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John McCain in Benghazi; Struggle in Misrata; Thousands Protest in Syria

Aired April 22, 2011 - 08:00   ET

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


ANNA COREN, HOST: Welcome to NEWS STREAM, where news and technology meet.

Hello. I'm Anna Coren, in Hong Kong.

Well, support for Libya's rebels. American Senator John McCain arrives in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

A day after a state of emergency is lifted in Syria, we're hearing reports of more unrest today.

And do you know the phrase "If walls could talk"? A new mobile app allows you to virtually pin your memories on real locations.

We begin in Libya, where NATO is ramping up its military campaign. Well, our team heard jets flying over Tripoli late Thursday night, followed by large explosions. And the Reuters news agency reports Libyan state TV says nine people were killed in NATO air strikes over Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte.

Well, NATO has warned Libyan civilians to stay clear of Gadhafi's military sites since they're key attack targets.

Well, U.S. Republican Senator John McCain touched down in the eastern city of Benghazi on Friday. He's there with meetings with opposition leaders. Well, McCain has been a firm supporter of U.S. military action to overthrow Colonel Gadhafi.

Well, Benghazi is where the uprisings first began. Our Reza Sayah joins us live from the rebel stronghold.

Reza, you have been with the senator. What has been his message to the rebels and to the people of Libya?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the message was, Anna, that the U.S. is going to be there supporting the rebels throughout this. He got a warm reception today here in the opposition capital of Benghazi this morning.

Not a lot of people there receiving him. On Friday mornings here in Benghazi, not a lot of people out and about. He arrived around 9:00 a.m. at the courthouse area, the so-called Freedom Square, what is viewed as the heart of the uprising here in Libya a couple of months ago.

People chanting, "Thank you, John McCain! Thank you, Obama! Thank you, America!"

He walked around the square. He paused at a wall that was covered with scores of pictures of people who went missing during the uprising, allegedly killed during this uprising, allegedly by Gadhafi forces. And he assured people that the U.S. was going to be there throughout.

Not a great surprise that U.S. Senator John McCain is here in Benghazi. He was one of the most staunch supporters of the this military interention and the U.S. involvement. He's continually backed President Barack Obama when the U.S. decided to get involved, and somewhat criticized President Obama when the U.S. decided to take a back seat, if you will, in the NATO operations of other countries like France and NATO.

He's going to be meeting with opposition officials throughout the day and taking off some time tonight -- Anna.

COREN: Reza, as you say, he did support President Obama's action, but he wants to take a tougher stance. I mean, how involved does he want the U.S. to be?

SAYAH: Well, I think anything short of troops on the ground he says the U.S. should do. Of course, his visit comes the day after Washington announced the U.S. -- the use of unmanned predator drones. And there are reports that the unmanned drones were actually used yestsrday as well. And a lot of people here in the opposition capital are welcoming these unmanned drones. They say it will be effective with what they face in places like Misrata, places where Gadhafi's tanks are placed, next to homes, next to schools.

These are tactics used by the regime that are extremely difficult for warplanes that are being used in this no-fly zone to tackle these predator drones, fly slower, they fly lower to the ground. And they're seemingly much more well-suited to take out these types of targets. So Senator McCain obviously supportive of that, and supportive of military intervention until the Gadhafi regime is toppled.

COREN: Reza, as you say, a small group group of rebels where there to greet Senator McCain. But what was their response to his message?

SAYAH: They were very welcoming. They gave him a warm welcome. They had U.S. flags, lots of "thank yous," lots of handshakes. And this is the message the opposition has had for countries like the U.S., France, Great Britian and Italy throughout this uprising.

Every Friday, including today, what you'll see in Freedom Square when they have Friday prayers is plenty of American flags, plety of Italian and British flags. And again, you saw that today with U.S. Senator John McCain's visit.

COREN: OK. Reza Sayah, in Benghazi.

Thank you for that update.

Well, to the west, battles continue to rage in the city of Misrata. And caught in the middle are some of the youngest victims of the war.

John Irvine reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN IRVINE, REPORTER, ITV NEWS (voice-over): He's 10 months old, and thanks to a mortar shell, his time on Earth was almost up. But the shrapnel missed the child's vital organs. In Misrata terms, a shattered arm makes him lucky.

(on camera): Unacceptable, this one.

(voice-over): This man is on life support, and so is his city. The intensive care unit here is treating some of the defenders of Misrata, fighters shot in the head by Gadhafi snipers. The doctors are utterly exhausted. Not only are they having to treat horrendous injuries, they're have to try to save the lives of the people they know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And last week I was -- at least five people. I know them very well.

