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NEWS STREAM

Libya Civil War Rages On; Final Preparations for Royal Wedding

Aired April 28, 2011 - 08:00   ET

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

KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: Welcome to NEWS STREAM, where news and technology meet.

I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong.

Now, violent storms barrel across the southern United States, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake.

Hundreds of people seek to escape the violence in Misrata by sea. No surprise. Two months of ferocious fighting has laid waste to much of the Libyan city.

And the final day of security preparations for Britain's royal wedding. We're at Westminster Abbey with the latest.

Now, the extent of destruction in the southern United States is still coming to light. A series of violent storms and tornadoes have swept across five U.S. states, and the death toll has jumped dramatically in recent hours.

Now, officials now say 128 people were killed in Alabama alone. Now, here is a terrifying scene captured in Tuscaloosa. Now, the ferocious funnel obliterated blocks of the city. That's according to the mayor.

Alabama officials say many people are missing, hundreds are injured. The National Guard has been sent in to help with search and rescue.

Alabama took the biggest blow, but the storm system, it devastated several U.S. states. Now, officials in Mississippi have reported 32 deaths, and one of the victims was a 3-year-old girl who died in her bed after a tree fell through the roof. Now, the governor has declared a state of emergency in 39 counties.

Now, the state is also bracing for flooding along the Mississippi River, and emergency officials in Georgia say the violent weather has killed 11 people.

Now, what is called a particular dangerous situation, a tornado watch was put in place for most of the state overnight. And in addition to the lives lost in Georgia, one death has been reported in southern Tennessee. And western areas of the state have been hit by serious flooding. One death has also been reported in Arkansas.

So what is the weather outlook for the affected region in the coming hours?

(WEATHER REPORT)

STOUT: And we're also trying to establish contact with our Martin Savidge, our correspondent on the ground in the U.S. state of Alabama, where we've been reporting 120 fatalities alone in that state due to these severe storms. As soon as we can connect with him, we'll bring him and his update to you live, right here on NEWS STREAM.

Now, let's take you to Pakistan next.

Now, five people have been killed and 10 injured in a bus explosion in the city of Karachi. Now, the Taliban say that they are responsible for the attack which targeted navy personnel. Now, on Tuesday, three people were killed and more than 30 wounded in two similar roadside bomb attacks, also aimed at members of the Pakistani navy.

Rival factions in the Palestinian territory say that they are on track to form a unity government. On Wednesday, officials from Fatah and Hamas announced plans to form a new parliament and hold presidential elections within a year. Now, this is a sharp turnaround from their bitter territorial disputes of the past.

Now, Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, while Fatah retains control of the West Bank. The United States and Israel have expressed concern over the tie-up, questioning Hamas' ability to keep the peace.

And the fighting continues to rage in Libya. Rebel fighters are claiming control of the center of the city of Misrata, where every single building on the main thoroughfare has been damaged or destroyed. But as Reza Sayah reports, the gains have come at a cost.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two months of ferocious fighting has laid waste to much of Misrata, a city that has become the face of the war in Libya, its deadliest, most brutal front.

Mohammed Tanashi (ph) is one of thousands of its casualties, his legs crushed, his arms shot in the bloody fight for Tripoli Street, the city's main road and, for weeks, the frontline in the battle for Misrata. "I had a machinegun," says Tanashi (ph). "I started shooting, but there was a guy up above I didn't see. He shot me in the arm."

(on camera): The tallest buildings in Misrata are along Tripoli Street. Whoever controls these buildings owns the highest point. Obviously, a crucial advantage in any battlefield.

(voice-over): Both sides fought ruthlessly to gain that advantage. Early on, Gadhafi's fighters owned the high-rises. Regime snipers hid on the higher floors, the rebels say, and picked off their fighters down below.

Last week, the rebel forces, still made up of untrained but unshakeable fighters, finally took control of Tripoli Street. Using makeshift barricades, they fenced in Gadhafi's forces, then squeezed them.

(on camera): How did they do it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just by bravery.

SAYAH: By bravery?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just bravery, yes.

SAYAH (voice-over): NATO airstrikes took care of some of the regime's heavier weapons.

