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NEWS STREAM
Conrad Murray Trial; State of the European Union; Crime of Driving in Saudi Arabia; Subway Trains Collide In Shanghai, Over 250 Injured; Convicted Killer Richard Wright Captured After 40 Year Manhunt
Aired September 28, 2011 - 8:00 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 with the trial of Michael Jackson's personal doctor, as Conrad Murray hears the case against him.
Also, we'll hear the story of how one woman risked her life to help anti-Gadhafi forces take Tripoli.
And Amazon is expected to unveil a brand new Kindle in just a few hours from now. We'll tell you what to expect from the Kindle Fire.
And when court convenes in Los Angeles a few hours from now, the jury will hear details of the day Michael Jackson died. Now, the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray has captured attention around the world. He is charged with involuntary manslaughter, and the proceedings are being watched closely by the singer's many fans, as well as the Jackson family.
And the trial, it began with powerful opening statements and dramatic testimony. The prosecution started by showing jurors this shocking photo of Jackson apparently dead and lying on a hospital gurney. They say the singer appeared fine just 12 hours earlier.
Randi Kaye has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Once again, Michael Jackson had the world's attention. This time, though, he was wasted, slurring his words. Listen to this recording by Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, made six weeks before his death.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MICHAEL JACKSON, MUSICIAN: When people leave my show, I want them to say, "I've never seen nothing like this in my life."
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE: Prosecutor David Walgren says Jackson was drugged up and that Dr. Murray was not only aware of his addiction, but continued to feed it by supplying and administering drugs that eventually killed the pop star.
DAVID WALGREN, PROSECUTOR: It was Dr. Murray's repeated incompetent and unskilled acts that led to Mr. Jackson's death on June 25, 2009.
KAYE: Prosecutors continued to hammer Murray's so-called gross negligence, leaving the room while Jackson was hooked up to a Propofol IV, calling the pop star's bodyguard when he stopped breathing instead of 911, and urging him to hide the drugs and vials in the room.
And this bombshell. Prosecutor Walgren told the jury, as paramedics fought to save Jackson's life, Dr. Murray held back a critical piece of information, that he had given Michael Jackson Propofol, the powerful anesthetic.
WALGREN: They were told Lorazepam, and Conrad Murray never once mentioned the administration of Propofol.
KAYE: Then it was defense attorney Ed Chernoff's turn. He said there was nothing Dr. Murray could have done to prevent Jackson's death, because Jackson died at his own hand, taking more Propofol without Murray's knowing.
ED CHERNOFF, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Michael Jackson swallowed up to eight pills on his own without telling his doctor, without permission from his doctor. And when Dr. Murray gave him the 25 milligrams and Dr. Murray left the room, Michael Jackson self-administered a dose, an additional dose of Propofol. And it killed him. And it killed him like that. And there was no way to save him.
KAYE: As Conrad Murray listened, he wiped away tears. The defense portrayed him as a good doctor, a friend to Michael Jackson, a friend trying to wean him off Propofol.
CHERNOFF: The evidence is not going to show you that Michael Jackson died when Dr. Murray gave him Propofol for sleep. What the evidence is going to show you is that Michael Jackson died when Dr. Murray stopped.
KAYE: Leaving Michael Jackson, according to the defense, to take the drug himself.
Later in the day, prosecutors called their first witness, Kenny Ortega, the director and choreographer behind Jackson's "This is It" tour. Prosecutors attempted to establish Jackson appeared in good health. They played this rehearsal clip in court.
JACKSON: This is how we rehearse.
WALGREN: What was his demeanor, what was his condition on Tuesday, June 23?
KENNY ORTEGA, DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER: He entered into rehearsal full of energy, full of desire to work, full of enthusiasm. And it was a different Michael.
KAYE: Two days later, Michael Jackson was dead.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: Now, you heard a recording of Jackson's slurred speech in Randi's report. And Michael's brother Jermaine is accusing some media outlets, including CNN, of misinterpreting it. Now, he writes on Twitter that the audio clip does not show or prove that Michael was an addict. Jermaine goes on to write, "Bottom line: Michael did not kill Michael."
Now, we expect more emotional developments on day two of the trial. In fact, we'll be taking you to Los Angeles for a live report in just a few minutes.
But now I want to take you to Greece. The country's prime minister is trying to convince European leaders it is taking the right steps toward financial stability. Now, Prime Minister George Papandreou met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Tuesday, and he's urging German lawmakers to increase the EU rescue fund when they hold a key vote on the measure on Thursday.
And while he was in Berlin, this was the scene back in Athens. More than 2,000 angry demonstrators protested outside parliament. Some were beaten by riot police after Greek lawmakers approved a new property tax.
