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President-Elect Mohamed Morsi Resigns From Muslim Brotherhood; Cuba Holds First Ever Tech Conference; Tropical Storm Debby Drenches Central Florida; Indian Scientist Invents CO2 Scrubbing Algae Filter For Cars

Aired June 25, 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: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

And we begin in Egypt. Where a prisoner of the old regime has been declared the nation's new president.

Plus, tensions rise after Syria shoots down a Turkish fighter jet. Damascus rejects Ankara's claims and says it is being demonized by its neighbor.

And China reaches new highs and lows. We'll explain why they are both impressive feats.

Now just over one year ago, he was imprisoned and his Muslim Brotherhood party was banned. But now Mohamed Morsi is Egypt's first democratically elected president. And he will be sworn into office on July 1. Now listen to the reaction in Cairo's Tahrir Square when his victory was announced on Sunday.

Just listen to that, a huge roar of joy swelling from the crowd there in Tahrir Square.

Now Morsi narrowly defeated Ahmed Shafik who was prime minister under former president Hosni Mubarak. And Morsi captured just under 52 percent of the vote in this month's presidential runoff while Shafik received 48 percent.

Now after his victory was announced, Morsi resigned from the Muslim Brotherhoood party. And in a televised addressed he promised to represent all Egyptians.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMED MORI, EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT (through translator): To all sectors of the people, my people, my tribe, I say to them on this momentous day, today with your election and after the bestowing of god I am the president of all Egyptians wherever they are inside or abroad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now Morsi faces some daunting challenges ahead including a still powerful military and a struggling economy. Let's go to Ian Lee live in Cairo for us. And Ian first just how much power does the new president really have?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, he doesn't really have much power at all. The few things that he actually can do is he can form his cabinet except for the minister in charge of defense. He can also engage other countries in diplomacy and appoint governors around Egypt. That's about as much as he can do.

What the Supreme Council of the Armed forces, the power they're holding on to is legislative power, the make -- the power to make the laws. But they also in control of all things that have to do with the military as well as controlling the budget.

The other thing is that they can arrest -- the military police can arrest anyone at any time for any sort of Marshall law if you will. So the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces hasn't really given up power quite yet. But Morsi (inaudible) and we're expecting more power granted to the president when the new constitution is written -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Ian, Mohamed Morsi, he says that he will represent all Egyptians, but will he?

LEE: Well, if we're looking at the (inaudible) like you said earlier, less than 52 percent of the vote. That's not really a mandate to lead. So there's a good chunk of society, almost half of Egyptian society (inaudible) uphill battle (inaudible).

But in his speech last night, he talked about unity, he talked about equality (inaudible) that there wouldn't be a citizen above another citizen. And this is something that has worried Christians (inaudible).

LU STOUT: OK, Ian unfortunately I'm going to have to wrap you up right there. We have a very, very spotty connection with you. And our apologies to our viewers as well. Ian Lee reporting there. We were able to get the bulk of his report there live from Cairo. Again, our apologies for the technical disruption there.

Let's monitor in the meantime the international reaction to Morsi's victory in Egypt. And it has been solidly positive all around. The British foreign secretary William Hague said this, quote, "this is a historic moment for Egypt." He added, "it will be important for the new government to uphold human rights, including the rights of women and religious minorities."

Now Iran's foreign ministry said that Egyptian, quote, "once again showcase their firm resolve to realize the noble justice seeking ideals of the great Egyptian revolution."

And the Egyptian born activist Wael Gonim, he became a major face of Egypt's Arab Spring uprising, and he posted this on Twitter, "the first elected civilian Egyptian president in the history of modern Egypt. The revolution continues."

And take a look at the response in Gaza. The Muslims Brotherhood's Hamas offshoot there cheering Morsi's win.

Now U.S. President Barack Obama, meanwhile, he called Morsi to congratulate him. And he promised the U.S. will stand by the Egyptian people as if fulfills the promise of the revolution.

Now you're watching News Stream. And still ahead, we look closely at how Israel and the Arab world are responding to Mohamed Morsi in Egypt and what the changes mean for the region. That and more in just a few minutes.

OK, now before then let's take you next to Libya. Now Libyans are still awaiting their own turn to vote. The country's first election in more than half a century is now set for July 7th. And this as Libya's former prime minister is now in custody. Al Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi was extradited to Libya from Tunisia on Sunday. He served under Moammar Gadhafi. And he fled Libya last year when the Gadhafi regime was toppled in the Arab Spring revolution. Al-Mahmoudi is the first Libyan official to be sent back to Libya for trial.