IRVINE: Most of the fighting in Misrata has occurred in the area around the city's main thoroughfare, Tripoli Street. These men were enjoying a relative lull, following a successful attack that saw their pro-Gadhafi adversaries give up some ground.

(on camera): It's quite clear that the fighting here has been fierce. But the rebels believe it's been worth it.

When we were here a week ago, this iparticular street was in the hands of the pro-Gadhafi forces. Obviously, it's not anymore. This area around Tripoli Street is in the hands of the rebels, and that is significant, because Tripoli Street is Misrata's jugular vein.

(voice-over): This tree was pruned by a mortar shell that killed a man and a child. We witnessed that attack in which another boy appeared to be badly injured. Indeed, as he was carried away, none of us imagined he would live. But 10 days on, this is him. Sadiq (ph) is very much alive, but still in shock, terrified by explosions and gunshots, the sidetrack to life here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): After I start hearing the mortars and the bombardment, the injury starts to hurt again.

IRVINE (on camera): Right. Because he remembers what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes, I remember the events once again.

IRVINE (voice-over): His parents would get him away from here if they could, but they have nowhere else to go.

John Irvine, ITV News, Misrata, Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well, the bodies of two journalists killed Wednesday in Libya have been transported to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros died in a mortar strike as they chronicled the violence in Misrata.

Well, at the port in Benghazi, the ship carrying the bodies was greeted by young Libyans and around 20 rebel fighters. Many carried banners expressing their condolences. Well, diplomatic represenatives from Britain and the United States will now take posessession of the bodies for repatriation.

On Thursday night, two cameras were laid out at a memorial service in Benghazi to honor the two men and their work.

Well, meanwhile, four journalists remain deteained by forces loyal to the Libyan government. Well, they were captured on April 5th on the outskirts of the city Brega.

Well, James Foley is one of those being held. He was in Libya working for the Boston-based news organization GlobalPost. Well, his parents, John and Diane Foley, they join us now live from Boston.

John and Diane, thank you so much for joining us. We can only imagine this must be an extremely difficult time for you.

Your son James was captured with other journalists. Among those was Clare Gillis. And she was allowed to contact her parents. What did she say to them?

JOHN FOLEY, FATHER OF DETAINED JOURNALIST: Well, she said that she was feeling well and that she had been treated well. And most importantly, she's been our best information source regarding Jim in that she felt that Jim was well, as well.

DIANE FOLEY, MOTHER OF DETAINED JOURNALIST: She saw him last --

(CROSSTALK)

COREN: That must have been an enormous releif, to hear that news.

D. FOLEY: Certainly a first step towards getting them home, Anna. That's our hope.

COREN: So, tell me, how did you feel when you heard that news, that Clare said that James was OK?

D. FOLEY: Relieved and very hopeful.

J. FOLEY: Yes. I've obviously been concerned that he would be otherwise, but it was very gratifying to hear that that's not the case.

D. FOLEY: But as this goes on, Anna, we continue to be very concerned. They're still there, and they still have not been seen or evaluated by any independent source. So that concerns us.

J. FOLEY: Nor have we heard anything specifically about Jim. I mean, we got the information directly from Clare.

D. FOLEY: We've received no phone call from James yet, so that concerns us.

COREN: I can only imagine.

What did James say to you in the lead-up to his capture about conditions on the ground and about his safetey? Perhaps will start with you, John.

J. FOLEY: Well, I mean, it was obvious from his video that he was right in the middle of the conflict. And he was, quite honestly, energized by the situation. He was very respectful of the Libyan people and felt that they were very open and cordial to him. He actually had dinner several times with Libyan families.

He was able to really feel the pain of the people in Benghazi, and also could share their quest for freedom and their courage. So he was really very energized to be there and to tell those stories.

COREN: If I could just ask you -- the U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, she has called for their immediate release. I know that you have spoken to Senator John Kerry and other members of Congress.

Diane, what is the next step? What can be done?

D. FOLEY: That's a difficult question, Anna, because we feel at many times very powerless. We've reached out to all members of our government that we know of. We're very dependent on the good people in the Turkish Embassy, both in Tunisia and in Tripoli and D.C., because they are our intermediaries. They've been workign tirelessly to help release James and Clare.

J. FOLEY: We pray a lot as well.

D. FOLEY: We do pray a lot. We feel a lot of this is in God's hands, and are certainly energized by the love of Jim's friends and our family.

