. And historic areas are under threat.

Now rivers are rising in Germany, Austrai, the Czech Republic, even Switzerland.

Now Czech officials say at least seven people have died there.

Now the German state of Saxony is among the hardest hit areas. And CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is there in the town of Meissen. He joins us now live. And Fred, what kind of flood damage have you seen today?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kristie.

Well, this is actually a very historic town and it is actually also just now under an evacuation order.

What's going on right now is that the local fire department here and also other rescue workers are taking boats and taking people out of their homes because of what's happening right behind me. I'm going to get out of your way and show you that this historic old town of Meissen is now being flooded at this point. The flood barrier was breached some time last night.

And this is the Elbe River, which is a river that runs from the Czech Republic all the way through Germany and then up into the northern coast into the North Sea. And that river is getting more and more swollen, the water levels are rising. So the people here do expect more flood damage as the days go on.

And what people here are doing right now is on the one hand they're evacuating, but they're also filling sandbags and they're trying to protect their homes. You're actually seeing many, many people volunteer, come in, fill sandbags for several hours, help people barricade their homes to try and keep the damage to a minimum.

As you said, this region has a lot of experience with flooding. It was one that was devastatingly hit in 2002. Some people believe that this river could rise even higher this time. Of course, this was something that's of great concern here in Germany, that's one of the reasons why Chancellor Angela Merkel is touring the flood areas today.

I want you to listen in to one of the things that she had to say when she visited one place earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA MERKEL, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY (through translator): It is obvious that this is something which cannot only be called an event of historic proportions, but also one which is exorbitant, therefore we want to help because even though the levels are slowly receding, the damage will be long lasting.

So the state of Bavaria and the German government will make available an unbureaucratic emergency aid of 100 million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: Now, as you heard Angela Merkel saying the water levels in some places are receding, that is the case for the southern part of Germany, for Bavaria. However, for the part of Germany that I'm in right now, in Saxony, the water is still rising.

Still, also as you said, a very dire situation in the Czech Republic where several people were killed.

So certainly a very big flood. One of the things that's happened in the past 10 years as Germany has actually done a lot to protect against flooding, but many people believe that the rivers could simply rise too high and still cause a lot of damage, Kristie.

LU STOUT: You know, I (inaudible) to hear you say earlier volunteers are helping out with sandbags, helping out with handling the flood and the effort there. We just heard Angela Merkel, she's promising millions in emergency aid. I also read that the army is helping out with flood defenses, but in the scene behind you it seems very still.

But is there an official response to the floods there on the ground in Saxony?

PLEITGEN: Well, there certainly is. I mean, what you're seeing is on the one hand the military has been moved in, that's a federal German response. There's hundreds of soldiers who are not only here, but also in other regions of Germany as well. They're doing the same thing. They're sandbagging, they're helicoptering people out of certain areas.

You also have the German federal police that is also around here that's also helping to evacuate people by helicopter. And then of course you have the local fire departments that are doing this as well.

One of the things that we have to note about this region that they're in -- that we're in, is that it has a very, very big experience in dealing with floods. And so there were plans that were in place and that were put into place very quickly for a very fast response. And they managed, for instance, in this town here to get a lot of boats here into the area very, very quickly to start evacuating people from their houses before the situation becomes life-threatening for them.

And one of the things we also have to say is that the people here, also very well prepared. I was in a small business just a little earlier. And people there were telling me they started very early on to bring all of their important belongings, all the important things, documents, into the first and second floors to make sure that they're in a safe and dry place. And then they just started barricading their houses very, very quickly to try and minimize the damage.

They said, we live in a flood zone. We know things like this can happen. A lot of people don't have insurance, so all they can do is try to protect what they have as best they can, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Fred Pleitgen joining us live from the historic time of Meissen there in Saxony, a region there in Germany.

Very heartening to hear that people were ready for it. But still, looking at the water levels there, very high, a lot of damage to be caused there in that historic city.

Let's get more now on the devastating floods bearing down not only on Germany, but across Central Europe. Mari Ramos joins us now for that -- Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I want to go ahead and start you off -- you know, Fred was talking to us there from -- along the Elbe River, that's farther to the north. Some areas farther to the south, for example, here when we look at this river, the Vltava that flows through central Prague flowing to the north into the Elbe, here we're starting to see the water go down just a little bit. But, farther to the north in that place where these two rivers meet the water there is still rising.

So rivers upstream are still going to have to deal with this flooding for probably well into next week because of how the water is flowing in that general direction.

