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NEWS STREAM
China's Deadly Floods; Iran's Role in Syria; White House Battle Over Libya
Aired June 21, 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, heavy flooding over a large part of China kills over 100 people and affects millions.
The battle to stop one of Afghanistan's most profitable businesses, the opium trade.
And one year on, we remember the longest tennis match of all time before the two marathon men at Wimbledon again.
Well, parts of China are coping with the worst flooding in 56 years. Well, just take a look at this pictures from Zhejiang Province.
Officials say nearly 4.5 million people are affected there. Well, heavy rains have hit a total of 13 provinces since the start of the month. At least 175 people have died. The waters have also destroyed crops, closed factories, and washed away roads and homes. Authorities say economic losses topped $5 billion, and it's not over yet.
We want to show you where this is happening. Rains started on June 3rd in southeastern China. These four provinces are suffering some of the worst flooding on record.
Well, as you can see, they sit along the Yangzte River. It is notorious for flooding in the summer, which is why China built the Three Gorges Dam.
Well, Zhejiang Province is the latest to be pounded by the heavy rain. One official says more than 70 kilometers of dikes are in danger of overflowing.
More than 8,000 homes have been destroyed in that province. The city of Zhoushang looks like a lake, with giant pools of water covering entire communities.
Our Eunice Yoon traveled there, and here's what she found.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EUNICE YOON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Zhoushang village has now basically turned into a lake. The main thoroughfare looks like a canal. People are traveling around by boat. And, in fact, the only way that you could tell that this village is actually indeed a village and not a lake is that there are electrical polls that are sticking up out of the water.
Now, we managed to get into the village, and the people there are all farmers. They are raising cash crops like grapes, like peanuts, also raising cotton and ducks. And a lot of these people were getting emotional when they were speaking to us, saying -- one woman told us, "You spend so much time and energy into your work, and then suddenly everything is gone."
Now, the government has evacuated over half of the villagers here, and in fact they sponsor this boat service. And on camera, most of the villagers said that they were very upbeat about what the government has been doing. But off camera, they were much more pessimistic, saying that the government really should provide more compensation and also hasn't really done enough to try to drain the water. In fact, many of the people here said that the waters will probably take another week to subside.
Eunice Yoon, CNN, Zhoushang.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, the recent rain ended the worst drought to hit southern China in 50 years. This was the scene in Hubei Province last month, farmers walking through their dried-up fields.
These are fishing boats in the city of Wuhan. And that's the Yangtze River, about 40 percent lower than normal. This is the same city. A storm on Saturday turned Wuhan's streets into rivers. And here you get a better view of just how high the water was all the way up to that bus windshield, as you can see.
Well, these university students, they tried to keep their feet dry. They made a bridge out of chairs to get across a flooded sidewalk.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COREN: Well, Mari, if you could please stay with us, because we're going to need your forecast for Australia, because that is where the volcanic ash cloud from Chile is back, just in time to ground more flights halfway around the world.
On Tuesday, it forced flights in and out of 10 Australian cities to shut down. Qantas is canceling all international flights to and from Sydney and Melbourne on Wednesday. Thousands of travelers are stranded. This, of course, is the second time the cloud has drifted across the globe this month. A volcanic eruption in Chile on June 4th sent the plume 10 kilometers into the atmosphere.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COREN: Well, turning to other news.
In Russia, investigators say they found the flight data recorder for the RussAir airliner that crashed late Monday night, killing 44 people. Only eight survived. Well, these are images of the aftermath from Russian state TV.
The country's Emergency Situations Ministry says the aircraft, a Tupolev-134 was en route from Moscow to a city about 1,000 kilometers north. It went down just shy of its destination before breaking apart and breaking into flames.
Well, Russian officials are still investigating the cause of the crash.
Well, in Greece, the country's financial future rests largely on decisions being made as I speak. Lawmakers in Athens debating at this very moment whether to back their government in a vote of confidence. Well, its parliament supports Prime Minister George Papandreou and his new cabinet. A vital cash injection and a fresh EU bailout deal should follow. A defeat would make a debt default by Greece an immediate possibility.
