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NEWS STREAM
Moammar Gadhafi Surrounded?; Trouble for Migrants in Libya; India Bombing Aftermath; Russian Hockey Team Dies In Plane Crash; Al Qaeda's Capabilities Greatly Diminished Over Past 10 Years
Aired September 08, 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.
And we begin in Libya, where there are new claims Moammar Gadhafi is surrounded. Now, we have heard similar claims from the National Transitional Council before to no avail. So how close could Libya be to an end game?
More than 100,000 people homeless, the shocking statistic from Japan, as it continues to reel from the earthquake and tsunami six months ago.
And former Internet heavyweight Yahoo! has seen better days, and we dig into its decline.
We begin in Libya, where a spokesman for the Tripoli Military Council says fighters have Moammar Gadhafi surrounded, but he would not say where. Now, CNN cannot confirm these claims. It is not the first time Libya's new leaders have said they have Gadhafi cornered. Syria-based Al Rai TV recently aired a new audio message supposedly by Gadhafi in which he says NATO will be defeated and he has no plans to leave the country.
Meanwhile, tensions are rising around Bani Walid, one of Gadhafi's remaining strongholds. NTC officials say loyalists fired at opposition fighters as they advanced on the town late on Wednesday, and that two of Gadhafi's sons have been spotted there. Negotiations between NTC and tribal leaders fell apart in Bani Walid on Tuesday.
Our Ben Wedeman has been following events closely in Libya. He joins us now live from Tripoli.
And Ben, this NTC claim that they have Moammar Gadhafi surrounded, just how credible is this statement?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think we need to really approach it with a good deal of skepticism. They're talking about a 60-square-kilometer area where they believe Gadhafi is, but they won't specify where. And let's not forget, this is a huge, a gigantic country, much of it taken up by desert. Who on the NTC side is seeing this or passing this information on is not at all clear.
Now, what's interesting is this speech, or this statement, from Moammar Gadhafi on Al Rai TV, which is a Damascus-based, pro-Gadhafi station. It's sort of typical of many of Gadhafi's statements. It's sort of a plate full of typical Gadhafi rhetoric where he calls his opponents mercenaries, dogs, germs, rats and spies. And of course there's a certain amount of delusion spiced onto that plate as well.
He talks about millions of Libyans marching in the streets of Libyan cities, towns and villages, and I haven't seen any of them. And I don't know anybody who actually has. However, in this statement, he did pledge never to leave Libya.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MOAMMAR GADHAFI, OUSTED LIBYAN LEADER (through translator): Lastly, they say Gadhafi has gone to Niger. How many times have convoys gone backwards and forwards across to Niger, smugglers and people crossing also into Sudan, Chad, Mali and Algeria? It is not the first time that people come and go. It is as if this is the first time that a convoy has gone to Niger.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WEDEMAN: So we're really going to have to hold on, Kristie, to find out where he could possibly be. And let's not forget, when the U.S. went into Baghdad into April of 2003, it took them until December to find Saddam Hussein. And I was in Iraq for much of that period, and you were constantly hearing rumors and statements that Saddam is driving a taxi in Baghdad, selling kabob in Mosul or Tikrit. It took a long time to actually find him, and I think that may be the case here in Libya when it comes to Moammar Gadhafi -- Kristie.
STOUT: Yes, finding Gadhafi could be months away, if not longer.
I wanted to ask you, Ben, about the story you've been fixed on the last 24 hours about Libya's missing weapons. There were concerns that if they stay inside Libya, that they could arm an Iraq-style insurgency. So, then, how real is that possibility?
WEDEMAN: Well, that is a concern. If Moammar Gadhafi remains on the loose long enough, he may be able to reorganize himself, work up some sort of opposition using his -- the money he has at his disposal. And there are still Libyans who are loyal to him.
So it could happen. This country is awash with weapons at this point, weapons that Gadhafi brought in during the course of the war here, weapons that were looted from arsenals around the country. The weapons, certainly that raw material for an insurgency, is there.
The question is, is the sentiment there? And what we're seeing in Tripoli so far -- and I know it's early days -- is that there seems to be very little appetite to start some sort of anti-NTC insurgency. At least walking around this city, one gets the impression that most people welcome the change and aren't at all interested in some sort of urban warfare -- Kristie.
STOUT: Good to hear.
Ben Wedeman, joining us live from Tripoli.
Thank you.
Now, as Libya's new leaders work to secure a new future without Gadhafi, migrant workers in Libya say that they are starting to feel less secure. Many are from sub-Saharan Africa. They're out of work, homeless, and afraid for their lives.