(on camera): This is an incredible scene here. This used to be an old vegetable market in a very large, enclosed building. The rebels say Gadhafi forces were hiding their tanks here, perhaps thinking that NATO forces would never hit a civilian target. Apparently, they thought wrong. The rebels say that's the hole made by a NATO airstrike that destroyed these two tanks in this old vegetable market, a clear indication that rebel forces on the ground are sharing intelligence with NATO.

(voice-over): Just days ago, this was no place for children. But the rebels say they now command central Misrata. Their battlefield gains have come at a steep cost. Inside Misrata's Hekma Hospital, volunteer doctors treat a steady stream of the wounded.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, there is no break, because all the time, maybe we can't receive any patients.

SAYAH: Many here were clearly not part of the fight, but they're paying for it anyway. Tanashi (ph) paid a price, too, but he says his tears are not of regret. "I would die for my country," he says. "We will not let Gadhafi's fighters set foot here ever again."

Reza Sayah, CNN, Misrata, Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: And we can talk to Reza now. He has left Misrata, headed back to the city of Benghazi.

And Reza, you left Misrata to Benghazi with a human cargo of refugees. How are they and who is looking after them now?

SAYAH: Well, considering what they've been through, Kristie, they seem to be doing relatively OK. There was about 970 of them that came aboard this ship to Benghazi. They were taken care of by the International Organization for Migration.

Obviously, they've been through a lot. Many were hungry and many needed medical care. Some of them were injured.

Right now, the International Organization for Migration is working on repatriating them to their countries. Most of them are from sub-Saharan Africa people who had come over to Libya and worked.

Most of the people we saw in this ship were men. It looks like the women and children were taken out of Misrata earlier. And based on the numbers of aid groups, there's still another 1,000 or so migrant workers remaining, but more could be coming from the southern parts of Libya, they say.

STOUT: And Reza, the U.N. is now in Tripoli to investigate human rights abuses. When you were in Misrata, did you see any clear evidence of Gadhafi's forces going after civilians and civilian areas?

SAYAH: The clearest evidence we saw was evidence of these alleged Gadhafi snipers that were holding themselves up, allegedly, in these high-rises along Tripoli Street. These are oftentimes apartment buildings, businesses. And there was evidence of snipers, gunmen, who had gone into bedrooms, for example, and punched a hole through these rooms where they could get a look on the street. And according to the rebels, they were using these places, these apartments, shooting through those holes down below at rebel fighters, and sometimes, according to opposition forces, shooting at civilians.

STOUT: All right, Reza. Thank you for that.

Reza Sayah, joining us live from Benghazi.

Now, in Syria, the violence grows worse by the day. Now, residents say that they are living in fear as sniper fire continues to ring out across the country, and Daraa in particular.

The U.N. says more than 300 demonstrators have been killed by security forces across Syria in the past month. And on Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council failed to agree on a response to the escalating violence in Syria. While Britain, France, Germany and Portugal support a U.N. statement condemning Syria's actions, Syria's ambassador to the U.N. was quick to respond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASHAR JAAFARI, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (through translator): The Syrian leadership is convinced that such extremist circles do not want reform. They want to overcome the government through killing and chaos. It was thus natural for the Syrian leadership to respond to the appeals of its citizens to save them from the practices and acts of such terrorists, extremist groups, and to return order to the country. This is exactly what happened in the city of Daraa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now, attention now turns to the U.N. Human Rights Council. It is holding a special session on Friday to discuss the Syrian authority's actions.

Now, Britain says Syria's ambassador to the U.K. is no longer invited to the royal wedding. The British Foreign Office says it would be unacceptable for Syria's ambassador to attend in light of the country's recent crackdown on civilians.

Coming up next here on NEWS STREAM, it's not only the bride who will be having last-minute nerves. We look at the massive security operation going on behind the scenes to ensure the royal wedding passes without a hitch.

And in sport it was more of a shouting match than a football match. We'll bring you all the news from the champion league's El Clasico.

And have you ever fancied taking a snooze on the job? Well, in Canada, some workers can.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Live video from London there.

