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NEWS STREAM

Afghan Blasts Leave Dozens Dead; U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in Europe for Discussions on Saving the Euro; Life in the U.S. for Iraqi Boy Doused in Gasoline; Kingston Residents Question Tactics Used To Arrest Jamaican Drug Lord; Wladimir Klitschko Forced To Pull Out Of Fight

Aired December 06, 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, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome to NEWS STREAM, where news and technology meet.

I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong.

And we begin in Afghanistan, where bomb attacks have left dozens dead and marred religious celebrations.

And four years ago we met Youssif, a young Iraqi boy doused in gasoline by attackers and badly burned. And today we bring you the story of his progress and recovery.

And a unique perspective on the Arab Spring from the UAE. We hear from the country's vice president and prime minister.

Now, dozens are dead in Afghanistan on one of Shia Islam's holiest days of the year. Now, the blast at the town of Mazar-e-Sharif leaving four people dead, and another one targeted the capital, Kabul.

This is the aftermath of that attack, the explosion that left more than 50 people dead. More than 100 others were injured in the carnage. And it happened just a few hours ago. There are also reports of a third blast in the southern city of Kandahar.

Now, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in the Afghan capital, Kabul. He joins us now live.

And Nick, you went to the scene of the blast there in Kabul. What did you see?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: By the time we got there, there was a police cordon in effect. But you have to bear in mind exactly where this is in central Kabul. It's a stone's throw from the Finance and Defense Ministries, not far from the presidential palace.

So, again, some part of the insurgency -- and I should point out here, the Taliban deny involvement in these two blasts -- some part of the insurgency has got into the supposedly secure center of the capital. A suicide bomber detonating himself amongst these tightly-packed Shia pilgrims on this vital day in their religion.

Now, you're about to see some potentially distressing video which shows the exact moment of the blast.

As you can see here, massive panic and pandemonium among those people caught by that initial explosion. Important to point out that, as I say, the Taliban say they were not behind this or the blast in Mazar, raising the question, where has this new element perhaps of sectarian-targeted violence come from in Afghanistan?

Sunni versus Shia is something we heard a lot in Iraq, different sects of the Muslim religion attacking each other, perhaps the epicenter of the civil conflict that played out there for many years. But it's not been featured (ph) in Afghanistan. People (INAUDIBLE) in many ways, and this, a worrying development for many, wondering exactly what may come in the months ahead, although, of course, some suggesting the concept of sectarian conflict like we saw in Iraq is potentially lower here -- Kristie.

STOUT: Three attacks today in Afghanistan, including the one we watched just then playing on video. And all this comes a day after the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, warned that the Taliban could make a comeback as the country struggles with security.

So, Nick, just how vulnerable is Afghanistan to insurgent violence?

WALSH: Well, we've seen this sort of worrying happen before. Remember the anniversary of September the 11th? The Taliban stayed silent during that, but two days later, launched a lengthy attack on the U.S. Embassy, and it lasted 20 hours.

Yesterday, in Bonn, many had expected some violence around the country to mark that particular day from the insurgency, but they stayed quiet. And today, we see this substantial wave of attacks across the country.

It's important to point out that when you see attacks happening at the same time in Afghanistan, that doesn't necessarily mean they're coordinated, because the insurgency isn't always that well-communicated or well joined up. Sometimes other people attack just because they've heard something else has happened elsewhere. But this highlights absolutely the vulnerability of Afghan security forces, of central Kabul, of so much of the country to the insurgency at a time when NATO are desperately trying to convince people that violence is down even though U.N. figures point to the opposite -- Kristie.

STOUT: Nick Paton Walsh, joining us live from Kabul.

Thank you very much for that.

And turning now to Syria, where the opposition is getting a boost from one of the most powerful women in the world. Media reports say that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is meeting with opposition activists in Geneva.