Well, coming up on NEWS STREAM, battle lines are drawn over U.S. military involvement in Libya, even as NATO is again accused of hitting a civilian home.
And it's harvest time for Afghan farmers cultivating a controversial crop. Well, we join a taskforce racing through the countryside to disrupt the drug supply.
And actress and activist Demi Moore joins the CNN Freedom Project in putting a face on victims of human trafficking in Nepal. A clip from our special documentary, "Nepal's Stolen Children," is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Well, Tunisia's former president and first lady have been sentenced to 35 years in prison. A court tried Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his wife in absentia on corruption charges.
Well, the couple fled to Saudi Arabia earlier this year after a wave of protests swept Tunisia. It was those demonstrations that kicked off the so-called Arab Spring.
The next leader to fall, Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, faces a trial of his own, but his lawyer says the 83-year-old is in worsening health. Well, cancer has reportedly spread to his stomach. He is accused of being involved in the killing of anti-government protesters. The trial is set to start in August.
Well, Syria's president has no intention of going the way of his Egyptian or Tunisian counterparts. Bashar al-Assad addressed the months of unrest on Monday, but that speech only left many Syrians angry and frustrated.
Opposition activists say protests broke out across the country like this one in Daraa.
(CHANTING)
COREN: Another person posted this video to YouTube. While this rally was said to be peaceful, some demonstrations turned violent.
Human rights activists claim security forces clashed with students and arrested more than 50 people. CNN cannot verify that report or the authenticity of these videos.
Well, U.S. officials suspect Syria's government is getting help with its crackdown. Barbara Starr examines Iran's influence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: A U.S. official tells CNN they now have secret intercepts of Iranian communications with Syrian officials, part of Iran's effort, they say, to exert increasing influence inside Syria as the violence there has mounted on an almost daily basis.
U.S. officials say these intercepts are just part of Iran's efforts to exert its influence inside Syria, which it almost considers a satellite state. Iran's strategy, by all accounts, is to exert influence across a number of parties, to be prepared to maintain that influence. If Syrian President al-Assad were to fall from power, Iran still is backing other influential people, other regime officials in the country, and it can then maintain its influence.
What U.S. officials are saying is they have evidence Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is at the front of this effort, that officials from that force are moving in and out of Syria. Their expertise, training. Iranian riot control gear, we are told, has been spotted on the ground inside of Syria, and Iranian weapons flow into Syria continue unchecked.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, NATO is facing tough questions in Libya. Officials confirm a drone helicopter went down Tuesday, but they won't say how.
And the alliance is being hit with more claims that a NATO strike hit a civilian home. Well, this time, NATO says the building was a legitimate military target.
Well, David McKenzie is in Tripoli and joins us live.
David, what do we know?
OK. We seem to be experiencing some problems there. We'll try and get David McKenzie back a little later.
Well, moving on, Libya's rebel movement is taking its cause to China. Opposition leader Mahmoud Jibril is in Beijing meeting with officials.
Jibril previously told CNN that China supported the rebel cause by buying oil from the group. Well, in this latest visit, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not endorse the movement, but it did call the rebels an important political power in Libya.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): China's major task is to promote peace and encourage talks. China has followed closely the development of the situation in Libya and calls for the political resolution of the Libyan crisis. We have maintained contacts with both sides of Libya, and urge them to take actions that are conducive to the interests of the people of the country. We believe that the future of Libya should be determined by the Libyan people themselves, and China respects the independent choice of the Libyan people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Well, last month, Mahmoud Jibril met with France's president. He's also tried unsuccessfully to get the White House to formally recognize the opposition's interim council.
And now a showdown may be in the works over American military involvement in Libya. President Barack Obama proved (ph) the mission that the U.S. Congress has the power to stop funding it.