Now, this is just one of many austerity measures that Greece has rolled out in recent months. And despite the unpopularity, the country's finance minister says Greece will do everything possible to get its finances in order.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVANGELOS VENIZELOS, GREEK FINANCE MINISTER: Our decision, our determination is to fulfill our obligations, our duties, because, for us, the main target now is to go ahead. It's absolutely necessary for us to reestablish the national dignity and our fiscal and financial independence. And because of that, the Greek people are absolutely ready to accept a very strong sacrifice.
On the other hand, the Eurozone, I believe, is always ready to take the necessary decisions because we need a very well organized system for protection of the Eurozone and the euro as common currency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Now, there is concern that if Greece defaults, it will upset the stability of the entire Eurozone. And as analysts (ph) say, the union address to the European parliament, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said the debt crisis is the greatest challenge in EU history.
Now, for more, Jim Boulden joins us now from CNN London.
And first, Jim, news of a split over the terms of Greece's second bailout. What can you tell us?
JIM BOULDEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Just as they're trying to get the countries to vote on some of the new bailouts that were agreed in July, "The Financial Times" says that there's already a split amongst a number of these countries about changing what was agreed in July, Kristie. And this was about how much of a loss banks should take on the debt in Greece.
There was a voluntary agreement to lose about 21 percent of the debt, and there's certainly talk out of Germany and the Netherlands that they would like to see a 50 percent so-called haircut. That would basically be Greece defaulting, and that's why stories like that continue to rile the markets and confuse the issue, especially when they're still trying to vote now on some of the things that were agreed already in July. So, sort of unpicking what's already been agreed doesn't help.
STOUT: Now, the European Commission chief, he made an emotional argument for Greece and the EU. How is his performance? And can he bridge the divide?
BOULDEN: Well, what's interesting about Mr. Barroso is this is his second state of the union speech. He's trying to integrate Europe more tightly. He wants it to become a little bit more like the U.S. in the sense of being the president of the commission, he's now making these annual state of the union speeches where he's said that the union has its biggest crisis now than it's ever had. He said Greece will stay inside the Eurozone, but he also said there are a number of issues that the commission needs to deal with that will stop the next crisis from happening, or at least lessening.
One of them is a heavy tax on transactions on banks. It's something that's very controversial, been talked about possible in the U.S., now being talked about again. And he says the commission should start taxing the banks on every one of these transactions to raise a lot of money.
Let's hear a little bit of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE MANUEL BARROSO, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: Today, I'm putting before you a very important tax that, if implemented, may generate revenues of about 55 billion Euros per year. Some people ask why?
Why? It's a question of fairness. If our farmers, if our workers, if all the sectors of the economy from the industry to the (INAUDIBLE) pay a contribution to society, the banking sector should also give a contribution to society. And this --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOULDEN: Fifty-five billion Euros a year could be raised by this transaction tax, Kristie. But it's a proposal that has to go through the parliament, and then you have national governments and the banks, who aren't necessarily going to agree with this. So it's a long way from us seeing some of these major changes that Europe is trying to put through.
STOUT: Yes, a long way, even though it did get a lot of applause just then.
Jim Boulden, joining us live in London.
Thank you.
Now, ahead here on NEWS STREAM, more backlash over transportation safety in China. Now, people there are using social media to vent their anger at the government after a subway crash. We'll tell you what they're saying.
Plus, a new development in Mexico's drug wars. These men issued death threats to members of the country's most infamous drug cartel.
And women revolutionaries in Libya. We'll introduce you to some of the country's brave female opposition supporters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STOUT: Welcome back.
Now, it is day two of the Conrad Murray trial. And if Tuesday was any indication, it could be a stunner.
Don Lemon was inside the court on Tuesday, near the Jackson family. He joins us live from Los Angeles.
And Don, on day one there was that dramatic moment, as that image of Michael Jackson apparently dead on a stretcher was shown to the jury. Could you describe the emotion in the courtroom?
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I can try, Kristie, but it's hard to sit there as a journalist. If you are in there as a journalist -- and we're all impartial, we're supposed to be impartial, and of course we are, and we're objective -- but when the people who are charged with deciding guilt or innocence, when you can see emotion on their faces, you know it's just real, it's just palpable.
When they showed that, some members of the jury couldn't even look at that photograph. The family which I was sitting right -- just inches from, they started crying and passing a tissue down to the mother. And the entire courtroom was just silent.
And I didn't hear any gasps, but I heard a couple of whimpers. And it was interesting, because in order to show the video that they showed, they had to dim the lights. So you were in this dim setting with the family, with the jurors, with Conrad Murray -- pardon me. There's a big truck going by here. And then you see that unbelievable picture -- Kristie.
