Return to Transcripts main page
NEWS STREAM
Self Immolation On The Rise Among Women In Afghanistan; England's Queen Elizabeth II Celebrates 60 Years On Throne; China Vetoes UN Draft Resolution On Syria; Stories From Inside Foxconn
Aired February 06, 2012 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNA COREN, HOST: Welcome to NEWS STREAM where news and technology meet. Hello, I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong.
We begin in Syria as the city of Homs is hounded by continuing attacks that killed many more people over the weekend.
Well, this is where some of the world's most loved gadgets are made, but one worker sheds light on conditions inside a Foxconn plant.
And a dramatic finish clinches the Super Bowl for the New York Giants.
Well, the Syrian city of Homs is under siege after what activists are calling a weekend blood bath. Well, they say 30 more people have died today as shells and mortars continue to bombard the city.
Well, that is the sound of apparent rocket fire in Homs today. The government is blaming the violence on armed terrorist gangs, but opposition groups say raids since Thursday have killed more than 300 civilians. The Syrian National Council is calling it a massacre. Well, activists say a humanitarian disaster is unfolding as makeshift hospitals attempt to treat dozens of injured people.
An activist calling himself Danny shot video inside one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are bodies. These are bodies. These are rockets. Rockets every (INAUDIBLE). Hundreds of injuries. Get off of me. No. Rockets all over the place. Their bodies (INAUDIBLE). All dead bodies coming in. Look. Look. (INAUDIBLE). We are not animals. We are human beings. We ask you for help. These rockets here (INAUDIBLE). They hit us with rockets. (INAUDIBLE) they're going to kill us all. They'll kill millions (INAUDIBLE). Please someone help us. This is (INAUDIBLE) February 6.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, that was Danny working at a field hospital where we will be talking to our correspondent Arwa Damon who is of course following the conflict in Syria in particular in Homs. She'll be coming to us a little later in the show.
Well, China is rejecting criticism over its veto in the UN security council and says it does not shelter anyone. Our Eunice Yoon is live in Beijing.
Eunice, give us an idea of where China stands on all of this, because to the world it just doesn't make sense.
EUNICE YOON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anna, China is very much on a defensive. It's been fiercely defending its decision to veto the UN resolution. And it's been shrugging off international criticism right and left. At a regular press briefing earlier today a government spokesperson had to say -- had really explained it this way, saying that Beijing really was forced to make this decision only because of the fact that the countries that had proposed the resolution forced the vote, at least in Beijing's view, forced the vote when there still were key differences that had yet to be resolved. So because of that, Beijing felt that they really had very little choice but to veto the UN resolution.
Now as you had said, as I just mentioned, China has come under tremendous criticism not only across the Arab world, but also of course across the Western world. And at that press briefing I asked the spokesperson for his reaction to concerns that Beijing and Moscow looked as though they were protecting the Syrian regime and also for his reaction to the U.S.'s description of the veto as a travesty.
This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIU WEIMIN, CHINESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (through translator): China does not accept the accusation. China does not have its own self interest on the issue of Syria. We do not deliberately shelter or oppose any country. Instead, we uphold justice in dealing with the issue. As a responsible great power, China will continue to work with the international community and play a positive and constructive role in dealing with the current issue in Syria.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOON: And for Beijing's role, the government spokesperson said that he is unaware of any plans at this time for Beijing to send in a delegation or an envoy to Syria, unlike Russia -- Anna.
COREN: Eunice, has the Chinese government said anything as to what it believes it can do to stop what is fast becoming a civil war in Syria?
YOON: Well, as of right now what people are talking about here is one of the reasons why they believe China has reacted so strongly this time was because there's a feeling that some of the Chinese diplomats regretted the decision to abstain on Libya. There are some people here who believe that Chinese diplomats feel that NATO had too much of a mandate to go ahead with something that China didn't really want.
And so because of that, people here are concerned about what kind of role that (INAUDIBLE) will have in the future. Are (INAUDIBLE) longstanding policy not to get involved in other people's and other country's domestic affairs. So what we're seeing here, or what many (INAUDIBLE) were saying is, is Beijing moving back in that direction especially given all of the restive areas and concerns that Beijing has had in its back yard -- Anna.
COREN: All right, Eunice, we'll have to leave it there. And we apologize for our viewers. It sounds like there are fireworks going off in the background where Eunice is. So we do apologize for the audio.
