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NEWS STREAM
FIFA Approves Goal Line Technology; Heat Rages Across Northern Hemisphere; Fire At Chinese Mall Has Bloggers Questioning Official Government Annoucements; President Obama Campaigns In Ohio
Aired July 06, 2012 - 8:00 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. Welcome to News Stream. And we begin with a story about a mall fire in China and how it's become an online flashpoint between China's government and its people.
Now Obama tries to convince voters he has got the right plan for the U.S. economy. We'll see what impact the jobs report could have as those number are released in half an hour.
And one of the most successful men in the history of tennis is going for yet another Wimbledon crown. He is playing Novak Djokovic right now in the semifinal.
Now as you know here on News Stream we focus a lot on the intersection between news and technology. And our first story is a prime example. A shopping center in the Chinese city of Tianjin caught fire on Saturday. The government says 10 people died. But video of the incident has gone viral. Many are speculating that the death toll could be much higher.
Online, many blogger are claiming that almost 400 people died. It's very difficult what to separate what is rumor and what is fact, but the story highlights that many in China are questioning what their government is telling them. And they're using the internet as a platform to voice their doubts and concerns.
Now the Global Times is a pro-government English language newspaper, but even its editor has asked questions in the wake of Saturday's fire. Hu Xijin has more than 2 million followers on Weibo. He said it didn't matter whether the public had proof of their suspicions are not adding "the fact that such voices have been able to easily drown out the official announcement once again shows how weak the government's credibility has become."
And although Hu Xijin was talking specifically about the fire in Tianjin, as Stan Grant reports his comments can be taken in a much broader context.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: Kristie, the spread of social media has really become an outlet for dissent here in China. It seems that at every turn now people take to Weibo, China's version of Twitter, to question the official government line.
Remember last year with the high speed train crash. Dozens were killed there. Immediately people went online to question whether they were being told the truth. They were especially suspicious about the decision to bury the wreckage of the train itself.
In 2008, there was the poisoned milk scandal. Hundreds of thousands of babies were affected there, tens of thousands were hospitalized. People again went online to voice their concerns. In the end, two men were executed for endangering public security.
Both recently there was the case of Chen Guangcheng, the blind activist. Again, people went online, used Weibo and other means to show their support to the activist in his attempt to try to escape house arrest and to leave China.
And now we have the outcry over the Tianjin fire.
The government responds by trying to crackdown even harder, to censor the web, to ban certain words, to limit access. But it seems as if the genie is really out of the bottle, whether it is human rights campaigning, the campaign against forced abortions or pollution or corruption, people now have a voice and they're not so easily silenced -- Kristie.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Stan Grant there.
Now much of the dissent is published on Sino Weibo, that's China's answer to Twitter. It is heavily monitored and censored, but there are ways around it. In this latest incident, bloggers simply replaced the word Tianjin with New York.
In the past, posters have used characters that bare striking resemblance to each other. For example dissident artist Ai Weiwei has been talked about by using the characters Ai Weilei (ph), or love the future? Now Weibo now runs a points system where users who fall foul of the editors lose points. Post enough offensive comments and your account could be deleted.
Now to the crisis in Syria. Now pressure for Bashar al-Assad to step down is growing both inside and outside the country. Now western diplomat says a key member of al-Assad's inner circle, a general in the elite Republican guards, has defected.
And in Paris, representatives from some 60 nations have gathered for the latest Friends of Syria meeting. Now this picture shows them holding a moment of silence for Syrians killed in the unrest.
Now the U.S. has now said that Russia and China should pay a price if they stand in the way of sanctions on Damascus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a regime with a massive war machine. I'm sure many of you followed the back and forth I had with the Russian government over sending the attack helicopters they were refurbishing back to Syria. And I thank the United Kingdom and other European countries for very clearly expressing their refusal to allow that ship to go forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Now all this comes as Turkey mourns two fighter pilots who died when their jet was shot down by Syrian forces last month. Now military funerals were being held today.
Let's got straight to Turkey for the latest. Ivan Watson is in Istanbul. And Ivan, first news of this high profile defection of a top general in Syria. Can you tell us more about Manaf Tlass?
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the question that everybody is asking now is where is Manaf Tlas, this commander from the elite Republican Guard, the son of one of the most powerful families in Syria. The Tlass family whose father Mustafa Tlass was defense minister for more than 30 years under the President Hafez al-Assad, the current president's father. And then for some time under the son as well.
And we've gotten reports from some rebel contacts, from a western diplomat saying that Manaf Tlass has in fact left the country, but we do not know where he is. If he has, in fact, defected, this would be the highest ranking defector to leave a member of the Syrian president's inner circle. And it would come as a serious blow.
What has been striking over the course of the past 16 months, as entire swaths of Syrian countryside has risen up in defiance and in protest against their dictatorship, what has been striking is how disciplined the inner circle has been. We have not seen the high ranking defections that we saw, for instance, in the first months in the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi in Libya.
The journalist who had most recently spoken to Syria's embattled president Bashar al-Assad is a Turkish reporter with the newspaper Cumhuriyet who has been publishing serialized parts of his interview with Bashar al-Assad. And he spoke to CNN's Christiane Amanpour last night. Take a listen to what his observations were of Bashar al-Assad. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UTKU CAKIROZER, TURKISH JOURNALIST: I think he knows what's going on, but it seems that he doesn't really want to accept it. He has his own framework. And believes that the people are, you know, backing him, behind him. And he even compares himself with, you know, Shah Pahlavi of Iran. And he says that why he -- why he lost his -- that the people was not behind him, but people are behind me that's why I'm still alive, otherwise I would have done too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Bashar al-Assad insisting that the people of Syria are behind him, even though there is a great deal of speculation that one of his contemporaries from one of the most important families in the Syrian government may have fled and abandoned him -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: That's right. An incredible development.
