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New Police Tactics Ease Tensions In Missouri; Ukrainian Troops Inspect Russian Humanitarian Aid Trucks; Nuri al-Maliki Steps Down as Prime Minister; Yazidi Iraqis Claim Non-ISIS Neighbors Participated In Looting

Aired August 15, 2014 - 8:00   ET

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


AMARA WALKER, HOST: I'm Amara Walker at CNN Center. Welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

Ukraine inspects a convoy of trucks that Russia says is carrying aid hours after Russian armored personnel carriers were reportedly seeing

crossing the border.

Plus, a break in a Iraq's political deadlock, but can a new leader bring the country back from the brink?

And calm returns to Ferguson, Missouri. A look at what's being done to address racial tensions after the police shooting of an unarmed teen.

We begin now with major developments along Ukraine's border with Russia. Russian armored personnel carriers are set to have crossed over

during the nighttime hours.

Now this as Ukrainian border guards get their first look at what's on board those Russian trucks that Moscow says are carrying aid for Ukrainian

civilians. The reported sighting of the Russian military vehicles came from Ukraine's counter terrorism operation. A spokesman from the unit told

CNN that a number of them are spotted crossing the border from Russia overnight.

Now Ukrainian border guards in the meantime are in Russia examining the contents of a huge convoy of aid trucks. Kiev suspects this mission

could be a camouflaged effort to smuggle supplies to pro-Russian rebels.

Let's get more now from CNN's Will Ripley. He joins me live from Kiev.

Will, do we know what was found inside these trucks?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that the inspection team from Ukraine has been working now for several hours. And on the

ground and the new pictures that are coming in show that while the trucks do seem to contain some amounts of humanitarian aid, a lot of the trucks

appear to be nearly empty, which of course raises the question why would Russian send a convoy from Moscow of trucks that are nearly empty?

In the meantime, you also have the Ukrainian government verifying the observation of a number of western journalists on the ground right now that

this convoy of armored personnel carriers, which were essentially tanks on wheels that are used to send troops and supplies into the battlefield,

these APCs were seen crossing from Russia into Ukraine overnight.

And the Ukrainian government believes that they may be headed to battle ravaged Luhansk where rebel forces have lost most of the territory

that they held recently. Some estimates are they control now just 20 percent of what they used to. And the journalists and the Ukrainian

government say what was observed in those armored personnel carriers, Amara, were men in military uniforms.

So this now explains some of the skepticism from the Ukrainian government here in Kiev about this Russian aid convoy, because they've been

saying for months now that they believe Russia has been funneling supplies and weapons to these pro-Russian rebels, which has prolonged this deadly

fighting. And then they wonder what the intentions are of Moscow while also trying to publicly appear that they're sending humanitarian aid to

help the civilians who are suffering and dying as a result of this conflict.

WALKER: Yeah, if these trucks are empty it makes you wonder if this humanitarian aid convoy was being used as a possible distraction as these

APCs were being brought over the border as it has been reported.

Let's talk about the fighting that we're seeing, the Ukrainian military stepping up its offensive. And you also had a rebel leading in

Luhansk resigning. Ukraine gaining the upper hand. What's the latest?

RIPLEY: Yeah, the Ukrainian military certainly does believe that they've gained the upper hand here and the fighting is extremely intense as

it has been for several days now. 25 battles reported in the last 24 hours, shelling in all areas of Donestsk, 11 civilians killed just

overnight, 15 civilians killed yesterday, including three children when there was shelling at a bus stop.

So certainly the military confrontation appears to be escalating. Two key rebel leaders have stepped down just this week, one in Luhansk, as you

mentioned, the other in Donetsk, which may be a sign that their power structure is collapsing. And then another reason why, you know, there's

suspicion about this convoy coming from Russian heading towards one of the hardest hit areas where the rebels are struggling. Is this an attempt to

somehow send in more help for these pro-Russian separatists as they fight an estimated 50,000 Ukrainian soldiers right now.

WALKER: OK, Will Ripley with the latest there from Kiev. Thank you, Will.

Well the U.S. and UN are welcoming Iraqi prime minister Nuri al- Maliki's decision to step aside. He made the announcement Thursday after weeks of pressure form inside Iraq and around the world. It's hoped his

successor Haider al-Abadi will be able to form a more inclusive government and help end the threat from ISIS militants.