Michael Holmes has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a rundown fishing port near Tripoli, more than a thousand sub-Saharan Africans languish in the heat, shaded by abandoned boats, outcast victims of Libya's war. The Red Cross has been handing out supplies, but those who are living here say their initial treatment wasn't so generous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we are here almost five days. On the fourth day they bring us here in the morning. They asked us, "Are you involved in this war?" We told them that, no, we're not involved in this war.
They asked us the same thing. We told them we're not involved in this war, we're here for work.
HOLMES: They are from places like Chad, Ghana, Mali, or Nigeria, and say they're being punished for the actions of other non-Libyans, mercenaries who fought for Moammar Gadhafi.
As the fighting raged, rebels reported hundreds of mercenaries on the front line imported by the Gadhafi regime to fight for money or promises of a better life. CNN interviewed such fighters on several occasions. This wounded man told us he was from Chad. His dead companion wrapped in a blanket next to him was too, he said. Another wounded fighter said the same thing.
But Libya has for years had a history of using migrant labor, and those workers are now being lumped in with other foreigners who fought on what became the losing side.
EMMANUEL, IMMIGRANT FROM NIGERIA: I've lost all I have. All I've worked for I've lost. I'm homeless now, I am moneyless, I don't have anything. So I can't go back to my place, so I need the international world to do something of this ugly situation.
HOLMES: Some of those here talk of men with guns coming, choosing women and taking them away to be raped, they say.
EMMANUEL: We are skilled. Our lives are not secure here.
HOLMES: Aid workers say many of those here have been waiting for weeks for a boat home or for someone to simply believe them.
SOUAD MESSAOUDI, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS: We have submitted the report with recommendations, and we remind all parties that it is very important to respect these people and to protect these people.
HOLMES: In a downtown Tripoli office building, Benghazi brigade rebels sift through the passports of detained men from Mali, Somalia, Chad, Gambia and Ghana.
HAMED ISBAQ, MEMBER OF THE BENGHAZI BRIGADES IN TRIPOLI (through translator): It is possible that we pick up anywhere from 50 to 100 people daily.
HOLMES: These men were detained and brought in for processing. They say they, too, are migrant workers, not paid fighters. But those doing the processing say they'll have to prove it. If they can't, they'll be kept in custody, eventually to face court. What court and when they might go there, they couldn't say.
Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: In Syria, activists say security forces killed at least 20 people during demonstrations in the city of Homs on Wednesdays, and that the government is ramping up its military presence there with 18 new truckloads of soldiers arriving there on Wednesday. Now, Syrian state TV had a different take on the story. It aired these images of security forces claiming to have been attacked by terrorist groups in Homs.
It also reported a visit by the Arab League's secretary-general has now been rescheduled for Saturday. Now, the visit is meant to address concerns over Syria's ongoing violence against civilians.
Coming up next on NEWS STREAM, the political fallout from that deadly bombing at New Delhi's High Court.
And six months on from Japan's earthquake and tsunami, tens of thousands of people are still homeless.
And does al Qaeda still pose a threat to the West?
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STOUT: Welcome back.
Now, Indian police are questioning the owner of a cyber cafe and two other men in connection with Wednesday's bombing at the High Court in New Delhi. This powerful explosion killed at least 11 people and wounded 74 others.
As Sumnima Udas reports, it's raising new questions about what India is doing to prevent more deadly attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN PRODUCER: As people in New Delhi start to make sense of the very deadly terrorist attack that took place here on Wednesday, many people are beginning to wonder what went wrong, and fingers are being pointed at the lax security situation. For instance, here is the High Court. This is one of the main entrances to the High Court, and this place has been attacked just in the past few months, in May, but yet, no CCTV cameras were put into place at these gates. And this is why the authorities are now having a very difficult time identifying the suspects.
People here also tell us that the metal detectors here didn't always work. So the thousands of people who come in and out of this place every day had to be manually checked.
BHARAT KARNAD, SECURITY ANALYST, NATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES: What happens in India is, for the first few days, there's a great step up in security. And by and by, it loses steam. And by the time the next terrorism act occurs, things have so relaxed to a point that anybody can do anything.
UDAS: And then, of course, you've got a very bureaucratic system here. So, while security has been stepped up here all across India since the Mumbai 2008 attacks, analysts here say that not all the security recommendations have actually been implemented.
KARNAD: Why was the CCTV camera missing over the fifth gate, gate number five? Because there was a difference of opinion between the PWD -- that's the Public Works Department -- and the Delhi police. I mean, one would think that these are not concerns and considerations that would stop security paraphernalia to be set up.
UDAS: Authorities here are working as quickly as possible to get to the bottom of this case. At least three people in Kashmir have been detained for questioning, but a lot of questions remain unanswered.