Well, Dan Lothian has more on the legal battle that's heating up in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama's decision to involve the U.S. as part of the NATO mission in Libya without congressional approval was not interpreted the same way by all the legal counsel he received.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: For me to get up and tell you that by some miracle, every lawyer in this administration was in agreement on that issue, you wouldn't believe me, because it's simply been too contentious for, now, 38 years. So, yes, it was not -- there was not a unanimous agreement on it.
LOTHIAN: But aides say the president's decision is on sound legal ground, even though he's getting heat from some liberals. The Constitution Project, a left-leaning legal advocacy group, said it was very concerned by reports the president had gone against his legal counsel. "We deeply regret that the president has ignored the more considered advice."
And from Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, vocal opposition to the president's legal justification, spelled out in a 32-page document sent to lawmakers last week.
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL), DEMOCRATIC WHIP: It's true, the War Powers Act is an infringement on the president's power as commander-in-chief. So is the Constitution, which makes it clear the American people make decisions about going to war through members of Congress.
LOTHIAN: The foundation for President Obama's legal argument is no U.S. boots on the ground in Libya, no involvement in hostilities and, overall, a limited role, notwithstanding deadly airstrikes.
And he's finding support among Republicans like Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, even though he criticized the president for doing a "lousy job of communicating and managing involvement in Libya."
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: And I would take the course that conservatives have taken for the last 30 years. The War Powers Act is unconstitutional, not worth the paper it's written on.
LOTHIAN: Despite this heated debate, experts say it's unlikely there will be any legal ramifications for the White House decision.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, what makes Obama's legal position so strong here is that the courts don't like to get in the middle of fights between the executive and the legislative branches. So even if Obama is wrong in his interpretation, no court is going to tell him.
LOTHIAN (on camera): House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she believes the limited nature of the U.S. engagement in Libya gives the president to go forward, but she pointed out that she's still reviewing the classified version of the report that the White House sent to Congress.
Dan Lothian, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Michelle Obama is on a mission to inspire youth -- or young women, I should say -- in South Africa to become the leaders of the future. Well, just ahead on NEWS STREAM, we'll meet some of the girls eager to learn a lesson a two from the U.S. first lady and her family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Welcome back.
Earlier, we telling you about a drone helicopter that went down in Libya. We just don't know how.
Well, let's get the latest with our David McKenzie, who's standing by in Tripoli.
David, what do we know?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anna, what we know is that these pictures came up earlier today on Libyan state TV. It shows people crowding around the wreckage of what clearly seems to be some kind of military hardware.
They were immediately saying on state TV, Anna, that this was in fact an Apache helicopter. They've said this now five times, that they have shot down a NATO attack helicopter. But certainly, pretty quickly, NATO responded to us, saying that this is not in fact a helicopter, this is a helicopter drone, an automated drone, and that they lost contact with it. We don't know yet how it ended up getting onto the ground there.
But, Anna, it has been a difficult few days for NATO. As they step up their campaign, it seems here, this war is as much about words as it is about action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Libyan rescue workers, scraping through the rubble, but hoping to find (ph) remains. At first, NATO denied they hit this sprawling compound west of Tripoli. Later, they said it was a strike on a command and control center involved in coordinating attacks on the Libyan people.
"I was here at 2:00 in the morning," says Abdul Rahim (ph). "The strike happened and the bombs came raining down."
The Libyan government and hospital officials say that 15 people were killed in the attack, including four children.
(on camera): This giant crater is where one of the NATO strikes hit, and it seems like they were directly targeting a top Gadhafi aide.
(voice-over): The compound was home to this man, Khaled el-Kweldi, a member of Libya's Revolutionary Council. He wasn't here during the strike, but his neighbors believe it was meant for him.
(on camera): This attack was specifically trying to kill him.
MUSTAFA MOHAMMED, NEIGHBOR: Sure. What do you think, this is done what for?
MCKENZIE (voice-over): The government played down a possible political hit, insisting NATO was deliberately targeting civilians.
MUSA IBRAHIM, LIBYAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: You are planting the seed of hatred, NATO. You are planting the seed of hatred in the hearts of millions of Libyans.