STOUT: You were inside the courtroom, and you even had an encounter with Conrad Murray. What happened? And how did he appear to you?
LEMON: Well, it wasn't like we spoke one-one-one, because he walked in and out of the courtroom, the hallway, and there were journalists there, and there were some spectators who could get into the courtroom there. I have to tell you, when he first walked in, there was a woman who confronted him and police had to take the woman away.
But we came face to face as he was leaving the restroom and I was going in. And he kind of gave me a long stare, and he and his attorney did not -- this was right after the prosecution started with their opening statement. And he and the attorney were very solemn, very somber, had that look on their face, and he just sort of gave me a long stare like, oh, you're the guy from CNN. And I just kind of looked at him and just walked away.
But it was definitely a solemn look on his face, a sullen look, almost. And he knows the severity of this. Later on, after that -- not many minutes after that, he started crying when his attorney talked about the relationship he says he had with Michael Jackson, which they call a friendship.
STOUT: And Don, today, day two, what kind of testimony will we hear?
LEMON: We're going hear from Michael Jackson's personal assistant. His name is Michael Williams. And then, beyond that, some other people who worked for Michael Jackson, a personal assistant, someone who -- his driver, people who had access to the house.
And it's interesting, because the prosecution is alleging that some of these people who were close to him, that their names were used as aliases in order for Michael Jackson to get drugs. So we're going to hear about that.
It's going to be emotional. The prosecution is pulling every bit of emotion out of this that they can, and they're going at it with the people who are closest to Michael Jackson, besides his family members -- closest to Michael Jackson, and who had access to his home and to his bedroom. And they're going to take us, as they did yesterday, back into the bedroom where he died.
STOUT: All right.
Don Lemon, joining us live in Los Angeles.
Thank you very much for that.
And if you want to watch today's proceedings, just log on to CNN.com. We are brining you the trial live on our Web site. You can also find a running blog of the testimony.
Now let's turn to mixed messages in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this week, the king promised more rights and freedoms for women, and it sounded like a significant step forward. But now one woman is being harshly punished for the simple act of driving.
Here's Fionnuala Sweeney.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amnesty International says the Saudi woman was sentenced to 10 lashes for getting behind the wheel. The group said the harsh sentence demonstrated the scale of discrimination against women in the Islamic nation, and it urged the dismantling of the whole system of women subordination.
This, just two days after King Abdullah announced two changes for women which would be historic for Saudi Arabia. He said women will be allowed to serve as members of the Shoura Council, the appointed consultative council that advises the king. He also said women will be allowed to run as candidates and nominate candidates in the next set of municipal elections. It's unknown when those might ultimately take places. But changes don't apply to elections scheduled for Thursday, which will only be the second set of elections in the kingdom since 1963.
Amnesty said a court in Jeddah handed down the sentence for driving to the woman on Tuesday. Two other women are believed to be facing charges for driving, one in Jeddah and one in Al Khobar. The Women to Drive campaign said the woman who was sentenced to 10 lashes has appealed. She said she didn't want to be identified or speak publicly about her case for her own safety.
No specific traffic laws make it illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia, but religious edicts are also interpreted as a prohibition of female drivers. Such edicts also prevent women from opening bank accounts, obtaining passports, or even going to school without the presence of a male guardian.
Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: Now, the Zetas drug cartel has brought violence and mayhem to Mexico's Veracruz state. And now a sinister statement has appeared on the Internet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): Five burly men dressed in black and wearing masks with one goal in mind: to kill drug traffickers. One of the men speaks for the group, saying that their name is "Zeta Killers."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Just ahead on NEWS STREAM, more on that group's alleged mission to exterminate one of their country's most feared criminal organizations.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STOUT: Welcome back.
Now, here on NEWS STREAM, we have been monitoring Mexico's drug war and the online blogs that document it. Now, a video manifesto appearing on YouTube on the blog "Del Narco" shows a vigilante group that says it is determined to kill members of an infamous cartel. Authorities are trying to authenticate it.
Senior Latin American Affairs Editor Rafael Romo has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Buenos tardes.
ROMO (voice-over): Five burly men dressed in black and wearing masks with one goal in mind: to kill drug traffickers. One of the men speaks for the group, saying that their name is "Zeta Killers."
Their goal is to exterminate members of the Mexican drug cartel known as Los Zetas. The video posted on YouTube has been circulating online for the last couple of days, but its legitimacy is unknown.
The speaker claims that this group is the people's armed wing. He also says that as principal, the group's members are prohibited from committing crimes including extortion, kidnapping, theft, and anything that affects the well-being of Mexico and its people.
