Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

Pope John Paul II To Be Canonized; Muslim Brotherhood Marches In Friday Of Rejection; News Corp Chief Rupert Murdoch Defiant Against Police Inquiry In Secret Recording; Andy Murray Plays in Semifinal Action At Wimbledon Today; Haitian Farmers Plant Trees To Protect Land

Aired July 5, 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.

Now supporters of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsy are out in force on another day of protests in Cairo. And we'll get a view from the streets of Xinjiang on the fourth anniversary of violence in the restive Chinese region.

And Britain's best hope to win Wimbledon. Andy Murray is just two matches away from overturning 76 years of futility.

The Egyptian capital is bracing for potential violence. Supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsy have taken to the streets of Cairo. They're calling their protest the Friday of rejection. They do not acknowledge the constitutional judge sworn in to replace Morsy, the country's first democratically elected president.

Morsy is believed to be under house arrest. And the military has not commented on his whereabouts. And police are searching for some 300 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, that's according to state media.

Now some pro-Morsy protests are taking place near Cairo University. Let's bring in CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman. And Ben, can you describe the scene around you?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kristie. I'm right next to Cairo University where there are thousands, possibly tens of thousands of people, Morsy supporters, who have come out to express their rejection of the deposing of President Mohamed Morsy the day before yesterday.

They're -- (inaudible) security presence is fairly discrete, I shall say. We were with one group of pro-Morsy marchers who walked by a group of riot policeman, but the marchers joined hands to prevent any sort of interaction between the police and the marchers. And when the march finally passed by, those supporters and the police clasped -- clasped, perhaps, to express relief over the fact that no clash took place.

Now speaking to Morsy supporters here, they utterly reject the idea that the man they elected a year ago in Egypt's first ever free and democratic elections has been deposed president. However, by and large the attempt is to keep the protests peaceful at this point.

Now they are gathering in front of the main entrance of Cairo University where Morsy supporters have been camped out for about a week now. This was an area where there has been violence before. Last week -- about earlier this week, about 22 or 23 people were killed in clashes in this area. There's still rocks strewn around the streets, some barricades have been set up right next to the main entrance to Cairo University, but so far it's nonviolent.

LU STOUT: OK, so far the situation is nonviolent. You're describing tens of thousands of pro-Morsy supporters and protesters out there. You describe the police presence as discrete. This rally peaceful so far.

We know also happening at the same time Muslim Brotherhood leaders, hundreds of them, are being rounded up. The group, it seems to be dismantled. How will the Brotherhood respond. Will it respond peacefully?

WEDEMAN: Well, the Brotherhood has rejected any idea of a dialogue. They say they can't compromise on what they call the legitimacy of the presidential elections last year. Now I did have a chance to speak with (inaudible) who is one of the -- who is the minister of supply, a member of the Freedom and Justice Party, which is the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.

He said that their response to what they call the coup is going to be massive street demonstrations, sit-ins and civil disobedience.

As far as leadership -- the other leadership from Mohamed (inaudible) for instance. He remains under house arrest and essentially incommunicado.

LU STOUT: All right, Ben Wedeman joining us live at the scene of that pro-Morsy demonstration. A rather big one. Looking at live pictures there in Cairo. Ben Wedeman joining us live just then. Thank you, Ben.

Now Egypt is the world's most populous Arab country and it's a close U.S. ally. And Ben Wedeman found backlash against Washington on the streets of Cairo. He filed this report earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN: Egyptian jets put on an air show for the crowd below, jubilant that once again they've brought down the second president in less than three years. The atmosphere in Tahrir Square is festive, triumphant.

But amidst the celebrations there's an undercurrent of resentment towards the United States, which has been harshly criticized with its dealings with the Muslim Brotherhood led government of now deposed President Mohamed Morsy.

America, keep your hands off Egypt, reads this sign, which describes the U.S. as the patron of terrorism.

"Obama is interfering in our affairs," says Hassam (ph).

Elsewhere, the U.S. was accused of supporting a fascist, terrorist regime.

For the U.S. perhaps it was simply realpolitik, but for blogger Mahmoud Salem, it was just wrongpolitik.

MAHMOUD SALEM, BLOGGER: Why are they talking to the people who are demanding the release of Omar Abdel Rahman who has attacked the World Trade Center in '99? What are they talking about? How does this make sense?