Sumnima Udas, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: A high-level inquiry has found that British troops punched and possibly kicked an Iraqi man to death, but says it is impossible to determine everyone involved in the killing. Now, Baha Moussa (ph), he was hooded, handcuffed, and held in stress positions while in military custody in Basra in 2003. The independent inquiry's report says the hotel clerk died in a state of exhaustion and fear after he was beaten. (INAUDIBLE) the commanding officer of the regiment that held Moussa (ph), but does say that he ought to have known what was going on in that building.
And the British fashion superstar John Galliano has been fined for anti- Semitic comments, but escapes any prison time. The 50-year-old was found guilty of making anti-Semitic comments against at least three people in a Paris cafe. He has been fined 6,000 euros, more than $8,000. Galliano was sacked from his role as chief designer in the French fashion house Christian Dior after these outbursts.
Now, still ahead on NEWS STREAM, living in a state of uncertainty. Some of Japan's tsunami victims now have a roof over their heads, but these homes are only temporary. Their story is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching NEWS STREAM.
And all this week we've been remembering the Japan earthquake and tsunami that changed towns along the northeast coast beyond recognition nearly six months ago. A chilling reminder of how much power was in that wave that was generated by the magnitude 9 earthquake that struck close to shore. And Japan has one of the best alert systems in the world, but this time the tsunami took less than 30 minutes to hit the coastline.
On Wednesday, we took you back to Kamaishi, one of the worst-hit cities. A nearly 5,000-ton freighter remains washed up on the pier and is a testament to the strength of the wave. Now, the fishing and steel town is determined to beat the overwhelming odds and rebuild.
And more than 100,000 people are still homeless from the disaster. And that figure includes the thousands sleeping in shelters. Now, the lucky ones have moved into temporary housing.
Kyung Lah talked to residents who are nervous about what to do when their move-out date comes around.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Six months after Japan's disaster, this is what some of the tsunami victims now call home. These are temporary houses, and in this plot of land, this borrowed land, there are about 200 to 300 families who are living here.
They do live rent free, but they do have a time limit on how long they can live here. There's still about 100,000 people who are considered homeless. They lost their homes during the disaster. Twelve thousand of them are still living in evacuation shelters on these blankets and cardboard boxes and tents, but the lucky few, about 35,000 of them, have managed to make it into temporary shelters, temporary housing.
And here, this is the Yahata house. This, they've been staying in since the end of May.
It's a temporary house. They live here with their 7-year-old son. It is small, but they try to make the most of the available space.
They do have to pay for the utilities, but they say considering the fact that the house was destroyed, that they lost everything, they will make due. The shock has started to wear off though, six months in, and they now feel the stress of trying to figure out exactly where life goes next.
TOMOKO YAHATA, TSUNAMI VICTIM (through translator): We can't keep looking back. We have to look at the future. This house is temporary, and we'll need to leave when the deadline comes. Before that, we'll need to find a home to live in, and we don't know whether we'll find a place to begin with.
If you ask me right now if I'm satisfied or not, I'll have to say that I am not satisfied.
LAH: The biggest problem in this region right now is that there's no real infrastructure, there's still a lack of jobs. In order to move out, these families have to have enough money to put a down payment on a house or figure out how to live month by month, paying rent.
Now, Yahata's husband does have a job, but they are still living on savings. Insurance for many of these victims did not cover all of the costs, if any at all, and government payouts have been exceptionally slow.
What these families do know for sure is that they have two years here. At the end of the two years, they've got to figure out where they're going to go next.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Kamaishi, Japan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: And that uncertainty of not knowing where to go next is particularly hard for Japan's elderly tsunami victims. About 23 percent of Japan's population is age 65 and over. Many of them live in the tsunami zone.
Now, the World Health Organization says the elderly are more prone to feeling abandoned, and says older people must be identified and given targeted support.
The tsunami also triggered a nuclear crisis, and that continues to this day. On Thursday, Japan's new prime minister toured the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for the first time since taking office last week. Yoshihiko Noda praised the self-defense forces personnel for their efforts to cool the reactors. Officials briefed him on the progress toward a state of cold shutdown by January.
Now, this threefold disaster has sent the world's third biggest economy back into recession.
Andrew Stevens is in Japan this week looking at the economic outlook there, and he joins us now live from Tokyo -- Andrew.
ANDREW STEVENS, HOST, "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY": Kristie, you're right, this is an economy which is still in recession. In the immediate months after the tsunami, we saw a sharp drop-off in economic activity. Unsurprising, that.
