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Egypt Elections: Day 2; Norway Suspect 'Insane'; Milestone in Myanmar; Iranian Protesters Storm British Embassy; World Climate Change Conference Begin Serious Talks Today

Aired November 29, 2011 - 08:00   ET

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


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

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

Walking into a diplomatic mission in Myanmar. As the famously closed nation prepares to host the U.S. secretary of state, it's also opened its doors to CNN.

Psychiatrists conclude that the Norwegian gunman who killed 77 people in July is criminally insane.

And voters line up again on day two of Egypt's historic elections. We'll go live to Tahrir Square.

Well, Myanmar, one of the most politically isolated countries, is about to welcome U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton is due to arrive in the country on Wednesday. Few details of her visit have been disclosed. But she'll spend about three days in the country, and during that time, she is scheduled to talk with the president and others, including democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi.

Well, ahead of Clinton's visit, Myanmar's government has opened access to some members of the international news media, including CNN. Well, our Paula Hancocks has been taking advantage of the opportunity to speak with people we don't normally hear from, and she joins us now from Yangon.

Paula, tell us exactly where you are and what you have experienced so far.

It seems we have lost connection with Paula Hancocks. We will try to reestablish that and get back to her shortly.

Well, Myanmar's flickers of progress are credited to the new civilian government. This man, Thein Sein, became president in March after controversial elections. Well, since then, the country has seen some significant changes.

As we've mentioned, Myanmar has eased media restrictions. CNN, it is in there, and we will cross (ph) to our Paula Hancocks. And last month it released 200 political prisoners, although 2,000 more are believed to still be behind bars.

The government has also started talking with Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The military junta kept her under house arrest for many years. Well, now her National League for Democracy says it will re-register as a political party and participate in the next election.

Well, Myanmar's neighbors have also acknowledged its progress. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will let Myanmar chair the group in 2014.

Let's now turn our attention to Iran. And protesters in the Iranian capital, Tehran, stormed into the U.K. Embassy on Tuesday. The group broke down the door and took down the British flag, replacing it with an Iranian one. They also threw stones at the embassy's windows. On Sunday, the Iranian parliament voted to expel the ambassador and reduce diplomatic ties with the United Kingdom.

Well, now to Egypt and the elections. You are looking at live pictures from Cairo's Tahrir Square of people queuing to vote.

It is the second day of polling in the country's landmark parliamentary elections. Citizens are voting for members of the lower house of parliament, which will draft a new constitution. Logistical problems and illegal campaigning caused some problems on Monday, but the head of Egypt's election committee is promising a smoother voting process on Tuesday.

Egyptians have dozens of political parties and thousands of candidates to choose from in this election. For the very latest on the polling, we're joined now by CNN's Jim Clancy, who joins us from Cairo.

Jim, tell us about voter turnout today.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Anna, we're right here in the middle of Tahrir Square, and we've been watching a very calm day. You can see people are relaxed, and they feel like they've accomplished something.

No, the turnout today is not as heavy as it was yesterday, but the reports that we're getting back from election officials indicate that it has been heavy, indeed. Turnout, much greater than in years passed. And little surprise.

As you noted there, you've got more than 6,000 candidates, you have more than 40 political parties, all vying for a part in this. But the question in Tahrir Square today is a little bit different, Anna.

The question here, as things are going very calmly, is it time to pull back from Tahrir Square? There's a lot of people inside here, and we just talked to some of the activists that are living inside these tents, and learned from them there's a sense that the whole thing has been infiltrated, that some people inside are revolutionaries, still, but not all of them. And it's creating problems.

They're having problems with theft. We saw somebody frog-marched off the square a short time ago. People stopped him from stealing cell phones. And a lot of them missing. We talked to one activist today who said he's lost two cell phones in the last week alone.

So, they're wondering, would it be better to pull back? Would it be better to calm things down and give what the government is doing a chance to work, give the elections a chance to work?

There is a lack of trust, Anna. They admit that. But they say we'll wait and see perhaps what the government decides to do, what the supreme council of the armed forces decides to do next.

Will it release political prisoners? What would be its response? That is going to be discussed among all the various groups that are inside here in the coming hours. A very important decision that could be taken here in Egypt.