COREN: Diane, I can only imagine this must be a parent's worst nightmare. Tell us about your fears, what you are going through on a daily basis.

J. FOLEY: Well, I think we're concerned the longer this goes on, that Jim's physical and mental health might be jeopardized. And we wonder at times what he's doing, what he's eating, where he's sleeping. And it's very difficult for us to relax a moment. And when, in fact, we do and forget a little bit, I feel very guilty that we have.

It's just a nightmare.

D. FOLEY: And we really don't know why he is being held. Jim is an innocent, independent reporter, there to bring the news of the conflict of Libya to the world, really. And he has done no wrong to the Libyan people or the government. And we really don't understand why he's being held prisoner, as is Clare, Manu and Anton. We really don't understasnd why that is the case, and are inceasingly concerned, Anna.

COREN: I can only imagine what you are going through.

Well, John and Diane, we certainly hope that James and the other journalists are released very soon and that they are safe.

John and Diane Foley, joining us there from Boston.

D. FOLEY: Thank you so much, Anna.

J. FOLEY: Thank you for having us.

D. FOLEY: Thank you for your time, Anna.

COREN: Well, coming up on NEWS STREAM, Syria's government drops a longstanding state of emergency, but protests rage on.

And t he pope prepares to make papal history. We'll tell you how. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Well, more protests are under way in Syria despite the president having just lifted a state of emergency that had been enforced for almost half a century.

Well, Arwa Damon is following the story from Beirut, Lebanon, and joins us live.

Arwa, there were expected to be mass protests after Friday prayers. It's now gone just quarter past 3:00 in the afernoon. What are you hearing about what's taking place on the ground?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anna, activists were saying that they were going to be calling for the biggest demonstrations to date in Syria. And that is, in fact, what appears to have been taking place.

A number of demonstrations across the entire country and cities and towns, thousands taking to the streets chanting for freedom. And many pepole chanting for the downfall of the regime.

And just as activists had warned and anticipated as well, they are saying - - and there are numerous reports that Syrian security forces did use force. In some cases, lethal force to try to break up the demonstrators.

In Damascus, one eyewitness told us that tear gas was used to try to break up a demonstration of around 3,000 to 4,000 individuals. We spoke with another activist who said that in two of Damascus' suburbs, lethal rounds were being used to try to break up the demonstrations.

We also have reports of the use -- or of gunfire being reported in a number of other areas. We're still working, trying to confirm that. Very challenging to get accurate information about what is in fact happening in Syria, as CNN's request for visas have not yet been approved.

But this is exactly what activists were saying Bashar al-Assad's regime would be resorting to, despite all of these reforms, despite all of these pledges -- Anna.

COREN: OK. Arwa Damon, in Beirut.

Thank you for that update.

Well, the violence in Yemen shows no signs of abating, as rival pro-and- anti-government protests continue in the capital, Sanaa. There's news an attack in the south has left five Rebublican Guards dead. Well, officials say the soldiers fired back on their attackers, killing two of them. No one has claimed responsibility. Well, the attack took place in the large province where rebels are fighting to break away from the north.

Well, before people took to the streets in Syria and Yemen, they were protesting in Egypt. Well, those protests brought about a revolution where long-time president Hosni Mubarak was ousted and a new caretaker government came into office.

Well, Hala Gorani sat down with Egypt's new foreign minister to talk about the country's post-Mubarak future.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The last time I was here it was your predecessor, and Hosni Mubarak was still president of Egypt.

NABIL ELARABY, EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Things have changed.

GORANI: Things have changed a lot.

ELARABY: Yes.

GORANI: Have they changed, in your opinion, in what direction? Obviously in the right direction.

ELARABY: In the right direction, definitely.

GORANI: Yes.

What's next for Egypt now? Is this caretaker government going to usher the country into a true pluralistic democracy?

ELARABY: I assure you, this is the objective, and the government is working day and night on that.

GORANI: So the people can trust this?

ELARABY: I think they see results. In the foreign policy area, we are trying to open a new page with everyone. When you have a regime that stayed 30 years, automatically, with the passage of time, certain positions are solidified. And when we came -- this government came, it was decided that we open (INAUDIBLE) with everyone, and that we've tried to normalize our relations with everyone.

GORANI: Including Iran?

ELARABY: Iran is another -- of course including -- without any exceptions. Without any exceptiosn. But people do not understand, even in Egypt, here, that since January '91, Iran has an interception in Cairo and Egypt has an interception in Iran. And both sectiosn are (INAUDIBLE).

GORANI: Right.

