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NEWS STREAM

Luis Suarez Going To Barcelona; German Outrage Continues Over U.S. Spying; Rocket Fired Into Israel from Lebanon; A Look At The World Cup Final; Music Unexpected Path For Brazilian Slums Kids

Aired July 11, 2014 - 8:00   ET

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


FIONNUALA SWEENEY, HOST: I'm Fionnuala Sweeney at CNN Center in Atlanta. Welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

Well, attacks and counter-attacks: civilians caught in the middle as Israel, Gaza and now Lebanon trade shots.

Luis Suarez is going to Barcelona. Liverpool have just agreed to sell the controversial star to the Spanish club.

And German outrage continues over revelations that the United States is spying on its ally.

Welcome. Hamas says it is ready for a very long battle with Israel. There have been more rocket attacks, more air strikes and more bloodshed.

A Palestinian ministry spokesman says the death toll in Gaza from Israeli airstrikes this week has now reached 100. He says 22 of the dead are

children.

And the conflict maybe widening. The Israel defense forces says a rocket was fired into northern Israel from southern Lebanon. Israel

responded with Artillery.

And according to Reuters news agency, Hamas is warning allies to stay away from Israel's main international airport. Let's got to CNN Diana

Magnay in southern Israel near the border with Gaza.

Diana, first of all what is the situation where you are?

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've been here for a few hours this morning, Fionnuala, and we've seen rockets firing

overhead and Israeli airstrikes. And normally what happens is when a rocket goes the Israeli defense forces can then identify where it came from

and take out that concealed rocket launcher, which is normally in an underground place.

But they do believe that Hamas has an arsenal of some 10,000 missiles, 100 of them or so, possibly a few more, are long range like the M-302,

which flew over Tel Aviv towards Haifa a few days ago manufactured in Syria. Shipped from Iran, the Israeli defense forces believe, these

missiles basically have a range across most of Israel.

So far, the Iron Dome missile defense shield has been extremely effective. We've seen various intercepts as we've been standing here.

Today, an intercept already over Tel Aviv today.

People there say, though, that the shrapnel from these intercepts lands on parts of the city and they've been advised that when the sirens

sound and they hear the intercepts to stay under cover for 10 minutes in case shrapnel continues to fall on them.

You mentioned this rocket that came over from Lebanon, just one, and we're hearing from Lebanese security have utilized two rockets and taken

away military -- confiscated military equipment from presumably where this was fired from. But that is an enormous concern for Israel.

Now, the idea that this fight might be shifting to two fronts. All the while, as you mentioned, Fionnuala, the death toll in Gaza from this

aerial bombardment continues, however precisely the Israelis say they are aiming there is considerable civilian loss of life, 100 dead so far, a

fifth of those are children. And the numbers just keep mounting as we stand here, Fionnuala.

SWEENEY: And as we've just heard, according to Reuters news agency Hamas is warning airlines to stay away from Israel's main international

airport. Of course Ben Gurion on the coast there just near Tel Aviv, really an indication, if ever one was needed, that Hamas rockets really do

have the capability now to go to Haifa almost, but certainly hit an airplane.

Again, it would be very much hit or miss, because technology really isn't on the side of Hamas, but what is really -- is it not correct to arm

their side is the fact that these are so random and that's what makes those rockets so dangerous.

MAGNAY: Well, exactly. What Hamas says it can do and what it actually has the technical capabilities to do are two quite different things. It

clearly has a huge arsenal of rockets. Whether it can actually target a plane in the sky is a completely different story.

It's a question, also, that most of these rockets that they continue to fire out are useless, land on open ground or are intercepted. And yet

in a way they want to prove that they have these kinds of capabilities.

We know that Ben Gurion airport was closed for 10 minutes earlier on. One plane coming from Poland was diverted and flew back to Poland. That is

the first time that the airport has been closed since this operations began.

But the operation looks as though it's going to last quite a long time. Benjamin Netanyahu has said that it will be complex, complicated and

tough and has asked his people to prepare for that eventuality as ground troops mass along the border, Fionnuala.

SWEENEY: And as Hamas said as well as we reported earlier, it's ready for a long battle, too.

Diana Magnay in Israel, thank you.

U.S. border patrol says it will stop busing Central American migrants to San Diego for now. The migrants were being transferred there from their

entry point in Texas, but that sparked a backlash in one southern California town where angry protesters blocked busloads of immigrants from

entering their community.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, U.S. lawmakers continue to argue about the best way to tackle what has become an urgent and overwhelming problem.

And while Washington deliberates, migrants continue to make that perilous journey from Central America and Mexico to the U.S. border.