Reacting to the video, the Mexican Attorney General's Office issued a statement saying that, "The only way to reach long-lasting security and peace is through the rule of law and the strengthening of our institutions. The fight against organized crime is the responsibility of authorities at the three levels of government. The federal government rejects any action outside the law as a means to protect the fundamental rights of people."
The video was released only a week after the bodies of 35 people were dumped on a busy highway in the city of Boca del Rio Veracruz. Handwritten signs that appear next to the bodies said that the victims were members of the Zetas cartel and were executed for extorting people in the state of Veracruz. The Zetas Killers paramilitary has not claimed responsibility for the massacre.
(on camera): It's also possible that the Zeta Killers are, in reality, enforcers for another drug cartel and not at all interested in protecting people and killing criminals, as they claim. Another paramilitary group that surfaced in 2007 making similar statements was, in reality, composed of mercenaries working for the Sinaloa cartel, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the group.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: Now, the group allegedly being targeted by the vigilantes in Rafael's report, Los Zetas, have been called Mexico's most sophisticated and dangerous drug cartel. Now, seen here in red, right here, they are involved in drugs, human smuggling and kidnapping, as well as extortion and assassinations. And as you can see, Los Zetas controls much of eastern Mexico from the Texas border to the Yucatan Peninsula. But they're just one of eight criminal organizations fighting for increased control of Mexico's drug trade.
The Sinaloa cartel, seen here in blue, is another one of the largest, controlling a wide area of western Mexico. There are a handful of others, each controlling smaller sections of the country.
Now, ahead on NEWS STREAM, computer engineer and secret rebel. A Libyan woman risked her freedom and her life to help bring down Moammar Gadhafi. Now she's telling CNN what she went through.
And can Amazon do what no one else has managed to do just yet, take a bite out of Apple's iPad phenomenon?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong.
You're watching NEWS STREAM, and these are your world headlines.
Michael Jackson's personal assistant is expected to testify on day two of the trial of the singer's doctor, which gets under way in Los Angeles a few hours from now. He is expected to describe what happened in Jackson's bedroom right after he stopped breathing. Prosecutors blame Dr. Conrad Murray for Jackson's death, saying he administered the surgical anesthetic Propofol to help Jackson sleep.
The president of the European Commission calls the current debt crisis the biggest challenge in the history of the European Union. In his annual state of the union address to the European parliament, Jose Manuel Barroso also said the commission supports a proposal for a financial transaction tax. He says that would generate $75 billion a year for the EU.
Another day, another rumor about Moammar Gadhafi's whereabouts. A spokesman for Libya's interim government tells CNN that the ousted leader may be under the protection of tribesmen near the Algerian border. Meanwhile, the battle for Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte continues to rage.
Now, the nameless fighters of Libya's revolution have included women, but some are nameless no more and one is speaking out about what she risked to help bring down Moammar Gadhafi's regime: her freedom, her safety, even her life.
Here's Jill Dougherty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Enas al Ducoli (ph) helped win the Libyan revolution, but she's not finished yet. This 26 year old computer engineer was working at Tripoli's urban planning agency when the conflict began. Government security agents suspected her of helping the rebels target Gadhafi forces in the capital which she now acknowledges.
She was arrested and thrown in prison. And she agreed to retrace those painful steps with us.
Our first stop, the interrogation center where she was beaten and held for almost three weeks.
"I was questioned in this room. I slept here," she says. "I used to hear voices and screams of people who were being tortured."
Did they threaten you here? Is there where they threatened you?
"Yes. They told me they weren't going to rape me," she says. "But they had ways of making me talk."
And there would be screaming and screaming, and you could hear (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
DOUGHERTY: Downstairs, we see the filthy cells where the men were held.
Enas (ph) was transferred to the notorious Abu Salim Prison.
Did they let you go outside?
She was ordered to be executed September 1st. One week before that, rebels took Tripoli and freed her and the other prisoners.
"It was a beautiful feeling," she says. "I'm very proud of the revolutionaries of Libya. Without their help I wouldn't be alive."
Enas (ph) still is helping the rebels, collecting medical supplies and clothing for the men who are fighting the last battles.
Yes, she suffered, she says. But other women suffered even more. Many were raped. Her sufferings were worth it, Enas (ph) says. The Gadhafi regime is over.
Jill Dougherty, CNN, Tripoli.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now China is facing tough new questions about whether it is sacrificing safety for speed. Some critics say is a rush to develop a nationwide mass transit system. Now anger and accusations on the web are flying after two subway trains collided in a tunnel in Shanghai on Tuesday. More than 260 passengers were injured. A Shanghai subway operator says one train rear ended the other after an equipment failure prompted dispatchers to switch to manual mode.