Well, the veto of the draft resolution has been condemned by Europe and the United States. The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it a travesty. And the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, says Russia and China will have blood on their hands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UN: So they have, by their actions, by their veto, dramatically increased the risk of greater violence. And we've seen the manifestations of that. And indeed increased the risk of civil conflict. The United Nations will continue on this issue. We, the United States, and 13 of the 15 members of the security council are united in seeking a peaceful resolution of this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Susan Rice there.
Well, Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov described the reaction to the veto as bordering on hysteria. And says the vote should have been postponed until after his visit to the Damascus on Tuesday.
Well, let's now go to our Arwa Damon who is following this story from Beirut, Lebanon. Arwa, there is certainly a feeling that this veto in the United Nations gives the Syria government a green light to continue its crackdown. Are we seeing evidence of that?
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We most certainly are. And it has been going on for days now, especially focused on the central flash point city of Homs. It has really born the brunt of this most recent government onslaught. Activists saying that the UN veto, the failure of the international community to (INAUDIBLE).
COREN: I do apologize to you as we seem to be having some technical problems there with Arwa Damon joining us from Beirut. We will try to get to Arwa a little bit later in the show.
Well, coming up on NEWS STREAM, Europe's bitter winter -- the continent shivers under a blanket of snow.
And one worker's story -- what she says life is like at Foxconn, a tech company with working conditions under the spotlight in China.
And imagine celebrating 60 years in one job? Britain's beloved queen is doing just that. Please stay with NEWS STREAM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Well, Europe's deep freeze is expected to continue for the time being. Hundreds of people have died in a cold snap that swept west across the continent from Siberia. Well, several countries are struggling with unusually heavy snowfall and bitterly cold temperatures.
In Britain, operations are almost back to normal at London's Heathrow Airport. Hundreds of flights were canceled over the weekend because of heavy snow.
Well, Eastern Europe has been hardest hit. Diana Magnay reports from Hungary's capital Budapest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The bitter cold continues its deadly sweep across Europe. Here in the Hungarian capital Budapest around 10 people have lost their lives since Friday's result of the cold temperatures. Now around minus 13. Minus 20 last night. And the Danube, you can see, is partially frozen over, although not altogether frozen.
The conditions here are much better than they are in countries like Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Romania, all very hard hit by this especially cold weather.
Ukraine, the worst, temperatures there around minus 33. 130 people having lost their lives because of the cold. The government has set up 3,000 heated tents to provide shelter for the homeless who are obviously those hardest hit by these kind of conditions.
Also, very heavy snowfall in Bosnia, Italy, and Serbia. The government has declared a state of emergency in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo and also in parts of the neighboring Serbia where helicopters are having to bring supplies to villages cut off by the snow.
Altogether, though, the picture does look as though it will improve somewhat. Temperatures dropping form those -- or temperatures getting back from those lows, although the snowfall will continue to be extremely heavy in southern and central Europe.
Diana Magnay, CNN, Budapest, Hungary.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, let's get more on the situation in Europe with our Mari Ramos. And Mari, as we just heard from Diana, conditions are expected to improve. Will that happen soon?
MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're expecting some improvement in the temperatures. And that happened a little bit over the weekend? I think we're going to see again a return for some areas to some bitterly cold temperatures. And the snow is still going to be -- still going to have a huge impact. So it just depends on where we're located where we're going to see the improvement or not the improvement.
So let's go ahead and break it down for you here, Anna. We have temperatures again that were well below the average. 20 degrees below average in Riga, as you can see here. Minus 28, that was the actual air temperature. That's not counting the wind. So the wind chill factor. Minus 27 in Tellinn.
And as we headed into Germany, minus 22 not out of the question. And in Berlin, minus 20. That's been one of the coldest temperatures that we've seen in Berlin for the early morning lows. Compare that to an average of minus 3 for this time of year. So yes, it does get cold in eastern Europe, but we're talking about extreme cold.
The other thing is, is that this has lasted for so long. We are into week two now of these extreme temperatures and this is not going to improve that much to really make a difference for people.
Improving here as we head into Portugal and Spain. Somewhat improvement as we head into parts of the UK, even though there's a chance for some icy conditions, maybe even more snow for you guys in London as we head through the overnight hours tonight. You'll then notice that bitterly cold air continues across much of central and eastern Europe.
Northeastern Europe, that's where the coldest air is bottled up right now. Not as cold as last week. It's only minus 13 in Moscow, minus 15 in Warsaw, compared to minus 20-something that we had last week. But when you factor in the wind it does feel colder.
And we're seeing a little bit of a change too.
Here's London. We had the snow over the weekend that you mentioned just a little while ago. There you see it. A little bit of snowboarding happening. Unbelievable, right?