Nick Parker caught up with one teenager as he prepared to head off in search of a better life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PARKER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 17-year-old Alex Giovanni Morsio (ph) is getting ready packing a kit with dark clothing that

is light enough to travel, but warm enough to keep out the cold at night. He's about to start a long and dangerous journey, crossing the border

illegally into the United States and leaving behind a tough life in Honduras.

"There is a lot of corruption, crime and gangs," he says. "You are forced to join the gangs. And if the government can't help you have to

leave."

Alex is staying in what's known as migrant hotel. This shelter took over an abandoned hotel around four years ago and now it can accommodate

200 migrants, children and adults. There's no electricity here, as you can see. And people are sleeping anywhere they can.

It's just two blocks from Mexicali's border crossing with the United States where the shelter collects donations.

Founder Sergio Tamaio (ph) has seen what he describes as a flood of children this year from all over Central America and Mexico looking to

reach the United States.

"We're really surprised. Why are they coming along?" He says. "They told us they believe they could get legal papers in the U.S. Smugglers had

spread the rumor."

This shelter also houses Mexican children who have been deported. 16- year-old Alexis Xavier (ph) has tried to cross six times in the last two years to be with his mother.

"This time they caught us in the mountains and we gave up because we ran out of water," he says. "We were dehydrated, starving and it was very

hot. We almost fainted."

Back at the migrant hotel, Alex says his hope has remained the same despite his dangerous journey.

"To get to the other side and see my family and help them," he says. "To prosper."

Both migrants, it seems, sharing a hard determination under a calm exterior.

Nick Parker, CNN, Mexicali, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: Well, for more now on the U.S. immigration crisis and the humanitarian crisis on the Texas-Mexico border, Alina Machado joins us live

with the Rio Grande behind her. She's in Texas.

Alina, can you give us a sense of just how great the humanitarian situation is where you are?

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fionnuala, we know that the crossings are happening. And we know that this particular area is seeing a

pretty substantial impact.

And I just want to point out that the closer you get to the river, the closer you get to the Rio Grande, the greater the law enforcement present

you see. And as you're about to see, that doesn't mean that they are able to keep up with everything that's going on here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACHADO (voice-over): This is the Rio Grande, nearly 1,900 miles long and now the battleground of an immigration crisis hitting the U.S. It's

where a flood of undocumented immigrants are crossing in Texas every single day. We wanted to get a firsthand look so we headed out on a boat with

Johnny Hart, who has lived on the river for more than three decades.

JOHNNY HART, TEXAS RESIDENT: It's just a routine deal when we're out here touring the river that we see the crossings.

MACHADO: It didn't take long for us to find a path used by undocumented immigrants to cross the river. A man in the heavy brush even

appears to hide from us.

HART: It's mainly adults that we see. Lately, in the last several months, it's been women and children.

MACHADO (on camera): You've seen them on this river?

HART: Yes.

MACHADO: On rafts?

HART: Yes.

MACHADO (voice-over): U.S. law enforcement boats, whether state or federal, are never too far away. But when they are, we see this, people on

rafts hurrying to cross the river. In this case, they seem to be headed back to Mexico after a drop-off on the U.S. side. While we can't say for

certain what they're up to, it's clear the men on the rafts are not happy to see us.

MACHADO (on camera): We wanted to see where those rafts were coming from. And just a few feet away, look at what we saw on the U.S. side,

several border patrol agents, two vehicles, and four people who appeared to be detained.

MACHADO (voice-over): Not long after, a bus shows up, perhaps suggesting more than just four were now in the hands of U.S. border patrol.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACHADO: Now remember the size of the raft that you saw in the story. We're told by locals that there have been cases where they have seen as

many as 12 people on one raft -- Fionnuala.

SWEENEY: And what happens to those immigrants who cross and are caught. We know there's the distinction to be made between those who come

from Mexico through Mexico, but others who come from Central American countries.

MACHADO: There's a lot of different factors that come into play, right, depending on where they're coming from, also the ages. We know with

the children many times they take the children. They'll put him in federal detention centers. And if they have family members in the U.S. They'll

try to make contact with those family members and then send them to wherever they are, whether they're in New York and Washington, D.C. It

doesn't matter where they are, they will try to send them there. And then those children are expected to go before immigration judges wherever they

may go -- Fionnuala.

SWEENEY: All right, a very vivid description there as we can see from your report. Alina Machado in Texas, thank you.

And coming up later here on CNN, we'll be taking an in depth look at the immigration crisis at the U.S. border. Michael Holmes hosting our

special coverage today at 18:30 in London, that's in about five hours from now.