Nick Paton Walsh has the details from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Last night, after days of pressure, Nuri al-Maliki finally accepting what many said was the

inevitable, appearing on state television flanked by Shia politicians and accepting, yes, that he would step down as the prime minister, a post he's

held for eight years, many accusing him pretty much since the American left town of fomenting sectarian division, marginalizing the Sunni minority here

in Iraq.

But he appeared on television and handed power to Haider al-Abadi, the prime minister designate, a man who now has 26 days to get a cabinet

together. A huge task for Mr. al-Abadi, welcomed to the post by Washington, but still now having to heal the division between the Sunnis

who in many say have been so disenfranchised by Baghdad and its central government that it allowed ISIS militants to move across the north of this

country.

Al-Abadi has to make the Sunnis feel included in that government, he has to make the Kurds work with Baghdad if he's going to present that kind

of unified face that the west wants to see if they're to provide greater military aid to assist the Iraqi army in their pretty difficult fight now

to push ISIS militants back.

We heard from Mr. al-Abadi in some statements this morning saying that the road ahead of me is hardly paved with roses. But if we all pull

together, perhaps we have a chance to do this. It's difficult. The Sunnis are still very angry. They haven't come together openly to embrace his

leadership yet, but there are real hopes both outside and inside of Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: And let's take a closer look now at the man tapped as Iraq's next leader. Now before his nomination Haider al-Abadi was deputy speaker

of the country's parliament. He belongs to the same Shia political party as Nuri al-Maliki.

And after the fall of Saddam Hussein, al-Abadi served as communications minister under the provisional government and was elected to

the current parliament in 2005.

But as you heard from Nick Paton Walsh there, al-Abadi has a huge task ahead of him.

This is News Stream. Still to come here this hour, it was a very different seen in Ferguson Missouri Thursday. Officials promised change in

response to protests after a police shooting left an unarmed African- American teenager dead.

And the death toll from the Ebola virus climbed higher as the outbreak sparks a controversy in the sports world.

Plus, Pope Francis preaches peace to young Catholics in South Korea as he continues his first papal visit to Asia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Police in Ferguson say they will soon identify the officer who was behind the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager in the

United States. There have been protests and vigils across the U.S. in solidarity with victim Michael Brown and the demonstrations in Ferguson.

The hacking group Anonymous called for a day of rage, but the mood in the town where Brown died was noticeably different on Thursday. Racially

charged protests following the teenager's death were violent at first, but on Thursday well there was a new calm in Ferguson, a new police forces is

in charge of crowd control there. And the man leading the effort is a local African-American.

Let's get more now from Ana Cabrera. She joins us live from Ferguson, Missouri.

Ana, you know, the changes we've been seeing -- hugs and smiles between the protests and law enforcement. It sounds like a pretty drastic

change from past days.

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. What a difference some new policing tactics, a new tone are making here in this community, Amara.

Very different from what we've seen over the past several days. The past 24 hours could be the turning point in this story.

We're outside that burned out Quick Trip. This has been sort of ground zero, as many people are calling it, where we've seen the unrest

over several days of protests, where we saw chaos here on Wednesday night. But not last night. Protesters here were peaceful. They basically policed

themselves. We didn't see all those armored vehicles and the police pointing their guns at protesters. Protesters left on their own accord.

And so they tell us they finally feel like their voices are being heard and for the first time in almost a week they finally have hope that

justice is coming.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHANTING)

CABRERA (voice-over): Calls for justice, peace, and answers. Anger and frustrations ravaging this community for days, finally calming after nearly

a week of unrest following the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands up!

CROWD: Don't shoot!

CABRERA: Control over Ferguson's security now the responsibility of Missouri state troopers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There it comes. They're firing on to the crowd.

CABRERA: After chaos broke out Wednesday night, police firing tear gas, smoke bombs and rubber bullets into the crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't do it!

CABRERA: Overnight, no riot gear, no armored vehicles, no machine guns. Leading the charge is Ferguson local, Captain Ron Johnson, walking

amongst the protesters, at times embracing them, telling CNN's Don Lemon he pledges to protect the community without gas masks, listen to them, and

give them answers.