And this is a picture from Spain. And like I said, in Spain we're seeing somewhat of an improvement there as well. In Belgium, we had snow over the weekend also causing a lot of problems, particularly on the roads and in the air, of course. And for people that don't have proper heating - - anyways I was saying the heart of the cold over here remains across the eastern portions of Europe. We still see that milder air remaining offshore.
What's going to happen as we head through the rest of this week, we're going to see another push of cold air that's going to come in across the central portion of the continent. We have more cold air waiting in the wings here. And then we have yet another storm system that's going to be moving across the central Mediterranean and into southeastern Europe. That means more heavy snow and also more heavy rain.
Back to you.
COREN: Certainly tough for people living in that part of the world. Mari Ramos, good to see you. Thank you for that.
Well, Australian authorities are again calling on people living in the path of rising flood waters to leave their homes. Well, the state of Queensland has been deluged with rain for a week. And the level of the Balonne River in the town of St. George is breaking records. Well, most of the town's 3,000 residents have evacuated, but hundreds of others are staying put. Well, some areas are still recovering from devastating floods that took place a year ago.
Well, in Egypt there are plans to transfer former president Hosni Mubarak to a prison hospital. He is still on trial, accused of ordering a murderous crackdown on protesters last year. And there are complaints that he is receiving special treatment. That's not the only thing people are outraged about nearly a year after they thought they had staged a successful revolution.
Here's Ben Wedeman in Cairo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Army officers retreat before a crowd of angry Egyptian women who try to pursue them past a barbed-wire barrier at the Egyptian parliament. The women call them dogs and chant for the ouster of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, or SCAF, the military council that now runs Egypt.
They are protesting the death of more than 80 people since last Wednesday, first in the riots at the Port Said soccer stadium, then in clashes in the streets of Cairo and Suez.
NAZLI HUSSEIN, PROTESTER: We've had massacres since January every single month with the exception of August we've had Egyptian killed under SCAF rule. And since then they've been lying to the people all the time, all the time, all the time.
WEDEMAN: The military, says activist Fatoum Mohammed Ali (ph), is conducting programmed chaos out of total loyalty to Mubarak. Mubarak, before he left, said it is me or chaos. And the military is carrying out his rule.
The authorities have pledged to investigate the Port Said soccer violence and insists their exercising restraint.
But chaos, regardless of whom is to blame, is on display nearby where clashes continue unabated.
It's not clear how many of these mostly young men are dedicated revolutionaries or just here for the adrenaline.
Slightly cooler heads in full throat try to convince the crowd to move back, singing the Egyptian national anthem, chanting those who love Egypt don't destroy it.
This is an attempt to try to end these protests which have paralyzed the center of Cairo. They've linked hands trying to stop the protesters from moving forward to getting toward the Interior Ministry.
Some watching worry that violence is harming their cause.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) don't agree with that. We are not agreeing with that. We are looking and are very sad and we don't share with that look and say sorry.
WEDEMAN: At least here, however, he is the minority.
"They started this confrontation with us," this man tells me. "They opened fire on us. So we have the right to defend ourselves. If they don't stop fighting with us, we won't return to Tahrir Square."
The logic of street fighting doesn't allow for retreat.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, still ahead on NEWS STREAM, electronics are an essential part of our lives, but where do these gadgets come from? We'll examine the Foxconn connection and renewed criticism of the company.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Well, the race to see which U.S. Republican will challenge President Barack Obama is moving on to new battlegrounds. Mitt Romney's team is hoping its wave of success will continue in the states of Minnesota and Colorado.
Well, Paul Steinhauser reviews the most recent power play.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mitt Romney does what no other Republican presidential candidate has been able to do so far this year: win two and a row. Less than a week after his big victory in Florida's primary, the former Massachusetts governor won Nevada's caucuses by a landslide.
MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, this is not the first time you gave me your vote of confidence. And this time, I got to take it to the White House.
STEINHAUSER: The victory wasn't a surprise: Nevada is Romney country. Thanks the state's large Mormon population, his big win in the caucuses here four years ago, and his strong organization in the state.
Romney used most of his victory speech to talk about President Barack Obama rather than his Republican rivals.
ROMNEY: I've walked in Nevada neighborhoods blighted by abandoned homes where people wonder why Barack Obama failed them? Well, Mr. President, Nevada has had enough of your kind of help.
STEINHAUSER: Despite another disappointing finish, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich vowed to carry on.
NEWT GINGRICH, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's one story that came out today that I just wanted to put to rest hopefully for the next few months. I am a candidate for president of the United States. I will be a candidate for president of the United States.
STEINHAUSER: For Ron Paul, a stronger finish than four years ago. The congressman from Texas spent caucus night in one of the next states to vote.