And this just in, Luis Suarez is going to Barcelona. The controversial footballer's move away from Liverpool had been rumored for

weeks. Barcelona confirmed that Suarez will find a five year contract.

No transfer fee was disclosed by either club, but Suarez won't be able to play for Barcelona for a few months. You might remember he's serving a

four month ban from football for biting an opponent at the World Cup.

Suarez is no stranger to controversy. Indeed, that was the third time he'd bitten an opponent. But for all the trouble Suarez still is

undeniable. He matched the Premier League record with 31 goals last season and was named player of the season.

Well, more than four weeks of extraordinary football comes down to this. The World Cup final is this weekend. And after the break, we'll

take a look at what's in store when Germany and Argentina come face-to-face on the pitch.

And Brazil star striker Neymar may be out of the tournament, but he will certainly be watching Sunday's final. So which team do you think

he'll support? We'll tell you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SWEENEY: Well, it's the calm before the storm in Brazil. On Sunday, Germany take on Argentina for the World Cup. It pits Europe against South

America. The tournament's best team against the world's best player, Lio Messi. Players from both teams have been speaking about their hopes for

the final.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAXI RODRIGUEZ, ARGENTINA MIDFIELDER (through translator): This is our dream game. From the beginning when we were still in Buenos Aires, we

had been dreaming about this match and now it's almost within our reach. Winning this championship is the most important thing for us.

MIROSLAV KLOSE, GERMAN STRIKER (through translator): This will be a completely new match. And we have to give our best again. It is a final,

no doubt, and I know how (EXPLETIVE DELETED) to lose a final. I am full of confidence that this time it is actually our turn and that we are able to

win this game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: Well, you heard Germany's Miroslav Klose talking about how it felt to lose in a final. A decade ago, German football went through a

rare dark period. They crashed out of the European championships in the group stage.

German football journalist Raphael Honigstein talked to Alex Thomas a few days ago to explain how they turned their footballing fortunes around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAPHAEL HONIGSTEIN, GERMAN FOOTBALL JOURNALIST: They learned a lesson from those dark days and they completely overhauled the youth system. They

started investing a lot of money. They also changed the way they think about football. You know, it's become a lot more scientific. It used to

be very much about guts and passion and people would talk about leadership, all these intangibles that are nice to talk about when you're sitting with

a beer at home, but not really do anything when it comes to teaching a 10- year-old how to play football.

And Germany have switched, they've changed their outlook, they're much more professional, much more scientific. And I think you see the fruits of

that labor coming through the current generation 10 years after starting as 9, 10, 12-year-olds. They are now hitting the peak form. And Germany now

producing more players, along with Spain, of real quality than anybody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: And the results were so graphically illustrated when Germany beat Brazil 7-1. That humiliating defeat has plunged Brazilian football

into a crisis of its own. But while the national team suffers, as Fred Pleitgen shows us, football is still a source of hope for so many of

Brazil's poor children.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Playing in small tournaments with the hope of making it big. This is a social football

project in Rio called The Social Cup where a team from poor areas face off against each other.

The team of Andrea Rodriguez Defensipae (ph) who calls himself Andrezihno (ph) is in the final.

"My dream is to become a soccer pro," he says. "Ever since I was a kid I told my father that I want to play ball. Now I have to go and

achieve that dream."

Andrezinho (ph) has been billed as a major young talent. He even appeared in the video for the opening ceremony of the World Cup. But his

career is stalling. Andrezihno (ph) hasn't been signed by one of the major clubs yet and has to play in a team in his local slum.

"They say I won't play at a club level, because I don't have an agent," he says. "I don't have an agent and I play well, but there are

other boys who don't play well, but they have an agent and they always make it."

Youth talent development has become an issue in Brazil since the country's national team was routed by Germany in the World Cup semifinal,

leading some to ask whether Brazil is still a major talent producer.

Pretty much all of the kids playing here have professional dreams and aspirations, but only very few of them will actually make it in the end.

Many of them complain that the road to becoming a pro in Brazil is tough and often unfair.

According to Universidad de Futbol (ph), a group that promotes the sport in Brazil, for every child that reaches the pro level, around 6,000

fail. A talent scout at this event says it's important to focus on behavior off the field as much as a child's soccer skills.

MARCO REIS, SCOUT, FYD STRATEGIES AND CONSULTING: To make the parents understand that they shouldn't look at this is a ticket for me to get my

family out of here, this is an opportunity for your kid to realize their dream that he might have. And if he doesn't mean that he's going to make

this financial, you know, freedom that at least you accomplished something. And he can take that to other things in life.

PLEITGEN: For Andrezihno (ph) the odds are getting slimmer by the day while other players from his neighborhood have already signed with bigger

clubs, he's still waiting for his chance. But he vows he will fight to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional player.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: Interesting insight.