ELARABY: So there have been relations since 1991 with Eygpt and Iran. If the intention is to upgrade it and to take it to another level, we are not discussing this now.

GORANI: Let's talk about Israel. One of the things you did say is, look - - essentially, I'm paraphrasing you -- Israel can't feel like it can do whatever it wants, that it is going to be treated differently, essentially.

ELARABY: No. It's going to be treated normally as every other country. Let me say two points here.

GORANI: Yes.

ELARABY: First of all, (INAUDIBLE). And the desire of Israel, which was a legitimate desire, is to be treated normally like everything other country. That's where the word normalization came from.

So, from this point of view, there is no problem at all. But we said, also, at all levels -- the Supreme Military Council said it, the government said it, I said it here -- is that we are going to comply with every single treaty, convention, every single word (INAUDIBLE). There is not intention to change anything there. But we excpect and we are entitled to expect that the other side, whoever that other side is, will do the same.

GORANI: Beyond this, if we speak, for instance, when you're a private citizen again next yaer, where do you think Egypt will be in 12 months' time.

ELARABY: Well, my dream is to see Egypt fully democratic, where every citizen has all his rights, and that Egypt will be more process, and that there will be liberty for men in the streets, or the women in the streets, of course.

GORANI: It's your dream, but?

ELARABY: No, no. Things are moving in that -- honestly. I will be frank. It will be moving in that direction. It is moving now in that direction.

GORANI: It's hard work.

ELARABY: There is a collective interest in moving ahead.

GORANI: Did you think in your lifetime you'd see Egypt the way it is today?

ELARABY: No. And that makes me and my generation a bit shameful.

GORANI: Why?

ELARABY: Because we did not succeed in doing anything like that. And our children and grandchildren scuceed returning with the spirit of a free country to Egypt. Everyone is proud to be an Egyptian. It was not like that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well, Egypt's state news agency says the country's attorney general has extended the detention of former president Hosni Mubarak for another 15 days while prosecutors are waiting for a medical team's report on his health before deciding whether to move him to the infamous Tora prison or its hospital. Well, the complex already holds his two sons. They, like their father, are under investigation for corruption and other abuses.

Well, it's Good Friday, and the pope is making history, answering questions from the public this hour on Italian television. More on that papal first just ahead on NEWS STREAM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Well, this Good Friday, the Vatican is offering up a piece of papal history. In the next hour, Pope Benedict XVI will become the first pontiff to answer viewers' questions on television.

Well, the queries have been submitted from around the world via the Web, e- mail, and by letter. But don't expect the pope to be grilled live on television though. The program for Italian state TV has been prerecorded.

Well, CNN Senior Vatican Aanalyst John Allen is poised to watch the program and joins us now live.

John, why is the pope doing this?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SR. VATICAN ANALYST: Well, first of all, obviously today is Good Friday in the Christian tradition, and therefore the beginning of the holiest period on the Christian calendar. So I think this was an opportunity for the pope to try to put a spotlight on what the Vatican would regard and the Catholic Church would regard as an especially sacred moment. But further, I think this is another chapter in the Vatican trying to sort of claw its way into the 21st century.

I mean, we've seen in recent weeks the Vatican putting out a youth-oriented catacism in its collection of church teachings, trying to put it in slightly hipper and more accessible langauge. We've seen a Facebook site for the beatifcation of John Paul I on May 1st. And today, we see the pope, really for the very first time, taking questions from all around the world on a commercial television network.

So, they're a little late ot the party, but I think they're trying to join the modern world.

COREN: John, does it lose some of its significance considering the pope has been able to view the questions, pick the questions, obviously come up with his answer, and the fact that the program has been prerecorded?

ALLEN: Well, look, I mean, this obviously isn't "Meet the Press." And clearly, these are not hard-hitting policy questions.

I mean, if the pope were going on TV to take questions from reporters, you know, we'd be asking him questions about the Catholic sexual abuse crisis or the Vatican's stand on the NATO-led bombing campaign in Libya and stuff like that. I mean, these are more sort of meaning of life questions.

We've got a 7-year-old girl from Japan who wants to know why her countyr has suffered so much. We have a Muslim woman from the Ivory Coast who wants to know, when will peace come, and where is God in the midst of the violence in that country?'

So, in a sense, this is the pope acting not as a politician or a policymaker, but acting as a pastor of a man of God, trying to explain where the healing and love of God is in the midst of some of the world's most difficult situations. And I think for believers who want that message of consoluation and hope, I think the fact that this was sort of prefabulated (ph) probably doesn't compromise its significance.