And witnesses describe a terrifying scene: the train shaking and passengers covered in blood.
Now Tuesday's subway crash, it comes barely two months after two high speed rail trains collided in eastern China killing 40 people and injuring hundreds.
Now Eunice Yoon gives us an up-close look at China's transit system.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EUNICE YOON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're on the Beijing subway. People used to think that this was the safest and the quickest way to get around China's congested city. But (inaudible) shattered of confidence in the nation's rail system.
In Shanghai, two trains collided on one of the city's newest lines. Over 270 people were injured, some seriously. Within minutes, pictures of the wounded circulated on the internet, posted on Weibo, China's version of Twitter. Authorities have blamed the rear-end collision on the failure of signal equipment reportedly made by the same company blamed for a similar malfunction that caused a fatal train wreck on China's prized high speed rail network.
The same signaling equipment is being used to direct trains on this line in Beijing. And that is making people here nervous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I hope this never happens again. The authorities should explain to the public what happened and make changes to guarantee the safety of all passengers.
YOON: Netizens are outraged, many are criticizing the state TV's downplay description of the crash as a slight rear-ending, and are demanding a thorough investigation. Shanghai subway officials have apologized, calling Tuesday the darkest day in the subways history.
With 1.3 billion people, this country is investing heavily in public transportation. Beijing has earmarked hundreds of billions of dollars to build some of the most elaborate subway and rail networks in the world. But the Shanghai accident is leading some to wonder whether or not China is moving to far, too fast.
Eunice Yoon, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And while many vented their frustrations online, we also saw police and transit officials respond in real time to the Shanghai subway collision. Now you could see an initial posting here in Mandarin on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.
Now Shanghai's police, they are telling people that a malfunction had occurred. And also in a bizarre twist, Shanghai's metro department posted an apology in Sina Weibo, calling Tuesday, quote, the darkest day in the operation of the Shanghai subway. But this apology, it mysteriously disappeared, only to resurface a few hours later.
Now time for a world weather check. And a typhoon has passed through the Philippines. It's not bearing down on the southern Chinese outlet of Hainan. Let's get the details now. Mari Ramos joins us from the world weather center -- Mari.
MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kristie. Yeah, this is a big storm. And it's caused a lot of problems across the Philippines. So let's go ahead and start there.
When you consider the amount of rainfall that has fallen over these areas even in the last 24 hours, even though the weather has improved and we're beginning to see a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Look at these rainfall totals. This is in addition to what's already -- had already fallen over the last three days -- 290 in Subic Bay, Baguio had 257 millimeters of rain, and Angeles City, this is that old air force base, 224 millimeters of rainfall. Most of these are actually -- or all of these I should say are in this eastern and northern part -- this western and northern part of Luzon. So just give you an indication how this area is the one that has been getting the most of the rain.
This is a picture from Manila. And this is damage that happened from that storm surge that was battering this entire area. You can see how many homes here right along the shoreline were destroyed.
There's also, of course, the flooding that came from the rain like this image here. This is in Calumpit. And you -- the river here burst its banks. And you can see chest deep water for people.
There are more pictures to show you. Let's go back to that video. This video is from in and around Manila. And you can see the high water level in those areas as well.
The water will take a while to go down.
And look at this huge ship right here, Kristie. Right on shore, they're pushed by that strong wave. And I think that waves were the thing that really caught people off guard the most there, especially in Manila.
Come back over to the weather map. Let's go ahead and talk a little bit about where this storm is now and where it's headed next.
120 kilometer per hour winds. So it is right at that level where it's a strong tropical storm right to typhoon here. Notice the storm continuing to move on here. Already even in Hong Kong you're getting some rain associated with this weather system. Hainan, you see it right there, also will get some very heavy rain.
If the storm moves farther to the north, even in Hong Kong you'll get some very heavy rain with this.
It's a concern for Vietnam in particular because they've had so much rain over the last few days. Some of these rainfall totals are twice as much as what they would normally get in an entire month. And they've had it in the last week. So with the ground already so saturated from Haitang when it was a tropical storm and then a tropical depression. And now here we have a typhoon that will be moving through here. Those impacts will be worsened by this next storm.
So flooding, mudslides a very real threat now, even more so because it's back to back storms that are affecting this area.
So we'll be monitoring, of course, what happens with this weather system even if it reaches Vietnam as a tropical storm. It's the ones that bring some very heavy rain. It should be a typhoon, though, as it moves across southeastern China. There's another storm. That's this one back over here, but it's still several days away. We'll be monitoring that one as well.