MCKENZIE: NATO responded that it does not target specific individuals and regrets any loss of civilian life. But as this war drags on far longer than many expected, and civilian casualties rise, NATO will want to avoid more images like this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: Well, Anna, it must be said that pretty much any trip we've gone on here to see a site like this is worth (ph) government minders. In the past they have said that there have been civilian casualties, that several questions were raised over. But there have been a number of incidents in the past few days where civilian casualties could be confirmed. It also must be said that NATO has consistently said that Gadhafi's forces themselves target civilians, and that, in fact, their campaign here is aimed to protect civilians and those U.N. mandates.
COREN: David McKenzie in Tripoli.
Thank you for that.
Well, three generations of Obama women have arrived in South Africa. It's the first stop on a visit to highlight young women leaders and the anti-apartheid struggle.
Well, the U.S. first lady, her mother and daughters touched down in Pretoria Monday night. Michelle Obama has a busy agenda.
Well, today, she met former South African president Nelson Mandela. She plans to visit neighboring Botswana, and will even head off on safari before returning home.
Well, during her stay, Mrs. Obama will be the guest of honor at a leadership conference, along with 75 women across the continent chosen to attend the two-day event.
Nkepile Mabuse spoke with some of the women who will get to meet the first lady.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Their parents are too poor to pay for early education. Here, in the shanty town of Dipslu (ph) Johannesburg, preschools are considered a luxury. But Brendah Nyakudya says making them affordable and widely available should be a priority.
BRENDAH NYAKUDYA, FORUM PARTICIPANT: The steps, we're showing that children who never went to preschool had a high probability of actually dropping out of school at a later stage.
MABUSE: So, for the past six years, she and her partner, Caleb (ph), have been raising funds to educate South Africa's impoverished children. This is one of the three nursery schools they've started. For her work, Nyakudya has been chosen as one of 75 young African young women who will meet and spend time with first lady Michelle Obama on her six-day trip to southern Africa.
(on camera): And what happened?
NYAKUDYA: I got a phone call, and somebody said to me, "You know, you've been picked and nominated as one of the 75 women." And I'm like -- because I think it's a prank, because, you know, how often does that happen? So I'm like, "Sorry, you must be confused."
And she gave me more information. And I was like, "Are you kidding me?" So it was a surreal moment. It was just amazing.
MABUSE (voice-over): For two days, she will engage in various activities with the first lady, who's expected to focus on leadership and democracy on the continent.
(on camera): By elevating young people uplifting their own communities, Michelle Obama's trip is seen by the White House as very much in line with her husband's Africa policy, a policy geared at empowering Africans to empower themselves.
IMAN RAPPETTI, NEWS ANCHOR: We've always honored women.
MABUSE (voice-over): News anchor Iman Rappetti, who will host one of the Obama discussion forums, expects the first lady to inspire, but says the work should continue long after she has left.
RAPPETTI: We want to see more female CEOs, more black African CEOs, more female leaders at the NGO level, activists. We have been in the past historically. We've got great examples to draw from. It's just going to be a great inspiration for the future, and these are the building blocks.
MABUSE: With leaders like Nyakudya and her partner, communities like these believe much more can be achieved.
VIOLET NZIMANDE, TEACHER: By starting the school, it has improved our lives. We'll be no one.
MABUSE: Nkepile Mabuse, CNN, Johannesburg.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, violence breaks out in Northern Ireland. Riots overnight in Belfast. Leaders from both sides say their homes were attacked. But why?
And suicide attacks in Iraq try to take out a provincial governor. We'll bring you the latest on the blasts. That's still ahead on NEWS STREAM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Welcome back. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. You're watching NEWS STREAM. And these are your world headlines.
Well, Greek lawmakers are debating right now whether to back their government in a vote of confidence. Well, the parliament supports Prime Minister George Papandreou and his cabinet. A vital cash injection and a fresh bailout deal should follow. The defeat would make a debt default by Greece an immediate possibility.