CAPT. RON JOHNSON, MISSOURI HIGHWAY PATROL: I think they know that what I'm telling them is true, and my feelings are true and my feel

feelings are honest. And that I made a promise, and I made a promise about integrity. Integrity is something I can't get back. Trust is something

that's hard to gain but easy to lose, and I think I've got their trust and I am going to do everything I can to maintain their trust.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good afternoon, everybody.

CABRERA: President Obama calling for an end against excessive used by police against peaceful protests, as did Missouri governor Jay Nixon,

vowing to repair trust between residents and police.

GOV. JAY NIXON (D), MISSOURI: Ferguson will not be defined as a community that was torn apart by violence. It will be known as a community

that pulled together to overcome it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we want ?

CROWD: Justice!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do want it ?

CROWD: Now!

CABRERA: Many saying the calm in the wake of the past days' chaos is because only now their voices are finally being heard and that leaders are

listening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People out here feel that, because of those actions, that we're being able to freely express our grief, freely express

our freedoms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a different feel. There's not as much tension, but I feel a great positive force that's in the air. There's a lot

of hope here.

CABRERA: This, as police announcing they will release the name of the officer who shot Michael Brown today. And new video emerging from moments

after the shooting, showing Michael Brown's body lying uncovered in the street, his uncle pushed away while crowds at the scene yelled at police

that Brown did nothing wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With hands up.

CABRERA: Brown's family attending a protest vigil at the St. Louis arch, later telling CNN's Wolf Blitzer they wanted to be surrounded by

peace as they try to grieve.

ERIC DAVIS, MICHAEL BROWN'S COUSIN: We haven't had time really to grieve much. It's been a very long, stressful time. We don't really have

many answers to what occurred on that day and she can't rest as a result of not knowing everything that occurred on that evening.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Again, the headline today the police chief telling me he will release the name of the officer involved in the shooting death of

Michael Brown. That should happen in the next few hours.

So, we will have one answer to a big question that has been on many minds and that is who killed the unarmed teenager? But Amara, it could

still be weeks, possibly months, before we know why.

WALKER: You know, I know that a lot of the concern was around the security of this police officer who was behind the shooting. Are police

prepared for what may come once the name has been released? And what about this police officer and his family? Are they going to be stepping up

security for them?

CABRERA: Most likely, yes. They aren't saying specifically what security measures have been taken, but I asked that same question to the

police chief this morning when I had a chance to talk to him. And he said we have been preparing for this day when we release his name, especially

knowing how hot this issue is and how people in this community do have a lot of anger towards that officer, especially not knowing the answer of

why. And so he said they've taken the appropriate precautions where they feel comfortable enough that his safety is secured, and again after a night

of rest, a night of calm, again this community is beginning to heal just enough where perhaps it's not such an explosive situation, Amara.

WALKER: Yeah, well the protesters' voices are clearly being heard as this identify of this police officer is ready to be released.

Ana Cabrera with the very latest there from Missouri. Thank you, Ana.

And one of the biggest issues here as you heard from Ana is what protesters describe as the heavy-handed tactics and the heavy duty weapons

that were used by police. All this is sparking a debate and outrage from some civil liberties advocates about why a local police department had

access to military style weaponry in the first place.

Radly Belko, author of a book on the militarization of America's police forces explained just how these local police end up with this kind

of equipment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RADLEY BALKO, WASHINGTON POST: It began informally under the Reagan administration. It was then turned into a formal program by Congress in the

1990s. And the thinking was that we need to fight the drug wars; really the drug war that motivated this. We need to fight the drug war as if it were a

literal war. And so part of doing that was making this surplus military equipment available.

And you know, the equipment is bad -- I think it's problematic not just because of the gear itself, but also the mentality, I think, that it

fosters in police officers. When you're dressed like a cop -- or excuse me, when you're dressed like a soldier and trained like a soldier and armed

like a soldier and trained in military tactics and told that you're fighting a war, whether it's a war on crime or war on drugs or war on

terror, at some point you're going to start to take that literally and start to assume the mind-set of a soldier. And a soldier's mind-set just

isn't appropriate -- you know, appropriate in domestic policing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: But Ferguson's police chief defended his department and said that his team was simply doing its job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TOM JACKSON, FERGUSON, MISSOURI POLICE: The whole picture is being painted a little bit sideways from what's really happening and it's

not military it's tactical operations it's SWAT teams, that's who is out there, police, we're doing this in blue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And later in the show we'll look at how social media is affecting events in Ferguson after that fatal police shooting.