Well, Argentina will have an unusual supporter in the final. Neymar, Brazil's superstar saying he'll support his country's bitter rivals,

because of his teammates at club level.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEYMAR, BRAZILIAN STRIKER (through translator): I wish the best for both teams. I hope my teammates win. I have two teammates who play for

Argentina -- Messi and Mascherano. And I think for soccer for Messi's story to have accomplished so much I think he deserves to be champion. I

am cheering for him, because he is a friend and a teammate and I wish him a lot of luck.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: Well, Neymar missed Brazil's humiliating defeat to Germany because of course he broke a vertebrae in his back against Colombia. And

understandably he was just a little emotional when talking about how close he was to being seriously injured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEYMAR (through translator): God bless me on that play when I got hurt. If it was two centimeters more inside I could be in a wheelchair.

It's hard and complicated for me to talk about that play during such an important time of my career. It happened and we need to move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: He's a lucky man.

Well, Brazil still have one more match to go. They face The Netherlands on Saturday in the third place playoff.

Next on News Stream, an operation against the Taliban in Pakistan leads to a network of tunnels and a rare glimpse into the grand deep

underground. That story coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SWEENEY: Welcome back.

Intelligence sources in Pakistan say a U.S. drone strike killed at least six militants in north Waziristan on Thursday. It happened in the

midst of a major Pakistani operation to drive the Taliban out of the region. A CNN team traveled there with Pakistani forces for a rare glimpse

inside the insurgent group.

Saima Mohsin reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Miran Shah (ph), the largest town in North Waziristan deserted and destroyed. The CNN team has

driven to the nearby abandoned village of Marches (ph), heavily guarded by military forces.

Everyone is told not to stray from the group. The area hasn't been cleared of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, the signature bomb of the

militants here.

LT. COL. WAJAHAT, PAKISTANI ARMY: I think at the moment we are in the IED compound -- or we can call it workshop. It's a workshop in which we

have found around 700 cylinders of gas cylinders which was visibly used to make IEDs.

MOHSIN: Vehicles that would be driven across the country targeting civilians in cities and towns with their deadly payload. The team has

taken to a compound. Al Qaeda, the military says, has been using this as a base.

Down a series of steep steps within the compound, eerily dark and cold, a network of underground tunnels revealed by florescent torchlight, a

rare insight into the underbelly of the insurgency that plagues Pakistan, while hidden underground.

This is, the military explains, why it's hard to identify militant hideouts and tackle the Taliban or al Qaeda here. The compound isn't far

from a Pakistan army base.

MAJ. GEN. ASIM BAJWA, PAKISTANI MILITARY SPOKESMAN: It's a long, probably the longest that we've recovered so far. They say it is probably

kilometers. So you've just seen this tunnel. This is in that compound of al Qaeda. And there are rooms within the tunnel and there are people who

were living in these tunnels.

MOHSIN: Even the local mosque, a place of worship, hasn't bee spared of militants looking to conceal their deadly activities. The military says

they believe militants used this underground room here for training fighters. They point to these pamphlets in Arabic and Russian as evidence

-- manuals, they say, for making bombs.

Another series of steps lead up to a bookshelf that opens up like a door into a secret passageway.

BAJWA: (inaudible) and the village itself was known to be an al Qaeda and Uzbek stronghold. And this is an area, which has been cleared now.

MOHSIN: The military says 80 percent of Miran Shah (ph) and its surrounding areas have now been cleared of militants. It also says it's

killed hundreds of fighters, more than 400, yet no bodies have been collected. Their comrades take the dead with them, we're told.

Authorities say others have been captured alive, but we're not told where they're being held for questioning.

Despite this discovery and early gains, the military and Pakistan's government knows this is just one battle in the long war against the menace

of militancy.

Saima Mohsin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: You're watching News Stream. And still to come, how the group ISIS is getting fighters to join its cause.

And Angela Merkel's government says the U.S. and Germany need to rebuild trust after a top U.S. intelligence officer is expelled from Berlin

over new spying allegations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SWEENEY: I'm Fionnuala Sweeney at CNN Center in Atlanta. And you are watching News Stream. These are your world headlines.

Liverpool have agreed to sell Luis Suarez to Barcelona. No transfer fee was announced by the two clubs, but Suarez will not be able to play for

Barcelona for a few months. He's still serving a ban for biting an opponent at the World Cup.

Israel's aerial offensive in Gaza has so far killed 100 people, according to Palestinian officials. Palestinians saying 22 children are

among the dead. Israel says it's hit more than 700 Hamas targets since Monday.