But over the last two or three months, industrial production has been picking up, and perhaps a little bit faster than people expected. And if you look in the actual tsunami zone itself, four out of five companies that were hit hard there are now back to pre-quake production levels. So there is regeneration, at least in the corporate sector, from that area.
But there's one point which you mentioned about the ongoing crisis in the nuclear industry, and this is affecting each and every Japanese to this day. It's not just the fear about radiation leakages, it's also much more tangible for most people in the fact that there is still not enough electricity, Kristie.
There is still quite a lot lower output of electricity now than there was before the quake. Tokyo, for example, this is a major hub, obviously a major production hub as well. Electricity generation is still 20 percent lower. And everywhere you go in Japan, people are making what is being called sacrifices to hit targets to keep the electricity going, to stop blackouts.
You'll see it in offices. You'll see that the air-conditioning has been set at 28 degrees, 82 degrees Fahrenheit, is the working environment. That's hot. You'll see it in other places that there's no overtime anymore, that people are having to work during the weekend instead of during the week, because they need to even out the demand on power.
We've got a lot more on this particular story. We're also talking about the yen, which is hurting the economy as well. There's a lot on "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" coming up at the top of the hour, Kristie, looking at the economic impact on Japan of that triple disaster.
STOUT: Yes, power outages rising again, multiple challenges. It's good to have you there to report on the story for us.
Andrew Stevens, joining us live from Tokyo. He'll be back at the top of the hour.
(WEATHER REPORT)
STOUT: NASA is eyeing the moon right now. Its GRAIL mission is set to launch in less than 15 minutes. And let's bring up a live look at the launch vehicle.
It holds twin space probes that will orbit the moon in tandem, but they won't arrive there until New Year's Eve. Now, this slow trip is meant to save energy.
The probes will study what lies beneath the lunar surface by mapping the moon's gravity. This mission will help scientists understand how Earth and other planets form, but it could also inspire another generation of space explorers.
John Zarrella joins us now live from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
And John, the GRAIL mission, it sounds almost biblical. But explain the acronym and what it's all about.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, it's a gravity mission, as you pointed out. And the bottom line is, the weather here is a lot better off than NASA thought it was going to be.
And, you know, it struck me that, while we've sent people to the moon, we really don't know what's inside the moon. This Delta rocket behind me, poised to lift off, as you mentioned, in less than 15 minutes, carrying twin spacecraft that NASA believes will answer that question.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): The moon. OK. So we've established it's not really made of green cheese.
The Apollo astronauts bagged up more than 800 pounds of rock and dirt --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The soil here is a bit firmer, I think.
ZARRELLA: What about all that stuff? Isn't that what the moon is made of? Well, that's just what's on top.
The fact is, we really don't know what's beneath the surface.
MARIA ZUBER, GRAIL PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: The part of lunar understanding that we don't yet have is what's inside the moon. So, to really understand the moon and understand what makes it special, we need to study what's inside.
ZARRELLA: To do that, NASA is embarking on a unique mission called GRAIL. Two space probes will fly one behind the other in identical orbits around the moon. The gravitational tug on the probes changes as they fly over various features -- mountains, valleys or masses hidden below the surface.
Measuring the change gives scientists, in essence, a lunar CAT scan. That's right. Imagine a CAT scan of the moon.
ZUBER: It provides us essentially with a picture of the lunar interior, just like you would make a picture of the inside of your body.
ZARRELLA: It's theorized that the moon was formed from the debris released after a collision between the Earth and another giant body. If that's the case, it will give scientists a better understanding of how the inner planets of the Solar System were formed.
And in a first, NASA will dedicate instruments -- in this case, cameras on the probes -- exclusively to education. Middle school students and teachers can go to the Moon Kam Web site and request a lunar surface location to be photographed.
LEESA HUBBARD, SALLY RIDE SCIENCE: And I think once they begin to look at detailed images when they go out in their back yard and look at the moon, they're going to look at it in a whole new way. And I think that's priceless.
ZARRELLA: The pictures will be posted in a photo gallery on the Internet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Now, to me, that's probably just as cool as any other part of the mission, Kristie, and there's four cameras on each of the probes. And middle school students and their teachers, not just in the United States, but around the world, can go to MoonKam.com.
So, teachers out there, if you're middle school teachers, get on there, start putting in your requests. I think you have to wait until after the first of the year, but get your requests on. That's really cool, to be able to take your own photos -- have your own photos of the moon taken for your class. That's really neat -- Kristie.
STOUT: That's pretty cool, MoonKam.com. And I love how you called this project a lunar CAT scan.
John Zarrella, joining us live.
John, enjoy the launch.