Welcome back. You're watching NEWS STREAM.

Now, the clock is ticking, and there you have it -- a little under 22 hours until Kate and Will ties the knot. Now, the ceremony starts at 11:00 a.m., but before that, they have to get to Westminster Abbey.

Now, William and Kate, they will travel to the abbey separately, but both will set off from near Buckingham Palace. The prince, from Clarence House, and his bride-to-be, from a five-star hotel.

Let's take a look at the route.

Now, that is the palace at the bottom of your screens. And to the left is Green Park. And stretching away in front is the Mall (ph). Now, Clarence House is on the corner between Green Park and the Mall (ph), and the prince will leave from there.

Now, the route follows the Mall (ph), passed St. James Park on the right. And at the end, they'll turn right and head through Horse Guards Parade into Whitehall. From there, it's a stone's throw to Downing Street.

And then they'll head along the bank of the River Thames toward the Houses of Parliament. But more importantly for the couple, to finally Westminster Abbey.

And that is where our Monita Rajpal is standing by. She joins us now live -- Monita.

MONITA RAJPAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kristie.

Well, you saw the route there. And by this time tomorrow, these streets will be even more packed than they are right now with well-wishers.

This is just to give you an idea of just the craziness that has already begun here at Westminster Abbey. We're seeing the campers already taking their spots, but also the cops. The police have already set up the barricades. People are trying to walk through, get an idea of the energy that you see and you feel here at Westminster Abbey.

They're all hoping to catch a glimpse of William and Kate on their big day. We also understand that Kate and Harry were here earlier today, and that caused quite a bit of a commotion.

Now, on Wednesday, the couple did a practice run of their wedding ceremony. And that's Prince William and Kate Middleton's motorcade driving into Westminster Abbey that you were able to see.

Now, as you can imagine, security was tight, and it will be even tighter come this time tomorrow. There won't be any letup. Police are doing their final checks of the parade route, making sure nothing looks suspicious or out of place.

Ensuring security for the wedding is just a massive operation. We understand there'll be 5,000 police officers who will be policing this event, including some with sniffer dogs and some on horses. We already saw some sniffer dogs here yesterday as well, going through even the flowers that we see that have been placed around where all the media have set up.

Nine Windsor Grey horses will escort the wedding procession to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony. And then police and military personnel will line the route. It will look great, of course, but the military guards that are on the route will also have their duties as to protect the bride and groom.

More than 60 individuals have been banned from being in London tomorrow. Police say that is a result of investigations after recent demonstrations in the capital. Scotland Yard also said it is prepared to deal with the possibility of international terrorism, but there is no specific intelligence to suggest there is any threat to the wedding.

Now, it is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, and the Middletons are taking no chances. The bride to be -- princess to be -- is on near- lockdown at a five-star hotel in London with her family, and that's where we find out Atika Shubert, on a stakeout -- Atika.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I'm in front of the Goring Hotel, which is a small but very luxurious hotel that really prides itself on being quintessentially British. And it is literally just behind Buckingham Palace, and it's quite often thought of as sort of an annex of Buckingham Palace. And that is where the Middleton family will make their headquarters for the wedding. And this is where Kate Middleton will be spending her last night as a single woman.

We just had a little bit of excitement here when a van rolled up and several clothes were seen inside. No idea whether or not that may or may not be the wedding dress that has just been delivered. But as you might be able to see there, there is actually an awning there.

So, when Kate Middleton leaves the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey, you will not be able to see the dress, unfortunately. The first time you'll be able to see the dress is when she steps out at Westminster Abbey.

RAJPAL: All right. Atika Shubert there.

Thank you very much.

Of course, this, as you know, Kristie, that's the one thing everyone wants to see. But again, that hasn't deterred the thousands of people that are coming here to Westminster Abbey just to get a glimpse, hoping to get a glimpse of the bride to be and the groom if they come back. But I don't think they'll be coming back until they have to be here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. local time -- Kristie.

STOUT: That's right. Will she wear ivory? Will she wear white? We've got ourselves a little wager going on.

Right, Monita?

RAJPAL: Yes. Tell me about it.