On the other side of the border, rockets fired from Gaza are hitting southern Israel.

Germany's foreign minister says the U.S. and Germany need to work on rebuilding a partnership based on trust. His comments come after a top

U.S. intelligence officer was expelled from Berlin over new spying allegations. Two Germans were accused of spying for the United States in

the past week.

Kurdish forces have taken over two oil fields near Kirkuk in Iraq. Reuters sites the Iraqi foreign minister as saying the Kurdish political

bloc is cutting ties with the national government. This is apparently in protest of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's accusation that Kurds are

harboring militants in their capital.

Still, with Iraq near evidence is surfacing showing that ISIS is using brutal tactics to recruit new members. Senior international correspondent

Arwa Damon has details. And we have to warn you her report contains graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Within a week of taking over Mosul, ISIS began distributing flash drives and DVDs on the streets

and after prayers at the mosques, short clips with no narration.

"This is a video they are distributing," the woman's voice says, "to intimidate people."

A man's hand is seen hacked off. We are told other distributed videos show executions.

But despite the horror, ISIS continues to gather recruits, capitalizing on desperation and anger.

"My concern is just to protect Mosul. My family suffered a lot because of the security vacuum in the central government," this young man

from Mosul says believing that ISIS can save his city from what he perceives as being Iraq's sectarian army.

ISIS has also been reaching out to former al Qaeda members, some who broke ties with the organization trying to lure them back in and other

individuals who have specific skills through a campaign of threats and intimidation.

Iman (ph) who we reached via Skype in Turkey was a media activist in Aleppo when ISIS approached him in December.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They came to us and asked us to join them, you know, for their media office. They were like, you know, trying to get

professional people to work with them.

DAMON: He refused twice and then was briefly kidnapped, lucky enough to be released with a warning never to return.

Why are so many people joining them?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So they were like finding or creating the (inaudible) for the people. If you join us, you can revenge for your

beloved people.

DAMON: On an international scale, their campaign is even more formidable. Flick videos, specifically geared towards western extremists.

CHARLIE COOPER, THE QUILLIAM FOUNDATION: The Islamic State, because of it, is a lot more appealing ideologically and logistically --

politically it's a lot more powerful than it ever was before. And because of that it is more attractive to people. People want to go and fight for

something, which is successful. And Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, they'll get the idea that it is very successful.

DAMON: Its success for now cemented, arguably creating an unparalleled magnet for western jihadis centering around ISIS leader Abu

Bakar al-Baghdadi.

COOPER: They are really channeling the power that a cult of personality can have. This Islamic State is now where people are being

decapitated and crucified and having their hands cut off for crimes. This is a utopia for certain extremists.

And an unbearable nightmare for Syrians and Iraqis living under their rule.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Kabul as Afghanistan deals with a dispute over its presidential election. Kerry has

already met President Hamid Karzai. He's also met presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani who told him he supports the idea of an extensive audit of

last month's vote.

Well, Ghani's rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah is claiming fraud after provisional results showed him trailing in the vote

count. Kerry also plans to meet Abdullah.

The British Prime Minister David Cameron says emergency surveillance measures are necessary to keep Britain safe from criminals and terrorists.

He is urging the British parliament to fast track legislation to require telecommunications companies to hold on to users' phone and internet

records for a year.

The European Court of Justice said in April that companies didn't have to do that, but Mr. Cameron says this would deprive police and intelligence

agencies of critical information on potential terror threats.

Germany, meanwhile, is expelling America's top intelligence official stationed in the country. (inaudible) is furious over allegations that two

Germans were spying for the United States. One worked at a German intelligence agency, the other in the ministry of defense. Germany's

foreign minister says trust between both nations has been broken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Our decision to ask the current representative of the U.S. intelligence

services to leave Germany is the right decision, a necessary step and fitting reaction to the breach of trust, which has occurred. Taking action

was unavoidable in my opinion. We need and expect a relationship based on trust.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEEENEY: While German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she wants answers from Washington, CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more now on the spy row

between two super power allies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: The topic was supposed to be bilateral relations between Germany and Moldova. Instead, Chancellor Angela Merkel found herself

fielding questions on more allegations that the U.S. has been spying on her country.

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): If what we hear right now is true, I have to say that from my point of view spying on

allies is a waste of energy in the end. We have so many problems and I think we should focus on the important things.

PLEITGEN: Diplomatic words and Germany also quickly announced diplomatic consequences.

CLEMENS BINNINGER, CHAIRMAN, GERMAN PARLIAMENTARY CONTROL COMMITTEE (through translator): The federal government has asked the U.S.

intelligence services representative here in Germany to leave the country. This is in response to a continuous lack of cooperation on investigations

into a number of accusations.