WEDEMAN: For a superpower that preaches democracy, the impression here is that when it comes to a choice between stability and lofty ideals, the former trumps the later says activist Wael Eskander.

WAEL ESKANDER, ACTIVIST: Yeah, I think that's exactly what they're looking for: stability. Democracy is just rhetoric, unfortunately, unfortunately for Americans who preached it.

WEDEMAN: The widespread belief the U.S. was in bed with the Brotherhood is mistaken, says author Ashrar Khalil.

ASHRAF KHALIL, AUTHOR, LIBERATION SQUARE: The Americans aren't pro- Brotherhood, the Americans are pro-stability. They're anti-instability. The American government sees an elected president possibly going down in flames non-democratically one year into his term that's going to be something that concerns them. It doesn't make them Brotherhood sympathizers.

WEDEMAN: A year ago Mohamed Morsy came to power after winning 52 percent of the vote. But a year is a very long time in politics. And in revolutionary Egypt, his popularity plummeted against a back drop of a declining economy, fuel and power shortages, and rising fears Morsy was embarking on a project to turn Egypt into an Islamic state.

He's now under house arrest. And arrest warrants have been issued for hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood officials. And that seems to suit most people here.

So it's only normal for the United States to deal with Egypt's first ever democratically elected president, but as these women are telling me they may not have realized quite how unpopular he had become.

In just days, Morsy went from being president to prisoner. A lesson, perhaps, that there can be no such thing as diplomacy as normal in this brave new Egypt.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: But was Morsy forced out by a coup? Well, that depends on who you ask. Now the White House has refrained from using that word. A coup would force the U.S. to cut off aid to Cairo. But a new piece by the Washington Post editorial board says that action must be taken. It says the Obama administration should now make clear to the new military backed regime that aid will be restored only if a genuinely democratically transition is pursued in the coming months.

Now other western governments are also wrestling with the term coup. Even the United Nations has held off despite expressing concern over the arrest of Muslim Brotherhood members.

Now here is what a Brotherhood spokesman had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEHAD EL-HADDAD, MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD SPOKESMAN: In the beginning it was a military coup. Now it seems to be turning much more than a military coup. Throughout the past night, there's been very, very questionable attempts by the military to dismantle the Brotherhood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And an Egyptian opposition leader disagrees. Mohamed ElBaradei compares what happened to an election recall. And he spoke to our Becky Anderson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMED ELBARADEI, OPPOSITION LEADER: It was a very painful decision to make, either to continue and risk a civil war situation or take some exceptional measures to make correction of the uprising of 2011.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: ElBaradei has been nominated by his party to become prime minister, but he insists he does not want to be the next president.

Now the military had popular support for ousting Morsy. And one analyst acknowledges that, but says it is still a classic coup.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHADI HAMID, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, BROOKINGS DOHA: It's actually a text book military coup. It couldn't be any more a military coup than it currently is. I understand Egyptians are sensitive about that term, because of its negative connotation, but we to call things by what they are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And we will continue to keep a close eye on events in Cairo. A little bit later in the program, we'll have a live report from Tahrir Square.

And we have just learned that the late pope, John Paul II, is going to be declared a Roman Catholic saint. The Vatican says that the current pontiff, Pope Francis, signed the decree earlier this Friday.

Now John Paul II was pope from 1978 until he died in 2005. He was extremely popular with congregations around the world. The Roman Catholic Church put the Polish born pontiff on a fast track to sainthood when he passed away, but there is no word on the date for his canonization yet.

Now four years after major riots and ethnic tensions in China's western Xinjiang region remain high. Coming up next on News Stream, we'll get a report from the streets.

Plus, with Nelson Mandela on life support. A legal battle over burial sites reveals bitter divisions in the family.

And Andy Murray heads into the men's semifinals at Wimbledon with the hope of all of Britain squarely on his shoulders.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now this Friday marks four years since clashes like this were seen on the streets of Urumqi, the capital of China's western Xinjiang Province. In July of 2009, riots fueled by ethnic divisions left 200 people dead and another 1,700 others wounded. And since then, the mood in Xinjiang has remained tense.