Meanwhile, another leading opposition group has a message for the leaders of Iran and Lebanon: stop supporting the regime, or you will alienate the next one. The chairman of the Syrian National Council, Burhan Ghalioun, made the comments to CNN in this exclusive video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BURHAN GHALIOUN, SYRIAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): I say we need humanitarian intervention to protect civilians and provide them with aid, even if we have to use some force. The priority is to save lives and provide aid for the people. The people themselves will decide their fate. The great Syrian people are capable to decide their fate only when the killing machine is brought to an end.

The topic of foreign military intervention is a dangerous and critical one and should be taken seriously, but unfortunately this regime is pushing people to seek foreign military intervention. Some are demanding foreign military intervention without knowing the consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: And as the crackdown continues, so, too, do those calls for intervention. And activists say more than 34 people were killed in Homs on Monday.

Now, ahead here on NEWS STREAM --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Arab Spring is the people who waited for a long time, and some governments are saving themselves and not saving the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: -- we hear from the prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates on what the Arab Spring means and what impact, if any, it could have on his country.

And life after war. The little boy who survived the conflict in Iraq and started a new life in America. CNN catches up with him.

And desperate times. Ireland and Greece prepare to implement widespread budget cuts, but two of Europe's powerhouses say a solution to the debt crisis could be in sight.

We get the details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, in Europe, government leaders are preparing for Friday's crisis summit on saving the euro. And despite stepped-up efforts to find a solution, the situation remains dire for many of the zone's 17 members.

Now, today is Budget Day in Ireland, and the outlook is grim. The government has already announced it will cut spending in areas like health, education and welfare by almost $3 billion. It's also planning $2 billion in tax increases.

Meanwhile, in Greece, the vote on the 2012 budget is scheduled for later today. Prime Minister Lucas Papademos will present the package to parliament. It includes more unpopular cuts demanded by Greece's international lenders in return for bailout funds.

And this follows Monday's meeting between the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris. And the leaders say they agreed on a new fiscal pact for the eurozone which they plan to present at the summit in Brussels on Friday.

Now, the so-called fiscal pact, it proposes stricter budgetary controls for eurozone members. And it appears these measures are very much needed.

Take a look at this. These 17 countries, they all use the euro. And Greece's credit rating currently reflects a high risk of default. And Cyprus is already under review for the state of its finances.

But on Monday, the credit ratings agency S&P announced the remaining 15 eurozone nations were being placed on review for a possible downgrade. That includes these six countries with a AAA rating: Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Now, S&P points to high levels of government debts and the ongoing political deadlock over how to deal with the crisis.

Let's see how the stocks markets in Europe are reacting right now.

Here's how the major indices are faring at the moment. You see the FTSE up about .3 of one percent, the Paris CAC 40 losing .3 of one percent. The Xetra DAX down .7 of one percent, and the Zurich SMI up about .75 of one percent.

Now, the effect of the European debt crisis is clearly being felt beyond its geographic borders. In fact, this week, the U.S. treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, is meeting officials in Europe for discussions on saving the euro. And today Geithner will be in Germany.

Diana Magnay joins me now live from CNN Berlin.

Diana, what role is the U.S. playing in this crisis? Is Geithner there to watch proceedings, or is he going to play a key role this week in Europe?

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think his role would be characterized in the way of a sort anxious close relative who knows that they don't really have much of a right to say very much, but they would like to give their advice. And I think the fact that he's meeting heads of state rather than just his equivalent finance ministers in this three-day trip goes to show that the key European economies are prepared and want to listen to him.

He's been here three times since September. And on his first visit to finance ministers' meeting in Poland, there were some finance ministers who seemed to reject the idea that the U.S. treasury secretary should come along and tell them all what to do. But I think that his advice is going to be listened to.

We are going to be hearing a statement from in a few hours' time, after he's met with the German finance minister here in Berlin. Earlier this morning, he was talking to Mario Draghi at the European Central Bank, presumably about whether the fiscal pact that you were just talking about that Germany and France are going to be proposing at the EU heads of state summit on Thursday and Friday is grounds enough for Mr. Draghi to push -- to allow more aggressive action really from the European Central Bank, which is presumably the kind of action that the U.S. would like to see also -- Kristie.

STOUT: We'll have to talk about that decision by S&P to place 15 eurozone nations on review for a possible downgrade, including Germany. So what has been the reaction there to that?