PLEITGEN: The latest row could cause a major rift with one of the U.S.'s most important allies. Germany is Europe's largest economy. Angela

Merkel supports Washington's position in the Ukraine crisis and has been trying to negotiate a settlement with Vladimir Putin.

Germany is also key in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and various Middle East issues. Experts say damaged relations with Germany

would be a big blow to the United States.

QUENTIN PEEL, SENIOR FELLOW, CHATHAM HOUSE: The Germans, and Angela Merkel in particular, they are the most important partners for America in

Europe. This is the biggest economy, clearly, but also increasingly politically the most important country. And this whole row is really

poisoning the relationship.

PLEITGEN: Relations with Germany are already suffering following the revelations of leaker Edward Snowden that the NSA had hacked Angela

Merkel's phone. She's already under pressure at home. Many Germans want her to toughen her stance against the U.S.

These latest allegations will make it even harder for Europe's most powerful politician to justify close ties with the Obama administration.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: Well, staying with this story, the U.S. State Department says it is making overtures to Berlin to ease tensions. The White House

declined to comment on the grounds of protecting American national security.

But one year ago when those documents leaked by Edward Snowden indicated the U.S. was allegedly spying on its allies, President Obama said

then, quote, "I guarantee you that in European capitals, there are people who are interesting in, if not what I had for breakfast, at least what my

talking points might be should I end up meeting with their leaders. T hat is how intelligence services operate."

Switching gears now, football fans are gearing up for the World Cup final this weekend. After the break, we look back at the most memorable

moments of this tournament. And at what we can expect from the final.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: Well, after a month of football, we are nearing the end of the World Cup. Just two matches remaining and just two countries hoping to

lift the trophy on Sunday -- Argentina and Germany.

So, ahead of the final, Amanda Davies and Alex Thomas reflected on the tournament.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: There's only one way to spend a rest day, really, isn't there, sitting on the beach with a coconut

looking ahead to the final.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It's my first coconut of the World Cup actually.

You were there for a moment of history in Belo Horizonte when the semifinals took a very unexpected turn to say the least.

DAVIES: Yeah, I've come back to a very different Rio to the one I left, I suppose. This is still a country kind of reeling from what

happened in Belo Horizonte.

It wasn't just the defeat to Germany it was the scale of the defeat, the timing of the defeat and the fact that it was at this World Cup that

Brazil had set their sights on winning. How on Earth they will pick themselves up to play, even run out onto the pitch on Saturday for that

third place playoff.

THOMAS: What was it like in the stadium?

DAVIES: Incredible, bizarre, the strangest atmosphere I think I've ever been part of in football from the incredible high of the most stunning

national anthem rendition I've ever heard to utter silence and desolation in half an hour.

THOMAS: I know you were traveling back during the second semifinal between Argentina and Netherlands -- don't worry, you didn't miss anything,

except for a penalty shootout. I think there were three shots on target over 90 minutes, no goals, whereas the night before there had been 25 shots

on target and eight goals, of course.

DAVIES: There's no doubt a fantastic final, isn't, but we were sitting after the group stages and said this is course to be the best

tournament in World Cup history. The quarterfinals let us down, but what do you reckon are we back on track now after the semis?

THOMAS: Yeah. I think if you're not a Brazilian you look at that historic victory from Germany, but generations will remember. It will go

down in World Cup history as the most astonishing 29 minutes in football history. And for me that has just cemented this as one that will stand out

when you look back over World Cups in recent living memory. And also, we're guaranteed, I think, a fantastic storyline no matter who wins the

final.

DAVIES: This is the moment you would say that makes or breaks Lionel Messi, isn't it? Is this his opportunity to finally step up and be put

there in the pantheon of the greatest footballers of all time?

THOMAS: Or can the Germans become the European side to win in the Americas anywhere.

DAVIES: Who are you going to put your money on?

THOMAS: I've stuck with Argentina throughout. You know how we always get asked for our predictions before these events.

The Germans are going to have a bit of a hangover. Do you know what? Although they've had an extra day's rest, someone look back and found out

that since 1990 the team that played later (inaudible) later has only lost the final once and that was in 2006.

DAVIES: I'm going to disagree. I'm going to go Germany, because I think the manner of their victory they were just majestic. They were so

incisive, they were so dominant despite the weight of expectations and pressure acting against them and they've been so close yet so far in all

the recent tournaments. I'm going to put my money on Germany to take home the World Cup.