RON PAUL, REPUBLICAN PRESIDNETIAL CANDIDATE: Sounds like the revolution has already come to Minnesota.
STEINHAUSER: Rick Santorum spent the night in Colorado, which also votes Tuesday. And the former senator from Pennsylvania didn't let a fourth place finish get him down.
RICK SANTORUM, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As I said before, this race will come toward us. We're the candidate that provides the real best perspective of beating Barack Obama.
STEINHAUSER: And as the race for the Republican presidential nomination now moves east, the field of four remains intact.
Paul Steinhauser, CNN, Las Vegas, Nevada.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, don't forget you can continue to follow the latest on the U.S. election on our web site. Just go to CNN.com/politics.
Well, now to Afghanistan and a desperate situation facing women beaten down by poverty and abuse. Well, some are now resorting to a terrible means of escape, setting themselves on fire. Well, self immolation can be an act of protest and is not always about suicide as our Nick Paton-Walsh found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON-WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Two-thirds of the women admitted to this burns unit in Herat die. But for the rest, survival normally means lying about what brought them here.
"The gas stove blew up," she says. "I was in the kitchen cooking. It burned me. I swear no pain could be greater than what I suffer now."
Atipha (ph) was married off to her cousin age 10. Doctors say after six years of abuse from her mother and sister-in-law, she became an opium addict. Her suffering silent. No one to cry to.
Then one day she committed the only act of protest she could think of.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She burned herself because of domestic violence (INAUDIBLE) she poured the oil, I burned myself (ph) because of violence.
PATON-WALSH: It's taken months for her to admit what happened in private. In public, she insists she's another accident.
Here, again, these women are silent.
Bed 19, they say, is also a victim of self immolation. Her wounds are still raw. And her instinct of self preservation still means she calls what happened another cooking accident.
DR. GHAFAR ABAWAR, HEAD OF BURN UNIT: Similarly she's saying I burned with the gas, but when the patient comes to the emergency room here you will smell the fuel. Self immolation is a taboo in our society. The shame of it.
PATON-WALSH: The truth would bring shame on her family. And that could mean they kill her.
Self immolation is almost an epidemic in Herat, 83 suspected cases in this hospital in the last 10 months, a record.
Many ask why here? Some say it's because such abuse is common in nearby (INAUDIBLE), others that the violence, the oppression, the stranglehold these women feel in their lives is so intense that this bid to die is the only way they can speak out about the brutality of their life.
They carry scars now forever from a devastating and brief moment in which they felt they had a voice as their suffering in the past and future continues in silence.
Nick Paton-Walsh, CNN, Herat.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Welcome Back. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. And you're watching NEWS STREAM. These are your world headlines.
At least 30 people have been killed in the Syrian city of Homs today where hundreds of people died over the weekend. Well, that's according to activists who say government forces have increased their attacks after the UN security council failed to pass a resolution on Syria. Russia and China vetoed the measure.
Well, London's Heathrow airport resumed normal operations on Monday after heavy snow caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights over the weekend. Reports say 250 people across mostly eastern Europe have died as a result of the cold snap that has put the continent in a deep freeze.
Romania's prime minister is stepping down. Emile Boc resigned today after weeks of public protests over economic austerity measures. Well, President Basescu has named the country's justice minister as interim prime minister.
The Greek financial crisis is the subject of talks in Paris and Athens. Well German Chancellor Angela Merkel was in France to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy and Greek party leaders are gathering in Athens after talks yesterday ended without agreement.
Well, for many people it's impossible to go a day without turning on a computer or talking on a smartphone. You may own one of these. There's a Sony Playstation, a Nintendo Wii, Apple Computers, and a Microsoft Xbox 360. Well, all those brands have some thing in common, their products are touched by the same supplier. Well, that would be Foxconn. The company assembles 40 percent of the world's consumer electronics. It has a reputation for efficiency and low overhead.
But working conditions at Foxconn factories have recently come under renewed criticism. Remember this is the same company that saw a number of worker suicides in 2010. But Foxconn says it takes responsibility to its new employees very seriously.
Well, a company statement released late last week says Foxconn is not perfect, but we have made tremendous progress.
More than 1.2 million people around the world work for Foxconn. The company is headquartered in Taiwan. Most manufacturing is done in Mainland China. The company has more than 20 factories there. Well, it's biggest facility is in the southern city of Shenzen. In addition to assembly lines, the sprawling complex includes worker dormitories, restaurants, super markets and hospitals has also a swimming pool and tennis courts.
