Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

Former Liberian President Convicted of Crimes against Humanity; Rupert Murdoch Apologizes for Phone Hacking Scandal Response; Pakistani Prime Minister Convicted of Contempt; Bayern Munich Heads to Champions League Final

Aired April 26, 2012 - 08:00   ET

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


KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: Welcome to NEWS STREAM. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.

Guilty: after six years on trial, Charles Taylor was found to have aided and abetted rebels who raped and killed.

Sorry: Rupert Murdoch apologizes and admits to panicking in his reaction to a phone hacking scandal.

And upset: Bayern Munich overcome favorites Real Madrid to reach the Champions League final.

I failed and I'm very sorry about it: a remarkable admission from Rupert Murdoch during his second day of evidence at the Leveson inquiry into British press standards. It came as Mr. Murdoch was being questioned about his management and oversight of the News of the World newspaper.

Now Murdoch claims he and his senior executives were misinformed and kept in the dark about the extent of phone hacking at News Corp's papers. And for the first time, Murdoch admitted there was a cover-up at the now defunct tabloid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUPERT MURDOCH, NEWS CORP CEO: There's no question in my mind that maybe even the editor, but certainly beyond that, someone took charge of a cover-up which we were victim to and I regret.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now Mr. Murdoch is also expected to be grilled about claims of illegal payments made by reporters at his UK newspapers. We'll be going live to London for more on this story later in the hour.

Now justice has caught up with one of Africa's most feared warlords. After nearly five years on trial at The Hague, Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, has been found guilty of crimes against humanity including aiding rebels who raped, killed, and mutilated civilians. Now the catalog of charges included helping to plan a bloody civil war in Sierra Leone that killed as many as 50,000 people. However, he was not found guilty of having command over the rebel forces.

Now Charles Taylor is the first African head of state to appear before an international war crimes tribunal. Nima Elbagir looks back on what led to this historic trial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lay Baptist preacher, a brutal warlord, and now the first head of state to be indicted, tried, and convicted in an international court. And Charles Taylor, the myth and the man became inseparable.

CHARLES TAYLOR, PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA: Long live the Republic of Liberia.

ELBAGIR: Accusation of cannibalism swirling around him even as he quoted scripture to his supporters.

TAYLOR: Let no man take it from us.

ELBAGIR: Many of whom he was accused of terrorizing into voting for him during the 1997 Liberian elections.

TAYLOR: ...win the elections on May 30 (ph).

ELBAGIR: Taylor has been a pivotal figure in Liberian politics for decades. His overthrow of the regime of Samuel Doe in 1999 spiraled the country into a bloody civil war that left 200,000 dead.

He was infamous for filling out his forces ranks with drug (INAUDIBLE) soldiers who reportedly called him papi (ph).

But it was over his involvement in the civil war in Sierra Leone that Charles Taylor was indicted. Accused of arming rebel groups and terrorizing civilians during the decade long Sierra Leonian civil war in exchange for uncut diamonds smuggled out to him in empty mayonnaise jars. And no less than the British super model Naomi Campbell was famously brought in as a witness for the prosecution.

NAOMI CAMPBELL, MODEL: I had a knock at my door. And I opened my door. And two men were there and gave me a pouch and said a gift for you.

ELBAGIR: The dirty gray stones that had seemingly so confused Campbell were, the prosecution believes, to have been blood diamonds, a personal gift from Taylor.

It was one of the many instances of high drama in a trial that started with Taylor's dismissal of his entire defense team.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Kahn, if you are not inclined to obey the directive of the courts, make it abundantly clear by walking out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your honor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If that's what you plan to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rather, I must. I do apologize.

ELBAGIR: But always lurking behind the spectacle of the trial was the specter of the more than 50,000 killed, maimed, or missing in Sierra Leone's decade long civil war, a wait that the judges were clearly all too aware of.

Deliberating for more than 12 months, they waded through 50,000 plus pages of testimony and examined more than 1,500 exhibits before reaching their verdict.

Sierra Leone remains one of the most impoverished countries in the world and many of those who survived the civil war still bear its scars.

At last, some form of justice. And with it, a message to those that remain of Africa's so-called big men.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Well, Charles Taylor is expected to appeal his conviction, but if it is upheld he is expected to serve jail time in a British prison, not in Africa.

Let's get more details on that and all the reaction to the verdict. Atika Schubert joins us now live from London. And Atika, let's talk about sentencing -- what is the process? And why will Charles Taylor like it serve it out in the UK?