So, for now, back to you. I'll let you know what the topic is. A lot of people still gathered here, but it's been absolutely calm today, and that's a good thing.

Back to you -- Anna.

COREN: Yes, Jim, I mean, that is quite extraordinary, isn't it? Because this was a scene of protests and violent clashes with the military last week.

Do you think the fact that the election is running smoothly, that this perhaps validates the military's role and their role in this transition period?

CLANCY: Well, look, the protesters inside feel like they've taken a lot of blame. There's some people -- many people in Egypt -- that think that they're part of the problem, not part of the solution. But you've got to remember here, the clashes that have happened in Tahrir Square, it's as if somebody pressed a button to this violence.

The last two days, there's been no violence whatsoever. And as a result of that, they wonder if they pull back, what will be the response of this military council that is running affairs? They do not believe that the military should be the one leading the transition to democracy. That, they say, really belongs in civilian hands.

But a big question today, what do they do? How do they respond? Can they make things better?

Back to you -- Anna.

COREN: All right.

Jim Clancy, joining us from Cairo's Tahrir Square.

As always, thank you.

Well, the Muslim Brotherhood is expected to do well in Egypt's elections. It would follow other Islamist victories in the region.

The Justice and Development Party is poised to lead Morocco's new government. Known by its French initials, the PJD, it won the most seats in last week's parliamentary vote.

Tunisia held the first Arab Spring elections back in October. The moderate Islamist party that won was previously banned. Well, like the PJD in Morocco, it had to team up with secular parties to form a ruling coalition.

Votes are being counted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Monday's presidential and parliamentary election was the second since the country's most recent war officially ended back in 2003.

Violence erupted at some polling stations in the strongholds of the two presidential front-runners. The country's election commission called the process "satisfactory." The first results are expected on December 6th.

And in Norway, court-appointed psychiatrists say the man who confessed to July's terrorist attacks is insane. Well, Anders Behring Breivik is accused of killing 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage. Police say he'll still stand trial to determine whether he committed the mass murder, but under Norwegian law he cannot be sent to prison, though he could be confined to a mental hospital for the rest of his life.

Well, the psychiatrists say Breivik suffers grandiose delusions and found him paranoid and schizophrenic.

Tomm Kristiansen from Norway's NRK is on the line from Oslo.

And Tom, tell us about this recent finding. What does it all mean?

TOMM KRISTIANSEN, JOURNALIST: No, they say he existed in his own universe of delusion where all thoughts were actually controlled by this universe. And he said he didn't kill, but he executed these young people.

All in all, it was 77 who were killed, first by bombing the government headquarters, including five ministries and the prime minister's office, and then to the island of Utoya, where he killed one by one of the (INAUDIBLE) during the time of one and a half hours.

He described this -- he had to do it in love for his people. And he also said that, "I am the most perfect knight since the Second World War." His organization, Knight Templar, will take over power in Europe, with himself as a future regent in Norway. He can't be put in prison, but he will be sentenced to compulsory mental health care, probably for the rest of his life.

COREN: Tom, we know that this news broke not so long ago, but what has been the reaction from the families of the victims?

KRISTIANSEN: No, they are very disappointed, because they had looked forward to see him getting a sentence for the rest of his life for the act he has committed. And now the psychiatrists say that he is not responsible for it simply because he is insane, and criminal insane, and as such, you can't be judged for an act you have done. But he will probably be kept off the society for the rest of his life, but he will not go -- and the case will go on, but he will not get a sentence. He will be put into an institution and remain there.

COREN: Journalist Tomm Kristiansen, joining us from Oslo, Norway.

Thank you for that update.

Well, in the past hour, the parent company of American Airlines has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. AMR Corporation says the move is being made so it can reduce costs and debt. Well, it's the last large full-fare airline in the United States to seek court protection from creditors. American Airlines and American Eagle say they'll continue to operate as normal through the bankruptcy filling process.

Well, ahead on NEWS STREAM, taking the stand. The Leveson inquiry prepares to hear from the men who exposed the phone-hacking scandal that brought a newspaper to its knees.

And beyond borders. We take you to Syria, where the foreign media is all but banned as government supporters rally against Arab League sanctions.

And tackling climate change. A new report suggests the planet is heating up, but delegates in South Africa are still divided on a solution. Those details coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Returning to our top story, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Myanmar. And ahead of her visit, Myanmar's government has opened access to some members of the international, including CNN.