Well, Foxconn workers rarely speak about factory conditions for fear of losing their jobs, but Stan Grant found one woman in Chengdu, China willing to share her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Believe it or not this woman has never seen an iPad before, even though she toils more than 60 hours a week making them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like it.
GRANT: You like it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
GRANT: She's like many migrant workers from rural China spending endless hours putting on screens that never have seen the finished product.
Here's another first, this is her only meal at a restaurant since she started at Foxconn, a company that produces electronics for the world leading brands.
It sure is a change from the factory where she works, sleeps, and eats.
She doesn't want to be identified. We'll call her Ms. Chen. If she's caught speaking to us, she says, she will lose her job.
MS. CHEN, FOXCONN EMPLOYEE (through translator): When we were being trained for work, they told us that if we accept interviews we will be investigated for criminal responsibility according to law. It's really a big deal.
GRANT: Ms. Chen is one of more than a million workers at Foxconn in China. She works at this factory in the city of Chengdu, installing iPad screens. The company makes the iPads, iPods, and iPhones that has made Apple a commercial and cultural icon, but there are no I workers here, only we workers. And Ms. Chen says we work whenever Foxconn says so.
MS. CHEN (through translator): They use women as men and they use men as machines. There's another way of saying it, they use women as men and they use men as animals.
GRANT: Well, this is the front gate of the Foxconn factory. It's as far as we're going to be able to go. But every day literally tens of thousands of workers go through these gates. According to the worker that we spoke to, people don't tend to stay very long here. If they have any complaints, the attitude of management is, if you don't like it, you can leave.
Only weeks ago, workers threatened mass suicide at a Foxconn factory in Wuhan manufacturing Microsoft products. Microsoft said in a statement, it investigated and found the matter related to staffing assignments and transfer policies, not working conditions. The company noted that it works to ensure employees are treated fairly. Foxconn says it resolved the dispute.
But in 2010, the company made unwanted headlines when more than a dozen workers killed themselves, forcing Foxconn to improve its factories. The company tells CNN it boosted pay and provided counseling. Foxconn now boasts of its on site health care and worker living conditions, which it claims are among the best in China.
Apple has been criticized for its links to oversees factories. It maintains it would not work with companies that do not respect their employees.
In a recent email to staff, Apple addressed critics. It says, quote, "we care about every worker in our worldwide chain."
Ms. Chen, though, sees it very differently.
MS. CHEN (through translator): Do they care about us? I don't know? At least I'm not getting any of that care.
GRANT: Though Foxconn insists its workers are treated fairly and their rights fully protected, workers rights groups say the company favors only a privileged few -- executives, managers. To the many thousands of others, it is run with a military culture. They point to unpredictable hours at the whim of management, complaints of inadequate breaks, and workers not even allowed to speak on the factory floor.
As we found, they're not too keen to speak outside either.
We had to meet Ms. Chen at this restaurant. It's a rare outing for her. Foxconn takes up every waking moment.
MS. CHEN (through translator): It's so worrying. I can't bear it anymore. Every day was like, I get up from work and I go to bed. I get up in the morning and I go to work. It became my daily routine. And I almost felt like I was some kind of animal.
GRANT: Hers is just one tail, but it's an experience repeated elsewhere by other disgruntled Foxconn employees. She says she will leave soon to go back to college. She has no retire to return here.
MS. CHEN: When I (INAUDIBLE) I don't want to work in Foxconn.
GRANT: You don't?
MS. CHEN: No, I don't.
GRANT: But there is always the lure of that iPad.
You like it?
MS. CHEN: (INAUDIBLE). I want to have one.
GRANT: You want to have one?
MS. CHEN: Maybe one day I'll have enough money.
GRANT: Enough money? Right now Ms. Chen says she earns less than a dollar an hour.
Stan Grant, CNN, Chengdu.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: We just saw Stan outside a Foxconn factory in his piece. Well, CNN was last allowed inside in 2010.
Well, this picture was taken during that visit. CNN now has a standing request to again visit one of the company's factories in China. We're told that request is under review.
Well, meanwhile Apple says it keeps a close eye on its suppliers. It releases the results of its audit each year. Amid criticism at Foxconn, Apple released a statement saying "we care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain. We insist that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made. Our suppliers must live up to these requirements if they want to keep doing business with Apple."
Well, despite the criticism, jobs at Foxconn's China factories are in high demand. Let's bring in our Stan Grant now from Beijing.
Stan, tell us how would you compare conditions inside Foxconn compared to other factories in China?
GRANT: Right. We'll get to that, Anna. I'll just excuse me if you hear a lot of fireworks in the background. It's part of the Chinese New Year's celebration, the last night that they can light them off, so we may be drowned out at this point.