All right, now I want to update you on Luis Suarez. He is still banned from playing football, but Barcelona's big signing has finally

trained with his teammates for the first time.

Suarez is still serving a four month ban after biting an opponent at the World Cup. He was originally banned from all football activities, but

on Thursday a court said he is allowed to train and play in friendly matches.

The first time Suarez is allowed to play a competitive match for Barcelona will be on October 26 when they take on their hated rivals Real

Madrid.

You are watching News Stream. Reaction to the Ebola outbreak, causes a controversy in the sport's world. We'll have the details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Welcome back.

Pope Francis reaffirmed his message of peace and friendship while addressing thousands of young Catholics from South Korea and the rest of

Asia.

It is one of the main reasons for his visit, the number of young people joining the Catholic church there is growing. Before that, he said

mass in South Korea's World Cup stadium for Asian youth day celebrations. He also met with some victims of the Sewol Ferry disaster and agreed to

baptize the father of one of the students who died.

In the next hour, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is set to hold a news conference on the Ebola

outbreak?in West Africa. It comes after the World Health Organization warns that the magnitude of the Ebola Crisis has been vastly

underestimated. The agency reported the death toll from the outbreak has climbed to 1,069. It says extraordinary measures are needed to contain the

deadly disease.

Well, many cities around the world are on alert for the Ebola virus. Nanjing in China, which is hosting this year's summer youth Olympics is one

of them. The International Olympic Committee released a statement a few hours ago saying it's banning athletes from Ebola hit countries in West

Africa from competing in combat sports and in the pool.

Kristie Lu Stout has more now on how this epidemic is affecting the games.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A deep concern over the Ebola outbreak has reached here in Mainland China in Nanjing, host

of the 2014 Youth Olympic Games. 3,500 young athletes from all around the world are here to compete, but not the teams from two countries: Liberia

and Sierra Leone, two West African nations currently battling the deadly outbreak.

In fact, the International Olympic Committee has told CNN that both teams are not here to compete. In fact, both teams never arrived in

Nanjing.

And the Sierra Leone Yough Olympic delegation told the Associated Press that they were told by the Chinese embassy not to come to China due

to concern over Ebola.

UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: I think they should have come, but it's a great experience. So I wouldn't -- I would have come.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is very much unfair, because, OK, not all the participants are affected with Ebola.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's -- man, that's depressing, right? I hope no one has really got anything too bad. I hope they're all right. But

that's a real shame, because it's like I said absolutely fantastic here.

LU STOUT: The International Olympic Committee says it is working with the relevant authorities to find the right approach under the guidelines of

the World Health Organization. In a statement, the IOC says this, quote, "we clearly need to balance the safety of all the participants with the

rights of the young athletes from the countries affected. We regret that some will not be able to compete and we understand they are suffering twice

with the outbreak in their country and then not being able to take part.

With thousands of young athletes living in close quarters here at the youth Olympic village, authorities here are not taking any chances.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Nanjing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Well, new insights into actor Robin Williams' struggle with depression. In a statement Thursday, his widow said Williams was sober in

his last days and that he was actually in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease. She says he wasn't ready to make the diagnosis public.

Parkinson's is known to cause depression even in people who have never had it before. Williams was found dead Monday in an apparent suicide.

You are watching News Stream. Still ahead, as ISIS fighters advance across Iraq, the UN refugee agency says it's struggling to cope with the

thousands of families fleeing the violence.

And these Israeli demonstrators are demanding tougher action against Palestinian militants. Just ahead, we take a look at what Gazans want.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: I'm Amara Walker at CNN Center. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has stepped aside. He says Iraq's future now lies in the hands of his successor Haider al-Abadi. The west

hopes al-Abadi will form a more inclusive government to help propel the advance of ISIS militants across the country.

A Ukrainian official says several Russian armored personnel carriers were seen crossing into Eastern Ukraine overnight. While CNN has been told

this does not amount to a Russian invasion, it will not help to ease the tensions between the two countries. Kiev is also watching a convoy of

Russian trucks on its way to eastern Ukraine. Moscow says the trucks are carrying aid, but Ukraine is now inspecting what's inside to make sure.