Our Paula Hancocks has been taking advantage of the opportunity to speak to people we normally don't hear from, and she joins us now live from Yangon.

Paula, tell us about where you are and what you've experienced so far.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anna, we are in Yangon, as you say, and we have seen -- speaking to many people in the streets today to see what they make of their government's claims that they are starting to open up and they are starting to introduce new reforms. Now, it was interesting. For every person that did agree to speak to us on camera, there were at least three or four who didn't want to speak on camera. They said they were still too scared of the authorities, so that's very telling in itself.

But those that we did speak to said that they did have some optimism. They did hope that this would make a difference. We went to one of the back street markets, and they said that they have been working day and night for years now to try and make ends meet, and they are hoping that this is actually going to change something.

We also spoke to Win Kin (ph), who is a former prisoner here in Myanmar. He spent almost 20 years in a Burmese prison. He says he was tortured, his punishment for actually criticizing the leadership, and now he's now helping Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy activist, to get back into parliament.

My first question to him was, "Do you believe this government? Do you think that they are going to open up?" And he said he was suspicious.

He said he wants to believe them, but he is very wary. After 40 years of oppression, don't just change into openness overnight -- Anna.

COREN: You mentioned democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, of course spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest until her release late last year. I mean, she, of course, is pivotal to this movement of change that is under way in Myanmar. She has just announced that she will run for parliament.

How important is this in legitimizing what is going on in that country?

HANCOCKS: Certainly this will legitimize the government. The government desperately wants her within the parliament so that they can prove that they are legitimate and they can prove their credibility to the world.

The United States, the West wants Aung San Suu Kyi as part of this government, as they trust her. They believe that she is the leader that can actually bring some change to this country.

The people on the street want Aung San Suu Kyi to be in the government. Most of them actually want her to be their leader because they believe that she is actually fighting for their rights.

Now, it was interesting speaking to Win Kin (ph) today. He is supporting Aung San Suu Kyi, but he part of the National League for Democracy. He wasn't convinced though that they should have gone back into politics at this time. So there is somewhat of a divide within the NLD, but Aung San Suu Kyi has such respect among her supporters, that they are willing to go out on a limb and they are willing to see if this does actually happen.

I mean, the very fact that the U.S. president, Barack Obama, phoned Aung San Suu Kyi from Air Force One just before he announced Hillary Clinton would be coming to the country, to check (ph), she agreed, just how important she is to this process -- Anna.

COREN: Paula, we know that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is arriving tomorrow afternoon local time. She's expected to be in the country for about three days. Obviously, the subject of U.S. sanctions and whether they'll be dropped, that will come up, but what can we expect from her visit?

HANCOCKS: Well, she is going to be meeting with President Thein Sein, obviously. He is the head of the (INAUDIBLE) government was sworn in a little earlier this year, still very much part of the military leadership. So she'll be meeting with the foreign minister, she'll be meeting Aung San Suu Kyi as well, specifically. And they will be very high-profile visits and meetings, and obviously a lot will be discussed behind closed doors.

What this government wants is for U.S. sanctions to be lifted. But this is just a first step to see whether or not there is credibility in what the government is saying.

One interesting point though, Anna, all of the people I spoke to on the streets today didn't even know that Hillary Clinton was coming. So that just shows that this is definitely an effort from the top down. This is the top echelon that is trying to push these reforms and trying to publicize the fact that they are changing.

On the ground, people don't see any change at this point. And as Win Kin (ph) said, who was previously imprisoned, he said on the ground, people are still suffering a lot, people are still suffering human rights abuses.

The government may be announcing to the world they are changing, but until we see that translated on the ground, it doesn't really mean too much -- Anna.

COREN: Yes, human rights abuses, and also one of the poorest countries in the world.

Paula Hancocks, joining us from Yangon.

We certainly appreciate that update. Great to have you there covering this story.

Well, let's now return to Tehran, where a rowdy protest has resumed at the British Embassy there.

Shirzad Bozorgmehr joins us on the phone from Tehran.

Tell us what is going on at the moment.

SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: By the thousands, the university students in Iran and Tehran gathered in front of the British Embassy early afternoon and demonstrated against British policies which they claim is just they're following the American policy of sanctioning Iran for its nuclear program without any reason. About 10 or 12 students managed to pass the police and climb the wall and get actually inside the embassy compound, and they got hold of some documents from the offices inside the embassy and burned some of them and threw the rest of them up in the air.

They actually brought down this flag of Britain and hoisted the Iranian flag in its place. There were about 150 women involved in it, too, but the women did not cross the wall or go inside the compound.

Police are now in control of the compound. I saw them standing on the top of the wall so that -- to prevent the students from entering the compound again.

The students were urged by their organizers to leave and go for Friday prayers -- I'm sorry, for the evening prayers -- so they're starting to leave. And for all intents and purposes, the demonstrations are over.

COREN: OK.

Shirzad Bozogmehr, we appreciate that update, joining us from Tehran there.

And we will certainly be monitoring that situation and bring you any details as they come to us here.

Well, it's been more than two years since Michael Jackson passed away, and later today the man convicted of involuntarily causing his death, we'll find out what price he'll have to pay. Dr. Conrad Murray will be sentenced in Los Angeles in the presence of Jackson's mother, Katherine, and her children. Well, he faces up to four years in prison.

Prosecutors are also asking for more than $100 million for Jackson's children. The defense says probation would be more appropriate.

Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei says his wife has been named a criminal suspect. Well, he told CNN his wife was taken from his Beijing studio for questioning by police and was not heard from for three hours. Well, she has now been released, by Ai says she's being told not to leave the Chinese capital. Lu Qing is the legal representative of Ai's company, which the Chinese government has charged with massive tax evasion. Ai believes his wife's ordeal was linked to his current exhibition in Taiwan.

Well, you are now watching NEWS STREAM.

Up next, the inquiry into U.K. media ethics and practices. Hear from the men who exposed the country's phone-hacking scandal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Well, can you put a price on the so-called voice of an angel? Well, for singer Charlotte Church, it was apparently worth more than $150,000 for favorable coverage in Rupert Murdoch's newspapers. She says she was offered cash or favorable comment in return for singing at Murdoch's wedding to Wendi Deng back in 1999.

In the end, management persuaded her that good media coverage was the better option, but Murdoch's company, News International, denies that any such deal was made. Church says she was the subject of relentless hounding by Murdoch's publications throughout her teenage years.

Two men involved in exposing the "News of the World" phone-hacking operations are testifying at the Leveson inquiry on Tuesday, and CNN's Atika Shubert is in London.

Atika, what are they saying?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've actually just finished hearing from Nick Davies. He, of course, is "The Guardian" reporter who broke most of this phone-hacking scandal, and he basically gave some more details on the case of Milly Dowler.

You might remember, this was the case of a young British girl who was abducted and murdered. And while her parents were searching for her, her phone was hacked by "News of the World." And Nick Davies basically gave a little bit more detail, saying it wasn't just a private investigator paid by "News of the World" that actually listened to her voicemail messages, but it was in fact reporters themselves, in the newsroom, dialing into her phone and listening to those messages and deleting those messages in order to allow more voicemails to be left.

And so that is going to be something that might cause a stir, something News International may be reacting to, because it is the first indication we've had of more reporters directly doing the phone hacking themselves.

COREN: Atika, I believe there are also reports the hacking scandal may extend into areas of national security. What are you hearing?

SHUBERT: That's right. Also, "The Guardian" breaking this yesterday, basically that former Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain has been notified by police that his computer may have been hacked. This is in relation to another police investigation, Operation Tuleta, that looks into whether the media were using computer hacking to gain scoops.

So, it does look like now that we're talking about computer hacking in addition to phone hacking, and possibly things that might have exposed informants and other sensitive sources as part of the Northern Ireland peace negotiations.

COREN: Atika, we know that this inquiry will go on for months, but what is the next stage?

SHUBERT: Well, we still have to finish up listening to witnesses.

At the moment, we're hearing from whistleblowers and reporters who covered the phone-hacking scandal. We do, of course, eventually expect to hear from some of the editors and reporters who have some of these allegations against them. So we may be hearing from some of them in the weeks to come.

We still have a lot more witness testimony to go through. And then, at some point, the judge will make his recommendations.

COREN: Atika Shubert, in London.

Thank you for that.