ATIKA SCHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a very quick appeals process. Basically there are seven days for him to launch that appeal. And then there will be the issues of sentencing and the judge actually did give a sentencing date of May 30. So we still have a bit of time to go through before we actually find out just how long Charles Taylor will serve for the crimes he has been found guilty of.

I just want to very quickly go to what the judge specifically said Charles Taylor was guilty of. Here, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD LUSSICK, PRESIDING JUDGE, THE HAGUE: Brings me to the verdict. I will ask the accused, Mr. Taylor, would you please stand for the verdict of the trial chamber?

Having considered all the evidence and arguments of the parties, the statute and the rules, and based upon the findings as determined by the trial chamber in its judgment, the trial chamber unanimously find you guilty of aiding and abetting the commission of the following crimes pursuant to article 6.1 of the statute during the indictment period and planning the commission of the following crimes in the attacks on Connell and McKinney (ph) in December 1998 and in the invasion, (INAUDIBLE) and retreat from Freetown between December 1998 and February 1999.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHUBERT: Now the reason -- it's interesting to note that this special court was actually ongoing in Sierra Leone. And several other people have been convicted before Charles Taylor. But Charles Taylor was the only one who was actually tried in The Hague. And the reason for that is because it was felt that there was so much tension still in Sierra Leone and in neighboring Liberia that if the trial was held there that it could trigger more violence. And that's why it was held at The Hague.

And even so, the international court said it would only agree to do this if another country agreed to offer its prison system if Charles Taylor was convicted, and that country clearly was Britain. Britain has said that it will offer its prisons to Charles Taylor now that he has been found guilty.

LU STOUT: And can you walk us through the historic significance of today verdict and also the implications of this verdict? What kind of tone does it set for future trials of other African leaders, namely former Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo?

SCHUBERT: This is very significant and not just significant for Africa leaders, remember this is the first former head of state to be convicted since the Nuremberg Trials. So this really is a very significant thing. And it really is a stark warning to any leaders who may be involved in, or may be -- may have considered their responsibility in committing atrocities.

And remember, he's been guilty in aiding abetting and planning only. And that is very significant for any leaders who may be watching this trial.

LU STOUT: Atika Schubert, joining us live from London, thank you.

Now in Pakistan, guilty as charged: in a packed court room in Islamabad, Pakistan's prime minister has been convicted of contempt of court for refusing to reopen an old corruption case against the country's president. But Yousuf Raza Gilani will not serve any time in prison. Now the supreme court chose instead to hand down a symbolic sentence of just a few minutes detention.

Now he is the first sitting prime minister of Pakistan to be convicted of a crime, so what does this all mean for them?

Now with more on this unusual chapter in Pakistani politics, I'm joined now by Reza Sayah live from Islamabad. And Reza, a conviction without a prison sentence, what's the thinking behind that?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, Pakistan has been waiting for months for an outcome to this contempt case against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. We've got a verdict today, but I'm not sure if anyone is any clearer on what's the implications are with this verdict and what it means for the fate of prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

But let's take you through what happened today. The supreme court finding the prime minister guilty of contempt for his refusal to open old corruption charges against President Asif Ali Zardari. He makes a little bit of history with this verdict, he becomes the first sitting prime minister to be convicted of a crime in the history of Pakistan. A lot of people were eager to see if the Supreme Court would also sentence him to the maximum of six months in jail. It did not do so. Instead, it gave him a symbolic sentence, essentially detaining him for the duration of the hearing, which only lasted a few minutes.

A little bit of background with this case. It also stems from old corruption charges against President Asif Ali Zardari. In 2007, then president Pervez Musharraf granted Mr. Zardari and many other Pakistani politicians amnesty. Two years later the Supreme Court stepped in and ruled that that amnesty was unconstitutional and called on the civilian government led by Mr. Gilani to reopen those cases. The civilian government has not done so. Mr. Gilani has always maintained that the president enjoys immunity as a sitting president.

That defense was never good enough for the Supreme Court. In February they charged with contempt. Today, of course, came the conviction.

Mr. Gilani's lawyer announced today right after the verdict that he would appeal the ruling. But Kristie, the way things stand right now, it looks that things go back to business as usual and the prime minister will continue to govern the country as its prime minister despite this conviction.

LU STOUT: I mean, is it business as usual? I mean, just how much animosity is there between the judiciary and the Pakistani government? Could there be more tension ahead?