Just last week, 35 people were killed when police stations were attacked by a mob. Now the Chinese government blames the violence on terrorists. But the Uyghur ethnic minority says it's because of anger at the waves of Han Chinese moving into the province.

Now CNN's David McKenzie traveled to Urumqi and found a city still on edge and authorities prepared to crack down on any sign of further unrest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's a heavy police presence throughout Urumqi during this tense time. It's clear that the government wants to avoid any chance of disturbance.

Throughout the city, at almost every intersection, riot police with automatic weapons and riot gear.

There's the show of force, but there's also a more subtle campaign. The government is calling this a people's war. They're asking for citizens to inform the officials if there are any separatists they have heard of.

So the police have been checking our identification. This happens quite often here in China, but certainly at a moment like this it's a lot more tense.

Things got a bit heated when the police tried to take our camera and delete our footage.

They released us after a thorough check of our credentials. What it shows is just how seriously the Chinese government wants to show unity in this troubled region. Many of the ethnic Uyghur population resent the influx of millions of Han Chinese into Xinjiang Province. And this area will be a true test of the Chinese government's mantra of stability and social harmony at all costs.

David McKenzie, CNN, Xinjiang, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now the predominately Muslim Uyghur ethnic group have lived in Xinjiang for centuries. And the area is even officially called the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Now Uyghurs still account for around 8 million of the provinces 20 million people. And Uyghurs complain of discrimination and harsh treatment at the hands of Han Chinese people who have moved into the area.

Now Han Chinese now make up about 40 percent of Xinjiang's population.

And the problem is amplified by the sheer size of the province. At 1,600 square kilometers, it accounts for a sixth of China's total territory sitting far in the western corner of the country in central Asia.

Now the Chinese government says religious extremists with links of foreign jihadist groups are behind the recent attacks in Xinjiang.

Now in South Africa, the government says that former President Nelson Mandela is still in critical, but stable condition in a Pretoria hospital. In the last few hours, CNN has learned that he's been receiving dialysis, a procedure that treats kidney failure. A court document released on Thursday showed that at one point last week his condition had deteriorated so much that doctors had advised his family to take him off life support.

Now that document came out of a legal dispute over the burial sites of Nelson Mandela's three deceased children.

Nkepile Mabuse has the latest on the family feud that centers around the icon's eldest grandson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I first interviewed Mandla Mandela in 2008. The former businessman and university graduate had just given up a cosmopolitan lifestyle in Johannesburg to take over as chief of his grandfather's rural birthplace, Mvezo. At the time, the village had no clean running water or electricity, but he said just like his grandfather Nelson Mandela, he was there to serve the people.

MANDLA MANDELA, NELSON MANDELA'S GRANDSON: Our family has always been a part the greater cause of the people.

MABUSE: Fast forward to 2013 and Mandla is being accused by members of his own family of being self-serving by moving the remains of Mandela's children from the family graveyard in Qunu to his village of Mvezo where he's planning to open a heritage center, a prime attraction for tourists.

In line with a court order Wednesday, the sheriff went to Mandla's now upgraded Mvezo compound to retrieve the remains of the children, remains the rest of the family says Mandla relocated without their consent.

Mandela's eldest daughter Makaziwe led the court application that forced Mandla to return the remains to where Mandela will ultimately be buried. She argued that her father's wish is to be buried near his children.

In court papers she said, "by controlling the area in which these descendants' remains are buried, he" -- meaning Mandla -- "expects that the remains of Mr. Nelson Mandela will soon follow."

The judge has described Mandla's behavior as scandalous. And police are now investigating allegations of tampering with graves.

Authorities say the public prosecutor will decide whether to press charges.

On Thursday, Mandla fired back, calling the ruling to return the remains erroneous. He also accused his family of turning against him, because he's criticized their legal battle to control some of Mr. Mandela's companies, which are estimated to be worth millions.

MANDELA: This is the very family that has taken their own father, their own grandfather to court for his monies.

MABUSE: Mandla, who is the only young politician in the family and the eldest grandson has for years been considered among Mandela's favorites. Even with the recent criticism, there are those in his village who see a true grandson of a legend in him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of these developments came when Mandla was here, because he take all of the children (inaudible) he want them to work. We wish if the grave of Madiba was here, because Madiba was born here.