Well, in the meantime, it appears that James Murdoch will remain chairman of British Sky Broadcasting. British Sky Broadcasting's annual shareholder meeting is taking place right now, and members have completed a provisional vote on whether to keep Murdoch in his role. Murdoch is also the deputy chief operating officer of News Corp., which is the largest shareholder in British Sky Broadcasting.

Some investors were concerned his link to News Corp. compromised his position at British Sky Broadcasting, especially since the phone-hacking scandal emerged. The chief executive, Jeremy Darroch, is also expected to survive the shareholder vote.

Well, still to come on NEWS STREAM, Syria's regime stands accused of executions, torture and sexual violence. We'll get the details of that United Nations report.

Plus, is this the future of flight, the new pollution-free plane that runs without fuel?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Welcome back. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong and you're watching NEWS STREAM. These are your world headlines.

Well, the first round of Egypt's historic election has so far passed without major incident. Queues have been seen for a second day of polling booths across the country, but some activists have boycotted. Well, they want civilians to handle the transition to democracy not the army.

Protesters in the Iranian capital Tehran stormed into the UK embassy on Tuesday. The group broke down the door and took down the British flag replacing it with an Iranian one. They also threw stones at the embassy windows. On Sunday, the Iranian parliament voted to expel the ambassador and reduce diplomatic ties with the United Kingdom.

A U.S. businesswoman has accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of having a 13 year affair with her. Well, Cain has been married for more than 40 years and says he knows the woman, but denied the affair. Well, this is the fifth woman to accuse Cain of sexual harassment or extramarital conduct.

Well, Libya and Syria come under criticism in two new United Nations reports. Well, the UN envoy in Libya says security is the country's biggest challenge. Well, rival revolutionary brigades are responsible for keeping the peace, but have fought with each other in recent weeks. The UN also says these brigades are holding some 7,000 prisoners. And many reportedly have been tortured and denied due process. Well, other potential problem areas include rising food prices, thousands of stranded immigrants and the viability of elections.

Well, in Syria the UN says security forces have committed gross violations of human rights since anti-government protests began in March. The report cites evidence that executions, rape, disappearances and torture.

Well, the UN estimates at least 3,500 civilians have been killed by government forces. A senior UN correspondent Richard Roth has more on the new report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This was a panel assigned by the Human Rights Commission out of Geneva. And the conclusions are quite stark. The panel is meeting in Geneva with the press today outlining in its report extrajudicial executions, torture of children, rape, other serious crimes that the commission, the panel holds the Syrian authorities responsible for, the Syria forces. This is more condemnation of the actions of the authorities there.

But again they could not get into Syria to personally observe. They are requesting that human rights observers be allowed into Syria, something that the government there has certainly not allowed and did not cooperate with this report.

The panel interviewed 223 witnesses and victims, including the father of a child who was victimized. They were quiet emotional testimonies, according to the panel leaders. Quote, "torture was applied equally to children and adults. Numerous testimonies indicated that boys were subjected to sexual torture in places of detention where there are adult men."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: That was Richard Roth reporting from UN headquarters in New York.

Well, foreign reporters are all but banned from Syria, but ITN correspondent Jonathan Miller is in Damascus reporting under government supervision. He shows us a rally by supporters of the regime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN MILLER, ITN CORRESPONDENT: Death to the growing clamor of outrage abroad, seemingly blind to the scale of revolt, the beleaguered regime of Bashar al Assad today organized a festival of big brotherly love in downtown Damascus.

Power is worth nothing when a ruler kills his own people, the Qatari prime minister said last night. After 19 of the Arab League's 22 members voted to slap sanctions on Syria, one of the league's founding members.

If there are Syrians who appreciate this gesture, they were not down here today.

"We're here to protest against the stupid decision of the Arab League," this woman said. "And to show our support for Bashar al Assad."

Not everybody in Syria agrees with you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, of course. All agree with -- 90 percent, let's say 90 percent wants the president al Assad, but the problem is that we have gang force. Gangster (inaudible), American (inaudible) of our enemies. We have some gangsters killing our security men and our army. And we don't accept it.

MILLER: Then everyone stops to pledge allegiance to the commander in chief.