SAYAH: Well, there's clearly no love lost between the Judiciary and the civilian government. Mr. Zardari, the president, and Mr. Gilani. What's emerging now is a heated debate about whether this verdict justifies the disqualification of the prime minister. Opposition leaders, most notably the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif have come out and called for the prime minister to step down. But if you look at the constitution, it clearly says the disqualification of a member of parliament is only justified if he is convicted and sentenced to at least two years in prison.

Of course, today's conviction did not come with a prison sentence. Even so, expect that debate to continue for the weeks and months to come.

LU STOUT: All right. Reza Sayah reporting. Thank you very much indeed Reza.

And we will have more on the scandal surrounding a fallen Chinese politician here on NEWS STREAM from reports on what really led to Bo Xilai's downfall to his brother stepping down from his post at a Hong Kong firm.

Now also ahead, nuclear ambitions: experts worry that after North Korea's recent failed satellite launch, it will now turn its attention to nuclear testing.

And 26 years after the Chernobyl disaster we visit the victims still struggling with the effects of radiation. Still to come on NEWS STREAM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now another stunning development is swirling in the Bo Xilai scandal. The New York Times reports that the former top Communist Party official may have been sacked because he wiretapped conversations of China's president Hu Jintao. Now the Times cites several unnamed sources and reports they didn't want to be named because they worry about retribution.

Now several of Bo's family members are also under scrutiny. Now Bo Xijang, who also uses the name Li Xueming, is Bo Xilai's older brother. Now he is highlighted here. And on Wednesday he resigned from the board of China Everbright International. It's a Hong Kong listed alternative energy company. Now he had worked there since 2003. And China Everbright says he decided to resign in order to minimize any possible adverse impact on the company of certain reports recently published by the media on his family background.

Now Bo Xilai is under investigation for disciplinary violations. His wife, Gu Kaili is suspected in the murder of a British businessman. They have not been seen publicly for several weeks now.

Now away from its internal issues, the Chinese government is warning its long-term ally North Korea not to go ahead with a new nuclear test. Beijing says it stands against any behavior that could compromise peace on the Korean peninsula as the international community anticipates more provocation from Pyongyang.

Now Jim Clancy examines what some suspect the north might do next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now that North Korea's missile test has failed, some analysts think and underground nuclear test is more likely.

PHILIP YUN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PLOUGHSHARES FUND: The relations between the United States and North Korea particularly are going to get worse. The North Korea -- the U.S. is not going to get into its food aid. North Korea, then, will say you broke the agreement and we're going to do something about it.

So one of the things that they have done in the past was to detonate a Nuclear Weapon after a missile test. So this is entirely possible now and I think more probable.

CLANCY: Earlier this week, South Korean intelligence released images that it says show the north is digging a new tunnel at a known nuclear test site. North Korea conducted two nuclear tests underground in two tunnels here in 2006 and 2009. Both of those tests came within weeks after North Korea experienced embarrassing satellite launch failures.

Seoul says the photos show what appears to be a third tunnel under construction. According to an intelligence report, one tunnel, shown in this inset, as fresh mounds of earth and sand piled at the entrance.

YUN: Primary indicator was the amount of earth. They have to dig. They have to put this thing far enough in the ground so it's not going to create any kind of fallout and it will all stay underground.

CLANCY: Experts are certain North Korea does not have a nuclear warhead, but that doesn't mean Pyongyang does not pose a nuclear weapons risk.

YUN: Right now, I think the possibilities are that if North Korea had any intention, and I don't think they -- there's no reason to think that they do -- but if they're going to use a delivery system, more likely it's going to be on a cargo ship or it's going to be on a cargo container. And that has to do with terrorist networks, it has to do with non-state actors, those are the things that we're really worried about North Korea.

CLANCY: Even if North Korea goes ahead with a nuclear test, it will be difficult to assess where that takes their weapons program.

There are satellite photos, information about the economy, how they negotiate. But Yun and so many others have reminded us this week that we really don't know what the leadership, and particularly this new regime, is really thinking. Anyone who says they do is being disingenuous. It is the nature of this secretive nation and a big part of the risk it poses.

I'm Jim Clancy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now whatever North Korea's nuclear capability, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he wants Pyongyang to keep it in check.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: They decided to engage again in provocation. And whether the launch of the ballistic missile was failure or not, it still represented a dangerous provocation that was condemned by the United States and condemned by the world. And we would strongly earth North Korea not to engage in any further provocations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now despite that warning, many in South Korea and beyond fear that Pyongyang could jeopardize stability on the peninsula within days.