MAGNAY: Well, including Germany, exactly. This is a sort of safe haven, the strongest economy in the eurozone. So when question marks start being put about Germany's credit rating, then you can expect people really to start to worry.

I think there's been a lot of mixed reaction. Some people have said this doesn't make any difference at all, because we know that there is the very real possibility of a recession in Europe. There is still the possibility of a sovereign default here. And others who say, well, perhaps it will simply focus the minds of the heads of state meeting on Thursday and Friday in Brussels because they know that if they don't come to some agreement behind France and Germany, then perhaps their credit rating will be affected.

That said, the timing does make you question whether S&P had actually looked at what he proposals were that Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Sarkozy yesterday put out on the table, and whether they didn't in fact show that the political deadlock is showing some signs possibly of lifting -- Kristie.

STOUT: Diana Magnay, joining us live from Berlin.

Thank you.

Now, CNN is moderating all the efforts to tackle the European debt crisis. Stay tuned for more in "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" in the next hour. That's at 10:00 p.m. here in Hong Kong.

Ahead on NEWS STREAM, he looks like a carefree boy on a beach, but he is a young survivor of a vicious attack in Iraq. We'll catch up with Youssif, whose story inspired people around the world to help him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching NEWS STREAM.

Now, he was Saddam Hussein's right-hand man and one of America's most wanted. Now the international face of Saddam Hussein's regime faces execution at the hands of Iraq's new rulers.

Tariq Aziz served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister for more than 20 years under Hussein. He was taken into U.S. custody just after the invasion.

These pictures show his subsequent trial in Iraq. And the verdict, guilty. He was sentenced to death in October of 2010 for his role in eliminating religious parties. And now an adviser to Iraq's prime minister tells CNN the execution will go forward after U.S. forces have pulled out.

It has been nearly nine years since the Iraq conflict began, and countless Iraqi civilians have suffered in that time, thousands have died. And others bare the scars of war.

Now, this little boy opened many of our eyes to the violent reality of life in Baghdad. Youssif was just 4 years old when strangers set him on fire in 2007. He was unable to get adequate care in his home country. An outpouring of support brought Youssif and his family to the United States.

He has had multiple surgeries. And exactly one year after that vicious attack disfigured him, Youssif started kindergarten in California.

Arwa Damon first introduced us to this little boy, and she has stayed in touch with Youssif and his family. And here is a look at her latest visit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Now 9, it's hard to believe that this is the same Youssif we met in Baghdad four years ago. There's no trace of the sullen, withdrawn and angry boy he once was, no trace of the boy who could only speak a few words of English.

YOUSSIF, DOUSED BY GASOLINE IN IRAQ: I'm still making it. I'm doing, like, soccer games and practice. I never used to do that in my country.

DAMON (on camera): Why didn't you do it in your country?

YOUSSIF: Because it was kind of dangerous.

DAMON: Do you remember that day when those guys attacked you?

YOUSSIF: No.

DAMON (voice-over): He used to. This was Youssif, just 5 years old at the time. He was attacked by masked men right in front of his home in early January, 2007.

YOUSSIF (through translator): They poured gasoline, burnt me, and ran.

DAMON: His family begged for help, desperate to see their boy smile again, a plea heard around the world. CNN viewers donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Children's Burn Foundation based on Los Angeles that took on his case.

Today, Youssif's mental recovery has by far outpaced his physical one. He will be needing more surgeries. We don't know for how many years, but says his looks no longer bother him.

YOUSSIF: No. I kind of don't really, because none of our friends, like, make fun of me.

DAMON: He even received a citizenship award at school given to students who are nice to others.

YOUSSIF: Once, like, a kid got hurt, and I helped him. He got hurt here. His arm started bleedings. So then I just -- well, I took him to he office, and they helped him put an ice pack on it.

DAMON (on camera): And when you saw that this kid was hurt, what made you want to help him?

YOUSSIF: Because he was, like, my friend, and I cared about him.

DAMON: Do you think it's also because you got hurt once?