(inaudible) President Bashar al Assad certainly have a very big presence. But behind this cult of personality lies a monolithic regime, which for all the outpouring of presidential love and for the all the indignation expressed over Arab League sanctions, this regime has been deeply wounded and finds itself in a very difficult place indeed.

Yet at a news conference, Syria's foreign minister shrugged it all off. The Arab League had made a dangerous move, he said, shame on them. He apologized for showing a very gory video set to dramatic music for what he claimed were the crimes of armed gangs who killed civilians and soldiers.

Jonathan Miller from Channel 4 news in the UK...

When I asked if the regime might not have averted these sanctions by pulling tanks out of cities, he lambasted irregularities in the Arab League's procedures. So I followed up.

But with respect to -- the tanks are still in Syrian cities.

WALID MOALLEM, SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): This isn't true at all. Since the beginning of the events nine months ago, no tank fire has been used. No artillery. No war planes. The only weapons used were personal fire arms. Now there are order of protection units located in Syrian cities, not Syrian army.

MILLER: Opposition groups claim tanks have repeatedly fired on civilian areas. This recent footage from Homs.

It's been a rough day for Damascus. The EU also beefed up its sanctions. And a UN commission tonight condemned the Syrian army for committing crimes against humanity. Twice today, ordinary people sidled up to me to tell me they hated the al Assad regime. But are its days numbered? Not yet.

Jonathan Miller, Channel 4 News, Damascus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well, across the border in Iraq, the mood is becoming more relaxed. As the war there winds down, military equipment is on its way out of the country and into an isolated camp in the Kuwaiti desert. Well, CNN's Martin Savage is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVAGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If the war in Iraq has a finish line then Camp Virginia is it. The last six weeks as many as 350 vehicles a day have been rolling in to this remote base in the Kuwaiti desert delivering soldiers and equipment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No water. No MRE...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No water. No MREs. No brass. No ammo.

SAVAGE: Here, teams work day and night guiding convoys through a series of stops, each one like an assembly line in reverse taking off, or as they say downloading equipment accumulated over years of war.

And so what sort of stuff are they getting out at this particular port?

SGT. VALERIE CARTER, U.S. ARMY: They're getting out -- getting any POL (ph), any kind of oil, fuel, batteries, anything that was not issued to them or that they bought they download it here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pull it all out?

SAVAGE: Everything is sorted and collected to be thrown out, recycled, or put back in service.

We brought you to this motor pool, because really it's one of the few places where you can go to get a sense of just how much we're talking about -- how many vehicles, how many trucks, how much stuff. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Camp Virginia has the capacity to house close to 7,000 troops and more than 5,000 vehicles. And even though officials say they're below those levels they admit its been challenging keeping up with what's coming out of Iraq.

LT. COL. BRYAN BOBO, CAMP COMMANDER: It's very busy. And I will say that we're making use of every available cot we have, all the space that we have. But it's going really well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At ease. Listen up. Welcome to Camp Virginia. My name is...

SAVAGE: But there are signs of strain. The base has had to greatly increase housing and office space. And the dining hall now remains open 24 hours a day just to keep everyone fed. The goal is to move the soldiers from convoy to a flight back to the U.S. within five to eight days, but officers admit it can sometimes take longer. And the next convoy into Camp Virginia is not expected until November 30 to allow the system time to catch up.

Yet despite such problems, morale remains high, because as every soldier who makes it here knows the next stop is home.

Martin Savage, CNN, Camp Virginia, Kuwait.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Well, coming up on News Stream, a new report showing the world is getting hotter by the year. We'll go live to Durbin for an update on the UN climate change conference.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: Well, a new UN report may add pressure on delegates tasked with reaching a climate change deal in Durbin, South Africa. The report says the past decade equals the warmest ever recorded, tied with the decade before it.

Well, topping this year's agenda is the fate of the Kyoto Protocol. It's the only treaty which legally binds governments who cut greenhouse gas emission and it expires next year. Well, Canada has already said it won't commit itself to a second turn.

Well, CNN's Robyn Curnow is in Durbin following the conference. And she joins us now live.

Robyn, often there is obviously a lot of talk, a lot of promises made at these conferences, but not a lot of action. What can we expect out of this one?

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Anna.