MABUSE: On Thursday, the family reburied the children's remains where they believe Nelson Mandela would have wanted them. To those in attendance, the small ceremony will go a long way in ensuring that when the time comes, Mandela himself will be able to rest in peace.

Most family members will tell you that Nelson Mandela, who lies critically ill in this hospital behind me is the glue that keeps the family together. The fear in South Africa is the day he is gone, these accusations and disagreements will worsen, harming his legacy.

Nkepile Mabuse, CNN, Pretoria, South Africa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now you are watching News Stream. And still to come, a tall order for Britain's Andy Murray at Wimbledon as he faces the tallest player in the tournament in the semifinals. Stick around.

(COMMERCAIL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Now turning now to sports. And all eyes, and the hopes of Britain, are on this man. Andy Murray will be playing in one of the two semifinal matches in the men's tournament at Wimbledon later today. A victory would bring him one step closer to becoming the first British man in 77 years to win the top prize at the All England Club.

Now in the other semifinal, the world number one Novak Djokovic is playing Juan Martin Del Potro right now. And Christina Macfarlane is outside the All England club with more. She joins us now.

And Christina, first, give us the latest on that semifinal match currently underway.

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kristie. They've just taken to court here at the All England Club. And I can tell you it's a scorcher of a day here at SW 19. The current scores in that game are 2-2 all I believe in the first set, but as I say only just got underway. I would say that Novak Djokovic is tipped to take this one, possibly in three sets.

Novak Djokovic had a very smooth ride through this tournament, of course, so far. He's won in straight sets in every match he's played here over the last two weeks.

Del Potro, though, is a man who does know how to beat Novak Djokovic. Remember that he actually picked Novak Djokovic to the bronze Olympic medal here on Wimbledon soil just last year. But we do know that Del Potro has been struggling over the past week with a knee injury that he picked up during the first round here at Wimbledon and that was certainly aggravating him during his quarterfinal tie here just on Wednesday.

So it'll be interesting to see how this match plays out, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah. And let's talk about the other semifinal match to watch later today. And it is all about Andy Murray. Is this the year for the home favorite?

MACFARLANE: Well, it's a question that the fans here keep asking. We seem to be asking it every year. But Andy Murray, of course, there's always great anticipation and excitement when it's a Murray match day, but all eyes today will also be on his opponent, Jerzy Janowicz, because he, as you said before, is the first Polish man to make it to the semifinals at a grand slam.

And he has an incredible story of rags to riches, because he's come from 221 in the world to 24th in the world this year. This is a man who couldn't be -- couldn't afford to actually travel to tournaments and used to have to sleep in his car before matches. He couldn't afford to go to the Australian Open when he qualified two years ago because he couldn't afford the plane ticket. And now he's here's here playing in the first semifinal of his career.

He's a strong player. He's 6'8 in height, the tallest man of the tournament. And he has an incredible serve, 140 miles an hour. So Murray will certainly need to have his wits about him today. Although, Murray has been saying of course yesterday that he is not going to be intimated by the tall Polish player.

But Janowicz saying, of course, that he expects the weight of history to be bearing down on Murray today. So really exciting tie coming up for us here at Wimbledon later this afternoon.

LU STOUT: Yeah, the Polish player have such a compelling back story, but a lot of people out there pulling for Andy Murray, including yourself. I saw you crossing your fingers earlier today.

Christina Macfarlane, joining us live from Wimbledon, thank you so much for that.

Now there is still more to come here on News Stream on our top story. We will go back live to Cairo as the Egyptian capital braces for potential confrontations, potential clashes after Friday prayers.

And we'll tell you about a new tool on Twitter that is set up to open up prominent Egyptian's accounts to a wider audience.

Now also ahead, a secret recording reveals what Rupert Murdoch really thinks about the phone hacking scandal that has rocked his media empire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now you're looking at live pictures from eastern Cairo. And that crowd on your screen, the support the deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsy. Now they have been chanting "down with military rule." And the protesters are also demanding that Morsy and the constitution be reinstated.

Now CNN has learned that former South African president Nelson Mandela has been receiving dialysis for his kidneys in addition to being on life support. Mandela is in a Pretoria hospital for a fourth week. His condition is described as critical, but stable. And a source tells us that he is not in a vegetative state and is still responding to stimuli.