YOUSSIF: Yes.

DAMON (voice-over): But life in the U.S. has not been easy for this Iraqi family, soon to become American citizens. Along with a younger sister, Youssif also now has a 2-year-old brother.

His surgeries are covered by the California State Children's Services, as they would be for other children who live in California. But the family has to make ends meet on their father's security guard salary of $9 an hour, plus welfare and food stamps.

(on camera): Where do you guys sleep?

YOUSSIF: We sleep over there.

DAMON: Will you show me?

YOUSSIF: Yes. We sleep right here.

DAMON: You sleep right here, on the ground?

YOUSSIF: Yes.

DAMON: And Aye (ph), you sleep there?

YOUSSIF: Yes.

DAMON: And Youssif, you sleep here?

YOUSSIF: Yes.

DAMON: The family's had a pretty tough time, despite the fact that they're very grateful to everyone for everything that has transpired since they came to America, since being in Iraq. But it hasn't been entirely easy for them, and then there's, of course, financial difficulties as well.

So, as Youssif was showing us, the kids are literally sleeping on the floor. I mean, there's two levels of carpeting here, but that's all they have, and then the flimsy blanket.

(voice-over): And the family is desperately homesick despite all of Youssif's friends.

(on camera): So, do you want to go back to Iraq?

YOUSSIF: Kind of, yes.

DAMON: Why?

YOUSSIF: Because it kind of is my country and I miss everyone that I knew there.

DAMON: But are you scared the same thing could happen to you?

YOUSSIF: Yes.

DAMON (voice-over): And it very easily could.

(on camera): When you talk to your family, what do they tell you about the situation there? I mean, obviously, we're still not showing your face on camera.

WISSAM, YOUSSIF'S FATHER: Show my face. Show my face. I mean, sometimes I tell them, "I wish I could visit you," they say, "No. You cannot come."

DAMON (voice-over): And with U.S. troops leaving, they do worry that Iraq may never be safe enough for them to go back home.

YOUSSIF: Oh, man. My leg is -- oh my God. It's trying to come higher.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: And Arwa is now back in Iraq. She joins us now live from Baghdad.

And Arwa, when we watch that video, and when we look at these photos right here of you and Youssif together, there's obviously a strong bond between the two of you.

Can you tell us more about your relationship over the years?

DAMON: Well, Kristie, it's really been one of those relationships where I tend to marvel all the time at Youssif's resilience and at what his family has really gone through and continues to go through to make sure that he, at the very least, is getting the best care possible.

Those photographs there, they're from 2009. You see that bulge in Youssif's cheek. That is from a tissue expander that doctors had put in to prepare him for yet another surgery. He really has a long and tough road ahead, but he is such a brave little boy.

There's also another photograph that I believe we have. This one that we're looking at right now, that is from when he was first burnt, and you just see in his expression there just how much pain he was in.

And then we've been able to watch him completely transform. In the U.S., at one point, I remember visiting them during the holiday season. He was singing Christmas carols, along with the other children.

All that being said, of course, his is just one of many, many stories of so many victims of all ages, victims of the intense evil that has been unleashed here -- Kristie.

STOUT: You mentioned the balloon that was placed in his face during treatment. In this photo right here, you can see Youssif again. This was from a few years ago, and you're visiting him in the hospital. And you can see quite clearly those saline-filled balloons that were placed in his face to provide more good skin by stretching it.

Youssif, he has gone through so much, so many surgeries. How many more procedures are ahead for him?

DAMON: Well, that's not entirely clear because, unfortunately, does not scar well. And that has been posing quite the challenge for those who have been treating him. He tends to form fairly thick scar tissue, and so they've slowed down the pace of the surgeries to see how his scarring continues moving forward, and also to see how his face develops as he gets older.

And so that's something that doctors are going to have to determine as the years go on. And unfortunately, as well, Youssif is probably never going to look normal.

He's aware of that to a certain degree, as is his family. But again, it is the child's spirit that comes through so strongly.

And Kristie, you'll remember when we first aired this story, Youssif wanted to be a doctor. Well, he most certainly still wants to do that, and he wants to be the kind of doctor who treats everybody.