Let's go ahead and check out your forecast.
Hey, Kristie, we've been talking you know in the last few months quite a bit about solar activity and how active -- how we are in a very active solar cycle yet again. When we have these CMEs, or coronal mass ejections, there's a geomagnetic storm, when that happens we end up with scenes like this here on Earth. This is from Minnesota. So even as far south as the northern United States have been able to catch some beautiful auroras, those northern lights, in this case. You can see them right over here in these images.
But you know what, these are fast moving electrons that collide with the Earth's upper atmosphere.
You want to see another really cool picture? This one was taken from the International Space Station. And these are the southern lights, you could call them. This is back on September 17th. And its' a series of images that was taken. And you can see the ISS there on the right-hand side and look at those rivers of light. These were taken anywhere from a moot at the Isis Pass (ph) across the southern hemisphere from Mozambique and through South Africa and then eventually continuing north near New Zealand and Australia. Look at that.
This is basically the Earth geomagnetic field interacting with the sun's energy that reaches Earth. Really amazing pictures. They say that more stuff like this is possible again -- not right away, though, even though I think keep your eyes open, especially those of you in the lower latitudes -- higher latitudes. Back to you.
LU STOUT: And who would have thought geomagnetic fields would be so beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.
RAMOS: So pretty.
LU STOUT: Thank you for sharing with us. Mari Ramos there.
Now plane spotters in Japan, they finally got a look at the new Boeing 787 when it touched down on Tokyo on Wednesday. The Dreamliner aircraft is the first of a fleet of 787s ordered by the Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways which plans to expand its international routes.
Now ANA was expecting the planes three years ago, but Boeing was forced to delay delivery after a series of technical problems and a backlog of parts orders. And despite the long wait, Boeing says the new Dreamliner is a game changer in the industry and will revolutionize airline travel.
Now for more than 40 years, FBI agents have chased a convicted killer across three continents. And now their search for fugitive George Wright is over. Deborah Feyerick has more details on this man-hunt. She joins us now live from New York. And Deb, where and how did they find him?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's so interesting, U.S. Marshalls have been tracking him for about a decade. They finally got a positive hit. And along with FBI agents and Portuguese authorities, they arrested George Wright in Sintra, Portugal which is about an hour from Lisbon just on the coast. He was living there under an assumed name.
Now in a joint statement by federal agencies, the FBI agent in charge said, quote, "even after 40 years the commitment of law enforcement is unwavering."
And the story is remarkable, in the early 60s Wright was convicted of killing a World War II veteran during a gas station robbery. He escaped from his New Jersey prison, driving the wardens car, and he made his way to Detroit where he joined the Black Liberation Army. Then in 1972, Wright along with four other liberation members, hijacked a Miami-bound Delta flight out of Detroit. He was dressed as a priest and apparently smuggled a gun on board in a hollowed out Bible.
Once the plane landed in Miami, Wright and the other hijackers demanded $1 million in cash, the most ever in a ransom, and that was for the release of some 80 passengers. FBI agents were told to wear bathing suits. And they stood there on the tarmac in their suits as a way of ensuring that they were unarmed.
Now the hijackers kept the crew on board and forced the pilots to fly to Boston. They refueled. Took on another pilot and then flew across the Atlantic to Algeria where they asked for asylum. The government there briefly detained then released them.
The million dollars was returned to the U.S. along with the plane. And the other hijackers were arrested about four years later in Paris. Wright remained on the run.
He is now fighting extradition. His next appearance in a Portuguese court expected in about two weeks -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: You know, the details of his story are just so riveting. But how was he able to avoid arrest for so long, for four decades?
FEYERICK: And sometimes when you go on the run, you simply disappear. You change your name. You change where you're from. You don't tell the people many details about yourself. So it becomes easy just to sort of create a new identity. The complexities happen when you start wanting to reach out to family members trying to sort of reconnect. And it appears that that may have been what happened in this particular case, that he was getting close to 70 he tried to make some contact.
But he's fighting extradition. He doesn't want to come back. He knows he's got a long sentence. He was serving between 15 to 30 years for the murder. And then he's also got those air piracy charges that he's facing. But this hijacking changed security at airports. That's what started the whole security screening, Kristie.
LU STOUT: All right, Deb Feyerick joining us live from New York. Thank you for that.
And ahead here on NEWS STREAM, Amazon is set to unveil its latest Kindle. It's said to be completely different from this one, the current model. And we've got the design details, and more importantly the price tag, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back.