STOUT: Monita Rajpal there.

Take care, and we'll check in with you a little bit later. Yes.

Sorry to cut her off there, but we'll be checking with Monita after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

You're watching NEWS STREAM, and these are your world headlines.

Now, violent storms have killed at least 173 people in the southern United States. Authorities are working to rescue people trapped after a monstrous tornado tore through Alabama. And areas there are described as decimated and obliterated.

The United Nations Security Council has failed to agree on a response to the escalating violence in Syria. That, as 200 members of the ruling Ba'ath Party reportedly have resigned in protest over the government's crackdown on demonstrators.

Now, witnesses in the city of Daraa, they say that dead bodies are lying in the streets because people are too scared to leave their homes and remove them.

In Bahrain, a court has sentenced four protesters to death. They were accused of killing two policemen in clashes between security forces and demonstrators last month. Now, three other protesters have been sentenced to life behind bars.

And wire reports say Thai and Cambodian military officials have agreed to a cease-fire, ending a week of bloody battles. Now, 15 people have been killed since last Friday in fighting over two disputed ancient temples on the Thai/Cambodian border.

Now, let's return to the event that many people around the world are talking about. It's of course Friday's royal wedding.

Monita Rajpal is outside the venue of Westminster Abbey, and she joins us once again.

Monita, all yours.

RAJPAL: Kristie, you know, this time tomorrow, Kate and William will be man and wife, and they'll be at Buckingham Palace partying the day away. And, of course, into the early hours of the morning. And right now people here in London are really gearing up for this unprecedented event.

It's such a huge event. I think people are really ready for some fun in their lives right now. And of course, tomorrow is a public holiday here in London, and not to mention many tourists in and around the world will be here and are already are here to join in this celebration. And of course, they have also released the service, the plan, the program for the wedding tomorrow including music, the hymns, and the couple have also said that they are really touched by the amount of affection that they have received from the public ever since they announced their engagement.

So people are really excited about this event. And you can really feel it here even though it is a massive security operation. We're seeing police officers lining the streets, barricades have been set up. We understand tomorrow that the roads will be closed at 6:00 am in the morning line around the procession route. So if you are planning on coming down here at some point, I think they're going to have to get down here really, really early.

Now if you're looking to meet a prince, Kristie remember the days -- I know you've already met your prince -- remember the days when marrying into royalty required blue blood, boundless beauty, and a propensity to spawn children of the right sex? I don't remember that, probably well before my time, but a study of royal romances since World War II has shown that a different set of prerequisites can help you find your prince.

Social networking site Thed.com has published some key steps to becoming a princess, and none of them involved kissing a frog. First, brain power pleases princes apparently. As Kate and William have shown, university is the place to find love. It might also help to wear sequined dress while you're there. We're not asking for you to do that, but that's what this site apparently says.

Now don't spend all your time in your text books. Princes like a quote, unquote fit filly as they say. So take out your lacrosse stick or join the local polo club. There's me out of that one.

Also, you're chances of success will soar if you go partying in Europe. Monaco and Scandinavia are apparently the choice handouts, but given that this royal couple study on the east coast of Scotland or settling next to a Welsh military base, the path to finding your perfect prince clearly needn't be too posh unless of course you go to the clubs here in London (inaudible) infrequent so we shouldn't forget about that.

Becoming a royal might seem rather glamorous, but learning to be a princess is not an easy task. One might have -- must have poise and grace, but as Isha Sesay found out you need a lot more than that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Head up very tall, shoulders back, squeeze the bottom under.

ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a workout fit for a princess, or princess wannabes. Meet Jean Broke-Smith. As a former head of a prestigious London grooming and modeling school, she's been putting models, celebrities and socialites through their paces for the past 30 years.

With media reports that Katherine Middleton has herself been receiving training to prepare for a life of royal protocol and etiquette, I decided to pay Jean a visit to find out what the future royal is up against.

JEAN BROKE-SMITH, ETIQUETTE TRAINER: I'm going to go over here. And see how you walk.

SESAY: Oh gosh. OK, let's do this.

Well, that's easy enough.