Police in Missouri say as early as today they'll release the name of the officer who fatally shot unarmed teenager Michael Brown. Protesters in

the town of Ferguson have been demanding as much since the incident happened. The crowds have calmed after the state highway patrol took

charge of security from local authorities.

In Pakistan, clashes broke out Friday as tens of thousands of protesters converged on the capital of Islamabad. News reports say gunfire

hit the vehicle of opposition politician Imran Khan as he lead his supporters through an eastern city. A spokeswoman says Khan was not

injured. Khan has called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to stand down.

Well, the advance of ISIS militants is creating a massive refugee crisis in Iraq. The United Nations estimates that more than 400,000 people

have been driven from their homes since June.

Ivan Watson joins us now from the Zacco (ph) region of Iraq close to the Turkish and Syrian borders.

And I Know these people, Ivan--

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amara.

WALKER: Go ahead.

WATSON: Yeah, I'm just going to interrupt. Like here's the kind of conditions. This family here, they have this makeshift tarp that just blew

over in the hot wind here. It's like a -- having a blow dryer just pointed at your face, you know, and they're trying to put it back up and you've got

little kids that are, you know, this is a family of 14 to 18 people who have all been made homeless and these are kind of conditions that people

are living in here.

Everybody tells you roughly similar harrowing stories of having to flee their homes in a matter of minutes or perhaps an hour with little more

than the clothes on their backs, because ISIS militants were moving into their town and most of the people here come form the Yazidi religious

minority, a minority that's not much tolerated by the hard-line interpretation of Islam, of the ISIS militants.

What's even more disturbing is that everybody we've talked to from this community and from some of the Iraqi Christian communities that we've

talked to, they say that their Arab neighbors, that Arab's from neighboring villages, when ISIS moved in they joined in in threatening people and in

stealing their possessions, in some cases at checkpoints, robbing people of their gold and few precious belongings as they tried to flee, or as their

cars.

Now on a positive note, there is a rapid effort to provide temporary housing for the hundreds of thousands of people who have left since the

ISIS militants moved in to parts of northern Iraq on August 2 and 3. We've seen this tent city sprout up in a matter of two or three days and now even

signs that some kind of rudimentary plumbing will be put in. So that's a positive note here, Amara.

But just imagine for what it's like for families here. There's one family I met. They have a baby that's six days old. The little girl was

born when they were hiding on Sinjar Mountain from the ISIS militants. They are planning to call the baby Hajar (ph), which loosely translates to

exile and is probably a fitting name for somebody whose been born in this tumultuous period that has left so many hundreds of thousands of people

uprooted and fearful for their future -- Amara.

WALKER: Yeah, so many harrowing stories that we are hearing.

Let me ask you this, because you filed these powerful pieces of these Yazidi families escaping from Mount Sinjar, and you profiled this family

who said that they lost their father while the ISIS militants were advancing in Sinjar. Are you hearing more stories like that where people

are reuniting with family members? I know this family you profiled got a phone call from their father. Is that the exception? Are you hearing any

more positive stories like this?

WATSON: Unfortunately, I hear more negative stories than positive ones. A family I talked to across the border in Syria yesterday at a

refugee camp that's been established in a Kurdish controlled enclave there, they're missing their adult son since they basically fled their hometown.

And they called his phone and somebody else answered the phone identifying himself as ISIS and giving them a very cruel and ominous message, "whoever

we capture we kill."

Imagine what it's like for somebody to hear that when they call their brother or their son's phone.

And I will argue -- I would bet money that under every one of these tents you will hear similar frightening harrowing stories, other people who

tell me that they saw loved ones laid to rest in a pocket of shade as they performed a force march from Sinjar Mountain across miles of desert to

neighboring Syria to escape and people succumbed to the heat and the dehydration of just -- it's really, really, really hot out here. And for

little kids and old people to go marching through this heat to safety is a terrible thing to try to even imagine.

At a medical clinic we were at yesterday, the chief health problems that people were being treated with were two. There were a bunch of

toddlers who were suffering from dehydration and who were on IV drips, and then they were treating people who were coming in with their feet ripped

open from that long forced march through the desert.