THOMAS: Want to wager another coconut?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: Well, as Amanda and Alex said, the final could be pivotal for the legacy one Lio Messi. He's where -- it is worth nothing how close

he is to following in the footsteps of his idol Diego Maradona. Both players are hailed as among the greatest of all time, but it was winning

the World Cup in 1986 that sealed Maradona' place among the greats.

He turned 26 years of age that year. Messi has just turned 27. So they're roughly the same age. In 1986, Maradona scored five goals en route

to the final. 28 years on, Messi has four.

There are many similarities between the two, but there's also a significant difference, Maradona was a successful player at Club level, but

Messi has won virtually every trophy in club football. His list of honors is so impressive that it only serves to highlight what is missing: The

World Cup.

Well, far from the FIFA spotlight in Rio de Janeiro's favelas, something unexpected is taking center stage: classical symphonies.

Well, for many students there Vivaldi and Mozart are more than grace notes. The old masters of music are providing and unconventional path out

of the slums. Isa Soares takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT; With a strumming of a chord, this group of young musicians are challenging stereotype: they'

playing Pachelbel's Canon, it's a sound you would expect this poor neighborhood, least of all played by these favela residents at this

community school which relies on funding from private donations and concert tickets.

This young teacher tells me, "we have had around 300 students come through here. Besides this group, we have 11 other spread out throughout

different communities in Rio. Of those 300, 25 have already graduated from university and roughly 30 teach or live off music."

Getting here has taken years of hard work, practice and commitment. Many of them have given up along the way only to return once more and face

the music in the hope that this provides them with a way out.

Jose Carlos Vidal is one of those who has managed to escape the stereotype of the slums. He gave up Brazil's national obsession with

football and began playing the cello at 8 years of age, a decision that at a time brought him much ridicule from his friends. He tell me.

"I learned to undo and put an end to the history of the majority of people who live in favelas which is to reproduce what you see. Soon my

family with myself and my brother put a stop to this stereotype. The world," he says, "looks different to us now. And I think music has helped

with this."

Today, he's a trained musician playing all around the world, but despite his success he continues to return to teach in his community,

giving up his free time and passing on the same values that he learned along the way. He tells me, "your situation doesn't determine your future.

You can do whatever you want as long as you give your all. Of course I had other dreams," he says, "but music slowly came into my life and called me.

Today I'm a musician instead of me picking the music, the music picked me."

A belief that certainly strikes a chord with this talented crowd.

Isa Soares, CNN, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: Beautiful. Well, just how beautiful will the weather be for that third place match at the World Cup on Saturday. Mari Ramos is at the

World Weather Center with the answer.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Hey, yeah, that's right the answer. The music was beautiful, too.

You know what, I think we're going to be OK. I think we're going to be OK.

Temperatures not too bad. It is raining right now in Rio, by the way, but I think for Sunday we should be OK. But for Saturday as we head into

Brasilia -- did I put the right one? Yeah, Brazil and Netherlands we're looking at partly to mostly cloudy skies, a high of 24. So you know what,

that's not too bad. A little bit on the warm side, but compared to some of the temperatures we've had across some of those other cities and even in

Brasilia for some of the other matches, I think we're going to be all right.

So, you know, figures crossed, very exciting weekend coming up.

Now, let's go ahead and switch gears and talk about some potentially dangerous weather. Just over the last few days we've been talking of

course about Neoguri, that tropical cyclone for awhile, remember? This is the track that the storm took and headed toward Japan.

Well, we have a new storm that's forming and it's called Rammasun and it's way out here still affecting right now Guam and Saipan in the southern

portions of the Mariana Islands are also being affected by this. This storm is expected to take a somewhat different track. And you can see that

track right over here. And if you're watching from the Philippines right now you're saying, what? Here we go again, a typhoon.

Remember that tropical cyclones can happen in this part of the world any time of the year as we've seen in the past, but they tend to be

stronger and they tend to be more frequent as we head into the peak of the summer months. So, end of July as we head into August and definitely into

September.

So, here is Rammasun now. You can see it right there right over the island. As it continues to track to the west there's a lot of warm water

here and a lot of favorable conditions for it to continue developing, that's why we think it's not only going to continue intensifying, we also

think it's going to continue heading toward the west.

Now the margin of error, the farther out we go, you can see it gets very large. It could be southern parts of Taiwan, or it could be far south

as the central Philippines. We'll have to see what happens.

The typhoon could have winds close to 200 kilometers per hour by the time it gets there. And I say could because a lot can change between now

and five days from now.

So, for now, just remember keep an eye on it and be prepared just in case you are in the path of this storm system or any storm system know what

you're going to do and know what your vulnerabilities in your own communities are and how to prepare.