Now still to come here on NEWS STREAM, more than a quarter of a century after the Chernobyl nuclear accident we find out how the children affected by the disaster are coping. That's next after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. You're watching NEWS STREAM.

It's now 26 years after the Chernobyl disaster in the former Soviet Union, but it's not far from memory. Now people gathered for a candlelight vigil on the anniversary of the worst nuclear accident in history. In 1986, the explosion from a failed safety test at the Chernobyl nuclear facility sent a radioactive cloud into the air.

Now the full extent of health problems related to the Chernobyl disaster is still unknown, but as Katie Walmsley reports, one group is trying to make a difference in the lives of those affected by Chernobyl.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATIE WALMSLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These are the children of Chernobyl. They weren't born during the disaster or even soon after, but they are its legacy. 70 percent of the radiation from Chernobyl fell on Belarus. Years later, according to UNICEF, 20 percent of teens there suffer from disabilities or chronic disease, thousands live in institutions. We asked the non-profit Chernobyl Children International, or CCI, to film a recent volunteer mission to Belarus.

In 1996, a decade after the disaster, CNN went to Chernobyl finding many questions and few answers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's certainly enough radiation here to contaminate those mice.

What are the consequences of long-term exposure?

What we'd just like to know is how much it takes before it's a hazard to humans.

WALMSLEY: 16 years later, there are still no clear answers as to why so many kids, born outside the exclusion zone, well after Chernobyl, are so sick.

KATHY RYAN, CHERNOBYL CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL: We see a lot of cerebral palsy and neural tube defects. A number of them have intellectual disabilities such as down syndrom.

WALMSLEY: What we do know, up to 5 million still live in so-called contaminated territory. They eat food grown there. They drink the water. Food and water that most countries still won't import.

According to the World Health Organization, residents do have higher rates of some cancers, higher rates of malnutrition, and few ways to make a living. Often, their biggest enemy is despair.

RYAN: Children were removed from a home where the parents did not have the resources to take care of them in many cases because the parents might have had issues with alcoholism or with poverty.

WALMSLEY: Whether they're victims of radiation, a devastated economy or other factors, CCI has one wish for these children, a family.

RYAN: One of our really important programs we call home of hope. These are families that agree to take in 10 children who used to live in an orphanage. Donations with sponsors allow us to put together homes with real parents and real siblings.

WALMSLEY: And in the meantime to let them know they're not forgotten.

MARIE COX, CHERNOBYL CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL: All of them, love them. It's very simple things the children need just to make them happy.

WALMSLEY: Katie Walmsley, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A powerful reminder there of the legacy of Chernobyl.

Up next here on CNN, a rare show of remorse: Rupert Murdoch admits personal failings over the News of the World hacking scandal. We'll bring you all the latest from the Leveson inquiry into media ethics when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now the former Liberian president Charles Taylor has been found guilty of war crimes after a lengthy trial at the Hague. Taylor was convicted of aiding rebels who murdered and raped civilians. He'll be sentenced at the end of May.

Now Pakistan's prime minister has been found guilty of contempt of court. Yousuf Raza Gilani was convicted in the country's supreme court for refusing to reopen an old corruption case against Pakistan's president. Now Mr. Gilani was given a symbolic sentence, just a few minutes of detention.

Now the international community is speaking out against North Korea as evidence grows that Pyongyang could be close to carrying out a nuclear test. Now South Korea says its northern neighbor is preparing for an underground test in the northeast of the country. The United States and China have both urged there not be any provocation that could compromise peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Now the opposition in Syria has called on the United Nations to hold an emergency session as there is mounting evidence that a promised ceasefire is being ignored by government forces. Now activists say more than 70 people were killed in a single attack in Hama. And CNN has attained footage from northeast Syria that was filmed after the ceasefire was due to start as Arwa Damon reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: "Liar, liar, I swear to god he's a liar," so goes the chorus of a song belted out by Captain Ismail (ph) and his scraggly band of rebel fighters. The liar: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Among the opposition, no illusions here the government has any intention of adhering to a ceasefire or any sort of peace plan.

"It's like all the other lies before," Captain Ismail (ph) says, "and an excuse for the government to regroup and hunt down the wanted."