So this has been a really hard to imagine experience that hundreds of thousands of people have gone through in the last week or so. The people

we're seeing on this side of Iraqi Kurdistan mostly come from the Yazidi religious minority, but if you head further east you'll find many more Arab

Shiites who fled, many more Iraqi Christians who fled from their hometowns and villages and the ominous thing that they'd say is that it wasn't just

ISIS militants with their trademark black flag who were rushing them out, it was also members of Arab Sunni Muslim villages surrounding them that

jumped in on the mayhem and the threats and the looting. And that is a tear in the social fabric that may not be mended any time soon.

WALKER: Yeah, so many heart -- heartbreaking stories. What else can you say about that. Ivan Watson, I really appreciate your reporting.

Thank you, Ivan.

And you have seen Ivan's reports here on CNN all this week. Make sure to join us this weekend for a special report. "Flight from Terror" airs

Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in London, that's 3:30 in central Europe.

Now the UN says it expects to reopen the schools it manages in Gaza in two or three weeks that is if Israeli and Palestinian factions reach a

permanent cease-fire.

Residents in Gaza are finding relief during the latest truce, but some in Israel are not satisfied with the way the conflict has played out.

10,000 or so protesters gathered in Tel Aviv Thursday to call for stronger military action on Gaza. Many demonstrators who have traveled from the

country south want the government to end rocket attacks from Gaza once and for all.

The conflict has killed 67 Israelis, nearly all of them soldiers. On the Palestinian side now, almost 2,000 are dead, most of them are

civilians.

And back in Gaza, residents are focused on rebuilding. But as Fred Pleitgen shows us pulling the necessary resources together is just one of

many challenges.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Much of Gaza took a pounding during the recent fighting between Hamas and Israel, some areas

reduced to rubble. Assem Mekdad evacuated his family from his house while hostilities were ongoing. He came back to find this.

The building took several hits and fixing it will be tough.

ASSEM MEKDAD, GAZA RESIDENT: We need cement. We need aggregate. We need other stuff. We need the factories that have been all destroyed. So

unless there is an agreement to have these things entering from borders or the port, we can't do it -- we can't remain in this place and other places.

PLEITGEN: After the most recent conflict, people are just starting to pick up the pieces and many areas here in Gaza still look like this.

Now one of the main problems is, of course, is that there can't be any effective reconstruction unless more building material is allowed into the

strip.

Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007, vastly limiting the amount and types of goods allowed to enter.

As part of negotiations after the recent fighting, Palestinians are demanding the lifting of the siege and be able to construct their own

seaport.

This plot was dedicated for the port years ago. Construction plans are ready. Project manager Hatem Abu Shaban says work could start almost

immediately.

HATEM ABU SHABAN, PALESTINIAN PORT AUTHORITY: It will make Gaza export and import not for Gaza only, for West Bank, for Jordan, for Iraq

and maybe for the Gulf, because it's a very short distance between this point to Iraq and Gulf. It will be competition with the Suez Canal.

PLEITGEN: Many here say developing the site is key to Gaza's economic future.

In the short-term, the port probably wouldn't make much of a difference in the lives of most people, simply because it would take years

to construct here at the sea. But in the long-term, it could be a huge economic factor, also making Gaza far less dependent on both Egypt and

Israel.

But Israel has major security concerns, fearing that cement brought into Gaza could be used by Hamas to build bunkers and that easing import

restrictions could make it easier for extremist groups to smuggle weapons and rocket parts into the territory.

And the man in charge of the port project says right now maintaining a cease-fire must be the top priority.

So this will be the port.

SHABAN: Yeah.

I think everything depends on the peace. And we need the peace. Gazan people need the peace. We don't need the war. We don't need

anything (inaudible). We need the peace to start to live good in our land.

PLEITGEN: Many Gazans say that only prosperity can lead to a lasting truce, working in a modern seaport rather than trying to find something to

eat in the sea.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: And you're watching News Stream where news and technology meet.

Coming up, social media helped get out part of the story of the killing of a young man in a St. Louis suburb, but it's also being blamed

for putting out misinformation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Let's return to the protests in Ferguson, Missouri over the police shooting death of an unarmed teenager. The situation there is

calming down.

Unlike the past several nights, there were no violent clashes of police Thursday. Missouri's governor put state police in charge of crowd

control. Demonstrators had positive things to say about those officers compared to the local authorities who were criticized for being too heavy-

handed.