But yes, you're right. Foxconn does compare favorably to other factories. Foxconn says that it has facilities among the best in the country. It also says that it's increased wages significantly in recent years between 60 to 70 percent for workers on the factory floor over the last couple of years, and of course better conditions for its executives and managers as well.
The difference appears to be the gap between what Foxconn says, or advertises, and what workers are complaining about each and every day like the worker that we spoke to. Now she actually said to us she thinks that there is a gap between what Foxconn advertises and the reality that she is finding. She says also that many older workers said to her why are you coming to work here? It is not what they tell us it will be.
She also says that there is a high rate of turnover, but for each person that leaves there are many, many more who are lining up to get a job there. There are tens of thousands of people looking for just such work.
This is the way that China's been able to lift so many people out of poverty by exporting around the world by making itself the world's factory. And Foxconn certainly has a lot of people who are keen to work there despite these criticisms -- Anna.
COREN: Stan, tell us, are Chinese workers more aware these days of their rights?
GRANT: That appears to be a recent phenomenon. You know, you're now looking at the second generation of migrant workers, the children of migrant workers. And a lot of these people consider themselves urbanized now. A lot of them, even though they have their roots in the villages and the rural areas of China, they have lived most of their lives in the city areas. And they are looking for the rights that they see other people enjoying around them.
Now of course over the past 20 years or so, China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. And a factory job was seen as an improvement from toiling away in the fields for very little reward. It was also an end to the communal way of living, people could make their own way in the world and have a job and improve their future.
But now we've seen an increase, particularly in strikes over the past couple of years, an increase in militancy, and also that people have been able to win concessions. They've won concessions from government firms, from private firms, whether it be working conditions or pay. We've seen that as well at Foxconn. And as you've seen from the worker that we spoke to, even under threat of criminal prosecution if they are caught speaking to the media, they are still willing to come out and stand up and say, yes I want a job, but I want to be treated well. And I don't want to have to work in the words of the people -- the worker that we spoke to, like an animal -- Anna.
COREN: Yes, certainly fascinating insight. Senior international correspondent Stan Grant joining us from Beijing. Many thanks for that.
Well, Foxconn reaches far beyond China, it has facilities in all of these countries, among them India, Mexico, and Brazil. Well, it is the second largest exporter in the Czech Republic. Foxconn also has operations in the U.S., UK, New Zealand, and Australia.
Well, Foxconn may expand its presence in Brazil. Our Shasta Darlington joins us from CNN Sao Paolo -- Shasta.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Anna. Negotiations have been going on for quite a time, but it looks like they're finally bearing fruit. In fact, the government of Brazil finally agreed last month to one of the biggest obstacles, and that was providing some tax incentives and exemptions. And Foxconn is beginning to produce really right as I speak iPads and tablets right here in Brazil to feed domestic consumption. And that's because Brazil is Latin America's biggest economy, it's growing quickly, and so there are really benefits for both sides.
Now Brazil says that this deal is worth $12 billion. It isn't clear how much of those investments will actually come from Foxconn and how much will come from Brazil's own development bank, but what Foxconn is getting is access to this market, 200 million people, as well as neighboring countries Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay as part of a regional trade bloc..
In the past, it was hard to get many of its products in because of high import tarriffs. Well, now it will get around those.
Brazil on the other hand, is getting these really sort of high end products. Its economy is traditionally based on exporting raw materials to countries like China. So if they can start developing these high end factories, that's a big boon for their own economy.
Of course, what analysts say is at least initially they will only be assembling iPads and tablets and still importing many of the components.
Regardless, the good news is that with Brazil's pretty strict labor laws, its higher minimum salary, its unions, it's very unlikely that we're going to see a repeat of these kinds of conditions that we're talking about in China here in Brazil. In fact, the first factory is in Sao Paolo, the industrial heartland. And already if you compare the wages of say unionized metal workers in Brazil to those in China they're more than double, Anna.
COREN: All right. Shasta Darlington in Sao Paolo, Brazil. We appreciate that update. Thank you.
Well, we now want to bring you this news just into us here at CNN. The U.S. has closed its embassy in Syria. All remaining staff have left the country after the Syrian government refused to address security concerns. Well, it comes after the U.S. criticized the veto of a draft security council resolution on Syria.
The U.S. Secretary of States Hillary Clinton called it a travesty. And the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice says Russia and China will have blood on their hands.
Well, China is rejecting criticism over its veto in the UN security council. And says it does not shelter anyone.