Less than a five minute drive from the rebel safe house, Syrian government tank positions. The fighters say the government's onslaught has subsided. At least here, the helicopters that once targeted them are, for now, idle. But, they say, the regime's offensive has not stopped.

UN envoy Kofi Annan also doubts it has, telling the security council Tuesday that he was, quote, "alarmed by reports that government troops entered Hama after observers departed, firing automatic weapons and killing a significant number of people.

Among the opposition, the UN mission is scene as a cruel stunt by the international community unable or unwilling to really stop the violence.

"The whole world has deserted us," Captain Ismail says. "All the world leaders have deserted us. But we, the fighters, we will not desert the Syrian people."

But his men don't have the guns to match their bravado. And they say they've received no help from outside.

Captain Ismail says he sold his car to buy ammunition, believing it's only a matter of time before they have to fight again.

In the town of Taftanaz some 15 kilometers away, crude headstones for dozens buried in a mass grave, victims of a massacre. It wasn't until the so-called ceasefire went into effect that residents were able to lay them to rest. The graves of some simply marked unknown.

Here, homes were leveled, families torn apart, and without foreign help activists in Taftanaz warn they will have no choice but to turn to other forces to save themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the situation continues, we will have the Islamic fighter, we will find the al Qaeda fighters between us. And we don't want them. We don't want them, but the western governments -- the western governments and the American government oblige us to this level.

DAMON: With no end in sight to the bloodshed, the Assad regime's claim that it is fighting Islamist terrorists might just end up being a self-fulling prophecy.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And now several startling admissions from media mogul Rupert Murdoch as he gives evidence in front of the Leveson inquiry for a second day. Now the chairman and CEO of News Corp says he and his senior executives were misinformed and kept in the dark about the extent of phone hacking at News Corps papers. And Murdoch has claimed some managers at the News of the World attempted to cover up the scandal. Rupert Murdoch also told the inquiry that he had failed in his management and oversight of News of the World and was very sorry.

Dan Rivers has been in the Royal Courts of Justice. He joins us now live. And Dan, it was a very eventful day of testimony. Murdoch has admitted to a coverup. And after a long pause, he apologized for it.

DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. I think the word coverup are what really stands out from this morning's testimony in relation to what happened in phone hacking. Basically he's admitted not that he covered things up or those immediately around him, but further down the chain in News International that there was a coverup, a willful deception where they attempted to cover up what had gone on, the extent of phone hacking, and thwart any investigation into that.

There's also some interesting moments when he talked about the Milly Dowler case, that's what sparked all this, the revelation that News of the World journalists had hacked into the voice-mail of a murdered British school girl, that's what really cause outrage here in Britain. He talked about the moment he found out about that scandal and then how that kind of engulfed his empire. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MURDOCH: You could feel the blast coming in the window. And, as I say -- I say it so simply I panicked. But I'm glad I did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's obvious that closing it was a disaster...

MURDOCH: And I'm sorry I didn't close it years before and put a Sunday Sun in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: Panic. And that resulted in him closing the News of the World done of course famously last year with the results of lots journalists losing their jobs. Now several dozen journalists remained under arrest as part of this ongoing investigation.

He was asked by wider matters as well, though, Kristie, about for example that the alleged culture of bullying for some of his newspapers which effectively encouraged, it was suggested, journalists to break the law in order to get the story, to get the scoop. There was huge pressure, it was suggested, for journalists to constantly get their byline, their name, attached to a story and there are a number of times their name appeared in the paper really counted in kind of a cutthroat culture. He just seemed to sort of dismiss all that completely, saying he hadn't -- you know, he wasn't aware of it. You know, it hadn't been brought to his attention at all.

So in a number of areas, he just plead complete ignorance, really, saying, you know, he just didn't know. In other areas, though, he was fairly contrite, especially about phone hacking, which he said was going to be a blot on his career forever.

LU STOUT: So in some areas pleading ignorance, but also admitting that there was a cover-up. He himself not responsible for it. He says sorry. What is the upshot of what we've seen this week? Three days of testimony from both father and son. Do you think the Murdochs have been able to prove that they were not directly responsible for ethics abuses in their media empire?

RIVERS: Well, I think certainly now with the benefit of hindsight they clearly is going to be much closer scrutiny from the Murdochs over their media parts of their empire and much tighter control of what their journalists are doing. You know, it would be a very brave journalist in a Murdoch or any paper for that matter that would be engaged in phone hacking now.