Now you are watching News Stream. And still to come, international tensions rise after Syria shoots down a Turkish jet. We'll bring you the latest on the NATO talks on the attack.

And austerity anger, it's not quite unique to Europe as Spain prepares to ask the EU for a multi-billion dollar bank bailout. And people in Sudan are resorting to extreme measures to fight spending cuts there as well.

And also ahead, a depressingly familiar exit for England. Italy just shot a penalty punishment on their way to the Euro semis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All right. Welcome back.

In the past hour-and-a-half, Syria's foreign ministry has said a Turkish fighter jet which was shot down by Syrian forces had violated the country's sovereignty. Now it's a firm statement to Ankara as it prepares to meet other NATO members on Tuesday to discuss the matter. Now Turkey calls the incident an act of aggression.

Let's get more from Ivan Watson who joins us live from Istanbul. And Ivan, first, your thoughts on Syria's claim that the Turkish plane violated its sovereignty.

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, after initially there being some signs that the Turks and the Syrians were working together on the search and rescue operation for the downed planes -- plane and its missing pilots on Friday, now we're seeing a divergence between the two governments over their interpretation of this shoot down of the Turkish war plane with the Syrian foreign ministry spokesman coming out and calling this a normal act of defense against the violation of its territorial sovereignty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIHAD MAKDISSI, SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN (through translator): We responded by the air defense, since then it was an anti- aircraft gun 57. It was a direct hit. And then the plane turned left and was downed in the Syrian territorial water.

This is to do with the international law. What happened, it has been a violation of Syrian sovereignty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: All right. Comments there from Damascus earlier. Ivan Watson reporting for us.

Now meanwhile, the EuroZone's fourth biggest economy has become the latest member to ask for financial aid. Now Spain follows Greece, Portugal, and Ireland by going cap in hand to the European Union. Now the nation that many regard as too big to bail is asking for up to $78 billion dollars to prop up its private banking sector. Now Spain is currently grappling with high borrowing costs and an unemployment rate of 25 percent.

Now the EuroZone's first bailout beneficiary, Greece, is meant to be on the road to recovery after a government was appointed following months of political deadlock. But the new prime minister is going to miss what should have been his first appearance on the European stage. Eye surgery will prevent Antonis Samaras from attending this week's EU summit in Brussels where the Greek debt deal is set to be a major talking point.

Now Mexico is less than a week away from its presidential election. Enriqu Pena Nieto is running for the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, known as the PRI and ruled Mexico for decades, but was thrown out of power in the sea change election of 2000. Now Josefina Vazquez Mota is the candidate of the ruling National Action Party. And she has tried to distance herself from current president Felipe Calderon with her campaign slogan "Different Josefina."

And the leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obredor is the candidate of the Democratic Revolution Party. And he never conceded to Mr. Calderon after the 2006 election refers to himself as, quote, the legitimate president of Mexico.

Now many Mexican youths are protesting the July 1 presidential election. Miguel Marquez explains why from Mexico City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am the 132, a rallying cry growing louder for young people here tired of politics as usual. What started as a student protest is becoming a movement focused on the presidential election and beyond.

How important is this election?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very important. We want a real change that can give us freedom to go out (inaudible) and don't be afraid.

MARQUEZ: Their fear, democratic progress here will be stopped, even reversed if the dominant PRI party, led by its telegenic candidate Enrique Pena Nieto returns to power. They deeply believe the PRI and Mexico's biggest broadcasters are in cahoots.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have elections here and we vote yes, but power -- the actual power is controlled by the media.

MARQUEZ: Televisa and Azteca control more than 90 percent of the market here in a country where the vast majority of people still get their news and information through broadcast television.

Well, young people say this is a new beginning for Mexico. About 1,000 people have shown up here in front of Televisa, one of the big broadcasters in Mexico. And despite a very heavy rain, no one is going anywhere.

This young movement even brought its own version of the televised truth, projecting it on Televisa's wall. The four-and-a-half minute video called Luz -- or light -- 132 chronicles what these students say is media and government collusion to hide the truth over the years. It starts with the massacre of dozens of democracy protesters in 1968.

Playing prominently in the video is PRI candidate Pena Nieto. He dismisses the protest as little more than politics, saying he has more young followers than any other candidate and that Mexicans need not worry about his commitment to democracy.

Mexico has changed, he says, we have respect for democracy and democratic culture.

Still, protesters say Televisa and Azteca have showered his campaign with favorable coverage that broadcasters deny it saying each candidate has been given equal time.