Well, still to come on NEWS STREAM, six decades on the thrown. Britain's Queen Elizabeth celebrates her diamond jubilee.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Well, six decades on from her coronation, Queen Elizabeth II is marking her diamond jubilee. In an open letter, the queen thanked the public for their wonderful support. Our royal correspondent Max Foster takes a look back on her 60 year reign.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDNET: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, known as Lilly Bette (ph) to friends, was born on April 21, 1926. And it was only a decade later that she knew she was truly destined to lead an empire.
It was a fluke of history, really, the work of scandal. Her uncle, Edward, abdicated so he could marry Wallace Simpson, the divorced American woman who was the love of his life, but a spoiler to the throne. Elizabeth's father became kind. She was the accidental heir. And it's entrenched in her a sense of duty. Even before she was crowned queen, Elizabeth was devout, even spiritually, about her role as a royal.
ELIZABETH, QUEEN OF ENGLAND: I declare before you all with my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and to the service to our great imperial family to which we all belong.
QUEEN MARGRETHE II, DENMARK: I seem to remember having listened to that speech and I remember very well, I certainly remember reading not so much -- not many years later, the way she dedicated her life to the country, that was an example which I very much felt that when I grew older that that was it was about, was dedicate your life to your country.
FOSTER: Her first prime minister was Winston Churchill. And she's met every U.S. president bar one during her reign, meetings she's always prioritized.
ROBERT HARDMAN, AUTHOR: She remembers learning from her parents how important keeping America on side was during the war. And then America came into the war. She remembered that so well, she remembered the American troops, D-Day, all that.
FOSTER: Some years, there has been little to laugh about, however. With uncharacteristic candor and emotion, the queen herself marked 1992 as a very bad year: a fire at Windsor castle and several family splits. Three of her four children divorced, one most famously, and then there was the car crash. The queen learned a tough lesson through all the grief. She could never be just a mother or a grandmother, she's queen to a people no matter what.
And as if to punctuate that, an enduring moment as she bows to Princess Diana's coffin. A low point for Britain, for the monarchy, and for Britain's relationship with the monarchy.
It took more than a decade to rebuild the public stake in the royal family. Survey's around the time of Prince William's marriage shows the popularity of the monarchy to be back to an all-time high. The queen was visibly thrilled by the show of support in the royal wedding last year.
It's often said the greatest monarchs in British history were all women. If that were the case, Queen Elizabeth II would be second only perhaps her predecessor, Victoria.
Max Foster, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, still ahead on NEWS STREAM, a dramatic ending to the Super Bowl leaves the Giants on top of the NFL. We'll be live in Indianapolis up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Well, poachers are among the greatest dangers to South Africa's great rhinos. Many criminals go after the animal's horns which is said to have special healing properties. Pauline Chiou looks how conservationists are using technology to stop poachers in their tracks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULINE CHIOU, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: An illegal bounty turned bust, a shipment of rhino horns from Cape Town, South Africa stopped by Hong Kong customs. The container, marked as plastic scrap, was anything but. Worth more than $2.2 million US dollars.
It was Hong Kong's largest seizure ever, a reminder just how troubling the killing has become. The world's third largest port is a gateway to the Asian market where rhino horn is believed to possess healing properties.
For South African conservationists, confiscated horns in Hong Kong mean another battle lost in the bush.
ANDREW PARKER, CEO, SABI SAND GAME PRESERVE: It's a scourge nationally. It's a problem (INAUDIBLE) rhino. The threat is prevalent.
CHIOU: At the country's Kruger National Park, they've turned to the military. Soldiers patrolling the bush, looking for poachers.
But in an increasingly desperate fight, public and private reserves are also turning to technology. From a helicopter, a vet darts a rhino armed with an electric drill. They test a newly developed tracking device that is inserted deep into the immobilized rhino's horn.
PARKER: The plan is to be proactive rather than reactive. So we're looking at options in terms of technology and have applied some options in terms of technology as well, alarming our fence. We are looking at radar as well. We've got some thermal imagery equipment that obviously makes it possible for us to take ownership of the night which is when the threat is most prevalent.
We've got dogs that have been trained, highly trained to track people, which again at night gives us the capability that you know us as humans just otherwise wouldn't have.
CHIOU: After a year that saw a record number of rhinos poached in South Africa, an estimated one rhino killed every 21 hours in 2011, Parker and others here know that time is running out.
PARKER: We've got to start working cooperatively and collectively to win this war, you know, not just win the battle, because if we just win the battle here, the war can be lost around us.
CHIOU: Ready to use every option available to stop the trade before it starts.
Pauline Chiou, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, great initiative.