Well, almost immediately after the killing of Michael Brown, social media lit up with Facebook posts, tweets and videos. Some of them helped

tell the story police did not want told, but others were filled with inaccuracies and even outright hate as CNN's Jean Casarez shows us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No justice!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No peace!

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Always on, unfiltered. A technological eyewitness to history. The smartphones, text messages and

social media of Ferguson, Missouri, front and center in this crisis.

ROBERT MCCULLOCH, ST. LOUIS COUNTY PROSECUTOR: As you know, particularly with social media, there is so much information out there. And

we're urging anyone and everyone with any information at all that pertains to this, by all means, contact us.

CASAREZ: All of that information can be tough to wade through. Some of it dramatic, like this video taken moments after the shooting. Then there

is this. The group anonymous tweeted out what they say is the name of the officer who shot 18-year-old Michael Brown. The problem? They didn't get it

right. The St. Louis county police department responds. Twitter suspends the account.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: With any new technology, there is the threat of misinformation of wrong facts and data being spread.

CASAREZ: But with no filter, information can go worldwide with the touch of a finger, making investigations more challenging.

ROGER CANAFF, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Unfortunately, I think it's a double edged sword. On one hand, I think evidence that is recorded created by

individuals who were there. I think it can be tremendously powerful and very helpful. But it can also be misleading and it can be very hurtful.

STELTER: On social media, you can sense so much anger so, much outrage, and a little bit of fear as well. These websites amplify people's

emotions.

CASAREZ: It is one reason why police in Washington State are asking citizens to think twice before tweeting when they see officers at work for

fear of disrupting investigations.

Attorney CJ Lawrence couldn't believe it when he saw social media response to this picture of Michael Brown, which some interpreted as him

holding up a gang sign.

CJ LAWRENCE, ATTORNEY: Look at him, in the streets with his pants sagging. I don't feel sorry for him at all. And I was shocked by that.

CASAREZ: Lawrence tweeted out a picture of himself with President Clinton and separately with a bottle of booze, asking which picture would

get more attention. #iftheygunmedown has gone viral, showing perceptions can cloud reality. Police vow to use every source of information at their

disposal to get to the truth.

MCCULLOCH: The one thing that I have pledged is that we will do a full, fair, complete, and impartial investigation into this. Nothing will

be left untouched.

CASAREZ: Or in this case, unsaid or unread.

Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)?

WALKER: And just a few minutes from now, authorities are expected to release the identity of the police officer who was behind that deadly

shooting of the 18-year-old unarmed teenager. That'll happen in about 15 minutes from now. And we will bring you that news conference live when it

happens.

Well, the U.S. civil rights movement is the topic of this week's episode of Cold War. CNN is reairing its landmark series to commemorate

the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

It gives unparalleled look at events that shaped the second half of the 20th Century when the threat of nuclear war was just one miscalculation

away. Here's a preview narrators by Kenneth Branagh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KENNETH BRANAGH, ACTOR: August 28, 1963 -- a civil rights rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington urged the White House to ban racist laws

and give black Americans equal job opportunities. A quarter of a million people showed up to listen to a 34-year-old

Southern Baptist minister. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: Let freedom ring, and if

America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring. When we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every

state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and

Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty! We are

free at last! DICK GREGORY, COMEDIAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I never heard King

say one thing when that camera was on about white folks and another thing when it was off. He never called them 'honkies,' he never called them

'rednecks.' He always had the same love. Now I'm talking about when just he and I are in a room talking. I'm cussing and calling them everything I can

think of, and blah, blah, blah, and he never left that spirit of love. BRANAGH: George Wallace, Democratic governor of Alabama, saw the growing civil rights movement as part of a communist conspiracy.

GEORGE WALLACE, GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA: The Communist Party U.S.A. has been alert to capitalize on every possible issue or event which could be

used to exploit the American Negro in furtherance of party aims. In its efforts to influence the American Negro, the party attempts to infiltrate

the legitimate Negro organizations for the purpose of stirring up racial prejudices and hatred. In this way the party strikes a blow at our

democratic form of government by attempting to influence public opinion throughout the world against the United States.