BROKE-SMITH: You're a little bit round shouldered. The feet are a little bit like this, which is rather strange. So if I'm walking down the street seeing you I won't know whether you're going this way or that way.

SESAY: Isn't that what they do in America's Next Top Model?

BROKE-SMITH: Uh, yes.

SESAY: OK. No points for my walk.

Time to do it Jean's way.

BROKE-SMITH: Head up really tall. I want you to feel like a puppet on strings. OK. You're a bit round shouldered, lean, head up. Head up. There you go. Keep it there.

SESAY: OK.

BROKE-SMITH: All right. You've got to be a princess with your neck nicely stretched.

SESAY: Maybe I'll be better at sitting.

BROKE-SMITH: Not too bad. At least you're not crossing your legs.

Now you did that. It's much better to do that (inaudible)

SESAY: OK. Sitting needs work.

Let's try something else.

BROKE-SMITH: How would you take it off?

SESAY: OK. I've arrived at dinner. I'm taking off my coat.

BROKE-SMITH: All right. You're cleaning the floor with it.

Pop it on.

SESAY: OK.

BROKE-SMITH: And take the coat you said you'd lost your sleeve. Take it right up to your neck.

SESAY: Right.

BROKE-SMITH: Because then if you feel behind, your arm will be in the other sleeve.

SESAY: Oh, yes it is, yes.

BROKE-SMITH: When it's here, how can you find it? Right. And people look like a windmill doing this. And you pop it on, there it is.

SESAY: Clearly, this being a princess business is harder than it looks. So I asked Jean how well she thinks Katherine Middleton is doing?

BROKE-SMITH: The only thing is the arms and the hands are very tense. She's holding her clutch bag that I feel is very much her comfort zone.

SESAY: As I try to regain my composure back upstairs on the couch, Jean tells me she's coached a number of Prince Williams' ex-girlfriends.

Can you share any names?

BROKE-SMITH: Well, I know that some of the girlfriends that you'll see at the wedding I taught.

SESAY: Although, you didn't teach Kate. You didn't teach Katherine.

BROKE-SMITH: No. She wasn't a debutante. No.

SESAY: Despite her lack of aristocratic roots and with the eyes of the world upon here, Jean is generally impressed by what she's seen of Kate so far. And is confident the new royal will avoid a wedding day faux pas which is more than she can say for me. I clearly still have some work to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJPAL: Isha Sesay reporting there.

I don't know about you, Kristie, but that seems like a lot of work to me. And I'm a bit of a klutz, so I think I'm out of that category.

STOUT: I'm a klutz as well. And there is nothing wrong with Isha's walk. Girlfriend walks like a rock star, OK?

RAJPAL: Exactly.

STOUT: And one day you, me, and Isha, we're all going to get together. We're going to have a princess party, OK? We're going to walk the walk with tiaras on and everything.

RAJPAL: You throw in a glass of champagne...

STOUT: Monita Rajpal.

Yes, definitely, especially after this week of coverage is over, especially for you. You've been doing great work this week.

Monita Rajpal joining us live from London.

Now if you can't be in London for the wedding, there are plenty of ways to get into the spirit at home. Now the official wedding program is available for free on the iPad and the iPhone. It's got pictures of the happy couple as you can see, also a map of the route that they'll be taking, and the full royal wedding program including lyrics for all the hymns.

Now CNN will bring you every moment of the London celebration. Just be part of our global viewing party for William and Kate's royal wedding, that will be 4:00 in the afternoon here in Hong Kong, noon in Abu Dhabi right here on CNN

And just so you know, there will be no News Stream as we bring you special coverage of the big day.

Now let's find out if the royals will be celebrating in sunshine or sheltering from April showers on their big day. Pedram Javaheri joins us from the world weather center -- Pedram.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, know what's interesting about this is that we're currently getting sunshine in London. It's still sitting at around 17 to 18 degrees, but once again that storm system certainly still on track. And you can pick out the circulation exiting areas over say Germany and on into the Netherlands and eventually over the North Sea and it begins to knock on the doorsteps of England and eventually London.