STOUT: I love hearing that.

Arwa Damon, thank you so much for sharing his story with us and giving us the update.

Arwa Damon, joining us live from Baghdad.

And coming up next here on NEWS STREAM, calm in the political storm. The prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates weighs in on the Arab Spring and tells us whether it could affect his country.

And a fiery eruption. Thousands of people flee their homes to escape the flowing lava in Indonesia. We've got the details ahead on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your headlines.

Now CNN has obtained dramatic video of the moment a bomb went off in Kabul during the Shiite Muslim holy day of Ashura. A bomb blast across Afghanistan have killed dozens of people. The attack in Kabul killed at least 54 people, more than 150 were injured, that's according to the Afghan Health Ministry. Now a separate attack in the city of Mazar e-Sharif left four dead.

The U.S. Treasury Secretary is in Germany today speaking with his European counterparts ahead of Friday's debt crisis meeting. Now the ratings agency Standard & Poors has added extra pressure to save the single currency by putting 15 EuroZone nations on review for possible downgrades of their credit ratings.

The Russian government has put security forces on a heightened state of alert after thousands of people protested in Moscow against Valdimir Putin's party. Now the demonstrations camp, after parliamentary elections cut the lead of Mr. Putin's party in the state assembly, and accusations from opposition parties of fraud.

And officials in Yemen could announce a new unity government as early as today. The government is to consist of the cabinet evenly divided between the political opposition and the outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ruling party. It's all part of the Gulf brokered deal Mr. Saleh last month.

Now these are turbulent times across the Middle East and North Africa. And Erin Burnett has been anchoring her show out front form the United Arab Emirates this week. And she spokes with the country's prime minister, Vice President and the ruler of Dubai about the Arab Spring and other issues affecting the region.

Now here is her interview with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL-MAKTOUM, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: The Arab Spring is the people who waited for a long time and some government are saving themselves and not saving their people, and the people want more.

ERIN BARNETT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You look at Egypt with the first round of elections, they have democracy, but democracy is going to elect the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis, very conservative Muslim groups. Some people have said they're worried that Egypt which is so important to the Arab world could become like Iran, they could democratically choose to be like Iran, with an Ayatollah with a totally religious society. Do you have that fear at all?

AL-MAKTOUM: No, I don't, because Egypt has a very strong army watching what's happening and (inaudible) the lead for this party.

BARNETT: And what about in Syria? What do you think is going to happen in Syria?

AL-MAKTOUM: I think Syria is more complicated that Egypt or Libya, because they have Iran behind, they have Lebanon, they have -- you know, all that. So it is same as everywhere else, the people want jobs, they want opportunities, and they're asking for it. And this -- the (inaudible) change and start making things good for the people or they will carry on like that.

BARNETT: Or he'll go -- I mean if he doesn't change.

AL-MAKTOUM: Yes.

BARNETT: So explain how government works here? Because the United Arab Emirates is different. You have accomplished things those other countries have not. But it's not a democracy either. So explain how it works?

AL-MAKTOUM: We are, you know, tribes. We must serve our people. We must give the education -- the universities here, the hospitals, housing. And no tax here. And the government has the wealth to spend on the people.

BARNETT: No tax. A lot of people along the street love that. So what do you like about Dubai? No tax. No tax.

AL-MAKTOUM: Yeah. No tax. And the government is working, like to be in the cabinet. We need the program. We have our vision. And we're going through it. And we are achieving that vision, you know.

BARNETT: There were five activists recently here in the UAE, some of the dissidents, a blogger. They were sentenced to two or three years in jail. They were pardoned on national day. Amnesty International has called them the UAE Five.

How did that happen? My understand is they were -- one of them was saying that all of the free things in the UAE -- the free health care, the free education, no taxes -- he said it was buying off the people, trying to give them money so they're happy so they don't demand change like in Egypt, like in Syria. So what is your view of what happened and whether it's OK to say something like that here?