And Pope John Paul II will soon be made a saint. The Vatican says the current pontiff, Pope Francis, signed the decree earlier this Friday. Now there is no word on the date for his canonization yet.

And this just in to CNN, the U.S. Labor Department has released its monthly jobs report. And it shows that the U.S. economy added 195,000 jobs in June. And for many, the non-farm payrolls are about more than jobs. And the U.S. Federal Reserve has hinted that as the jobless rate falls, the amount that the central bank pumps into the U.S. economy each month will be scaled back.

Now to Egypt and the country's path forward, it looks uncertain after days of dramatic changes. CNN's Ian Lee has been covering it all for us live from Cairo. He joins us now. And Ian, from your position, what are you seeing? What is the situation in Cairo right now?

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, right now we have demonstrations all around Cairo. And these are people who support the former president Mohamed Morsy. And this is a crucial, crucial day for them, because this is the first time since the former president was ousted that the Muslim Brotherhood has called for demonstrations.

So we'll be watching to see how big these numbers actually get. If they -- there's two scenarios here. If they do get large, then that shows just how much power the Muslim Brotherhood has and how much strength they have to get people out into the streets.

But if they don't get very big, that also shows how demoralized they could be, or how damaged they could be from what happened this last week.

So it will be a huge test for the Muslim Brotherhood, a critical day to see where their support lies, how much support they have.

LU STOUT: Yeah, very critical day. We're watching to see the turnout among the pro-Morsy demonstrators. We're also watching to see how Egypt's armed forces and security will likely respond. Now earlier we had our Ben Wedeman reporting outside Cairo University. He called the police presence there discrete. What have you seen so far today?

LEE: Well, today has been very -- well, we've seen a lot of military presence in the street and in the air, quite frankly. We've seen jets and all sort of planes and helicopters. But then we've also seen the military move around the streets. Just a little while ago, we saw a dozen APCs moving in the streets taking up positions.

So it does seem like the military is trying to consolidate power and positions here in Cairo. And this is going to be crucial, because the potential for violence is very high, especially if the two sides -- you have the supporters of the former president and the opponents -- if those two sides come together -- we've seen deadly clashes since June 30 on a daily basis. And so it'll be very important for the military to keep these two sides separate so we don't see deadly clashes, but also to respond to any threat that could come out of a reaction from people who are angry that their former president was deposed.

LU STOUT: And also, just a big overarching question about the state of Egypt's political transition. Basically right now who is running the country? We know that there is an interim president, but there is no constitution. So who is giving the orders? Is it Mansour, or is it indeed the military?

LEE: Well, Mansour is the president of Egypt right now. He is the man in charge, but he also has the military backing him up. So he does have a key player as well as the ministry of interior which controls the police force. These are two crucial ministries, two crucial parts of the government that one has to have to rule here.

So while he is very much the president and also selecting his advisers and forming an interim government, he's going to need the power of the military behind him so he can enact any sorts of laws, any sorts of rules, any sorts of change that he would like to do. And this leads up to the -- the writing of a new constitution as well as elections down the road.

LU STOUT: Well, Ian Lee, thank you very much indeed for that explainer and also giving us the very latest, the temperature of another tense day in Cairo. CNN's Ian Lee reporting live from the Egyptian capital.

Now some of the key players in Egypt are tweeting in Arabic, so Twitter has expanded its new translation service to help people follow the developments there. In fact, Twitter has compiled this list of highly followed accounts. It includes Egyptian media organizations and political figures.

But some Twitter users say that the translation tool is spotty. As you can see, it's not currently working for us.

Now the News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch has reportedly been caught on tape angrily dismissing the investigation into phone hacking and corruption at his British newspapers. Now the secret recording is said to have been made last year. It was posted by the investigative journalism website ExaroNews and later broadcast by Britain's Channel 4 news.

Now CNN has not been able to independently verify the recording's authenticity, but News Corps is not disputing it either. In fact, they sent a statement to CNN similar to the one you are about to see in this report by Channel 4's Andy Davies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY DAVIES, CHANNEL 4 NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Rupert Murdoch, the press baron so dominant in British public life for over 40 years, with a $35 billion media empire to his name, still nurses the wounds of that very public humiliation over the hacking scandal.