Now, up next here on NEWS STREAM, some haunting images from Ground Zero on 9/11. As the 10th anniversary approaches, we will show you never-before- seen video from a first responder who still remembers tearing through the debris with his bare hands on a desperate hunt for survivors.
And searching for answers in Russia. The sports world mourns a team killed in a plane crash on what's being called hockey's darkest day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.
Now fighters in Libya say they're closing in on fugitive leader Moammar Gadhafi. The National Transitional Council won't say where they think Gadhafi is. And CNN cannot confirm the claim. So it comes as another purported Gadhafi audio message was broadcast on a pro-Gadhafi TV station based in Syria.
Now British inquiry is found an Iraqi man died after being beaten by British troops. Baha Moussa (ph) was arrested in Iraq in 2003 on suspicion of insurgent activities. He died in custody. Inquiry acquitted the commanding officer, but says he should have known of the abuse.
Police in Germany have arrested two men suspected of plotting a bomb attack and are searching an Islamic cultural center in Berlin for evidence. Now the suspects are a 24 year old German of Lebanese descent and a 28 year old man from Gaza. They say the men were trying to get chemicals that can be used to make a bomb. But Berlin police say it is not clear if they had a specific target.
Now U.S. president Barack Obama is expected to roll out a much anticipated jobs plan to Congress later on Thursday. Democratic sources tell CNN the proposals which could top $300 billion will strengthen the economy and stimulate job growth and will be fully paid for.
All this week, CNN is marking the 10th anniversary of the day that changed the world: 9/11. And we have exclusive never before seen video to show you now from Ground Zero taken on that very day.
And this is what those firefighters were walking toward, the smoking wreckage of the World Trade Center. These haunting images were sent to us by CNN ireporter Lou Angelli (ph). And he went to Ground Zero on 9/11 as a volunteer responder and documentary filmmaker. And he remained there for 16 days.
He and other responders, they dug through layers of debris and concrete with their hands. And he tells CNN he still remembers when a group of firefighters, they found the body of a colleague buried in the debris. And he was still wearing his uniform.
After al Qaeda sent flames into the twin towers and the Pentagon on 9/11 it became a feared household name around the world. But 10 years on just how much of a threat is the terrorist network? Now we're looking at all sides of this critical question. We start with Reza Sayah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The attacks on 9/11 cemented Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda as America's number one enemy on par with Nazi Germany in the 30's and 40's and Communist Russia for three decades that followed. The attacks rattled the U.S. and so did the chilling government warnings that followed.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tonight, we are a country awakened to danger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think al Qaeda are in some 90 different countries, including here in the United States.
SAYAH: Al Qaeda was a vast and powerful network of terrorists, Washington said, with cells inside the U.S. plotting another attack.
BUSH: We thwarted terrorists in Buffalo, and Seattle, and Portland, Detroit, North Carolina, and Tampa, Florida.
SAYAH: The alleged threats cost Washington billions of dollars in security measures. For many Americans it cost them their sense of security. They also spawned what analysts like Mid East expert Reza Aslan called a lucrative terrorism industry: security companies, intelligence experts, defense contractors who make million sounding the alarm on al Qaeda.
REZA ASLAN, MIDDLE EAST EXPERT: This terrorism industry has done a pretty good job of raking in millions of dollars by convincing Americans that terrorists are around every corner and that every man, woman, and child in America is under direct threat from al Qaeda.
SAYAH: But not a single member of those alleged U.S. terror cells was ever convicted of plotting an attack in the U.S. There have been failed attempts from lone suspects whose connection to al Qaeda is doubtful.
September 2009, FBI agents arrest Nagy Bolazazzi (ph) and foil a plot to bomb the New York City subway system.
Christmas Day 2009 Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's underwear bomb fizzles out as passengers subdue him in a plane over Detroit, Michigan.
May 2010, Faisal Shahzad's homemade car bomb fails to detonate in New York's Times Square.
The facts show al Qaeda hasn't killed a single American on U.S. soil since 9/11. And a look at the recent history of al Qaeda suggests the likelihood of another attack on the scale of 9/11 is low.
ASLAN: You are more likely to be struck by lightning than to be killed by a terrorist in this country.
SAYAH: Last month John Miller, former senior intelligence official in the Obama administration, told CNN's Fareed Zakaria effective U.S. counterterrorism and al Qaeda's diminishing resources have rendered the group largely ineffective.
JOHN MILLER, FRM. SENIOR INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL: And so net-net, does al Qaeda have the capability today to launch another attack on the scale of 9/11? That is very unlikely.
SAYAH: Yet the fear of al Qaeda seems to linger in America's psyche and reminders at the air port and in the PATRIOT Act of civil rights that Americans have given up in the name of security.