At least 44 people died when a Russian jetliner crashed 1,000 kilometers north of Moscow. Emergency officials said a plane took off with 43 passengers and nine crew members. Well, crews have recovered the plane's flight recorders.
A 19 year old man is being arrested near London in connection with a hack attack on Sony. Well, the PlayStation Network went down in April after what Sony said was a massive data breach. The police are now investigating whether the suspect has any ties to prominent hacking net groups.
The world's oceans are suffering an unprecedented loss of species, well that's according to a new report. The international state of the oceans report warns that climate change and chemical pollution are putting many forms of marine life at risk of rapid extinction. Well, that includes sharks, whales, dolphins, and certain fish.
Well, sectarian violence has flared in Northern Ireland. Leaders in Belfast report attacks on both Catholic and Protestant homes overnight. Dan Rivers tells us the riots have renewed old feuds.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was the scene of some fairly fierce rioting last night in the Short Strand area of East Belfast. This is Brighton Street, which is on the sort of fault line, if you like, between predominantly Catholic community here and on the other side of a big fence running down this street, the predominantly Protestant community.
The (inaudible) of Northern Ireland saying 4,500 people were involved in those disturbances over night. It started at around 9:00 pm. We're told that petrol bombs, fireworks, bricks, and smoke bombs were being thrown as shots were fired by both sides. Two men taken to hospital with gunshot wounds to the legs. And the police say there was even an attempted hijacking of the bus by masked men on the streets here in east Belfast.
This was the worst flare up of violence in this particular area of the city for some time. But traditionally at this time of the year in the build-up to the so-called marching season when Protestant loyalist groups attempt to march through predominantly Catholic areas that there is often a build-up in violence and tensions. That culminates normally on the 12 of July, the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne.
The question now for people here is, is this just an isolated incident, or is this the beginning of a sustained sort of few weeks of violence leading up to the 12th of July.
Thankfully, though, everyone here relieved that no one was killed in this violence. As I say two people are taken to hospital amid those terrible scenes here on the streets of east Belfast.
Dan Rivers, CNN, Northern Ireland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, two suicide bombs have exploded in central Iraq. At least 22 people were killed in the attacks outside the governor's house in Diwaniyah province. Police officers and civilians were among the victims.
Jomana Karadsheh reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Security officials tell CNN that the two suicide car bombers detonated near simultaneously outside the house of the governor a few (inaudible) south of Baghdad on Tuesday morning. Now among the casualties are civilians, but also security forces, policemen who were protecting the compound. Officials in the province tell CNN that the governor himself has survived the attack.
Now bombings like this, especially suicide bombings, are rare in a province like Diwaniyah that is a more stable province in southern Iraq, but it comes after similar attacks that we have seen recently targeting local government in different parts of Iraq yet again underscoring the fragility of the security situation in Iraq and raising questions about the ability of Iraq's security forces to maintain security and stability in the country.
Now this comes at a very critical time for Iraq. The United States is set to withdraw all of its remaining troops, 45,000 troops in about six months, by December 31st. Now the U.S. has said that it's open to the possibility of leaving some troops behind if such a request for leaving these troops is made by the Iraqi government.
Now over recent months we have seen public statements by many Iraqi politicians, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki himself saying that Iraqi security forces are ready and able to maintain security in the country on their own after the withdrawal of U.S. forces. But we have also seen meetings now taking place between Iraqi political leaders. A first such meeting took place on Monday, that is yesterday, to decide on whether or not they're going to make such a request to Washington to leave some troops behind.
But the clock is ticking. That decision needs to come fast, because U.S. commanders need to make their plans on how to withdrawal and to draw down if they are to do so in the coming weeks.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, the fight may soon be over for some American soldiers in Afghanistan. A White House officials tells CNN that U.S. President Barack Obama will announce plans to withdrawal 30,000 U.S. troops by the end of next year during a speech on Wednesday. Well, these are the so-called surge troops that were sent to assist with escalating violence in 2009. Well, there are currently 100,000 American soldiers serving in Afghanistan.