The protesters say this goes beyond equal time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It must happen in every generation, every young generation. And this has just turned everyone like woke up a lot of people.

MARQUEZ: Young people here waking up, calling for more openness, more freedom of opinion and debate in television coverage, more democracy. It's a struggle, they say, that's only beginning.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: All right. Let's take you next to -- get you an update on the situation in Sudan. Now police there in Sudan, they've been using force to crackdown on protests that began more than one week ago. And people across the country are upset by cutbacks that the government says are needed. Our Nima Elbagir is following developments from London. She joins us now live.

And Nima, first, there is this crackdown underway. So are there more protests today in Sudan?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We understand, Kristie, that more protesters have been taking to the streets. Up until this point, it does seem like its been quite limited in numbers, but I think it's important to bear in mind the context of all of this. Last year at the start of the Arab Spring, there were some protests in Sudan. And they were dealt with quite brutally by the Sudanese government. And this was also sparked by austerity measures that the government was trying to put into place. The government very quickly pulled back on a lot of these austerity measures.

This time, though, it's in a very different position in terms of how much there is actually remaining in the government exchequer. They really don't have much of a choice other than to go ahead with a lot of these austerity measures. And so it does feel like they are very concerned about these protesters because they don't really have much to bargain with, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now the protesters, they're angry. They're against these austerity measures in Sudan. And they're also calling for the president al-Bashir to step down. I mean, just how damaging have these protests been to him and his authority?

ELBAGIR: Well, al-Bashir has come out now and said that, you know, contrary to everything we're seeing that Sudan is not having it's own Arab Spring moment. I mean, you can take that for what it's worth.

Interestingly, though, the Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha issued a very rare mea culpa towards the end of last week where he acknowledged what he called his government's misadministration of the exchequer, of the government budgets, and actually called out to a lot of the members to the Sudanese government to think about their lifestyles as he put it. And the message that they were sending across to the Sudanese street. There have been a lot of rumors, a lot of speculation about very high level of corruption in Sudan, some as far as the president's own family. And I think the government is very worried that these -- this anger, faced with 30 percent inflation, Kristie, that people are starting to look at some of the lifestyles that are being led by high ranking officials and that's fueling a lot of the anger that we're seeing on the street.

LU STOUT: The Sudanese government, they say that this is not an Arab Spring moment, but it seems that the ingredients are there. To what degree are the protesters inspired by the Arab Spring? And could a similar movement take root in Sudan today?

ELBAGIR: Well, the student and the activists definitely are. And they've been very clear from the beginning. You know, some of the slogans you were seeing -- if it could happen in Tunisia, if it can happen in Egypt, why not in Sudan? But -- and again this is what's concerning the government, this seems to be gaining momentum outside of those sectors of society where the government has been used to seeing agitation from -- in the universities, in the activist sectors.

Now it's moving to a broader base. We saw several hundred people coming out after Friday prayers this week. And people are going to be looking towards next Friday prayers and wonder if even greater numbers are coming out, because this is really becoming for a lot of people about whether or not they can feed their families. It's becoming as basic as that, Kristie.

LU STOUT: So the unrest seems to be spreading. We'll be keeping tabs on the story. Thanks to you. Nima Elbagir joining us live from CNN London, thank you.

You're watching News Stream. And still ahead we'll take you to Wimbledon, England for day one of the latest grand slam tennis event. Do stick around for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Live from Hong Kong, you are back watching News Stream. And for the first time in its history, Saudi Arabia is allowing women to join its Olympic team. Remember that women in Saudi Arabia cannot drive or vote. Saudi Arabia has not yet announced who it will send to London, but this woman, equestrian Dalma Rushdi Malhas seems likely to be chosen. Now she won a bronze medal a couple of years ago during the youth Olympic games in Singapore.

Now in addition to Saudi Arabia, both Qatar and Brunei are allowing women to compete for the first time this year. That means when these games start in London on July 27th, all competing countries should have both men and women on their team.

Now the third tennis grand slam of the year has just gotten underway on the green grass of England. Amanda Davies is in London with more -- Amanda.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kristie. Yeah, the tournament organizers would be proud of you with your nice bright green today, of course the colors of Wimbledon. I'm pleased to say the sun is shining here in London as well for the start of the championships.

It's the 126th championship that's got underway. And the men's champion Novak Djokovic has begun the defense of his title on center court within the last 15, 20 minutes or so against the player nicknamed the mosquito, Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Alex Thomas is the lucky man who is live there for us. Alex, what's the buzz like?

ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It's always very exciting on the opening day of the Wimbledon tennis championships, one of those sporting events that's even bigger than the individual sports. Sports fans who don't normally follow this game will tune into the Wimbledon fortnight. It's only the third of the four grand slam events chronologically in a tennis season, but it's the oldest and it's that history that makes it prestigious, going back 135 years to the first championships that were held at one of the other sites that the Wimbledon tournament was staged at just up the road from here.

A short time ago we're hearing that Novak Djokovic was going to with serve in his match against Juan Carlos Ferrero, although the Spaniard did hold a break point against the world number one and defending champion, which shows what a task he's up against against the former world number one and a Spaniard who reached the quarterfinals here as recently as 2009.

Djokovic desperate to successfully defend the men's singles title he won for the first time in his career 12 months ago beating Rafa Nadal who will be another strong contender here, buoyed by his recent French Open success where of course he beat Djokovic in the final. And Roger Federer has always been a champion in the past is certainly in the mix as well.

Whichever of those big three in the men's singles wins Wimbledon, they'll also become the world number one. This is how a four-time former Wimbledon semifinalist Tim Henman sees that battle at the top of men's tennis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM HENMAN, FOUR-TIME WIMBLEDON SEMIFINALIST: I don't know whether you would put Nadal ahead of Djokovic. There's a big transition from clay courts at Roland Garos to grass courts at Wimbledon, but I think those two Djokovic and Nadal will be the favorites, but I would put Federer pretty close second behind those two and you know Murray probably just behind Federer.

And I think in the context of the tournament I'd be very surprised if a winner came from outside of those top four.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS: Rafa Nadal's opening match is on Tuesday, but Roger Federer is playing later on this opening Monday. He's second match on number one court.

As for the other big matches to look out for on the opening day, Maria Sharapova, the new French Open champion, and the 2004 winner here at Wimbledon is the second matchup on Center Court.

A couple of top women's seeds have already raced to victory on this opening day. Sam Stosur from Australia, the number five seed, thrashed Suarez Navarro of Spain in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. Reverse that set scoreline for Li Na, the Chinese French Open champions from 2011. She's beaten Pervak of the Czech republic in her opening match.

Back to you Amanda.

DAVIES: Brilliant. Thanks for now, Alex.

Well, it's maybe the opening day of Wimbledon, but the Euro 2012 semifinal line-up is complete. Italy have joined Germany, Spain and Portugal in the last four after beating England on Penalties in Kiev on Sunday night.

After finishing goalless after 90 minutes and extra time it was an all too familiar tale for England fans watching their side knocked out of a major tournament on spot kicks for the sixth time in seven attempts.

It wasn't a great night to be called Ashley after Young sent his spot kick against the bar, Ashley Cole looks to pull England level, but Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon didn't let the ball go through his waiting arms so when Alessandro Diamante sent Joe Hart the wrong way, Italy clinched their place in the semifinals 4-2 on penalties to set up a match for Cesare Prandelli's side against Germany on Thursday.

Just to confirm that line-up, Monday of course the day for football fans to catch their breath and maybe catch up on some sleep depending on where in the world you've been watching. They get underway on Wednesday as Christiano Ronaldo's Portugal take on the defending world and European champions Spain, that's followed by Germany against Italy on Thursday.

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

LU STOUT: All right, Amanda, thank you very much indeed.

As Amanda just mentioned, England lost, but this Twitter account ended up a winner. The Staffordshire Police abandoned news on robberies and arrests for a couple of hours instead offering match analysis with a crime fighting twist, examples included great tackle by Terry that will be tackling repeat offenders. And maybe penalties, but don't get a penalty from us for being drunk and disorderly.

Now when it comes to responsible match reactions, Staffordshire police are definitely on the case.

Now up next, we've got more reaction to Egypt's presidential results. We'll have live reports from Israel and Abu Dhabi about the reaction over news from Mohamed Morsi's victory.

And breaking boundaries, China explores new territory: the latest way for the country to expand its prestige. Still to come on News Stream.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now Egypt's first freely elected president Mohamed Morsi will be sworn into office on July 1. The announcement of his victory sent off huge celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Now crowds have filled the square for nearly a week. Now he has since resigned from the Muslim Brotherhood and promises to represent all Egyptians.

Now Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding talks with Israeli President Shimon Perez and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mr. Putin is in Tel Aviv for a two day visit. The bloodshed in Syria and Iran's nuclear program are expected to headline the discussions. Israel wants to get Russia to help curb Iran's uranium enrichment.