COREN: John, what do you make of criticism that the pope is doing it to plug his new book on Jesus?

ALLEN: Well, you know, that was the sort of talk at the beginning, that this is like an author going on a PR tour. The pope, of course, does have a book on the market. It's the second volume of his study of Jesus of Nazareth. But for the record, it has to be said, I have scoured the transcript of his remarks very carefully, and nowhere does he directly reference his book.

So this at least isn't the kind of grubby PR exercise that other people peddling book like, for example, me would have engaged in if we had been given this kind of platform.

(LAUGHTER)

COREN: You are shameless. You are shameless.

Senior Vatican Analyst John Allen joining us from Denver, Colorado.

Good to see you, and thank you for that.

Well, you are certainly watching NEWS STREAM.

Ahead, we return to Libya, where there's apparently a fight for control within rebel ranks.

And you're looking at 2,764 years of history there. And as we all know, Rome was not built in a day. It seems one of its most famous structures was built to last and last.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. And you're watching News Stream. These are your world headlines.

Well, crowds are amassing in Yemen. Rival protesters, both for and against president Ali Abdullah Saleh, are in the central of the capital Sanaa on the day of weekly Muslim prayers. Well, these latest protests come amid reports of fresh violence in the south where rebels are seeking political autonomy.

Well, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Damascus and Daraa, Syria. Well, tear gas is being fired and gun fire heard at some protests. Well, the demonstrations come one day after President Bashir al Assad lifted an almost 50 year old state of emergency. Opposition leaders say that move and other reforms to date don't go far enough.

U.S. Senator John McCain is in the rebel stronghold of eastern Libya. He's meeting with opposition leaders in Benghazi. McCain, a Republican, has been a firm supporter of U.S. military action to overthrow Colonel Gadhafi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: They need a lot of help. They need more air support. The United States has unique capabilities. We should be restoring that. They want to be recognized as the (inaudible) recognizing -- just came from the hospital where I saw a number of people who are badly wounded and dying. And that puts -- frankly, that puts a face on it that argues that maybe we should be doing everything we can to help these people and maybe we're not. And they're dying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Well, Libya's opposition has been fighting against the odds to topple the Gadhafi regime. But behind the scenes there's another battle brewing. Well, Reza Sayah reports on the power struggle within the opposition party.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As Libya's opposition forces struggle to fend off Colonel Gadhafi's army, off the battlefield signs of a personal clash between the rebel's top two military leaders: fellow generals Abdul Fatah Younis Libya's former interior minister, and Khalifa Hifter a Libyan war hero who defected to the U.S. in the 1980s. Each has claimed at one point he runs the rebel forces. The two men not the best of friends says opposition adviser Monsour el Kakhia.

MONSOUR EL-KIKHIA, OPPOSITION LEADER: But there is no room for personal issue. There's no room for -- you don't me? OK, I don't like you either. It doesn't mean we can't cooperate.

SAYAH: Cooperation hasn't been that simple. In a New York Times article Tuesday, Hifter was quoted as blaming Younis for rebel losses on the battlefield.

Do you still stand by that statement?

In an interview with CNN, Hifter denied the reports. And tried to quash the controversy.

KHALIFA HIFTER, REBEL LEADER (through translator): I didn't say that. I don't think I remember saying such a thing at all.

SAYAH: There's all sorts of signs that there's a rift between you and General Younis. And many say you are the cause of this rift.

HIFTER (through translator): No, I was never the cause of any disagreement between Mr. Younis and myself. Mr. Younis is a friend and a comrade. There's nothing but media outlets fabricating such stories.

SAYAH: May I ask when the last time was when you two spoke to one another?

HIFTER (through translator): About four days ago.

SAYAH: You've said before that you're the leader of these forces. The top political officials of the opposition say that General Younis is. Whose army is it?

HIFTER (through translator): We complete each other. We complete each other. And the military is one.

SAYAH: Is he under you, or are you under him?

HIFTER (through translator): No, we deal with each other on an equal basis. And we don't have one out ranking the other.

SAYAH: Sources close to Younis tell CNN he's upset. Since the Times article, he's kept a low profile, canceling a news conference and an interview with CNN. The generals are not equals according to the opposition's political leaders, Younis heads the forces, they say, and Hifter is a field commander. It's a declaration General Hifter apparently still disputes, a sign this rift may not be over for a fragile and inexperienced army that can ill afford a family feud.