And of course, you're talking about the rain showers. And here we go, this is the hour by hour forecast taking you through the evening hours Thursday night up until 11:00 am wedding time when we hope you're tuning in to CNN watching the events out there.

But the clouds going to certainly be in the area, isolated showers as we suspect. And also in the forecast and certainly going to be breezy with the temperatures being about 15 degrees. So changes in the forecast still on track. And still some showers possible. But I think the wedding hour should remain dry. And then by the evening hours, showers and sun breaks begin to mix in and actually warmed up a little bit.

We think it'll get up to 19 degrees by say 3:00 or 4:00 pm. But again it is going to be breezy out there. So there's not going to be a wash out. And that's the good news.

But let's take a look at your forecast right now.

And the Shuttle Endeavor taking its final launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Big event taking place in areas of the southern United States. And conditions out there at the launch time 19:47 GMT, we think it's going to be partly cloudy, some winds in the area as that storm system that has affected much of the United States begins to exit the region. And again some 630 storm reports with 160 of them, these red triangles, indicating tornado reports all the way up the eastern United States out towards say Virginia and Maryland.

And would you believe it, I just looked into this, there's a tornado warning in effect right now for the next seven minutes in extreme northern areas of Maryland in the town of Westminster, Maryland there's a tornado warning in effect until 45 after the hour. That is going to expire.

But this shows you the widespread coverage there of the storm as it beings to work its way towards portions of the northeastern United States. And we do have ground stops in effect for areas of JFK, LaGuardia -- I'm sorry, just for LaGuardia at this hour and Newark and also in Philadelphia, and also the United States capital there in D.C. So a busy, busy day across the eastern coast of the United States here, Kristie.

STOUT: All right, Pedram, thank you for that.

And we're going to get more on these severe and deadly storms in the United States. And meteorologists say this could end up being one of the worst tornado outbreaks in American history.

And Martin Savidge joins us live from near Birmingham, Alabama, its suburbs among the hardest hit areas. And Martin, why have these storms been so deadly, especially there in Alabama?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's a good question, Kristie. And a lot of people this morning as they look through what little they have left in the community of Pleasant Grove are wondering that same exact thing, many of them yesterday, about this same time are cleaning up branches and debris in their yard from another storm that had passed through. They had commented to one another. They expect it to be up this morning clearing debris. Instead most of them are dazed, stunned and absolutely shocked by the fact that there is hardly anything left in their community. Homes swept completely off of their foundations.

Here in this country, it's usually a common practice that people are told that when a tornado is bearing down on them, they should head for the basement. Many cases here in this community, the basement was no shelter at all. This storm was so fierce, so powerful that it caved the basements in and it toppled, not their home on top of them, but usually homes from nearby neighborhoods. That was how destructive the force was.

I talked to the chief of police last night. He estimated in the darkness that they had about six people dead, but he said it's many, many more than that.

They tried searching through the late morning hours until about two or three o'clock in the morning local time, finally had to stop, people were exhausted and it was just simply too dark and too dangerous to continue on. So at first light not the teams are once again -- community, police force coming in from all across the area to aid in the search effort.

But again, Kristie, it is just staggering to see in every direction in which I stand here in this small community of about 10,000 people there's hardly anything left standing, hardly anything left intact. It is eerily quiet. And people are just coming out to look and thankful they're still alive -- Kristie.

STOUT: You know, Martin, underscoring what you're telling us we're looking at these live pictures from Georgia of another affected area in the back of this tornado outbreak in the United States.

And Marin you talked about the damage to homes, to lives, to whole communities. Any more details about damage to power lines and roads? Because that will affect the search and rescue effort?

SAVIDGE: Right. And those are two significant problems they have.

First of all, of course, the power is out to many hundreds of thousands of people. And it's easy to see why, it's simply that the lines across they've been ripped from the ground, torn down and in many cases high tension power lines, the major feeders are down as well. So that means there's a long-term impact here. It's not just the power on the street.

The problem is, also, that on many streets those power lines have come down with a very dangerous tangle that's blocked the way of many of the emergency vehicles. That's what we found last night. Also huge trees have come down so heavy that even the standard emergency chainsaw teams couldn't cut through them. They're going to need heavy earth moving equipment.