Now Amazon is expected to unveil a new tablet version of the Kindle in a few hours from now. It's said to be very different from the current versions of its popular e-readers. Now this is the current Kindle model. It has a black and white E-Ink screen. And it's mainly used for reading books from Amazon.com.
And the new one is reportedly called the Kindle Fire. And it looks a little bit like this. Now this is actually the Blackberry Playbook Tablet, but according to blogs Tech Crunch and Gadget, the Kindle Fire will be very similar. It has a 7 inch screen, meaning it would be much smaller than the Apple iPad. And reports say that the Kindle Fire will run on Google's Android Operating System.
Unlike other Android devices, the Kindle Fire reportedly won't allow you to run just any Android app. Now Tech Crunch says it's running a custom version of Android, but the most important factor could be the price.
Now reports say it could sell for as little as $250, about half the price of the cheapest iPad.
And while Kindle fans will be anxious to get their hands on the latest model, there was something more serious that had one U.S. comedian anxious this week: symptoms of a heart attack. And while it's no laughing matter, Jeanne Moos takes a look at how she and other famous Americans are using their hearts for humor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ellen DeGeneres may have called paramedics for chest pain, but that didn't stop her from dancing. Described how she felt in the middle of the night...
ELLEN DEGENERES, ELLEN: A tightness, like in my chest, and all the scary things like something was heavy on my chest. And it was a cat, so I moved it.
MOOS: She joked about her heart. She joked about the firemen who came to the Warner Brothers lot where she tapes her show.
DEGENERES: And then they come in with an ax, break the door down, which it was open. I don't know why they did that.
MOOS: And thus did Ellen join the ranks of comedians who take heart by using heart trouble for material.
ROBIN WILLIAMS, COMEDIAN: Normally a heart's like (inaudible), mines like (inaudible).
MOOS: Robin Williams had a heart valve replaced with a cow bell.
WILLIAMS: And I can't eat meat now, because all of a sudden I'm going, it's one of us.
MOOS: Here he was with Letterman showing his scar.
WILLIAMS: Already it's starting to grow back. That was five minutes after the surgery.
MOOS: Remember, Dave, the first day back from his own surgery?
DAVID LETTERMAN, LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: While I was gone I had quintuple bypass surgery on my heart. Plus, I got a haircut.
MOOS: There's a lot of show and tell after celebrities have heart surgery. Regis and Letterman, for instance, compared legs.
REGIS PHILBIN, REGIS AND RIPA: They take the arteries, you know the stuff that they bypass your clogged arteries...
LETTERMAN: What do you think they're going to go to Home Depot?
PHILBIN: This thing will not heal.
LETTERMAN: Oh, that'll be fine.
PHILBIN: Look at this, all the way up my leg.
LETTERMAN: Look at that, it's gone.
MOOS: And Dick Cheney is practically been giving people heart attacks with his show and tell.
BARBARA WALTERS, THE VIEW: Mr. Vice President, I want to talk about this little bulge here.
JON STEWART, THE DAILY SHOW: I'm guessing that line was especially unsettling on The Views' radio broadcast.
MOOS: Former VP has an implanted pump that helps his own heart.
DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's battery operated.
This is the control element.
MOOS: He's been setting the thing off.
CHENEY: It'll bleep in a moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That means you better put it back.
MOOS: In interview after interview.
CHENEY: When you take them out it beeps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please put it back in.
MOOS: Like some heartfelt practical joke.
CHENEY: Oh is it a...
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, THE VIEW: What does that mean?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Put the battery back.
CHENEY: Put the battery back.
MOOS: Robin Williams talks about how emotional he got after his heart attack. Wait a minute, are those palpitations, or is that a punchline I hear?
WILLIAMS: I thought instead of a valve they gave me a tiny vagina.
MOOS: Anatomically correct jokes.
Jeanne Moos, CNN...
WILLIAMS: Mine's like (inaudible).
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now ahead in sports, trouble with one of the world's biggest football stars and one of the world's richest clubs: why the manager of Manchester City says this man will never play for his club again.
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LU STOUT: Welcome back.
Now these images coming out of Thailand are sparking outrage, they show students at Chong Wei (ph) Sacred Heart school dressed as Nazis and marching in a school sponsored parade. Now some are dressed as Adolf Hitler, and others are performing Nazi salutes, carrying swastika flags.
Now a U.S.-based Jewish human rights group has called on Christian leaders in Thailand to condemn the parade calling it hurtful and disrespectful to all holocaust survivors and their families. And the director of Sacred Heart has since posted an apology on the school's web site.
Now there may be a fine line between being demanding and being spoiled. Now Manchester City player Carlos Tevez has been accused of crossing that line more than once. But has he finally gone too far?
Don Riddell joins us now -- Don.