Well, Afghanistan will be losing a significant amount of cash flow from the U.S. once all those troops are sent home. So how will the country compensate? Well, some are concerned it could be with opium.
For more, let's go to our Nick Paton Walsh who joins us live from Kabul. Nick, we know that the opium trade is huge in Afghanistan, but I believe that you joined an operation that was eradicating these poppy fields.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. I mean, let's put some context here. NATO took their eye off the opium trade for awhile to concentrate on fighting the insurgency, but this year they've had little choice but to address it hard on again. A blight to last year's harvest has caused the price to treble, which means that farmers who for years were trying to grow the wheat and alternative crops that NATO has been promoting here have turned back to opium causing (inaudible) this could flood a record amount of cash this summer into the insurgency and the black economy. And the last thing Afghanistan needs right now, as we found in the north when we visited earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH: We're heading north into the remote hills for a glimpse of Afghanistan's future. The war here in Baradshan (ph) is not against the Taliban, but against a business so profitable, growing so fast, many worry it's Afghanistan's only option when the west pulls its troops and money out: opium.
We're with an Afghan task force racing through the valleys to disrupt this year's harvest. For awhile, NATO let opium growers be, focusing on the surge against the Taliban. But here it's expanding faster than anywhere in the country and risks getting out of control.
Stopping this harvest is particularly important, because the price of opium has risen dramatically, threatening to flood a record amount of cash into Afghanistan and also into the insurgency.
In one year, the price has trebled, that's because uncertainty about Afghanistan's future means traders are hoarding the drug. This could generate record profits, the United Nations drug control chief here revealed to CNN.
JEAN-LUC LEMAHIEU, U.N. OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL: We can definitely see a record profit of this harvest, meaning that those who benefits most, the traders, which are not necessarily always the insurgents, will have a big incentive to continue the conflict to make sure that the opium business as well can continue to provide the huge profits we witness today.
PATON WALSH: Eradication is the simplest way of breaking the chain that puts heroin on city streets. But here, it wipes out the livelihoods of people who have nothing, creating enemies where before life was simple.
The villagers huddle on a roof, mourning their lost crop. It's not safe to approach, the police say, who have come prepared in case the overlords behind this $1.5 billion business take issue.
Mohammed, who lost his leg in a blast in Kabul and his $1,000 opium crop to these police still has six children to feed.
MOHAMMED, FARMER (through translator): We grow poppy because of poverty. Without it, we'd go hungry. We didn't grow it for four years here, but the government gave us no help, so we started again.
PATON WALSH: Mohammed won't discuss who he would have sold his crop to, but those cartels are the big worry here. The war funds about two- thirds of the economy. And when NATO's money dries up, it'll have to be replaced with something.
Opium is the easy answer, and along with it comes warlords and fears of a narco-state. Here, far away from the war, growing opium is a simple economic argument, the easiest and often the only money to be made.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH: Well, this isn't just about money going to the insurgency, it's about cash going toward the narco-mafia here, the criminal supporters, their backers even in the government who make their functionality here possible, concerns that this parallel structure could weaken an already very weak Afghan government if it sees enough cash.
Remember, the line between a narco-state and a failed state incredibly thin and stopping this place from being a failed state was exactly the reason why NATO came here in the first place, Anna.
COREN: Nick, we mentioned a little earlier that President Obama is due to announce tomorrow the withdrawal of 30,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of next year. What is the reaction to this news where you are?
PATON WALSH: Well, early here to get some reaction to those precise figures, but I think what we're looking at here is something that was leaked to the U.S. media this morning, the suggestion President Obama is not going to set the pace himself of the withdrawal, but give a large number and a large period of time in which the military has to take those troops home. That gives them a vast period.
I mean, they could start bringing home a few thousand this summer, or none until the end of the year, but effectively the commander-in-chief here looks like he's telling the military the war is over, that all the surge troops have to come home in that kind of way, but giving them a long enough time that effectively military own how this war is played out.