Outside the U.S., groups linked to al Qaeda have carried out attacks: in Madrid in 2004, London in 2005, Algiers in 2007. So the possibility of an attack is there. Experts say America should be watchful.
But maybe Osama bin Laden's death and al Qaeda's recent track record of failure will remove its title as America's big, bad enemy and cripple its ability to create fear even at the mention of al Qaeda's name.
Reza Sayah, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: Now you heard one analyst say there that you are more likely to be struck by lightning than killed in a terror attack. Well others say while al Qaeda may have changed dramatically in the past decade, it is still a fearsome threat.
Here's our Nic Robertson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kabul has changed dramatically in the last decade. It has grown fast. And international aid is poured in to support Afghanistan's fragile democracy.
10 years ago when the Taliban were still in power al Qaeda had a presence here in Kabul. Now the remnants of al Qaeda are hundreds of miles away to the south and east of here in training camps across the border in Pakistan.
It was in Pakistan that Osama bin Laden was killed, but where this man Younis al Mauritania, a senior al Qaeda operative, was captured last week. Mauritania was the handler of this man Shahab Dashdi, a German jihadist. He had come from this nondescript mosque in Hamburg to an al Qaeda camp in Pakistan. He wanted to fight U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
But Mauritania told him to go home and launch attacks in Germany.
Dashdi never made it, he was killed in a drone strike.
And that's become a familiar pattern. Al Qaeda recruits from Europe, even America, reaching Pakistan's badlands. And U.S. drone attacks trying to eliminate them and their mentors.
One such recruit, Bryant Neil Venus (ph) from Long Island, New York, a Christian convert to Islam, radicalized by firebrand friends and what he read online.
BEN VENZKE, INTEL CENTER: So over the last 10 years that's led to an increase in the types of material that we're seeing and almost if you will an arms race of competing sophistication for making their material more accessible.
ROBERTSON: And that's the new al Qaeda. Its different branches pumping out their jihadist message online. Perhaps the most influenctial al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and its charismatic mouthpiece Anwar al Awlaki.
VENZKE: We know that they continue to plot against the United States and against other western countries as well. So the situation in Yemen remains a serious one for us.
ROBERTSON: Then there's al Shabaab in Somalia drawing recruits from as far away as Minneapolis and Canada. The growing strength of al Qaeda in North Africa, a stone's throw from Europe. It may yet benefit from the unrest in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt making the job of counterterrorism even more complex: the lone wolf.
JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISOR: You have all of the related AQ groups, all of the terrorists, all of the Islamist groups, and so we have to watch out for them, and we have to watch out for lone actors.
ROBERTSON: Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad was one of them. He had training in Pakistan. But when he came home, acted alone in building his aborted car bomb. But he was an amateur and building bombs according to al Qaeda recipes is an inexact science.
SIDNEY ALFORD, BOMB EXPERT: The mixture which I'm making is one which I don't have great confidence. Some of them will probably injure the person making them.
ROBERTSON: But the danger is that eventually someone will have enough training and ability to build a deadly device. Nagi Boulazazzi (ph), an Afghan living in Denver, came close.
ALFORD: If enough people get hooked on this filthy publication, this particular publication and practice what it preaches, then some of them will succeed in causing the havoc and harm that they set up to do.
ROBERTSON: It's not just another attack that worries this former top DHS official, but the sheer volume of soft targets: malls, hotels, power plants, rail networks.
ROBERT LISCOUSKI, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY OFFICIAL: If I was till on the job I'd be very worried about al Qaeda exploiting those vulnerabilities, because, you know, we have a lot more work we have to do.
ROBERTSON: 10 years on the battle against al Qaeda is very different but far from over.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: Now later on Connect the World, CNN's Becky Anderson will be live in New York as we continue our special coverage leading up to the 10th anniversary commemorations. And on Sunday, CNN will be live from New York, Washington, Shankesville, Pennsylvania and Afghanistan beginning at 8:00 am Easter, 1:00 in the afternoon in London, 2:00 in Berlin, 4:00 in Abu Dhabi, 8:00 pm Sunday night in Hong Kong. All right here on CNN.
Now more now on our top story out of Libya, the International Criminal Court currently has arrest warrants out for Colonel Gadhafi and two of his relatives for crimes against humanity. And despite Gadhafi's latest audio message, Libya's new leaders speculate he may still try to flee.
Now Max Foster recently sat down with British foreign secretary William Hague and asked what happens if other countries ignore the court's authority and accept the ousted leader?