RUPERT MURDOCH, NEWS CORP CEO: This is the most humble day of my life.

DAVIES: He has seen one of his British tabloids fold, another engulfed in allegations over corrupt payments. Humiliated and hauled before Parliament two years ago, Murdoch promised the stables would be swept clean.

MURDOCH: Invading people's privacy by listening to their voice mail is wrong. Paying police officers for information is wrong. This is why News International is cooperating fully with the police whose job it is to see that justice is done.

DAVIES: But does Mr. Murdoch really have faith in the police delivering justice? Does he really stand by his assertion that paying police officers for information is "so wrong?"

This is Rupert Murdoch behind the scenes as you've never heard him before.

MURDOCH: I mean, it's a disgrace. Here we are, two years ago and the cops are totally incompetent.

The idea that the cops then started coming to kick you out of bed, and your families, at six in the morning, is unbelievable.

But why are the police behaving this way?

It's the biggest inquiry ever, over next to nothing. And now they're arresting their own who never even took money.

DAVIES: That's a recording of Mr. Murdoch in march this year speaking to a room full of journalists in the building behind me, journalists from his beloved Sun newspaper. And ones specifically we understand who have been arrested over allegations they were paying public officials, including police officers, for information.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, some of them decided to secretly record the encounter.

The fact that this meeting took place and some of the detail, has already been revealed. But the recording offers a fascinating insight into Murdoch's attitude towards the police, towards the internal investigation he, himself set up, and even into the enduring debate over who one day will succeed him.

A beleaguered Murdoch had been into the Sun a year earlier pledging total commitment to his journalists. This time, he was echoing their disgust at the manner of the police arrests in the payment inquiry.

This next clip starts, we're told, with the sound of Murdoch slapping the table.

MUDOCH: ...what they're doing, what they did to you, and how they treated people at (inaudible) saying a couple of you come in for a cup of tea at four in the afternoon. You guys got thrown out of bed by gangs of cops at six in the morning. And I'm just as annoyed as you are.

DAVIES: It would be nice to hit back when we can, one journalist suggests later in the meeting. We will, replies Murdoch, we will.

Then tellingly, he singles out the police treatment of Rebekah Brooks, his erstwhile protege now facing multiple charges over the hacking scandal.

MURDOCH: The people who came in and turned over Rebekah on a Monday morning there were about 15 or 16, most of them, a dozen, were from Manchester, a murder squad or something. And there were three local cops. It's ridiculous.

DAVIES: Throughout this recording, which lasts around 45 minutes, Rupert Murdoch repeatedly accuses the police of incompetence, of being unbelievably slow, he says at one point. At another, he can be heard saying of the police, I don't really trust anything they tell us.

For all Murdoch's protestations about victimization, the reality is it was his establishment of an internal management and standards committee which gave the police inquiry such momentum. Why, he's asked in the meeting, did this committee hand the police mountains of documents connected to the journalists before him?

MURDOCH: Because -- it was a mistake, I think. But, in that atmosphere at that time, we said, look, we are an open book. We will show you everything. And he lawyers just got rich going through millions of e- mails.

DAVIES: So has Mr. Murdoch crucially withdrawn his company's full cooperation with the police? The management and standards committee hasn't given the police any information for months, he says in the recording. His tone here markedly belligerent.

MURDOCH: All I can say is, for the last several months, we have told, the MSC has told, and (inaudible), who's a terrific lawyer, has told the police, has said, "no, no, no -- get a court order. Deal with that.

DAVIES: A spokesperson for News Corps this afternoon told Channel 4 news...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No other company has done as much to identify what went wrong, compensate the victims, and ensure the same mistakes do not happen again. The unprecedented cooperation granted by News Corp was agreed unanimously by senior management and the board, and the MSC continues to cooperate under the supervision of the courts. Rupert Murdoch has shown understandable empathy with the staff and families affected and will assume they are innocent until and unless proven guilty.

DAVIES: But this secret recording and its subsequent release amounts to a striking betrayal by one of his own. Inconceivable, arguably in the days of old, and another public humiliation to follow the last.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now a damning report there.