So I think that's one kind of watershed thing.

Another thing is the politics of all of this. David Cameron must be feeling increasingly uneasy, the British prime minister, with these revelations that he has talked about this BSkyB merger on a number of occasions with Rupert Murdoch, had met Rupert Murdoch on more occasions than he previously acknowledged.

It was David Cameron that set up this judicial inquiry and it's David Cameron now that is feeling the pressure for some of the -- some of the truth, some of the facts that are coming out of it.

LU STOUT: Yes, and David Cameron earlier today conceding that politicians have been, quote, too cozy with the Murdochs.

Of course, a lot more ahead. Dan Rivers reporting. Thank you, Dan.

Now here in Hong Kong officials are grappling with a problem with no easy fix. Now scores of pregnant Chinese women from the mainland are coming to Hong Kong to have their babies. They want their children to be able to take advantage of the benefits of being born in Hong Kong, but as Pauline Chiou reports, it's causing a strain on the healthcare system here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULINE CHIOU, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The competition for a maternity bed is fierce in Hong Kong. There just aren't enough beds. Thousands of pregnant mainland Chinese women crossing the border into Hong Kong to give birth are adding to the problem.

Under China's one country, two systems policy, Hong Kong residents enjoy more social benefits, freedom of speech and residency opportunities. Many mainland mothers to be want their child to be born in Hong Kong so the child automatically gets these perks. But Hong Kong's chief executive elect CY Young is giving notice to mainland moms -- if you are not married to a Hong Kong man don't even think about crossing the border.

He's proposing zero tolerance at private hospitals. For this calendar year, public hospitals already have a quota of accepting 3,400 pregnant mainland moms. Next year's quota at public hospitals, if there is any, is unclear.

The hospital authority is presenting its own solution this week. They propose to nearly double the hospital fee mainland moms have to pay. The new fee would be about $12,000. But emergency room doctor William Woo is not so sure that would work, because he says some leave the hospital without paying the bill and it's difficult to track them down on the mainland.

Dr. Woo sees about 30 to 40 mainland Chinese women each month, sometimes already in labor, who haven't reserved a bed at the hospital. It puts extra strain on his ER staff. His biggest concern, the mothers who didn't get proper prenatal care and have no medical records to share.

DR. WILLIAM WOO, PRINCE OF WALES HOSPITAL: They don't know there's a congenital problem -- these will put a lot of stress on the healthcare system in Hong Kong later when the child grows up.

CHIOU: The problem has gotten so bad that Prince of Wales Hospital, which is one of the largest public hospitals in Hong Kong, recently transformed one of its trauma rooms into a makeshift delivery room. It's got a delivery bed, an incubator here, and a neonatal resuscitation machine.

Dr. Woo says the solution may be for the Hong Kong government to remove the incentive to sneak across the border by denying future benefits to the children of mainland mothers. Then, there's the issue of enforcement at the border. Hong Kong's immigration department says last year it intercepted nearly 2,000 mainland mothers coming to Hong Kong to give birth who did not have a hospital certificate. The department is boosting staff, but sometimes the volume of visitors is still a challenge.

M.I. CHAN, HONG KONG IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT: Certain number of them are trying every means -- say they would mingle in the mass, in a traveling mass, or they will wear a big coat to conceal their (INAUDIBLE).

CHIOU: Controlling the influx of pregnant mainland mothers is a problem the current administration has struggled with for years. The incoming chief executive promises a tougher stance, saying this is one of the first issues he'll tackle when he takes office in July.

Pauline Chiou, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now coming up in sport after the break, why these fans are celebrating the surprise result of a penalty shootout at the Champions League semifinal. Stay with us for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now the predictions were for an all Spanish final in the Champions League, but it is not to be. Real Madrid have followed Barcelona out of the competition in the semifinals. Here's Amanda Davis with more -- Amanda.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kristie.

Yes, very much against the odds it will be Bayern Munich against Chelsea in the final on May 19. And the Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has said he'll be supporting his former club Chelsea after his current team were beaten by Bayern in the semifinal on penalties.

The German giants entered their second leg in Madrid with a 2-1 aggregate lead, but Christiano Ronaldo scored twice in the first 14 minutes to inspire the Spanish side. It looked as if Mourinho's men would come from behind, then, to secure their place in the final on Bayern's home turf, but it wasn't to be.