Now Syria's foreign ministry says a Turkish fighter jet was shot down in Syrian airspace and had violated the country's sovereignty. Turkey says it was an international airspace and is to discuss it with other NATO members on Tuesday. That's as Turkish media says 33 Syrian soldiers have defected and crossed the border.

Now several countries in Latin America are refusing to recognize Paraguay's new president. Federico Franco was sworn in after the legislature voted to impeach President Fernando Lugo. Now Chile, Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina have recalled their ambassadors and Lugo called his ousting a legislative coup.

Now as Egypt begins a new chapter, it's worth looking back on how things have changed. Now the country's first freely elected leader Mohamed Morsi was arrested several times for protesting under President Hosni Mubarak. And now their goals are reversed. Hosni Mubarak is the one in prison, Mohamed Morsi is president-elect.

Now Morsi has promised to maintain one aspect of his predecessor's leadership, he has promised to keep Egypt's existing international peace accords.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MORSI (through translator): We will preserve all international agreements. We will preserve all national and international agreements and our commitments and agreements and Egyptian with the entire world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now could we see any major change in Egyptian foreign policy toward Israel? Elise Labott joins us now live from Jerusalem. And Elise, what we heard just then from Mohamed Morsi that pledged to respect International treaties. Do you think Israel was at all reassured by that?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, I think that's exactly what they wanted to hear and expected to hear. Mohamed Morsi has said during the campaign some kind of mixed messages about the treaty, but they do expect that Egypt will abide by the treaty.

But still there's a lot of uncertainty ahead about the relationship between Israel and Egypt. And Israeli official said to me last night, listen we don't -- the question is not what Muslim Brotherhood thinks of Israel. We know what they think of us. The question now is the Egyptian government going to be more pragmatic to dealing with Israel and the west or are they going to be vindictive?

LU STOUT: Now we heard from Ian Lee live in Cairo earlier this show. He said Egypt's military has the ultimate power in Egypt. So in that sense will there be any dramatic shift in relations between Israel and Egypt?

LABOTT: Well, that's the question. I mean, Egypt and Israeli militaries have good relations, you know, so to speak because they're dealing with a lot of operational things. But the question is, is the government of Mohamed Morsi going to start provoking the military, trying to take a more provocative stance? Israeli officials are saying that they hope not, because now -- you know the border with Egypt and Israel is a very much concern to Israeli officials. The Sinai has been the subject of lawlessness really since the revolution. There have been a lot of cross border attacks. And we saw earlier this year that the Israeli embassy in Egypt was really stampeded. They had to evacuate diplomats. And so there has been a kind of tense standoff.

But Israeli officials are saying is, listen, now that Egypt has an elected president by all the people he really has to use all his authority to keep that border calm, because not only do you have Hamas, you have Islamic militants. And now the Egyptians and Israelis are both saying that there's al Qaeda presence in the region in the border area so Israel is very concerned right now that Egypt needs to crack down on that border and keep the relations stable.

But as for the bilateral relationship, I think Israeli officials are saying that President-elect Morsi has to kind of look inward. We have a lot of domestic pressing concerns and issues that they need to deal with. And they think that Israel won't be a major focus of the politicians right now -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, the -- again the lawlessness at the border, a number of outstanding issues as you mentioned there between the two countries.

Elise Labott reporting live from Jerusalem, thank you.

Let's find out how the U.S. is reacting to these events in Egypt. And I'm joined now by CNN's White House correspondent Dan Lothian in Washington.

Dan, how is President Obama viewing Egypt's election result?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all they're pleased with the outcome and first and foremost congratulating the people of Egypt in this historic moment of this first democratic free elections in that country.

But a couple of things, you saw also the president calling the president-elect and also General Shafik congratulating them -- first of all the president-elect for winning his election, and then commending General Shafik for running what the president described as a well run campaign.

A couple of things here. The White House really hopes that there can be unity coming out of this sometimes tense campaign. It's very critical for this administration that all of the parties there coalesce around its leadership. And I think there are a lot of questions about what happens going forward. But that's sort of the big message coming from this White House. And that this administration will continue to partner in that effort towards full democracy there in Egypt.

The White House spokesman Jay Carney saying in part we believe that it is important for president-elect Morsi to take steps in this historic time to advance national unity by reaching out to all parties and constituencies in consultation about the formation of a new government.

Egypt, obviously, a major force in that region. A lot of instability over the last year or so and so the hope is that there will be disunity, stability as this country moves towards democracy, and that ultimately it can continue to be a key partner for the U.S. in that region.