So a fairly intelligent move there it seems so far -- Anna.
COREN: All right. Nick Paton Walsh in Kabul as always. Good to see you. Thank you.
Well, this year CNN is shining a spotlight on modern day slavery and human trafficking. And this Sunday we have a very special documentary to share with you. In Nepal's Stolen Children, actress Demi Moore, a passionate advocate for victims of human trafficking, joins forces with the CNN Freedom Project to put a face on the victims and survivors in Nepal. Well, she traveled with the 2010 CNN hero of the year to a place where Nepal's young people are smuggled into the sex trade. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEMI MOORE, ACTRESS: Today I'm with Anuradha at the Katmandu airport boarding a plane for India, or to be precise to take me to the border Nepal shares with India. It's across that border that thousands of Nepalese girls are trafficked each year into brothels of Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, and other Indian cities.
In just four hours at the border, I saw several thousand people crossing over. Anuradha introduces me to might Nepal's own border guards, their slight appearance belies an intense determination which is born from their own experience. All of mighty Nepal's guards were themselves trafficked into brothels.
There are 50 guards working for mighty Nepal across 10 checkpoints. Every day at the border they will intercept on average 20 girls at risk of being trafficked.
Can you explain this to me? Like how it exactly works?
ANURADHA KOIRALA: They say every girl they watch. And they watch the men also. They watch. And as soon as they catch the suspect they keep the -- one takes the girl, or she takes the boy and they are questioned.
After tough questioning, if they find that whatever they are saying is not true and if it is a boy they hand over the boy to the police station and then they take a girl and go to the transit home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Well, here the emotional firsthand experiences of the young survivors more met on her journey. And find out what is being done in Nepal to stop human trafficking. Well that's Nepal's Stolen Children, a CNN Freedom Project documentary. We'll see the world premier Sunday night 8:00 pm local time.
Please stay with NEWS STREAM, much more after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Well, this news just into CNN. A senior adviser says Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh will return to Yemen on Friday. Well, he left the country for treatment in Saudi Arabia after an attack on his compound June 3rd. Well, anti-government protesters are being demanding his immediate resignation for months.
Well, let's now more on to sport where Chelsea Football Club are closing in on their new manager. And like Pedro Pinto tells us, the English club is going on promise rather than experience. Is that right, Pedro?
PEDRO PINTO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Anna. The Blues are on the verge of securing 33-year-old coach Andre Villas-Boas to replace former manager Carlo Anchelloti. The Portuguese coach won four trophies with FC Porto last season. And it seems he is now bringing his talents to England.
Porto released a statement to the Portuguese securities market commission revealing they have received notification from Villas-Boas that he intended to resign as manager of the club and that a payment of $50 million euros, or $25.5 million dollars, will be made triggering the release clause in his contract.
Now pending the transfer of those funds, Villas-Boas will take over at Stanford Bridge next season. He's only had one full season as a full-time manager. It was quite an impressive one, though. He won the Portuguese league, the Portuguese Cup, The Super Cup, and The Europe League as well. The trophy he won in Dublin made him the youngest ever manager to win a European Cup.
Porto finished the domestic season undefeated in 2010-2011. In 30 games they had 27 wins and 3 draws.
It's day 2 at Wimbledon. And some of the tournament's top seeds are in action today. Serena Williams hasn't lost at the All England Club since 2009. And the two-time defending champion has started her quest for a hat trick. She's playing French woman Aravane Rezai on Centre Court. And I can update the score for you live. She was well on her way to winning the first set on Centre Court at the All England Club. She was up 5-3.
Also beginning their campaign on the day are Roger Federer and Novak Djokavic. They'll be in action on Centre Court as well.
And there is a look at some of the matches that are taking place today.
That is a quick look at the sport's headlines. Anna, back to you.
COREN: Pedro, thank you very much.
Well, on day two of Wimbledon it's also round two for the marathon men of last year's tournament, that would be John Isner and Nicolas Mahut. Well, they face each other in the first round for the second consecutive year. Well, lest you forget they're mammoth match last year, well this plaque hangs outside court 18 of the All England Club to commemorate it.