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WILLIAM HAGUE, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Well, other countries have to meet their own obligations, of course, that they have signed up to internationally. In this case, clearly what you're asking about is the International Criminal Court. You know, what happens if anybody indicted by the ICC such as Colonel Gadhafi ends up in Niger or neighboring countries. Well, those countries in the main (ph), including that country, have signed up to the International Criminal Court, and of course we expect them to meet their obligations. And we have spoken to them. We have spoken to our colleagues, the ministers there and in neighboring countries to remind them of that.
And I think it would be appropriate to discuss that the United Nations what we do if they don't, if countries don't meet their obligations. Are there any sanctions that can then be imposed on countries that don't meet them?
Well, I think they should take place over the coming days so that everyone understands. And it would be very serious not to meet international obligations that countries have signed up for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: William Hague there.
And once again fighters in Libya say that they are closing in on fugitive leader Moammar Gadhafi. And CNN cannot confirm these claims.
Now still ahead on News Stream, can Yahoo ever be the place on the web again? We'll explore what went wrong. Our new weekly tech talk is next.
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STOUT: Welcome back.
Now the last couple of days have highlighted the decline of a former internet heavy weight. I am, of course, talking about Yahoo which recently ousted another CEO. This is a look at the company from its glory days after it went public back in 1996. And the web site sure looks different now.
And you're probably more familiar with this, but analysts say that it's been suffering from the same problems for several years. And some call it the internet's purple dinosaur, a reference to its corporate logo. But it's also a jibe at Yahoo for just coasting on its past success instead of leading the industry.
Now we're very happy to be starting a weekly discussion with Nicholas Thompson who is a senior editor at The New Yorker. And he joins us now.
Nick, it's good to see you.
And we have seen just how far Yahoo has fallen. So tell us what went wrong?
NICHOLAS THOMPSON, THE NEW YORKER: Well, Yahoo's fundamental problem is that it just hasn't innovated. Technology changes really quickly and what Yahoo has been doing in the last two years is doing the same thing slightly more efficiently. They haven't come up with anything new, they haven't innovated. They didn't come up with social networking. They didn't come up with something like Twitter. They haven't come up with geolocation services. There are about 20 different things that have really worked in technology in the last few years. Yahoo has missed them all.
Meanwhile, Google, Facebook, Twitter, all these other companies that come up. And they are now where people go.
STOUT: Yahoo is almost like an episode of Friends, it's just stuck in the 90's. But Nick, Yahoo still has some valuable assets here in Asia. I mean, the search site remains popular in Japan, for example. Yahoo also has a large stake in China's Alibaba Group. In fact, some say that Yahoo's most valuable asset is that Alibaba stake. But that relationship was handled poorly by Carol Bartz.
So Nick, what happened? And how much did it cost the company?
THOMPSON: Well, actually in fact the stake in Alibaba might be worth almost the entirety of Yahoo's share price. If you look at the way analysts break down Yahoo's value that the stake they own, which is 40 percent of Alibaba, which is what they bought several years ago, is worth about as much as the market cap of the company. So analysts are essentially valuing Yahoo's domestic United States operations at zero.
Now what's happened with Alibaba is it got off to a very rocky start. Jerry Yang (ph), who preceded Carol Bartz, did not have great relationships even though he began working with Alibaba. Carol Bartz came on and there was some early meetings where there were reports of tensions, of her walking out on Jack Ma, the head of Alibaba. There were reports of insults, criticism.
So that relationship wasn't working that well. And then suddenly this spring we learned that Ali pei (ph), which is a very important part of the asset that Yahoo thought it owned, had been transferred out. Carol Bartz didn't even know that this incredibly valuable asset worth $5 billion to $8 billion had been sort of taken away from her behind her back. It was a disaster. It spoke very poorly of her, of her oversight, and of their relationships with Alibaba which is so important to Yahoo.
So I think that is one reason why she was ousted.
STOUT: So it also says that any new CEO at Yahoo has to get along well with Jack Ma.
Another point, I just want to say Carol Bartz, she's become one of many fallen female tech CEOs. I mean, Nick, you and I, we've exchanged e- mails on the topic. Carly Fiorina, she once led Hewlett Packard, now she does fundraising for Senate Republican candidates. Meg Whitman, she also comes to mind, the former eBay chief executive. She staged that unsuccessful bid for California governor last year.
And one of the few left standing is the CEO of Facebook, Cheryl Sandberg. And Nick, with Bartz stepping down, what does it mean to be a high ranking woman in Silicon Valley?
THOMPSON: It means you're very alone. I mean, Cheryl Sandberg is really the only, you know, A-lister who is left. I mean, maybe Mary Meeker, a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. But Silicon Valley, it's very much a boy's club. You look at the boards of directors of all these companies, they're all run by men.