LU STOUT: So the U.S. is supportive of this election result. Can you tell us more about that partnership angle? Will the U.S. continue to regard Egypt as a key and effective broker in the Middle East?

LOTHIAN: It will. And I think you saw that in the statement where, you know, it's critical the administration saying for Egypt to continue to play that role not only with Israel as you were just talking about, but other key countries in that region. The U.S. sees Egypt as an important partner there. But make no mistake there's still a lot of questions about what happens going forward. And no one is predicting that it will be a smooth ride. There will be problems that come along the way. The hope is, again, that Egypt can be a strong presence, a strong force in that region.

LU STOUT: All right. Dan Lothian reporting live from the White House. Thank you.

Now Egypt is the most populous Arab country. Let's bring in our Rima Maktabi from our bureau in Abu Dhabi. And Rima, what's the reaction across the Middle East?

RIMA MAKTABI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the top headline news across the Arab media, not to mention how governments are reacting.

If we look at the national, it's a local UAE newspaper today. And it's in English. You see a beautiful picture of Tahrir Square showing the fireworks. And it definitely is half of the page. Also, all Arab newspapers had the news coming from Egypt as the headline news so that Gulf news. And they said that the UAE welcomes the election of Morsi and respects the will of the people.

Now this is the media, as for the government, the Amir of Kuwait, of Qatar, different governments from across the Arab world that called Morsi and congratulate him. However, just as the Egyptians are divided over the president elect, so are the Arabs, because many people support the Muslim Brotherhood, but many others don't -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: What is the general thinking about the outcome of the Arab Spring in Egypt? Now we have seen the fall of Mubarak? We have seen the rise of Egypt's first freely elected president, but is there a feeling the revolution there is far from over?

MAKTABI: Definitely there's a feeling that it's far from over, especially in Egypt. It's such a pivotal country for the Arab world other than Jordan and Lebanon last week. And everybody literally is looking at the events happening in Egypt. They will know what will happen in the rest of the Arab world.

However, many say that what this Arab Spring draws to the region is basically the assumption of Islamists to power. The Muslim Brotherhood was a -- was a party that's not allowed in Egypt. It was prevented from really practicing it's political role in the political life in Egypt. Yes, now it got power. There are fears, serious ones, that they will also ascend to power in Syria at a later stage, possibly Jordan. And the Muslim Brotherhood are not much liked by Arab governments in this region.

LU STOUT: All right. Rima Maktabi reporting for us live from CNN Abu Dhabi, thank you.

Now for your global weather forecast and keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Debbie as it turns deadly in the southeastern part of the United States. Mari Ramos joins us now. She's got more and the very latest from the world weather center -- Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDNET: Hey, Kristie, this is a storm that's a very large storm and it's practically stationary. That means it's going to sit over the same general area for a long time. And the way it's been going it promises to bring even more -- the potential for more very dangerous weather across the area.

This is just some of the latest highlights -- or lowlights depending on how you want to look at from the storm.

In Tampa, Florida over 170 millimeters of rain already. And in Venus, Florida a tornado that came onshore. We have pictures to show you of that deadly storm. And you can see the telltale signs there of a storm -- some of the witnesses say that it happened very, very quickly. It was over in 10 or 15 seconds or so and then everything was completely quiet again.

Well, you're saying a tornado. I thought this was a tropical storm, what's going on? Well, tornadoes are actually one of the dangers of tropical cyclones when they are making landfall. They can spawn tornadoes. And in this case, this tornado here in Highlands County, Florida killed one woman and one child to the hospital.

There you see the damage of the rooftops of homes, downed trees, downed power lines, and hopefully the weather will begin to improve there across central and southern Florida.

But if you come back over to the weather map I want to show you where the storm actually is now. And it doesn't look like much when you look at it over the water. The center of circulation is still out here. You're going to think that the winds are blowing in this direction, that's picking up all of that moisture and dumping very heavy rain over Florida.

On the ground, or on the beach I should say it looks like this, take a look at these pictures, that water -- that truck is actually trying to move a lifeguard stand that is stuck in the sand because so much sand has come onshore already. Beach erosion is a huge concern.

And what you're looking at there is those winds that have been pushing the water and everything else that's in the water on shore, so coastal flooding is a huge concern over these areas. The water is starting to lap up not only onto sidewalks and even into some of those waterfront homes across portions of Florida -- yeah, I wouldn't try that at home, whenever you have a strong tropical cyclone and the strong winds coming in like that, you know, you don't know what else could be flying out there, you could really hurt yourself.