AL-MAKTOUM: If you are criminal than you go to court. Not everybody is really perfect. And we are not perfect, you know. We are doing a lot for our people. We still have more to do. So we hope all this five also will become a better citizen for their own good and for their people.

BARNETT: It just leads to the question of one thing over the years covering the UAE, people will say the press isn't totally free. People can't really say everything that they think. Do you think that that's part of how in this society you need to govern?

AL-MAKTOUM: As long as they don't say something wrong about a person or whatever it is, they can say anything they want. As I told you, we are not perfect. We are still learning. We're trying to do our job right and trying to (inaudible).

We have our own democracy. You cannot transport your democracy to us. We are different. And for example our democracy coming from the (inaudible). And, you know, as long as you don't step on somebody else you are free to do what you like.

BARNETT: When people look at you they, OK, your family has ruled Dubai for 200 years. Your son Hamdan will rule after you, father to son. Will that continue forever, do you think?

AL-MAKTOUM: As long as the people want that, our tribe -- our (inaudible) ruling -- a bigger tribe because they're accepting us to do that.

BARNETT: So, do you think that there will be more countries where the governments fall in the Arab Spring?

AL-MAKTOUM: I think this period of time, you know, in 100 years this might happen again, you know. Yes -- well, you have to be careful. You do know what's happening you know here or there, but I think the Gulf state is safe for the time being.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Sheikh Mohammed there.

Now the Reuters news agency is reporting that Egypt's new prime minister will receive some presidential powers, giving him more control over national policy. Now Kamal al-Ganzouri who has been forming a government of national salvation says that the ruling army has agreed to amend the interim constitution to grant him these powers. And according to the report an official announcement is expected within hours.

Now right now in New York a Jamaican drug lord is awaiting sentencing. Now Christopher Dudus Coke, he pleaded guilty to racketeering and assault charges at the end of August. And prosecutors say he ran an illegal operation that pumped cocaine, marijuana and guns into the United States. Now Jamaica initially resisted extradition requests from the U.S. but later agreed to arrest him back in May of 2010. The effort led to gun battles between security forces and Coke's supporters. It happened in Tivoli Gardens, the West Kingston neighborhood under Coke's control.

There is still many unanswered questions about the shootout that killed 76 people, 73 of them civilians.

And many Jamaicans want to know how and why so many people died in that operation. Now Mattathias Schwartz recently traveled there to investigate. He is a contributing writer at the New Yorker and he joins us now live.

Thank you for joining us here on News Stream. 73 civilians were killed. So what happened? How did this massacre take place?

MATTATHIAS SCHWARTZ, NEW YORKER: Well, the story that came out immediately afterwards is that it was a gun battle and that there were two sides to the conflict. I spent 11 weeks reporting this story on the ground in Tivoli Gardens. I talked to people from the army, people from the police and people in the neighborhood. And the sense I got is that it was much more one-sided. There were 73 civilians killed. I think a great number of them were non-combatants. And there was only one army person killed in the Tivoli Gardens operation and two others nearby.

And then for these 73 civilians who were killed, only six guns were recovered. So, yeah, it does look like a massacred. And that's the headline of the story in this week's New Yorker, A Massacre in Jamaica.

LU STOUT: Now you spoke to law makers there in Jamaica. How do they explain the killings that took place in Tivoli Gardens?

SCHWARTZ: Well, some of the lawmakers I spoke to actually, you know, off the record they -- to me they talked about a notion of collective guilt, which I mentioned in my story that because this neighborhood had been under the control of Coke for so long that they were somehow shared his guilt.

But that's not what I found. In fact, one of the civilians who was killed was a 25-year-old United States citizen who was just down there staying with his great-aunt for the summer, another had received a security clearance to help build the U.S. embassy. So the harder you look at the story, the more questions arise about, you know, who were these people and what happened to them?

Now, there was actually a plane flown by the United States Department of Homeland Security flying above Kingston while this whole operation took place. This had been confirmed to me by the United States government. This plane was shooting video of what was going on on the ground. That video passed from employees of the U.S. government through officials affiliated with the United States embassy to Jamaican forces on the ground.