In the meantime across east Asia watch out for an enhancement of the rain right here, especially for Shanghai, even the potential for some

flooding in that part of the world.

And I want to switch gears and show you something really, really cool. You're thinking space junk, what are you talking about? Well, look at this

Fionnuala, this is a picture that Regular Steven, that's his name on Twitter, took from the parking lot of a building in Melbourne. He didn't

know what it was. He said it looked very interesting and it didn't make a sound. At first he thought it was some sort of a weird chem trail coming

from an airplane, but no, it turned out to be a piece of space junk.

And you know what it was? It was the Soyuz, the remnants of the third stage of the Soyuz as it was coming down to Earth, burning up in the

atmosphere, left that beautiful trail there over the sky. Some people did get scared, but you know what, no harm done. It look nice.

And one more thing that I want to tell you about as we head into the weekend. If you're lucky enough to be in New York City or you just like

this kind of stuff it's Manhattan henge time. I don't know if you've ever heard of this, but basically this brings all kinds of mystery to the city,

so to speak.

It's kind of like Stonehenge. They call it Manhattanhenge is when the son as it sets aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid. So what

ends up happening is when you're facing west in Manhattan, the sun will be perfectly aligned. And that happens tonight at 8:24 p.m. local time and

then again on Saturday at 8:25 p.m. So if you are there make sure you look west and watch out for some awesome pictures as we head through the next

couple of days.

SWEENEY: How cool is that? All right, thank you. Lots going on this weekend.

All right, Mari Ramos, we leave it there thank you.

And still to come on News Stream, we'll have the emotional story of an elephant who cried tears of joy after being freed from 50 years in

captivity.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SWEENEY: An elephant crying real tears is making people smile. The story of a chained elephant crying as he was rescued has gone viral. They

appear to be tears of joy as he tasted freedom for the first time. Sumnima Udas paid him a visit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDEN: Fifty year-old Raju bobs his head relentlessly. His caretakers say it's a sign of the trauma

he's had to endure. He was shackled and abused for five decades. Even though he's now in a safe house with almost a dozen other rescued

elephants, they say he's not quite sure how to react to his new surroundings.

Raju is still very uncomfortable with human beings, so this is the closest I can get to him, but this is one way to train captive elephants --

with positivity and treats.

Rescuers say he was poached and sold on and on, and may have had up to 27 owners. Forced to work as a begging prop, sometimes he would be rented

out for Indian weddings. To keep him under control, his owners allegedly starved and beat him.

KARTICK SATYANARAYAN - CO-FOUNDER, WILDLIFE SOS: I know it's going to be hard to believe but these are not from a torture chamber, they are

actually things we took off Raju. Each on of these, these spears that you see here were actually used constantly every single day to actually spear

him when he wouldn't listen. And these spikes, he's worn them for the last 50 years of his life.

UDAS: After investigating Raju's case for more than a year, Kartick Satyanarayan and his team from Wildlife SOS rescued Raju last week. They

entered his enclosure on the side of the road in the middle of the night, images of what happened next have gone viral.

SATYANARAYAN: He had these huge gushes of liquid coming out of his eyes and just pouring down on either side of his cheek.

UDAS: The rescue operation took 8 hours. As Raju was unchained, Satyanarayan says he cried again.

DR. YADURAJ KHADPEKAR, SENIOR VETERINARY OFFICER: It's okay for the elephants to have some tears, but he was weeping there was so much tears

coming out of his eyes.

UDAS: But can elephants actually cry, show emotions? KHADPEKAR: Yes, of course elephants are very emotional and they're very intelligent. They show their emotions as we do, as people do.

UDAS: Wildlife SOS has rescued thousands of animals, including 11 elephants. Those who've been rehabilitated walk around freely. Some 3,000

elephants remain in captivity though, in India alone.

In a country where the majority of Indians still live in impoverished circumstances, animals, for the most part, have yet to become a priority.

GEETA SESHAMANI, CO-FOUNDER, WILDLIFE SOS: I think the biggest challenge is the mindset of the people who deal with captive elephants here. They

justify almost every kind of cruelty that is practiced against captive elephants on ground of tradition.

UDAS: As for Raju, these experts say it will take years for him to learn to accept the kindness of human beings. He's still half the weight he

should be, but for now, at last, he's free.

Sumnima Udas, CNN, India.

(END VIDEOATPE)

SWEENEY: And all the best of luck to him.

Well, from one rescue to another, this time on the shores of Australia. A young humpback whale found itself stranded on a gold coast

beach for 38 hours. It took five attempts before the baby whale finally swam away, there you go, into the horizon, but not without waving its

flippers goodbye at the rescuers.

A happy ending.

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

END