You're watching News Stream. And still ahead, soon to be saint: the Vatican announces the upcoming beatification of popular pope John Paul II.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

As you heard a little bit earlier, the Roman Catholic Church has announced it will declare the late pope John Paul II a saint. Now journalist Barbie Nadeau is following the story for us in Rome. She joins us now. And Barbie, could you tell us what paved the way to today's declaration of John Paul's sainthood?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, today Pope Francis met with the head of the congregation for the causes of the saints and approved the second miracle for Pope John Paul II. Generally speaking, popes, or anyone who is going to become a saint, need two miracles in order to become a saint and be canonized. Pope John Paul II will be canonized together there with another pope, John XXIII who Pope Francis today waived the second miracle for.

So we've got two very popular popes going to be canonized some time before the end of the year in which the big ceremony here in Rome.

LU STOUT: So we have two popes declared saints today by the Vatican. Can you tell us more about the reported miracles that lead to Pope John Paul's sainthood?

NADEAU: Well, we don't have a confirmation on what the second miracle was for John Paul II. But it's been widely reported, and I suspect we'll hear more about it over the weekend, a woman in Costa Rica who was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. She and her family prayed to John Paul II when he was beatified, that was after his first miracle. And her brain aneurysm miraculously disappeared in the days after that.

That constitutes a miracle.

These miracles are taken very seriously here. A panel of three to five medical doctors who are not necessarily affiliated with the Vatican, but who speak -- or are technically, you know, lay people who examine the medical records to make sure that no medical intervention was the cause of the pure, in this case, of the disappearance of the brain aneurysm, if that's the miracle.

So these are taken seriously.

Then these doctors present a very extensive report to the congregation for the causes of the saints who then meet with theologians who determine whether or not prayer was genuine by the person who was cured of the miracle.

So it's quite a complex procedure. And something taken very, very seriously here at the Vatican.

LU STOUT: Yeah, it's fascinating to hear the details of just how these miracles are investigated.

And Barbie, while we have you, we know that Pope John Paul II, he's been called over the years the first rock star pontiff, because he was so incredibly popular. What has been the reaction so far to his declared sainthood?

NADEAU: Well, when his -- when he was buried -- during his funeral in 2005, people were in the piazza calling for his sainthood right away. And this is something that many of his supporters have wanted for a long time. Pope Benedict XVI actually waived a five year standard waiting period in order to hurry up the pace. He was beatified May 1, 2011 at a huge ceremony that brought -- you know, over a million people here to Rome.

People who want him to be a saint are excited and happy for this canonization. Of course, there are some naysayers that say that the process has gone too fast and that, you know, this comes at a time when the Vatican needs some good news.

LU STOUT: Indeed, two new saints this day. Barbie Nadeau joining us live from Rome, thank you.

Now let's take you next to Mexico. A number of extreme conditions to report on there. We have a menacing volcano, the threat of a tropical storm. Let's get more now with Mari Ramos. She joins us from the World Weather Center -- Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kristie. These pictures are really spectacular. Wait until you see this.

We're talking about the Popocatepetl Vocano. That one I can pronounce, right? This is in Central Mexico. And it is the tallest volcano in Mexico City. And over the last few days, look at this image, absolutely incredible. It has been rumbling a little bit more than usual, so to speak. And that has authorities in alert in this level.

The threat level has not changed. They still have it on a level two, phase two, level two yellow alert here in Mexico. And that has not changed. That just means we need to watch the volcano. There were some tremors, some higher explosions, some ash plumes that reached over the explosion, actually, over a kilometer-and-a-half into the air.

And because of its proximity to these densely populated areas of Central Mexico, even the Mexico City, there were some people that were, you know, watching this a little bit closer than your regular volcano. Just millions of people that live in this area alone.

There were flight delays because of the ash that was in the atmosphere, that threat for ash as a precaution. Many airlines canceled their flights mostly from the U.S. into Mexico City.

This is where the current ash cloud actually is -- or has been. And it's expected to expand a bit more throughout the rest of the day today.

However, because it has been raining over this area, the ash is actually expected to not be as much of a factor for aviation and for people in this region, because that helps settle it down very quickly from the atmosphere back down to the ground.

Tlaxcala, which is not too far from Mexico City, had 50 millimeters of rain. That just gives you an indication of the heavy rainfall that they're experiencing.

Acapulco along the coast, they had 38 millimeters of rain.