So when you look at all the facts as a whole, it starts to look like the United States government might have been inadvertently complicit in the deaths of these civilians who by all the evidence I could find, many of them were completely innocent.

LU STOUT: The U.S. government was involved in passing over intelligence to authorities in Jamaica. Did the U.S. know there was a risk of violence against civilians in this operation?

SCHWARTZ: Indeed they did. The mayor of Kingston went to officials at the U.S. embassy before this took place and told them that there was a risk of bloodshed if the extradition went forward. And I gather that, you know, the extradition clearly went forward anyway.

Now the United States government right now has a video of what happened on the ground. This also has been confirmed to me. They shot surveillance video from this plane, and a copy of this surveillance video still resides with the U.S. government. They are refusing to release it.

Another interesting thing is that this plane was operated by the Department of Homeland Security. Now last time I checked the country of Jamaica was not part of the U.S. homeland. So I think this raises very interesting questions about what are the limits of America's sovereignty. And how much information we need to disclose when we involve ourselves in operations with police and military forces who may not follow the same kind of standards that our own police forces do when they're interacting with civilians

LU STOUT: Well, this is a chilling investigation. The report now online. Mattathias Schwartz, thank you so much for joining us here. Mattathias is a contributing writer with the New Yorker. Thank you very much and take care.

Now still to come here on News Stream, underneath that thick cloud of smoke, a volcano is spewing out a boiling river of molten lava forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. And we'll have the latest on this story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now scientists say that devastating wall of water that struck Japan in March was the result of at least two waves combined. Mari Ramos has been looking into that from the world weather center. She joins us now -- Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kristie. This is a very interesting story, because scientists said they have long suspected that this is something that actually happens, that two waves actually are the ones that form and they actually merge together to form a larger wave. So this particular study, scientists say, is one in a 10 million chance to actually be able to witness this via satellite images. So it's pretty interesting.

Let's go ahead and kind of give you the big picture here. We're back March 11. The Earth shakes. This massive rupture on the surface of the Earth under the ocean. It displaces a huge amount of water. Remember all of that happened in just a matter of second. That wall of water begins to move very, very quickly toward the coastline of Japan.

So I want to show you in animation -- this is an animation from NASA and kind of you can almost see both waves actually happen. What they're saying is that what happens under the ocean floor is the key here.

Now you can see right over here. And I want to go ahead and pause this right here. You almost see one larger wave on this side, and another one on this side, and even a smaller one here toward the front. It could be more than two waves in some cases. It could be several waves. The point is that they say they actually merge.

So you see it here near the coastline. When we continue putting this in motion you can see the energy also deflected toward the other side moving into the Pacific Ocean. When you look over here, all of those waves I showed you before are almost merged into one single wave which is what eventually moved onshore.

Now, when scientists talk about how these waves actually propagate. When they make the forecast for how an area might be affected by a tsunami, they normally only look at the ocean floor near the coastline. But in this case they're saying that's not the only thing, you have to look at what happens on the ocean floor as those waves are propagating to other areas. This is going to help make the forecast for areas that are farther away from that epicenter of the volcano and explain how -- how is it that these waves can move so fast and so quickly and so far away even though they are hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away?

I want to show you this still image right over here kind of of the same situation. This red line that you see right there is actually the satellite path. A satellite was moving in this direction as this tsunami wave was moving over the ocean. There's Hawaii right over here. Down Papua New Guinea, and Japan would be all the way in this other corner.

This satellite path occurred seven-and-a-half hours after the quake happened. You can see distinctly one, two, three different waves here. They had actually deflected away from each other as they were moving across the ocean floor. That's very significant. Eventually these waves -- the next satellite path that happened eight hours and 20 minutes after the quake, there's one -- what they call one single normal looking tsunami wave that actually you can see right now.

So it's pretty interesting how they were able to do this and they say this could actually help forecast how tsunamis will affect shorelines in the future. So pretty amazing stuff, Kristie.

I do want to tell you about one more -- yeah, go ahead.

LU STOUT: Yeah, I was just going to say complicated science, but you always make it really clear. One more thing you wanted to add perhaps about that volcanic activity we've been witnessing here in Southeast Asia?