BRANAGH: In the name of national security, Attorney General Robert Kennedy gave the FBI permission to tap the telephones of Martin Luther King

and his colleagues. J. Edgar Hoover, chief of the FBI, was convinced that the Civil Rights

Movement had been infiltrated by communists. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Tune in this Saturday for the next episode of CNN's landmark series Cold War. It airs at 8:00 p.m. in London, 9:00 p.m. in Berlin.

You're watching News Stream. We'll have a check of the global forecast after the break. Also ahead, take a look at this, what is wrong

with this picture from the hit TV show Downton Abbey? We will explain after the break.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Welcome back. It's another day of severe weather for parts of Eastern Europe. Mari Ramos joining us for the global weather forecast.

Hi, Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Amara A lot going on in the world of weather. So let's go ahead and get right to it.

I want to start you off with like you mentioned with the situation across Europe. It's not as common, not something unheard of, but not as

common to see reports of severe weather across this extreme northeastern corner of the continent, but that's precisely what we had, including some

places into Russia reporting hail and in Ukraine also some very strong storms and strong winds that were pushing through this region in the last

24 hours.

And look at the amount of rain in Croatia. In Kaprina, they had over 140 millimeters of rain. That's pretty significant stuff because that

happened in less than 24 hours. And that same weather system, it's slowly making its way now again into Eastern Europe. And we see the big

difference here as far as temperature.

Notice, a lot of yellows and greens on this side, and then you begin to see the reds -- these orangy, red colors right in here. That's not

fronts advancing in, those are the very warm temperatures.

Yesterday, Kiev at this time had about 34, 35 degrees. 10 degrees cooler today as that front comes on through. We have a lot more cloud

cover across this area. And that's, you know, rain on the way for you there. And then the potential for severe weather also across this region.

And then back over here in the west we see temperatures much milder, and still the potential for some rain, but not as heavy and not as severe as

what you've had in the last few days.

So here's some of the temperatures that we had yesterday. So it had been quite warm. In Sofia, they had 33 against an average of 26.

Bucharest 37 against an average of 28. So you kind of get the picture here. With that very intense heat and then the cold front coming through ,

this is going to be the battle zone again for that potential for severe weather, including, by the way, the possibility for some isolated

tornadoes. So be very careful.

As we head into the Middle East, the thing to watch here is going to be the temperatures. Look at these temperatures. These are in the shade,

Amara. 50 degrees right now in Kuwait City, 48 in Baghdad. We're really looking at probably one of the hottest days of the year.

August is the hottest month of the year in this part of the world. We don't have a lot of reporting stations in this area, but look at Baghdad at

48 degrees right now as we head into the day on Saturday, temperatures again are going to be quite hot. And remember these are in the shade and

don't tell me it's a dry heat, this is some very intense here that we're having to deal with here in this part of the world.

Yesterday I tweeted out these pictures and they got a lot of buzz on the Internet. And I want to show you again, these are from Mount Etna.

This is a picture in the day time. And then this is a picture at night. So we're going to talk a little bit about this just for a moment.

Mount Etna is the most active volcano in Europe. These eruptions are quite frequent, but it is quite active again. So this is one perspective.

They have caused some problem with flights coming in to Catania, for example. And you can see the plume of smoke right over here. And this

picture taken from the space stations from Astro Reid (ph). Astro Reid (ph), by the way, retweeted me. That was pretty cool.

And this is a picture from Astro Alex. And you see it right there. The nighttime image looking at Mount Etna in Italy and Sicily from space.

Love those pictures.

WALKER: Yeah, and some spectacular images you are showing us there. Thank you Mari.

All right, finally, Downton Abbey has a promo problem. Look closely at this promotional picture. It's on the much loved series set in the

early 20th Century. Now there is one issue with the image, take a close look to your right, have you spotted it yet? That's it. All the way to

the right corner, a plastic water bottle.

Yeah, a very first -- a very 21st Century water bottle at that.

Someone obviously forgot to remove it before those pictures were snapped to promote season five of the costume drama.

We're told PBS, which airs the ITV series in the U.S. has now removed the photo from its website. Yeah, quite an embarrassing oversight.

That is News Stream, but the news continues. World Business Today is next with live coverage from Missouri as police name the officer who shot

an unarmed teen. We expect that news conference to begin shortly. Make sure to stay with CNN.

END