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: He might just have, Kristie. Thanks very much.
The City of Manchester had been expected to challenge for glory in the Champion's League this season. And both its teams made the headlines on the continent last night, but not in the way that either would have liked.
Bayern Munich beat Manchester City at the Allianz Arena 2-nil, extending their winning streak to 10 games in all competitions. But their achievement was over shadowed by City striker Carlos Tevez who apparently refused to come on as a second half substitute.
After the game, his furious coach Robert Manchini said that Tevez was finished at the club. But today, the Argentine player denied that version of events saying he hadn't refused to play, blaming the whole situation on a misunderstanding.
Tevez earns in the region of a quarter of a million dollars every single week. His future will be discussed by the club today.
Meanwhile, Tevez's former team, Manchester United, were given an almighty scare by the Swiss side Basel at Old Trattford. United were lucky to escape their Group C game with a point.
United were 2-nil up at half-time thanks to a brace from Danny Welbeck, but they eased off in the second half, allowing their opponents to take an unexpected lead. Basel's goals came from the Freis, two from Alexander and one from Fabian. And it was only a last minute equalizer from Ashley Young that saved the Reds from a humiliating defeat.
Three all the final score. United have begun the campaign with two draws.
Now in baseball, both the American League and the National Leagues are heading for a thrilling climax to determine the wild card teams for the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Rays have managed to overhaul a 9 game deficit against the Red Sox in the American League. And they maintained that pressure with another win against the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
This one was tied in the sixth inning until Nick Swisher stepped up for the Yankees and hit an RBI double to score in Alex Rodriguez, putting the Yanks into a 3-2 lead.
And Tampa Bay were under real pressure, because later in the inning New York had the bases loaded. But when Russell Martin grounded to third Evan Longoria produced a very rare triple play to get the Rays out of jail.
You hardly ever see this. That is incredibly slick fielding from the Rays. And if they make it into the playoffs, it will have been a key moment inspired by that.
Tampa Bay then got themselves in front with a three run homer from Matt Joyce in the next inning. That effectively settled the game as the Rays closed it out to win by 5-3 with just a game left in the regular season.
The Rays remain control of their own destiny.
Now at the same time, the Red Sox were in action against the Baltimore Orioles, trying to keep their heads following what has been a disastrous series of results in September. Boston came from a run down to take the lead in the third inning with Jacoby Ellsbury's two-run homer. And they extended that lead in the top of the fourth when Ryan Lavarnway smacked Zack Britain for a three-run dinger. His first major league homer. And how it important it was too.
But the Sox's four run lead had been cut to two by the ninth. And it was down to one when Matt Wieters scored in J.J. Hardy, a very tense end to the game for Boston, but they held their nerve. Adam Jones ground out to third to end the game. The Red Sox nicked it by 8-7. They and Tampa Bay are tied for the wild card spot with just one game to play.
Now in golf, Rory McIlroy is hoping to finish at the top of the European tour rankings this season. And next year, he's targeting the world's top ranking. Ahead of this week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, Rory and I caught up to look back on his incredible year so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RORY MCILROY, GOLFER: I mean, to be able to call yourself the best in your field is, you know, is a huge accomplishment. So hopefully I can -- I can get closer to that goal this year. And then maybe be able to achieve it next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: And you can see the rest of my interview with Rory on World Sport later today, Kristie. He also talks about his relationship with the world's best female tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki. Don't miss it.
LU STOUT: Oh, you just spiced that up for me. Thank you very much.
And Don, I want you to stay right there for a second, because I want to ask you a question. Now on one hand, one of these, I'm holding the latest version of the long running FIFA football video game, on the other I'm holding last year's game. And I've covered the names with a bit of tape. So can you tell the difference between the two?
RIDDELL: Well, what do you think? Obviously not. They look exactly the same, apart from the fact that Wayne Rooney is on the right in one, and the left in other. And Kaka is obviously swapped as well. That's ridiculous. Is someone trying to be a bit cheap there?
LU STOUT: This is ridiculous. Yeah, that's right. I mean, the folks at Electronic Arts, they really should try a little bit harder here.
Now this is actually the new version, this the old version. I only know that because I marked it as such. But don't take (inaudible).
These are the Asian versions of FIFA that I'm holding. And they usually release these different covers in different countries with different players on them, but as you just noticed, they really didn't change this year's version in Asia at all. Lazy. Just pointing it out.
RIDDELL: These are austere times, Kristie. Maybe that's what you get.
LU STOUT: OK. Yeah, that's right, play the economic card. Don Riddell there, thank you.
That is NEWS STREAM, but the news continues at CNN. "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" is next.
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