Well, indeed a lot of talk all going on in this building behind me. Now this is effectively, really, the first day of the conference when the negotiators are sitting down, sort of giving their broad framework of what they want. Next week is when we're going to see the real horse trading, the big hitters coming in and trying to really nail down positions.

Are we going to see anything? Well, let's have a chat next Thursday, next Friday. But I think what is important is that there is a turning point here, a possible tipping point, what do we see in terms of the legal framework in terms of climate change?

Now it sounds very dry, but this is crucial stuff. Do we want the temperature in the -- the global temperature to rise above 2 degrees. Now that's why there's a lot of pressure on the delegates, 20,000 of them here. And I spoke to the Brazilians today, the chief negotiator there, and you kind of want to -- I want to ask everyone here you know what do they want? And more importantly what do they expect out of this? This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRE CORREA DO LAGO, BRAZIL CHIEF NEGOTIATOR: I think it's -- it's to advance in the main objective of this conventions is to advance and really have an effort -- an international effort towards the idea that we cannot reach 2 degrees. It's really to have a balanced plan that we can all follow, that we trust each other that we're all going to do things according to our possibilities. And I think this balance can be achieved in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: OK. Now of course that sounds all well and good, but the question is how do you get everybody to collectively agree to something that is in their best interest and not in their national interest. Now of course that's the big question, how do you get the Chinese, the Indians, the Americans, the Brazilians, don't forget everybody else out there listening, who all have to agree to this common path. And I think it is very difficult.

And whether it's a framework, a legal framework, a post-Kyoto, a mini Kyoto, an extension of Kyoto, whether it's something less legally binding, well those are the things that are being discussed. And it's pretty important stuff.

COREN: Well, Robyn, speaking of Kyoto, Canada said it won't sign up for a second term. I mean, could we see this trend potentially continuing to other countries?

CURNOW: You know what, I think -- I was just chatting to somebody just literally before I came on air. And it's fascinating to hear all the different voices that are being thrown about.

Now Canada -- people say listen, Canada -- Canada hasn't really been signing up to Kyoto since -- it's been ignoring it essentially, so it's no surprise that Canada has again, like I said, looked at national interests saying, listen, this was a previous government's decision and its likely that they're not going to sign up for the second phase of commitments.

The EU particularly wants this Kyoto accord to follow through. Do they bring in the developing countries, China to create some sort of mini Kyoto? Will that be stronger if there are less people all trying to focus on capping emissions just within their little bloc. And then there's sort of a whole other story of the Americans, for example, all doing their own thing.

Now big questions, and I mean -- you know, I could go on for hours and I tell you I could sit there having coffee with people for hours trying to get a sense of what's going to happen. And I think many people believe that they will -- something will happen, something will be cobbled out in the next two weeks. What it is, what it looks like, and what the implications are for post-Kyoto, for post-2020 world in terms of the implications of climate change, well it's happening all here. And it's happening in Durbin. And I think it's important not to write this off as just another talk shop.

COREN: Well, Robyn, no doubt plenty more discussions. And plenty of more coffees to be had for you there in Durbin.

That's Robyn Curnow making sense of it all at the climate change conference.

Well, this may be just the future of flight. The Solar Impulse has no fuel and makes no pollution. It's developed in Switzerland and it's creators claim it's the first aircraft in the world that can fly without fuel day or night. There are 12,000 solar cells across its huge wings. It has four electric propeller engines, each with a battery pack. And room for just one passenger, that being the pilot. The Solar Impulse is undergoing rigorous test flights with its creators aiming for flight around the world without fuel in 2014.

Let's now get an update of the weather with our Guillermo Arduino who I believe is studying my home country of Australia where of course there are floods. Guillermo.

GUILLERMO ARDUINO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, New South Wales in -- for some days so far. And we look at Australia -- remember this is the time when the weather is getting warmer. We have summer storms going on. And when we look at the satellite we see that ahead of the system that is going to go through Victoria very soon. We have storms already popping up on its evening hours, right?

Well, let's go and take a look at New South Wales and see the extent of the damage and also the amount of water. So this video is from Monday. I know that on Saturday we had also a lot of storms. And remember that it gets even more complicated when even though it doesn't rain in one area, the rivers are taking all the water. And that water will eventually get to some other towns. And that's what's happening in here.