Reza Sayah, CNN, Benhgazi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well, NATO is now using unmanned U.S. drones to target Gadhafi's forces in Libya. Let's take a closer look at the mainstay of the drone fleet.

Well, the Predator is the primary unmanned aerial vehicle used by the U.S. military. It carries two Hellfire missiles, can fly more than 700 kilometers to a target and stay in the sky for 14 hours and then return.

Well, meanwhile in Pakistan, officials say a suspected U.S. drone strike is responsible for killing 25 people there on Friday. It happened in north Waziristan, part of the country's volatile trouble region. And it comes just days after Pakistan strongly condemned U.S. drone strikes in the region.

Well, last month, a drone attack killed 44 people, many of them said to be civilians.

Well, that comes as the U.S. reportedly agrees to supply Pakistan with smaller, non-lethal drones.

Well, a military source tells Reuters that they are sending 85 Raven drones to the country. Well, these drones are for short range surveillance only, not combat. They have a wingspan of just 1.4 meters. And they weight under two kilometers (ph). Well, that means that they are lighter than this 13 inch laptop.

Well, some 2,000 years later many say this Roman architectural feat still does it exactly what it's supposed to do, that is inspire awe. Ahead, we'll take you on a trip to the Pantheon, where you can be the judge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Well, Rome is celebrating a big birthday this week. The city was founded 2,764 years ago. Well, according to legend, Remos and his twin brother Romulus decided to found Rome at the place where they were fed by a she-wolf after being orphaned as infants. It will be hundreds more years before one of the city's most famous structures, the Pantheon was rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian.

Well, Nick Glass takes us inside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK GLASS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You look and you marvel. The Pantheon is one of the great buildings from antiquity and one of the best preserved, a triumph of Roman architecture. The idea was to strike awe. And that's what it's been doing for the best part of 2,000 years.

The emperor Hadrian who built it spent extravagantly, just look at the columns in the portico. White marble bases come from Greece, the marble capitals right at the top are from northern Italy, and the shafts themselves are granite and they come from Egypt from the imperial quarries. Just imagine how they got here across the desert, across the sea and up the river Tiber. They come from single blocks of stone. They each weigh about 100 tons.

A magnificent if conventional temple on the outside, but that said, nothing prepares you for the grandeur of what's inside. It's taken weeks to get permission to film, but it's inside where our story really gets intriguing, where we get to rethink what the Pantheon is about.

The eye is immediately drawn to the domed roof and to another eye, the so-called oculus, some 9 meters across and the only light source. Scholars have long struggled to explain why it's there. But now we've been offered a stunning new theory, it comes from a relatively new field of science -- archeoastronomy, the study of ancient monuments and the heavens.

Giulio Magli is a professor at Milan Polytechnic. One thing about the building struck him immediately.

GIULIO MAGLI, PROFESSOR, MILAN POLYTECHNIC: You will never see the (inaudible) illuminated by the sun.

GLASS: That's extraordinary.

MAGLI: It's extraordinary. And it gives you a sense of cold. It's like the monument is cold. The monument is in principle unfriendly. The key to this unfriendly behavior of the monument is (inaudible) the role of the sun inside the monument.

GLASS: The fact is unusually for a Roman temple, the Pantheon faces north. The tourists will always be better lit than the shadowy monument behind them.

Professor Magli and the classics professor from New Zealand's Otago University, Robert Hannah analyzed the movement of the light beam inside. And they concluded that the Pantheon acted for ancient Romans as a sort of colossal sun dial. It's self evident that the Pantheon was exactingly engineered.

Having just discovered concrete, the Romans used it to construct the largest dome known to man. The hole in the roof had a purpose. The architect was orchestrating the light. In autumn and winter, it illuminated upper parts of the dome. In spring and summer, it moved down to the floor.

But what really excited our two professors was what happened at the March equinox. At noon precisely, the beam hit the grill above the entrance door and lit up the portico. The equinox was when the Roman emperor was perceived to join the gods himself. We don't believe anyone has ever filmed this phenomenon before

The beam gradually migrating across the dome to the arch above the door. For a fleeting moment, it's like a spotlight. The arch is precisely outlined. The light, then, filters through the grill and the then ultimately on April 21st, the traditional date for the foundation of Rome, it floods the portico.

The professor and I moved out of the shadows and into a pool of brilliant April sunshine.

MAGLI: The emperor, we think, was entering the Pantheon, invited by the sun. The sun was in a sense himself, because he was deified already in light.

GLASS: So Hadrian would have passed though this door at this time of year.