Well, the match lasted more than 11 hours over three days last summer, a feat Isner says neither player will easily forget.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ISNER, TENNIS PLAYER: It was -- it was just absolutely crazy. I mean, the -- you know, we started off the first day and it was a pretty standard, you know, four set match. We got suspended by darkness, which you know, which happens at Wimbledon. And so we just figured we'd come back the next day and just finish off one more set. That's really happened to everybody before.
But that one set just didn't want to end. You know, we ended up playing I guess it was 118 games with no decider. And, you know, we had to come back the next day and finish it off.
I think once we got to 30-all, I really didn't think it was going to end, because you know, first off you know both of us were serving fantastic. And it got to the point where, you know, we didn't want to make a mistake on our service game so we're, you know, just conserving our energy for our service games. And, you know, we were still somehow able to hit an inordinate amount of aces time and time again.
And every time someone got in a jam, we were both able to, you know, claw our way out of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Certainly an amazing feat, wasn't it? Well, as you saw there John Isner finally beat Nicolas Mahut 70 games to 68 in the fifth and final set. It was the longest match ever played at the All England Club. Its full duration was an exhausting 11 hours, 5 minutes.
If you find it difficult to put that into perspective, well, let us help you out. It's longer than a flight from London to Los Angeles. And that would take you 10 hours, 10 minutes.
Well, in that time that Isner and Mahut were playing on court, you could also watch the entire first season of the drama Mad Men and have a tea and toilet breaks in between.
And if you want to see how the marathon tennis match shaped up against 2010's other major sporting event, well check this out. It took Spain a total of 11 hours and 35 minutes to win the World Cup. Well, that's seven matches, including extra time and injury time.
Amazing stuff isn't it?
Well, ahead on NEWS STREAM, man baby. One artist puts a new spin on the old fashioned family photo. And it's actually catching on. We'll explain next.
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COREN: Well call it art or call it just plain kooky, man babies, the face swapping craze has been sweeping the web. Now Jeanne Moos takes a look at the artistic endeavor that's bringing a new perspective to photography.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are family photos and there are awkward family photos. And then there are these, creepy family photos guaranteed to turn heads by switching heads while keeping it all in the family.
But it is creepy, you agree?
PAUL RIPKE, PHOTOGRAPHER: Yes, it is. And the main part about it is that it's real parents, you know?
MOOS: German photographer Paul Ripke is better known for fashion and advertising photos, but his man baby series was for fun.
What do you do with these?
RIPKE: Nothing, actually.
MOOS: Ripke basically shoots a portrait, then switches the heads making the dad's head smaller and the child's head bigger.
RIPKE: As the owner of the -- of an Italian restaurant actually. He's a pretty big German DJ.
MOOS: And he's the coach of a famous German soccer team.
And though the genre is called man babies, there are plenty of women babies as well.
RIPKE: My favorite is probably my wife.
MOOS: His daughter's pacifier is a nice touch.
The trick is to catch the child with an expression that isn't childlike.
You look for a moment when your daughter was looking very adult.
RIPKE: Yes, totally. That's what we tried to find.
MOOS: If all this sounds vaguely familiar, there's a web site called man babies that's been around for over three years -- same concept, though a lot less glossy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a good one. So bad it's funny.
MOOS: The German photographer says he never heard of the man babies web site until after he did his series.
Now there's even an iSwap Faces iPhone app. It's all a little reminiscent of that Little Man movie, a little person criminal poses as a baby.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You drop me and I'm a drop you.
MOOS: Poses to gain entrance and steal back a diamond.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is it? Whoa.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That ain't no baby, that's a porn star.
MOOS: In the age of Photoshop, why merely retouch when you can replace. You're no man baby, you're a cry baby.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: A little creepy, but no doubt will be a hit for Christmas.
That is NEWS STREAM, but the news continues here at CNN. World Business Today is next.
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