A penalty from former Real player Arjen Robben put Bayern back in it, leveling the aggregate score to 3-all. And after a goalless extra time on to penalties it went.

Bayern's keeper, Manuel Neuer, stopped Real's two initial spot kicks from Ronaldo and Kaka -- no who'd expect to miss. Then, look, Sergio Ramos lasers his over the bar. You can see the (INAUDIBLE) on the Madrid players' face and for good reason, Sebastian Schweinsteiger held his nerve, booted through the penalty to put the four time European champions from Germany into the final.

So Real win on the night, but Bayern win the tie to go through to the final. And after the game, Jose Mourinho put aside his disappointment to praise his players' effort.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE MOURINHO, REAL MADRID MANAGER (through translator): The one who doesn't score doesn't miss. I don't miss for sure, because I don't score. The people who score are the ones who have the guts to go for it. They aren't afraid. They aren't selfish and don't think about themselves and just give it their all for the team. That's why I am really pleased with my people.

JUPP HEYNCKES, BAYERN MUNICH MANAGER (through translator): Both teams have played a magnificent match. We saw extra time, penalty shutout, plenty of goal scoring opportunities, wonderful plays, good tactical behavior, and I must say that normally in the first 15 minutes to concede one and then two goals, especially here -- because everybody knows what the atmosphere is like here -- is difficult. But after that, I think we dominated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Yes, it really was an incredible match that caps off a remarkable pair of semifinals. Over the last two nights, we've seen two comebacks by away teams to go through to the final. We've also incredibly seen the last three winners of the world player of the year miss crucial penalties. Ronaldo and Kaka missed in the shootout on Wednesday while Lionel Messi missed in the second half against Chelsea on Tuesday.

So Bayern becomes just the fourth team ever to play a European cup final at home. The last time it has happened was 22 years ago, but Bayern beware, Roma lost the European cup final at home to English side. So possibly a good omen for opponents Chelsea on May 19.

That's it for me. Back to you, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Oh, possible good sign for Chelsea. Amanda, thank you.

And from the Champions League to the dinner of champions. Pizza Hut may be as quintessentially American as apple pie or baseball, but find out why the junk food giant is denying U.S. dinners its most high calorie creation to-date.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now the India monsoon forecast is out, a prelude of what they can expect in the country that relies on rain starting and ending on time. We'll get the latest now with Mari Ramos. She joins us from the world weather center -- Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kristie, this is something that's very important when these forecasts come out. You know, those of us that live in areas where there are hurricanes, we watch what the hurricane forecast is going to be. In India, they really pay a lot of attention to the monsoon season. And that is whether it's the southwest monsoon or the northeast monsoon, the dry and the wet season that really has shaped the country. And when they rely so much on agriculture in that country still, it's extremely important for people to rely on the weather and what it is going to do.

So right now we're talking about the start of the rainy season. So far -- this is from the India Met Office -- they're saying that they're expecting near normal conditions. And that's very important. And they take a lot of things into account when they look at this.

I was reading some of their stuff and they were saying they take in snow cover over parts of Asia. They take in the temperature -- the sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic, in the Pacific, also in the Indian Ocean into account. All of these things are factored in along with of course temperatures, differences in long range forecasts, to come up with what we have here with what they're saying it's expected to be normal or near normal.

When you think about other forecasts. For example, last year they were also saying it was going to be a near normal year, but we ended up having an above average season, slightly above average. They were almost right on the money, but it was slightly above average when it comes to the actual rainfall.

And so when does the monsoon start? Well, if everything goes according to plan and mother nature keeps, you know, the clock where it normally should be, the average progression of the Southwest monsoon kind of goes like this. It continues moving to the north and when you start to see the rains coming in around the first of the month here in the peninsular parts of India and into Sri Lanka until we get into July and that's when we begin to see the monsoon pretty much covering the entire subcontinent and already moving into parts of Pakistan.

So when -- until that happens, we're going to stay dry. We're going to stay maybe with a few scattered thunderstorms in the south -- and conditions relatively warm. 28 right now in New Delhi, and 33 in Kolkata. Look at Chiang Mai, you're looking at almost 30 degrees. Quite warm across much of southeast Asia. Bangkok, even this late, still at 33 degrees. 24 in Hong Kong.

And the rain showers again are popping up here across parts of southeast Asia and also moving up the coast there along eastern China.