MAGLI: Yeah, we think so. Yeah. But when you discover a sun alignment, or when you claim that the sun alignment was intentional, was built in the project of the building. And you can check this as we are doing now, it's fantastic.

GLASS: The sun's cycle was heavy with symbolism for ancient Romans. It seems the Pantheon with its shallow dome, was designed to follow that cycle, not for precise time keeping in any modern sense, but to mark key dates in the Roman calendar.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Nick Glass reporting there, quite amazing isn't it?

Well, ever wanted to know the story behind your favorite park, street or square? Well, now there's an app that's giving those places a voice. Well, CNN Money's Laurie Segall heads out to New York to listen to the tales that location-based service broadcaster has to tell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: Storytelling itself is as old as civilization, but imagine being able to walk down the streets and actually hear stories around you. We spoke with one start-up founder who is making that happen.

Scott, talk to me a little bit about what exactly Broadcaster is?

SCOTT LINDENBAUM, CO-FOUNDER, BROADCASTER: Yeah, Broadcaster is a really simple idea. It's a free social media application that's on the web, right? It's on the iPhone, it's coming out on the Android this month. And it just lets anyone, anywhere in the world tell a story in the best way they know how with their own voice. And then they take that audio file and they pin it to an interactive map of the whole world.

So now we're walking by the corner. There it goes. It loads up on your screen. And now we kind of know, you know, this nondescript corner in New York has a real story.

Imagine like an invisible layer stretched over the world and on that layer live all of our experiences and memories and they're all told in our own voices. And because it's audio, when we're talking around, we can still look at where we are. We don't get taken out of our world and yet we get this extra layer of information that we're kind of plugging into.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They meet in line at the Dwayne Reed (ph) while the customer at the front of the line tries with all her might to return some toothpaste.

SEGALL: So, how exactly have you used it?

ANDREW JENKS, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: For me, it's a great way to remember stories. So I've had the fortunate -- very fortunate and humbling experience of traveling the country. And I've been on college tours for -- a college tour for the past three months. I've made, you know, 12 different short films or documentaries or episodes for MTV. And in all of those circumstances, there's fantastic stories that sometimes fall through the cracks or are impaired on our show. And it's cool for I think myself and my entire team to tell those stories if not for everyone, for at least each other.

Like I remember sitting in my dorm room thinking good god it would be amazing if just this got into one film festival or something.

SEGALL: How many users do you have right now?

LINDENBAUM: Right now we've got about 40,000 active users.

SEGALL: Where are you guys going to kind of bring in profit?

LINDENBAUM: Sure. There's three different ways. One is a premium model. The thing that we're really excited about is the possibility for local businesses to have an effective way to do ads (inaudible). Because the same engine that allows for microtargeted location specific anecdotes from me and you also allows the other businesses in our community to do the same thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Laurie Segall there from CNNMoney.

Well, on Wednesday, two researchers reveal that Apple's iPhone and iPad 3G is secretly storing a location data allowing anyone with access to the phone to see exactly where its owner has been. Well, now a Swedish programmer tells the Guardian that Android phones store that data too.

Well, Android phones only store the last 50 mobile marks its communicated with whereas the iPhone stores everywhere the user has been since June.

Well why is this data being stores we still don't know. But according to the Wall Street journal, some of this data is being sent back to Apple and Google.

Well, the NBA playoffs are heating up, which one of Miami's superstar trio shined on Wednesday night. Alex Thomas will have the answer after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Well, the team was built with huge fanfare, but it's taken the Miami Heat awhile to show how good they are. Well, let's join Alex Thomas in London to find out how they're getting on in the NBA playoffs -- Alex.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Anna. Results didn't go Miami's way when LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh were first brought, but now the Heat are just one win away from clinching their playoff series against the 76ers. Miami's big three held a 2-0 lead ahead of game 3 in Philadelphia.

But the Heat are down by six here in the second quarter when LeBron finds Dwayne Wade for the lay-up and foul. Wade converting the three point play.

But Miami is still trailing in the third when James goes behind the back on his dribble and passes to Wade for the dunk. Both the Heat stars nearly recording triple-doubles.

And here in the forth, LeBron faces up and hits a 3-pointer to finally put Miami ahead. James with 24 points and 15 rebounds while Wade had 32 points and 10 rebounds.

Here he is with the put back dunk as the Heat pull away in the final quarter, winning 100-94 and going 3-0 up in the series.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DWAYNE WADE, MIAMI HEAT: That's a lot better. You know, my game felt better, but my body felt better. You know, I think my teammates can see it. You know, I was here early getting so I was ready to go. I was ready for this game. And I look forward to it, because the first two games I didn't feel like my regular self, so today I look forward to the game, help lead -- be one of the guys to help lead this team.