You know what, it didn't even rain that much in Prague, for example. We had most of the heavy rain farther to the south here across southern parts of the Czech Republic, into southern Germany, back over into Austria. And because the rain was so heavy into here, it's now flowing into those larger rivers systems and we're seeing some significant flooding.

150 millimeters easily in about a couple of days that happened through here.

The Danube, which is the river that's highlighted here, the second longest river in Europe, is one of the ones that's really causing a lot of concerns and a lot of problems as well.

I want to show you some other pictures that we have. This one is from Grimma in Germany. And this is on a different river. This is on a tributary of the Elbe river. And what you're looking at here is again some significant flooding. Molda (ph) is the name of this river. The same situation, Kristie, water that continues to rise. And this is going to go on for a couple of days.

Our next set of images shows you Passau. And we were talking about Passau yesterday.

This is an area known as The Three Rivers. Three Rivers merge into this one area. It is where the Danube actually exits Germany and moves into Austria. So this is an area that is prone to flooding, but this has been some of the worst flooding that they've seen in quite a long time.

Poland has also had some significant flooding, because of heavy rain and some high water into those areas as well. So we're seeing how millions of people are being affected by this all across this region of Europe.

Now, Poland will still be getting more rain. Those areas across a more centrally areas of Europe are going to start to see some drier conditions like this picture that you see over here, this is from Vienna in Austria. And Emily Russ, our iReporter sent this. And she said that there are pretty good defenses in Vienna for flooding, so major portions of the city are not flooded, it's just those areas right around the river. One of the things that she's noticed the most, and one of the larger problems she said, or the most affected, is of course river traffic, including all those cruise ships that go up and down the river. She says there's -- all of them are moored instead of going out, of course, because of that.

And when you think about shipping, that's a huge concern, because it's not only cruise ships that go through there, of course, it's millions and millions of dollars worth of goods. We have petroleum, petroleum products, you have coal, you have wood, you have construction materials, all of these things that go up and down these river systems, these very large river systems across central Europe, all of that traffic at a standstill for the most part because the water level is either too high or the water is moving too fast. So that's a huge concern.

When we look at the forecast across this area, this very slow moving area of low pressure begins to lift a little bit more toward eastern Europe. So you'll get some widespread rain showers, not as heavy as what we had across some of those other regions. But remember I told you Poland, you already have flooding. You'll probably see more of that. Portions of Germany will still get a little bit more in the way of rain. But then as we head into the later part of the week, high pressure begins to move in, weather begins to improve, but those rivers, especially downstream from the areas we're seeing flooded right now, Kristie, are going to see unfortunately still those rivers continuing to rise.

Back to you.

LU STOUT: All right, so conditions will improve, but areas will remain very, very waterlogged. Mari Ramos with the forecast, thank you very much indeed for that.

And you're watching News Stream. And still to come, the Special One is back in England. Jose Mourinho returns to Chelsea. And we will hear from one of the most successful managers in world football in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: We're back.

Now she's been in charge of some of the world's most widely read print magazines and now runs two digital publications. This week on Leading Women, Isha Sisay sits down with Tina Brown, editor-in-chief of Newsweek and the Daily Beast for a conversation on her career and her commitment to women's issues.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISHA SISAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In the media world, Tina Brown's name is one of the most recognizable. In a journalism career spanning 30 plus years, she's been at the helm of some of the most celebrated publications -- Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, experiencing huge career highs and lows too, such as when her creation Talk Magazine folded in 2002 in less than three years.

TINA BROWN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NEWSWEEK: I launched Talk Magazine without enough business information about, in a sense, the market I was going into and so on and that didn't work. And that was very, very painful. You can really fall on your face, which is what happened to me.

SISAY: In her current role, she has another big platform.

You launched the Daily Beast in 2008. Tell me about this company and what your role of editor-in-chief actually entails?

BROWN: Well, I -- you know, oversee both the Daily Beast and Newsweek global, as we're calling it now, the new digital version of Newsweek.

And we are a digital company that is, you know, very much alert to the news which breaks news, which makes news, which has a take on the news.

SISAY: And Brown has grown her reach beyond the print and digital media. Four years ago, she took on one of her most ambitious endeavors. She launched the women in the world summit, a mega gathering that brings women and A-list celebrities together to shed light on global issues affecting women.

BROWN: It's wonderful when women of power and influence wish to bring their spotlight, if you like, to women who you've never heard of and whose stories we must hear.

I want to welcome you all to the fourth annual Women in the World summit.

(APPLAUSE)

SISAY: She enlists some powerful allies to inspire and encourage. Actress Angelina Jolie highlights a story of Malala, a young Pakistani girl shot in the head last year simply for getting an education.

ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS: In a brutal attempt to silence her voice, it grew louder, and she more resolute.

HILLARY CLINTON, FRM. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Fighting to give women and girls a fighting chance, this is a core imperative.

SISAY: I mean, when you're growing up in England, what were your dreams?

BROWN: Well, my dream was to come and live in America and be an editor, yes. And I was -- I was enthralled by the old editions of the 1920s of Vanity Fair and the old editions of The New Yorker in the 30s, that was my dream then. And I guess, you know, if I'd known then that I would indeed be living in New York, that will indeed be introducing Hillary Clinton at the world -- you know, Women of the World summit, those are the things I guess that I would never have imagined could happen, or perhaps I dreamed that, you know, I never thought it would.

So I am lucky in that regard, and I do realize that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And we will have more with Tina Brown next week on Leading Women. She opens up about a controversial 1990s Vanity Fair cover that has inspired the modern-day celebrity pregnant photo.

You can find out more by logging on to CNN.com/leadingwomen.

Now still to come on News Stream, Queen Elizabeth marks a milestone celebrating 60 years as the British monarch. We'll take you to the special ceremony in London.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now the Special One is back at Chelsea. Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho has returned to the club he left suddenly in 2007. And he returns to Chelsea after a troubled spell at Real Madrid. And Mourinho spoke to ChelseaTV after his move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE MOURINHO, MANAGER CHELSEA FC: I am sorry that you don't start training tomorrow. I'm happy, though. I think -- I said the same to the players during the season when sometimes they are tired and they look tired and so on and so on, victories makes miracles. And when you win, win, win you are never tired. And in my case, it's not about winning, winning, it's about moving and moving to a place I love and happiness is much more stronger than tiredness.

And so I'm so happy to be back. I'm ready to do it. I don't need only this (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now Mourinho, he made his name at the English club by taking them to two Premier League titles and for his entertaining press conferences. He called himself the Speical One during one of his first press conferences in England.

And then there was this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOURINHO: You want to know my team tomorrow. So why don't you ask me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your team tomorrow?

MOURINHO: (inaudible) I'm sorry.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: A classic walkoff.

Now, meanwhile, Spanish giants Barcelona unveiled their latest star Neymar. Now thousands of fans greeted the Brazilian star in his first appearance after signing for the club. And the move teams the Brazilian with Argentine star Leo Messi, giving Barcelona two of the most talented attacking players in world football.

Now members of the British royal family are celebrating 60 years since Queen Elizabeth's coronation. The queen, her husband, son and grandchildren gathered for a service in Westminster Abbey around three hours ago. Now British government officials and other dignitaries also attended with Prime Minister David Cameron giving a reading. Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952, but her formal coronation did not take place until June 2, 1953.

Now earlier, royal correspondent Max Foster filed this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERANATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sixty years ago this week, the 27-year-old Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in a grand ceremony in Westminster Abbey. It was an occasion steeped in tradition and religious symbolism, the first coronation held in the exact same spot was for William the Conqueror in 1066.

The queen returns to the Abbey to mark her coronation with special guests and close family.

PETER PHILLIPS, QUEEN ELIZABETH'S GRANDSON: It's a moment of celebration and it's a moment of great pride and admiration. I mean, you - - you could go on and on and on. I mean, it's just -- what she has achieved and what she has seen over the last 60 years, I mean, for anybody to try and get their heads around would just be -- I mean, any normal person would just be like, wow, you know, that's incredible.

You know, it's a -- there's a -- as well as being -- having a huge sense of pride about her being, you know, the sovereign of this country for the last 60 years and also the Commonwealth, you know, is also the pride of being able to show our support as grandchildren and as children to show that she's grown a very supportive family around her. Which, you know, I think anyone in that position certainly needs.

FOSTER: Another grandchild, Prince William, also attending Tuesday's service, will be crowned there himself one day. He'll be accompanied by his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, who is bearing the unborn third in line to the British throne.

Max Foster, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And it's time to go Over and Out There with a bit of a tongue twister. The longest word in the German language has been retired. And here it is, all 63 letters of it. I'm not going to even try to pronounce it.

Now the German language, it is famous for making new long words by sticking several existing ones together. And this one, it was introduced in 1999 to organize testing for mad cow disease, or BSE. And loosely translated, it means this, quote, "law on the transfer of monitoring duties for labeling beef."

So, the search is on for Germany's next longest word, but it might not make it into the dictionary.

Now according to media reports, a spokesperson for the respected Duden dictionary says words this long are simply uncomfortable to say.

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

END