Now the problem is partly the same structural problem you have in every industry where women have work for family balances. When they have children they step out. General sexism. Technology also has the additional problem that coding is considered a boy's thing. And so a lot of the young people who go into technology and a lot of the young coders, the vast majority of them are men. So the people who are starting at the bottom who will eventually rise to the top are men.
So it's got traditional structural problems, some particular problems due to Silicon Valley, and the results is that there's nobody. There is no female CEO of a major technology company right now. None.
STOUT: Yeah, that's a statistic that we've got to change. Nick Thompson joining us live. Nick Thompson of the New Yorker, pleasure talking with you. We'll talk again this time next week.
Now Yahoo has gone through some three CEOs in the last five years. So who wants the job? Now apparently Snoop Dogg, the rapper tweeted this, quote, "I'm taking over as the CEO of Yahoo."
Now some tech bloggers have remarked that that's not a bad idea. Afterall, Justin Timberlake, he took an ownership stake in the struggling social network MySpace back in July.
Now coming up next on News Stream, the global hockey community mourns the death of some top players in a plane crash outside the Russian city of Yaroslavl. International reaction and the tributes are next.
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STOUT: Welcome back.
Now investigators in Russia are trying to figure out what caused that deadly plane crash near Yaroslavl. Now many of the passengers were international hockey players.
Now Don Riddell joins me from London with the reaction from the sporting community -- Don.
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Kristie.
You know the global hockey community is still coming to terms with Wednesday's Russian plane crash which killed many of the game's top players and absolutely devastated the local Yaroslavl team.
The slide were traveling to Minsk in Belarus when their plane crashed on take off. They were heading to play in the first game of the new Continental Hockey League season. But 43 of the 45 people on board were killed.
Today the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has been to the scene of the crash site where he paid tribute to what he described as one of the best teams in the country. Medvedev experessed his condolences to the families of the victims.
So many talented players were killed. A team spokesman said that the entire roster plus four youth players were on the plane. Their average age just 26.
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COLBY ARMSTRONG, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: Going down like that is honestly it's -- it's insane even to think about it. I mean, I can't even -- I mean, when I heard about it, I couldn't even believe it.
SERGEI GONCHAR, OTTOWA SENATORS: Shocked and I don't know what to say. It's really sad news that we've heard today. And I'm speechless, you know. I know a few guys that are on that team. And it's (inaudible).
JONATHAN TOEWS, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: A lot of these guys, you know, you played against or you know, or you played with them at a certain point. It affects everybody. It's like a big family. Everyone knows each other and knows someone, you know, in this league or in this sport worldwide. So, I mean, whether they're hockey players or not that's a huge tragedy and it's awful to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Well, this time tomorrow the Rugby World Cup will be underway. And New Zealand will have taken the first step towards what they hope will be another title. The All Blacks have home advantage for the first time since their only other World Cup triumph in 1987. And every tournament since, New Zealand have started as favorites and failed to deliver.
They'll kick off in Auckland against Tonga at Eden Park on Friday night. And the players can't wait to get started.
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RICHIE MCCAW, NEW ZEALAND CAPTAIN: Well, I've been involved in two previously. But we haven't achieved what we're after. So to get another shot I suppose is that little bit of -- that sits in the back of your mind doesn't it?
But if you get onto individual games right about the big picture like that you've got to break it down to doing the job and I've been through a lot of experiences, because -- we've got to do that. And we've got to make sure we approach the game the same. We would be -- it's certain, I guess you understand that, but what did -- what it takes to perform. Your years of experience is to make sure you do when it counts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Now tempers are beginning to fray at the U.S. Open where virtually a second day's play was lost to the New York weather on Wednesday. Organizers are now struggling to get the tournament finished on time. And some of the players are really unhappy about the way they've been treated.
Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Andy Roddick were all forced to play in the rain yesterday. And all complained that it was slippery and dangerous. There isn't any kind of roof at Flushing Meadows. And incredibly there aren't even any covers to protect the course when it does rain, meaning more time is lost drying them out.
Weather permitting, play will resume in about two hours time. Let's keep our fingers crossed, Kristie.
STOUT: That's right. And I was just looking at that video of that squeegee. That's just not going to do the trick. That's not enough.
Don Riddell joining us live there.
RIDDELL: Not really.
STOUT: Thank you very much indeed. Take care.
Now before we go, I've got to update you on NASA's Grail Moon Mission. Now the first launch window has come and gone. But as you can see, live pictures here, the spacecraft is still there, it's still on the ground. Now NASA has waived off the first attempt because of strong winds. But they will try again in about 20 minutes.
And that is News Stream, but the news continues at CNN. World Business Today is next.
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