Look at the weather, though, it's dry there, right? Probably this video is from morning, midday hours. And then with evening hours what we see is more clouds and eventually more rain. And the situation gets complicated.

So let me show you what's going on in general. We have the heat that is coming down. And here we see the summer storms. Remember in the southern hemisphere in the north is where we have the warmer conditions. But by Wednesday we will see a change especially in the entire state and the same for Victoria, because we see a change of wind. And we are going to see cooler conditions coming from the south, so maybe it will go down by 10 degrees, but we're going to get some more rain.

Let's see what's going on in Melbourne, 23 degrees right now. And windy conditions, but it's very comfortable.

In New Zealand we see the arrival of a system in the Tasmanian Sea. So after the storms we see calm conditions right now in both islands, north and south island. And in Durbin, we have storms. We've got 62 millimeters in here, the proximity of a low pressure center moving through here in the south brought the rains in the area.

And coming up in the next shows I'll be talking about what's going on with the cyclone in the Arabian Sea. In the meantime, we're back to more news.

COREN: Good to see you. Thank you for that.

ARDUINO: Good to see you.

COREN: Still to come on News Stream. As an inquest opened into the death of Gary Speed, his agent and best man insists the Wales football manager was not depressed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COREN: We want to update you now on those protests in Iran. Britain says it is outraged by the storming of its embassy in Tehran and called on the Iranian government to bring the situation under control. Well, earlier protesters stormed the facility, broke down doors, and replaced a British flag with an Iranian one. They also threw stones at the embassy's windows.

On Sunday, the Iranian parliament voted to expel the British ambassador and reduced diplomatic ties with the United Kingdom. We'll certainly keep you updated on this story as more details come to head.

Well, it's time now for a look at sport. And the bereaving continues and the search for answers is certainly getting underway following the sudden death of Gary Speed. Our Don Riddell joins us from London with the latest -- Don.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Anna.

You know, one of Gary Speed's closest friends says that the Wales manager had no history of depression and that neither he or the family have any idea why he would have taken his own life at the weekend. It is believed that he committed suicide.

The football community remains in quite a profound sense of shock. And it's hoped that an inquest which opens this afternoon will be able to provide some answers. But Hayden Evans, who was also Speed's agent, has played down any suggestion that Speed and his wife were suffering from marital problems.

Tonight, Speed's first team, Leeds United, will play at Nottingham Forest in a championship. And the Leeds fans are planning to chant his name for 11 minutes. Speed played in the number 11 jersey when Leeds (inaudible) are helping the family at this difficult time.

In other football news, London police have spoken to John Terry as part of their investigation into allegations of racial abuse made against the Chelsea and England captain. Terry is accused of using a racial slur against the QPR defender Anton Ferdinand in a Premier League game last month. Terry has strenuously denied the allegations.

Kimi Raikkonen has announced that he'll be back in Formula 1 next season having signed a two year contract with Lotus Rennault. The Finnish driver who won the 2007 driver's title with Ferrari has spent the last two years in the World Rally Championship. And his return means there will be six men who have been F1 champions on the grid when the season starts up again in Melbourne in March.

Raikkonen says he's missed the competition of racing against other drivers, adding that his hunger to return to F1 have been overwhelming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIMI RAIKKONEN, DRIVER: I wouldn't come back if I wasn't to be able to make it. So there's always a lot of talk about the motivation and -- but nobody really knows what I do or what I think apart from myself. So I don't really care what people says. But I'm -- I enjoy to come back I wouldn't put my name in contract if I wouldn't think that I really enjoy it. So it'll be interesting. It will be exciting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Will be good to see him back.

It was a big night for quarterback Drew Brees in the NFL as he became the first Saints player to throw 4 touchdowns and run in another as New Orleans thumped the New York Giants in Louisiana. The Saints dominated the Giants in the first half and established a comfortable 19 point lead. In all, Brees converted 24 of his 38 passes for 363 yards, leading his team to victory by 49-24.

It was the Saints third consecutive win, putting them top of the NFC South. For the Giants, it was a third consecutive defeat. And they have the unbeaten Green Bay Packers to look forward to next weekend.

And I will have much more on all of those stories for you in World Sport in a few hours time.

COREN: OK. Don, appreciate it. Thank you.

Well that is NEWS STREAM, but the news continues here at CNN. "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" is next.

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