So there are some neighborhoods that had not been able to reach, they have not been able to search, because of the fact that the roads had simply been too congested with the debris, with the power lines and with the trees that are down.

It truly is going to take a long time to sift through this massive debris field that this tornado has wrought in this community, and as you're reporting, in a number of communities throughout the southeast.

STOUT: All right. Martin Savidge, joining us live from Alabama. Thank you very much for giving us an update on this story.

Now up next here on News Stream, keeping an eye on the skies is no easy job, but Canada has apparently found the right formula. And we'll explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome back.

Now air traffic controllers in the United States having catching flak lately for sleeping on the job. But it's not the case in Canada where the country is praised for its unique approach.

Now for more, Paula Newton joins us now live from Ottawa -- Paula.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, how to handle this efficiently, Kristie in a high stakes industry. What is happening, especially when you look at the severe weather that we've been talking about in terms of trying to get it right. Here in Canada aviation experts say they may have the model, the best practice going forward. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: After a morning of fog the metal is finally moving off the tarmac again on time.

It's another hectic shift at Nav Canada's Toronto tower.

And now this on the horizon, severe thunderstorms tracking north of the country's busiest airport. More coming at controllers by the minute. It's time to switch runways for flights to stay safe.

This isn't a snapshot of a full day here, just about 30 minutes.

It looks hectic out there. It looks stressful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is. There's a lot going on. There's an awful lot to manage.

NEWTON: It's the way they're managing that's different here, not just in the tower, but in the area control center next door where thousands of flights a day tracking through North America get a safety escort on so- called skyways from controllers like Kurtis Arnold (ph).

ARNOLD KURTIS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: At our busiest peak periods, we'll have a takeoff or landing at this airport every 25 seconds. So what's it like to work that? Well, there's a lot going on. You really train yourself to internalize the procedures. So you're making decisions sort of sub-consciously, because you're communicating constantly.

NEWTON: The result is an award-winning system ahead of the curve in technology. And in the opinion of the aviation industry one of the best.

So while Nav Canada operates one of the most sophisticated air traffic control systems in the world, none of this is government owned or operated.

JOHN CRICHTON, NAV CANADA: We can demonstrably show that our system is safer today than it was when it was in government. Flights are shorter, people get more direct routings. There is very little delay in our system attributable to the air traffic control system, very little, almost negligible.

NEWTON: Mismanaged by the government for decades in 1996 Nav Canada was privatized. And it now runs like a business with a bottom line. Say one thing, any profits are plowed back into the business. The members that govern Nav Canada, the airlines, the government, employee unions set it up that way.

RUDY KELLAR, VP OF OPERATIONS, NAV CANADA: The profits come in safety, they come in (inaudible) gas efficiency or our own cost improvements.

NEWTON: Things are done differently here, especially when it comes to the welfare of controllers. There is an open dialogue about stress, they say, and how to manage it. Everything from nutrition to exercise and yes, break rooms with recliners where napping is aloud, even encouraged.

KURTIS: I'm just glad that we can. It's one of those things that really helps, especially on a midnight shift being able to slip away and get 15 minutes.

NEWTON: Is some people hearing the story might think it's too good to be true. We took it right out of the government's hands, put it into private industry and it works perfectly.

CRICHTON: Well, it's true.

NEWTON: They can believe it, they're saying.

CRICHTON: You can believe it. And facts speak for themselves.

NEWTON: And those facts, aviation leaders around the world are taking notice of Nav Canada. In some cases adopting its procedures, buying its technology and taking its philosophy on board.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: You know, I'm here at the national operation center for Nav Canada. This morning we just talked about all that severe weather. When it comes to best practices, figuring out how this very stressful job can be made more efficient and crucially safer, here in Canada they feel that they've figured out the right model, certainly everyone, all the stakeholders are happy with the system.

But they caution, look, it may not be perfect to implement in other places around the world. They share a lot of information here, a lot of technology to see if everyone can find out what is the best practice going forward for them -- Kristie.