I want to take you to another part of the world. And have you seen these -- this video, Kristie? I know it's been everywhere, but I really can't get enough of it. Let's go ahead and roll the pictures from Bilbao, Spain. Wow! You know what, this -- we've been talking about -- can't believe this -- we've been talking about the thunderstorms, Kristie, the big storm system across western Europe. Well, Bilbao is actually on the north coast of Spain just after you pass the Bay of Biscay and in the mountains. So it's normally quite windy here, but yesterday they were having winds that were gusting to nearly 100 kilometers per hour.

So that was takeoff. And you're going to see the landing one more time, because it is pretty impressive for the pilots to be able to do this. There he goes again, watch.

Straighten it out. There you go.

(LAUGHTER)

RAMOS: It's unbelievable. But anyway, 87 kilometer per hour winds at the time those planes were landing.

It's not going to be...

LU STOUT: Oh, Mari -- Mari, you laugh, I have sweaty palms. That is a white knuckle ride. And I'm going to have nightmares tonight thanks to you. That is incredible. My goodness. Mari Ramos there.

Now, eating junk food, it's practically a rite of passage in the U.S., so you'd think combining two favorite unhealthy snacks would be a sure-fire hit, but the term for using burgers or hotdogs to form pizza crust is not available in the United States. And it's actually becoming popular in parts of Asia.

And Jeanne Moos finds out why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: America's status as a haven for junk food is under attack.

ANNOUNCER: Hail, Pizza Hut's royal masterpiece.

MOOS: Because the masterpieces of junk food being sold elsewhere.

ANNOUNCER: The new crown crust pizza, made with perfectly grilled mini cheeseburger gems, nestled in gold crowned crusts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That looks delicious.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; Maybe if you're really drunk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring it here Pizza Hut.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would definitely try it.

MOOS: Well, you can't, because cheeseburger crust pizza is only available in the Middle East.

And that other delicacy you heard about a few weeks ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) monstrosity.

MOOS: Easy for him to sneer, he was in Britain where hotdog pizza crust is now available, but not in the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, in the crust, wow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks good. I like it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like it, Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just does nothing for me.

MOOS: That's good, because you can't have it.

South Korea got its version years ago.

ANNOUNCER: Pizza Hut (INAUDIBLE) crust pizza.

MOOS: So did Japan. So did Portugal.

Hot dogs may be as American as baseball, yet the U.S. is being left behind as Pizza Hut is pushing the envelope of edibility elsewhere.

STEPHEN COLBERT, COLBERT REPORT: We must reclaim the throne by cramming hot dogs into every available wiener shaped food-shaped area. Jam won into a cannoli, put one in a banana.

MOOS: And to think that just a few years ago, Mad TV was mocking America's pizza prowess.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing goes better with pizza and soda than a bag of Lays potato chips, a bucket of KFC chicken.

MOOS: That was practically prophetic. All that's missing is the bucket.

ANNOUNCER: The chicken fillet crowned crust pizza.

MOOS: But the chicken fillet crust is another novelty product Pizza Hut is introducing in the Middle East.

So for now, the U.S. has no need for Bill Maher's.

BILL MAHER, COMEDIAN: If you order the new Pizza Hut pizza with the hot dog stuffed crust you have to pay more for health care.

MOOS: Pizza Hut says there are no plans to bring either the hot dog or cheeseburger crust to the United States, although due to the overwhelming response we might.

In the meantime, can I just have a hotdog without the bun?

Americans are just going to have to resort to make your own hotdog pizza crust.

Being denied all those calories, all that fat, looks like an arrow through American's heart. Jeanne Moos, CNN...

ANNOUNCER: Pizza Hut.

MOOS: New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now that made us take a look at the Pizza Hut menu here in Hong Kong. And while the crust options are currently tame, some toppings are rather unique. Take the Mediterranean mambo, it's topped with tuna fish, crap stick, and pineapple.

In China, this is the season's hot new pizza. It's grilled tilapia, also accompanied by crab stick and vegetables.

But if you're not into fish and pizza, then you can try combining it with curry instead. Now this spicy option is offered in Singapore.

And in Japan, Pizza Hut puts large wedges of Camembert on this pie. And that didn't sound half bad until you look at what it takes to place an order.

Now this is the English version of the menu. And apparently there's no English language order form, instead it shows you exactly where to click on the Japanese site step by step by step. And there are 21 steps in total.

In comparison, here are the telephone instructions. One, two, done.

And that is NEWS STREAM, but the news continues at CNN. World Business Today is next.

END