Well, time now for a sports update. And the G-men do it again. The New York Giants are making a habit of dramatic Super Bowl wins against the Patriots. And our Alex Thomas has all the details. Hello, Alex.
ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Anna, to the delight of Giants fans around the world, this year's Super Bowl proved to be almost a carbon copy of the 2008 game with the team from New York completing a narrow victory over the New England Patriots. It had been billed as a chance for Tom Brady and the Patriots to gain revenge on Eli Manning and the Giants. And for awhile, it looked as if they would.
Here's Brady passing to Aaron Hernandez for a 12 yard touchdown in the third quarter, a Super Bowl record 16th consecutive completion for Brady. And the Patriots led by 17-9 at that stage. However, the Giants came back, helped by magical moments like this from Mario Manningham who clung on to the 38 yard pass, keeping both of his feet on the ground just, as you can see from the replay, to stay in-bounds.
Then with just over a minute on the clock, an 88 yard drive from the Giants ended with Ahmed Bradshaw running through an inviting gap in the Pats defense to put his side 3 points ahead.
There was still time for one last surge from New England, which ended with a desperate Hail Mary attempt by Brady. The ball thrown into a crowded end zone, but he doesn't find one of his own players. The Giants win 21-17, making the Patriots equal the record for most number of Super Bowl defeats.
New York becomes the fifth team to win it four times. And Eli Manning is one of only five quarterbacks to be named MVP twice.
Let's get all the reaction now with CNN's Mark McKay who has been reporting from Indianpolis for over a week now. Mark, over to you.
MARK MCKAY, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Alex. Yes, it is the morning after what was one fantastic Super Bowl game as you condensed a game that really had its ebbs and flows all night long. It started with the Giants who went to the Patriots side, back to the Giants, but the one constant was the calming force of Giants quarterback Eli Manning. This was a guy who had engineered six fourth quarter comebacks throughout the regular season. On this night, he was able to engineer one that gave him the Super Bowl title, gave his team the title, gave himself the Super Bowl most valuable player aware. Here's Eli enjoying the moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELI MANNING, QUARTERBACK: This isn't about one person, this is about a whole team coming together getting this win. So I'm just proud of our guys, proud of the team the way we fought all year, never gotten discouraged, kept our faith, kept our confidence, and just fought to the very end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKAY: This was a team that needed to fight all year long. They beat the New England Patriots in the regular season. Then they go reel off four straight losses. Were they even going to make the playoffs? They get into the playoffs. They then count on a field goal to get into the Super Bowl after that dramatic NFC championship game in San Francisco. And then the dramatics would come even further in Super Bowl 46 with the Giants coming out on top again.
They will fly back to metropolitan New York, Alex, later in the day. Yet another ticker tape parade through the streets of Manhattan for a sporting champion for the city and the Metropolitan community of New York. The New York Giants Super Bowl champs -- Alex.
THOMAS: Mark, you've been Indianapolis so long now, you've had plenty of time to size up the place. Was it a good Super Bowl win? I'm in fact, sorry, Mark, we haven't got time for a question. Would love to hear more from you, but you've probably had enough slaving night and day. Thanks to Mark McKay and the team in Indianapolis. What a great Super Bowl it was.
A few little stats to throw you before we hand back to Anna in Hong Kong, because even in defeat Tom Brady continued to make his mark on the NFL history books breaking the records for most yards thrown in the Super Bowl as well as most consecutive completions. His counterpart Eli Manning, a real thorn in his side, though. Despite being overshadowed by brother Peyton Manning, Eli has won more championship rings and Super Bowl MVP awards than his sibling. He's also beaten Brady now in the sport's biggest game twice in the last three times in a row they faced each other.
And more sport in just over three hours time. I'll have the rest of today's sports news too. We're live at the sporting Oscars, the Laureus awards that are here in London this year. We'll analyze the African Cup of Nations quarterfinal results. And reaction as well to Alberto Contador's cycling ban.
Back to you, Anna.
COREN: Yes, Alex, I have no doubt that Mark McKay has been enjoying the party, definitely. Not doubt it's still continuing as well. It's good to see you. Thanks, Alex.
Well, you might remember a few years ago when Janet Jackson suffered what she called a wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl halftime show. Well, nobody's clothes fell off during this year's halftime show, but there was some controversy when rapper MIA aimed an obscene gesture at the camera. Well, MIA was a guest singer at the half-time show headlined by Madonna. NBC apologized for the gesture and said it's delay system caught it too late.
Well, that is it for NEWS STREAM, but the news continues here at CNN. "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" is coming up next.
END