STOUT: Yeah. And it definitely seems that the U.S. has something to learn from the Canadians.

Paula Newton joining us live from Ottawa. Thank you.

Now Apple says it is not tracking your location through the iPhone and it flashed issued a fix last week to researchers. It discovered a file on the iPhone and iPad 3G that contain the list of locations. It records in that phone and it contacts certain cell towers and where they are.

Now we analyzed the file from our producer's iPhone and prepared this fairly accurate map of where he had been on a recent trip to Tokyo. Now each of those circles you see here represents a different cell tower or Wi- Fi hot spot.

Now Apple says this isn't actually a list of his locations, it says it is a (inaudible) source list of locations from many iPhone users. Now Apple says the phone, it uses this to figure out where you are quickly. But what is worrying users is just how much data the phone is storing.

Now this map right here, it's from a trip my producer made some seven months ago. Now Apple says it will offer a software update soon that will cut the data saved to just the last seven days and allow you to turn it off entirely.

Now still ahead here on News Stream, now this piece of paper causing controversy in the United States. U.S. President Barack Obama shows the world his birth certificate, but will it silence the skeptics?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome back to News Stream.

Now the U.S. president says he has no time for any more, quote, silliness about where he was born. Now Barack Obama released his long form birth certificate urging the country to move forward and to focus on serious matters. Some critics questioned the document's legitimacy and others are calling on Mr. Obama to release his academic records.

So it seems that Mr. Obama's move has not brought about the silence he hoped for. Our Jeanne Moos looks at some of the loudest voices in the run- up to the certificate's release.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hold 'em high.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Additional information.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Blockbuster developments.

MOOS: Blockbuster enough for one network to break into its royal wedding coverage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was the child of a...

MOOS: Could the bells be tolling for the death of the birth certificate issue? We're going to miss hearing Donald Trump bellow.

DONALD TRUMP, ENTREPRENEUR: I want him to show his birth certificate. There's something on that birth certificate that he doesn't like.

MOOS: The president sure didn't look like there was something he didn't like as he released it.

So maybe it's time to hand out eggs to all the folks who have egg on their face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible) the doggone birth certificate...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Us birthers were right all along.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His behavior shows a guilty mind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So take that Obama.

MOOS: There's one lady who is going to need several eggs for her performance at a town hall.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are people ignoring his birth certificate? He is not an American citizen, he is a citizen of Kenya.

MOOS: But Donald Trump wasn't acting like he had egg on his face. He took credit for getting the president to release his long form certificate.

TRUMP: I am really proud, I am really honored.

MOOS: How proud and honored was Donald Trump? Let us count the ways.

TRUMP: I'm very proud of myself. I am really honored. And I'm honored by it. And honestly I'm very proud. I'm really honored and I'm really proud.

MOOS: Then Trump got dumped by the networks going live with President Obama whose sudden appearance in the briefing room was eerily similar to one in the...

MICHAEL DOUGLAS, ACTOR: Good morning.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello everybody.

DOUGLAS: We've got serious problems.

OBAMA: We live in a serious time right now.

MOOS: Substitute Donald for Bob.

DOUGLAS: This is a time for serious people, Bob, and your 15 minutes are up. My name is Andrew Shepherd and I am the president.

OBAMA: We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We've got better stuff to do. I've got better stuff to do.

MOOS: The award for worst timing goes to the author of the upcoming book "Where's The Birth Certificate?" due out next week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you ask the president to show me his gift certificate? I mean -- gift certificate -- his birth certificate.

MOOS: Gift certificate, birth certificate, what's next on the shopping list, college grades?

TRUMP: Why doesn't he release his Occidental Records?

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: And before we go I want to highlight a love story that has been not getting much time lately in the spotlight. Obviously I am not referring to Prince William and Kate Middleton, U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, has flown to Florida where her husband is getting ready to blast into space. It's been just four months since Giffords was shot in the head and nearly killed, but doctors say that she has made a remarkable recovery and they cleared her to attend her husband's final launch aboard the Shuttle Endeavor. No doubt a very special moment for both of them.

And that is News Stream, but the news continues at CNN. "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" is next.

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