There you see some downed tress, downed power lines. So really some spectacular pictures already. Look at that, those houses, the water already coming up all the way to the driveway.

So very dangerous conditions and they're expecting this continue, because like I said the storm isn't going anywhere fast. This is what it looks like on radar. You see the spin and that heavy rain falling over the same region. On top of that the strong winds definitely not a beach day even if you do get a little bit of sunshine there in the sky.

The track, not changing much either. You can see it just pretty much staying here over the next couple of days, maybe a little drift to the west or toward the east, but not many changes at all.

One more thing I want to talk to you about and that is these huge fires that are burning across the western parts of the United States. Before we go to the video I do want to show you one thing. Right now we're looking at red flag warnings across 12 states across the U.S. This is very significant. Extremely dry conditions and gusty winds could lead to more of this.

I'll leave you of these images of a fire burning in Colorado. They are the worst fires so far in this entire season. Mandatory evacuations are in place. And this is just west of Colorado Springs. More than 400 firefighters battling the flames here. And there you see the residents heading out.

We are taking a quick break right here on News Stream. Don't go away. More news in just a moment.

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LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now a standoff at sea between China and the Philippines has apparently ended for now. Now the two countries' dispute ownership of the tiny Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. And both positioned boats offshore after tensions flared in April. But the Philippine government says that all Chinese vessels have now left surrounding waters after its own boats withdrew last week. Now the two nations believe the area could be rich in natural resources.

Now it's no longer flexing its muscles in the South China Sea, but Beijing is definitely making its mark in space this week. On Sunday, three Chinese astronauts onboard the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, the manage to dock to an orbiting space lab known as Tiangong 1. It's the first manned docking after successful automatic operations. And it is the latest big tech achievement ahead of this year's Chinese leadership succession.

And while its space capabilities are hitting new heights, China's latest manned submersible is plumbing new depths this weekend. Jaime Florcruz reports on Beijing's tech triumphs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been a big week for Chinese explorers. In a Chinese made spacecraft docked with an orbiting laboratory module. It was China's first ever manual space docking, making China only the third nation in the world, after the U.S. and the former Soviet Union, to complete the mission. It also brings China one step closer to its plan to build its own space station by 2020.

The three astronauts have been orbiting space for days, conducting experiments in zero gravity. Among them is Liu Yun, China's first female astronaut, seen working out on a stationary bicycle and playing the Rubik's Cube as part of physical and mental tests.

China's been single-mindedly pursuing an ambitious space program bankrolled by a booming economy. As ever, this is as much about national prestige as scientific advances. While China may still be behind the United States for now, experts say the rapid improvement of its space program could give cash strapped NASA a reality check. China's success, they say, reminds the U.S. that it will have to continue spending to keep its leading role in space.

Also on Sunday, China's oceanographers stepped another record, maneuvering a deepsea submersible vessel some 7,000 meters below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Their mission is paving the way for future exploration in the deepest places on Earth.

Chinese officials say these breakthroughs are just part of China's peaceful rise, but critics say China needs to be more open and clear of its long-term intentions now that its influence stretches not just on land, but also in space and under the sea.

Jaime Florcruz, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now in Cuba, just logging on to Wikipedia or any other website is an accomplishment. And it could land you in deep trouble. Now Patrick Oppmann takes us to a tech festival in a country with virtually no internet.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORREPSONDENT: At this small house hosting Cuba's first independent tech festival, people who can't find a seat watch from doorways and windows. It's been dubbed the click festival. The event, organizers say, is dedicated to helping Cubans get online, an arduous journey in a country where internet is scarce, slow, and requires government approval which means participants may talk about Facebook and Twitter, but there is no internet available here.

The event is not intended to provoke authorities says Waldo blogger and government critic Yoani Sanchez.

YOANI SANCHEZ, CUBAN BLOGGER (through translator): The click festival goes beyond just a festival for blogs or for Twitter or for mobile phones or for text messaging. We want to talk about all kind of technology and we want to be inclusive.

OPPMANN: Maybe so, but even before the event began Cuban state media denounced organizers for, quote, subversion. A charge that festival participants deny.

ELIECER AVILA, FESTIVAL PARTICIPANT (through translator): Twitter or the internet is not a privilege just for people in developed countries, they are developed countries because they have these kind of tools. But they can be expensive tools.

OPPMANN: Participants are learning alternative ways to get online, like using SMS messages from a cellphone to send tweets. But just one tweet from a cell phone here can cost about $1, or more than what many Cubans make in a day.