RAMOS: Yeah, I did definitely want to tell you about this, because this is something that people always ask about and they're always worried about, and that's volcanoes. Let's go ahead and roll the pictures.

This is in Indonesia. And yes they're one of the most active areas in the world when it comes to volcanic activity. Fortunately there are no serious problems so far with this volcano. It's not a disaster, they say, but they are on alert because of this huge eruptions coming in from this volcano. Authorities are saying that the main concern right now is for the villages that are right near the volcano and that because it has been raining the danger of (inaudible) and tsunamis. And of course there's also still the danger more (inaudible) -- back to you.

LU STOUT: All right. Mari, (inaudible) for us. Thank you very much indeed.

And still to come here on News Stream, could David Beckham have played his last match for the Los Angeles Galaxy? Don Riddell is standing by with the answer after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

And Twitter has unveiled its annual year in review listing the most tweeted topics. And to say 2011 has been a busy year for journalists is understatement. So let's take a look at Twitter's world news list.

Now topping the chart is Mubarak's resignation, the end of Hosni Mubarak's presidency has sparked lots of political discussion. Egypt also took off as the number one hashtag of the year.

Now raid on bin Laden ranks second followed by the Japanese earthquake which triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster back in March. Now people around the world reached out to friends and family online making Japan the number five hashtag of 2011.

And going down the list we have the shooting of Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the death of Moammar Gadhafi. We can't quite figure out how swine flu outbreak became number six this year. Might have to ask Twitter for some clues.

Now time now for a sports update. And has David Beckham just played his final match for the L.A. Galaxy? Let's go to Don Riddell in London to see if he has the answer -- Don.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Maybe, Kristie. We'll see. Most people actually think he has. And David Beckham, either way, he's in the twilight of his football playing career. But while he ponders his next move he says he has no interest in ever being a manager. The former England captain has told reporters in Australia today that he really didn't enjoy helping out as an assistant at last year's World Cup.

In what may be his last game for the Galaxy, David Beckham led Los Angeles out onto the pitch in their final tour match in Australia today. And initially things didn't quite go to plan. The Melbourne Victory took the lead after 15 minutes through Carlos Hernandez. And the home side doubled their advantage seven minutes before the break with Isaka Cernak slotted home from the edge of the area.

It might only have been a friendly, but the new MLS champions didn't want to end the season on a defeat. And after Robbie Keane had scored from the spot, Beckham won another crucial penalty in the 49th minute. It was controversial, but the ref obviously felt that contact had been made at the edge of the area. And the Irish striker Keane stepped up to score his second of the game.

Now, Beckham was subbed out in the 89th minute. That could well be the last time you see him in a Galaxy shirt. And L.A. ended on a high by winning a penalty shoot-out by 4 kicks to 3. Josh Saunders the hero with two penalty saves ensuring L.A.'s victory against the Victory.

The group stage of the Champion's League will be concluded this week. And the fate of several big clubs hang in the balance. At Stamford Bridge Chelsea and Vallencia meet in what is effectively a winner takes all clash for a place in the next round. The Spaniards are third in the group, but know that a win or a scoring draw will see them qualify from Group E behind Bayern Leverkusen.

And the Spaniards are in form having won five of their last six games in Spain to keep the pressure on Barcelona. Chelsea's recent form have been a worry for their manager Andre Villas-Boas, but a 3-nil win at Newcastle on Saturday was a timely morale booster. He knows that elimination at this stage would be little short of disastrous for the English team.

And finally the world heavy weight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko have been forced to pull out of this weekend's fight against Jean-Marc Mormeck because he's recovering from an operation to remove a kidney stone. The IBF, IBO, WBO, and WBA champion underwent surgery last week and was still hoping that he could take on the Frenchman, but his management team advised him to pull out of the fight. It's hoped that the bout can be rescheduled for a date in March.

Kristie, that's all the time we've got for sport just now.

LU STOUT: All right. Don Riddell, thank you.

And that is News Stream, but the news continues at CNN. World Business Today is next.

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