LEBRON JAMES, MIAMI HEAT: I know that I don't have to score as much on this team. You know, we have a lot of options. We have great options. So it allows me to, you know, just concentrate on other things. You know, exert my energy on the rebounding or defensively like I've been doing across these first three games.

So when you know you don't have to go up and have 30 points a night, or shoot a lot of shots, you can just take your focus to something else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS: The Dallas Mavericks were also looking for a 3-0 lead in their Western Conference series playoff. And they were 2 points up on the Blazers in the third until LeMarcus Aldridge made this fadeaway to tie the game at 66 apiece.

Later in the third, Portland down by one when Brandon Roy comes to life making the jumper and getting the foul to put his team ahead.

Now later in the fourth, Dallas down by five. They weren't getting any luck. Jason Kidd makes what is ruled a two-pointer, although replays show it should have been a 3.

Portland win 97-92. And the series stands at 2-1.

Now recent hints by manager Kenny Dalglish that English Premier League club Liverpool would go on a spending spree this summer and not be so wide of the mark afterall.

British newspapers are reporting that Liverpool's new American owners have secured a record kit deal worth $41 million a year, that's more than double the value of the current contract with German sportswear giant Addidas that runs out in 2012. The new sponsors thought to be Boston based Warrior Sports, not so much a sponsor really is a provider of kit for Liverpool. They're actually a subsidiary of New Balance. And that deal yet to be confirmed by either party as of yet.

Now, Getafe have become the third Spanish La Liga club to be bought by Middle Eastern owners. Dubai's Royal Emerites Group have snapped up the club in a deal thought to be worth up to $131 million. The club will be renamed Getafe Team Dubai as you can see from the large slogan in that still image there. And the new owners are targeting a stop six place in Spain's highest division, La Liga next season. Quiet a lofty ambition, Anna.

That's all the sport for now. Back to you in Hong Kong.

COREN: Alex, good to see you, thank you.

Real Madrid waiting 18 years to win back the Copa Del Rey cup only to lose it under a double decker bus. Well you may forgive vice-captain Sergio Ramos his mistake, footballers aren't supposed to use their hands.

But as Jeanne Moos tells us, other sports stars do not have that excuse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The vice captain of Madrid's soccer team didn't get thrown under the bus, even though he did drop the team's trophy under the bus, the one he was clutching so proudly just moments before only to let it slip during the victory parade.

And then the bus ran over it. Rescuers ran to retrieve the king's cup. It was rushed inside the bus, but the owner of the shop that made the trophy called it practically a complete wreck.

The player who dropped it, Sergio Ramos, tweeted a joke "it didn't fall, it jumped off when it saw so many Madrid fans."

Now the guy is a soccer player. He probably would have been better holding the cup with his feet. But he's not the only butter fingers when it comes to dropping a trophy.

Little did the captain of the Spokane Chiefs know he was kissing the memorial cup good-bye. Second later as he tried to share the glory. Their look said it all, holy puck. The captain tried to fix the Canadian Hockey League trophy, but that didn't work. So might as well make do with two. As the captain said later, we can drink from the cup a little easier.

Often the culprit is a loose lid. For instance, when Chris Chelios won a Norris Award for top defensive player in the NHL.

CHRIS CHELIOS, NHL PLAYER: Come from Larry (ph) means a lot to me -- maybe it doesn't mean a lot to me.

MOOS: When Maria Sharapova won the U.S. Open in 2006 the lid from her trophy bounced off her like a spiked serve.

And when Camilo Villegas won the PGA tour, the replica putter was fine, but the miniature golf club on the trophy.

CAMILO VILLEGAS, GOLFER: Oops, it broke.

MOOS: Oops it broke. And despite his best efforts he couldn't fix it.

The jinx trophy syndrome even strikes champion bowlers. Heath Weber (ph) told Sports Illustrated that when his eagle shattered, people came up and grabbed pieces to take home.

Victory is sweet, sometimes your cup runeth over. And other times your cup gets run over.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well, before we go we want to take you to Japan as workers continue their struggle to contain a nuclear crisis in Fukushima. These are dark days for Tokyo too.

Well, just take a look at this time lapsed footage taken by ireporter Masaya Kitaguchi. Normally a city of shining lights, you can see Tokyo going dark as residents conserve power in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.

Well, still our ireporter tells us the city is still full of energy. We leave you with his pictures.

END