At a government run computing center for young people, one of 600 across the island, Cubans use computers manly to visit state run websites. Restrictions on internet use in Cuba, officials say, are the fault of the five decades old U.S. trade embargo.

RAUL VAN TROI NAVARRO MARTINEZ, CUBAN YOUTH COMPUTING CLUB (through translator): We need more infrastructure. And one of the key things is the removal of the embargo so we can join the world of technology and information.

OPPMANN: Cuba's government says participants of the click festival are agents of foreign governments trying to stir up trouble. Despite their outlaw status, however, these techies say they are hopeful for the future.

ANTONIO RODRIGUEZ, EVENT ORGANIZER (through translator): Cubans devise solutions to receive information and send information. They have their blogs, maybe not in the same way that they do in other parts of the world, but people have. The world will open up, but you have to push for it to open up.

OPPMANN: Pushing so that perhaps the next time they hold a tech festival they actually will have access to technology.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now fighting carbon emissions in a simple low tech way, we go for a spin in a truly ecofriendly car that uses mother nature's own filters to keep the air clean. This story coming up next on News Stream.

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LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now in the Galapagos Islands the giant tortoise Lonesome George has died. He was called that because he is thought to be the last of his subspecies. Now scientists say that Lonesome George was more than 100 years old, but they had expected him to live even longer. It's not known yet why he died. It was discovered on Pinta Island in 1972. And he was cared for at Galapagos National Park where many people came to see him.

Now scientists tried to breed him, but it never worked. There are just about 20,000 giant tortoises left in the Galapagos.

Now on this week's Eco Solutions, a simple solution to combating a major cause of global warning -- a car carries its own tank of green algae to filter the vehicles exhaust. It's quite a site. Now Sara Sidner explains the science behind this ecofriendly car.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Scientist Dinabandhu Sahoo is trying to prove the smallest of things can help solve one of the world's biggest problems. For 25 years he's been peering into microscopes at algae, the organisms many of us see as unwanted pond scum.

But he among other scientists have discovered this green looking goo can actually be a weapon against global warming.

How amazing are algae?

DINABANDHU SAHOO, SCIENTIST, UNIVERSITY OF DELHI: They're beautiful. Microscopic to macroscopic you can find them very, very small under the microscope. You can also see the algae which can grow up to 70 meters long in the waters like the giant kelp.

SIDNER: He's using this beautiful algae to create what amounts to a carbon eating car.

It works like this, algae is poured into a container on the car. The tailpipe is fitted with a device that channels the exhaust through a tube and into the clear container. The carbon dioxide coming out of the tailpipe goes directly into the container. Sahoo says algae can capture carbon dioxide. And with water and sunlight the algae multiplies and oxygen is produced as a byproduct. Bye bye greenhouse gases, hello pure oxygen.

Sahoo made this rough prototype for $500 and fixed it to his old car.

The problem with this invention as it is right now is nobody wants that on the top of their car. But our inventor here says that with the help of the automobile industry, it will get sleeker and become much more desirable.

SAHOO: They have been all trying for the hybrid cars, hybrid cars which are very, very expensive. And this is a very simple device which can be fitted into the car.

SIDNER: When it's time to replace the contents of the box with new algae solution, scientist Sahoo says the waste can be turned into biofuel, which could in turn power vehicles. Worldwide, hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into biofuel research. But there are experts who say they don't think algae based biofuels would perform well in vehicles.

And then there's the issue of building the infrastructure to create the biofuel which would be hugely expensive. It would require a great deal of investment from industry and government policy to encourage its use. Still, Sahoo hopes his relatively cheap invention can help cure the world's rising temperatures with seaweed.

Sara Sidner, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Wow. Incredible invention there.

Now if you go down to the garage today, you could get a big surprise. Now here we have a black bear cub in a suburban home. And it's just hanging out. But momma bear is not happy. And she goes to extreme lengths to ensure that she does not leave a bear behind, opening up the garage door to get her quite gynamstically gifted offspring off the rails and thankfully baby has got a ladder heavy and slides down to safety.

And I'm sure the reunion was a case of big bear hugs all around.

Now, before we go, I want to show you this, I want to show you the world's ugliest dog. Here's the visual Mugly. The eight-year-old Chinese crested pooch won the dubious honor this year. His stubby snout, beady eyes, near hairless body won him the coveted title over 28 other beauty challenged canines. And Mugly's grand prize it was a year supply of dog biscuits and $1,000. So not bad for a rescue dog from Britain in a clown suit.

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

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