But more rain is expected in this region, and actually there as well. And you can see it right over here from our -- from this perspective.

Look at this, across the central portion of Mexico here, we have a lot of blues on the map and even some purples. 8 to 15 centimeters of rainfall possible. The threat for flooding and mudslides is there.

And also here along the coast.

This right over here, believe it or not, is that tropical storm that you just mentioned, Tropical Storm Erick has formed. And even though it is expected to just move across just parallel to the coastline almost over the next couple of days, because of its proximity to land, there's the threat for flooding, coastal flooding because of high waves and also quite a bit of rainfall that's going to be happening here.

There you see the track of the storm expected to pass safely south of the Baja Peninsula over the next few days. And of course we'll continue to monitor this story as well.

Let's go ahead to the other side of the Pacific and talk about the heavy rain that you've had here across this region. Look at that, over 120 millimeters of rain into parts of China, 130 farther to the south. And even back over toward Japan over the last two days, some of you have had over 100 millimeters of rain.

The rain not quite over just yet. Just not as heavy, though, but you can still see it here across Japan through the Korean peninsula and then back over toward Mainland China.

Where it's not raining, which is going to be along this coast, along this frontal boundary right over here, that's where the heavy rain continues. North of that and south of that it does remain quite warm.

A little bit of rain that you've had in the last 24 hours in Beijing did help with the air quality. You even had a few hours of good air earlier today, but it has remained quite warm. Look at that, even at this hour you're right at 30 degrees.

23 in Shanghai, that's because of the cloud cover and the rain that you've had. Hong Kong, you had a heat warning earlier today. That's been canceled, but it's still 30 degrees out there right now. It got up to about 34 earlier today. So there's a lot going on.

And staying on the theme of heat, look at these temperatures across Europe. You're still dealing with a well above average in Portugal and Spain. Lisbon at 39, Madrid got up to 37. And we're still expecting that trend to continue with these above average temperatures across this region. And not just in the Iberian Peninsula anymore, but even into areas farther to the north by Sunday we could be looking at a high in London, where it's 23 and sunny right now, probably closer to about 28 degrees, which is 82 Fahrenheit, which is very warm even for the summer.

Back to you.

LU STOUT: Yeah, I like how you call it the theme of heat. It is happening all over the world. Mari Ramos there, thank you.

Now a community in Haiti is building up natural defenses against major storms. And coming up next on News Stream, we'll show you how they're planting the seeds today to protect their land in the future.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now all this week, we've been bringing you a series of reports from Haiti by special correspondent Philippe Cousteau. And today, Philippe visits the only community in Haiti that was able to recover from Hurricane Sandy, which struck last year, without help from aid organizations. Now people there have found a green solution to protect their land from extreme weather. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: This is impressive.

It's a rare success story in Haiti.

HUGH LOCKE, SMALLHOLDER FARMERS ALLIANCE: This cooperative here in Gonaive has gone offline from external funding. And (inaudible) they have enough in the bank from earned income to cover their operation for the next year-and-a-half.

COUSTEAU: Today, they've invited me to plant trees with them. And it's all very well organized.

Farmer Philippe and I hand out the baby trees. And then we leave in a procession.

We're walking to one of the many hillsides. It's an area now prone to floods. The community volunteers to plant these trees and thousands of others in hopes they will one day protect their land from major storms.

When you get to the top of the hill, you can sense the excitement.

(on camera): Some of the kids already started to take my tree apart. They're clearly very excited about this.

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(voice-over): We plant our young trees by hand.

(on camera): This area has been giving the locals a lot of trouble during rain storms and hurricanes. There's been a lot of erosion and flash floods that come down here and so the locals have terraced the land and they've decided the key is to replant trees along here.

(voice-over): They may not look like much now, but there is hope here that they will become big and strong. And I can see the impact right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was Going Green: Earth, a great series.

Now for years, China has talked about going green, but this probably wasn't what they were thinking about. Now what looks like fields of green algae has sprung up along the coast near the northeastern city of Chingdao (ph) in Shandong Province. But that hasn't stopped beachgoers swimming in the slime. It is the seventh year running that this has happened.

But according to China's Xinhua News Agency this year the algae growth is the biggest ever recorded. At almost 29,000 square kilometers, it is actually slightly bigger than the country Albania.

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

END