And also happening today, Ivan, the military funeral for two Turkish pilots who were shot down by Syria. That have been a reminder of a the strained ties between the two countries.
WATSON: Absolutely. This somber ceremony held at Malata air base, attended by not only the top Turkish military brass, but also the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. And opposition Turkish political leaders showing unity after the deaths of these two air force pilots by the names of Gokhan Ertan and Hasan Huseyin Aksoy.
Now their reconnaissance jet was shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft defenses on June 22. And that was really the final nail in the coffin in Turkish Syrian official relations. The Turks have ramped up their military posture. Since that incident took place, which they labeled as an act of aggression. The Syrians say it was an act of self defense after the Turkish jet meandered into Syrian airspace. And this has really been a tactical, I would argue a very bad tactical move by the Assad regime, because it now gives the Turkish government an incentive, an excuse for ramping up support to the opposition Syrian rebels who were already based out of Turkish territory and moving freely back and forth across the Turkish-Syrian border along with weapons as well -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Ivan Watson reporting live from Istanbul, thank you.
And you're watching News Stream. And still ahead, thanking their lucky stars, how the Galaxy smartphone is sending Samsung's profits skyhigh.
Plus, all eyes are on Obama, but will he still be smiling when U.S. employment numbers are announced later this hour.
And clash of the tennis titans as Djokovic and Federer do battle at Wimbledon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Live from Hong Kong you are back watching News Stream.
Now Samsung says it expects a huge rise in profits this quarter. The electronics giant predicts a 79 percent jump in operating profits, almost $6 billion in the second quarter. And this is the reason why: Samsung Galaxy line of smartphones have proved a huge hit. Now they sold over 44 million Galaxy phones in the first quarter.
But it's not all good news for Samsung. Now last week, a judge in the U.S. suspended sales of the Galaxy Nexus. And the Galaxy Tab 10.1 after complaints from Apple.
Now Apple and Samsung, they are locked in a patent dispute. And Apple has accused Samsung of, quote, slavishly copying its designs and interface. Now you are looking at an iPad here on the left with an older Galaxy tab on the right.
Now the battle between the two in court, it's one of the many fronts in the smartphone patent war that we've been covering right here on News Stream. Manufacturers, they are pitting their patents against each other in court that would either ban opposing products from being sold or win royalties from rivals.
Now in the United States we are waiting for the latest numbers on employment. The June jobs report is due out in just over 10 minutes time and we will have full analysis of what the numbers mean for the U.S. economy later on in the show.
Now the report will no doubt be closely watched on the presidential campaign trail. Now President Barack Obama is on a bus tour through the key battleground states of Ohio and Pennsylvania and is trying to convince voters that he has the right plan for the economy.
Dan Lothian reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a more retail style approach, but unlike the president's other official bus trips last year, this one has campaign written all over it. There's a big presidential seal on the door and the venue in the small city of Momeal (ph), Ohio has been carefully staged. And white picket fences, a large American flag, and a soft story about his daughter.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And then it was Maliah's birthday yesterday.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: When she was small I could say all these fireworks I had arranged for her birthday. But she doesn't believe me anymore.
LOTHIAN: But his speech turned tough when the president took on his opponent's business experience.
OBAMA: Governor Romney's experience has been in owning companies that were called pioneers of outsourcing. That's not my phrase. Pioneers of oursourcing.
LOTHIAN: It's a message that resonates with this crowd. Unemployment in Ohio is below the national average of 8.2 percent, but the people in this city have experienced the highs and lows of the manufacturing industry from GM and Chrysler on life support to a recovery and new investments in the region that the president said were possible because of his administration's auto bailout.
OBAMA: Governor Romney said we should just let Detroit go bankrupt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what he said.
OBAMA: I refused to turn my back on communities like this one.
LOTHIAN: And a different queue, although the campaign denies political motivation, the administration is filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization against China for alleged unfair tariffs on some American made autos.
OBAMA: But we're going to make sure that competition is fair, that's what I believe.
LOTHIAN: While the president was making that case and defending his economic policies, not far away Romney surrogates were knocking down what Mr. Obama was playing up. Former presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal are on their own bus tours shadowing the president.
TIM PAWLENTY, FRM. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: His presidency has been a losing hand for Ohio and for America.
BOBBY JINDAL, GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA: We know that we are not better off than we were four years ago.
LOTHIAN: The president says the Republicans don't have real solutions and that a full recovery will take time. That's the message he took to his second stop at an ice cream social in Sandusky.
OBAMA: It's not enough just to recover and get back to where we were before the crisis. We've still got to address this basic challenge of how do we build a strong middle class and make sure that the next generation has the same opportunities that we did. And that's a long-term project. It's not going to happen overnight.
LOTHIAN: The president will make a total of six scheduled stops in two key battleground states following a final event in Parma near Cleveland, the president will visit Poland, Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh on Friday.
In addition to Romney's surrogates on the ground, we noticed something else in the air this morning. Circling the venue of the president's first stop before he arrived, a small plane towing a large banner that read "Romney 2012."
Dan Lothian, CNN, Sandusky, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now just ahead on News Stream, nearly six months on survivors of the Costa Condordia cruise ship disaster say the nightmare is far from over. They'll tell us why their hopes for just compensation are fading fast.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Now welcome back to News Stream. And you're looking at a visual rundown of the stories ahead on the show today. Now let's turn to France where investigators looking into what caused Air France Flight 447 to crash three years ago have made 25 new safety recommendations.
As we told you yesterday, France's bureau of investigation and analysis has released its final report into the crash. Now it wasn't looking to assign blame, that is a subject of a separate judicial inquiry. Now the report did, however, determine that pilots failed to react swiftly to a serious of technical problems.
The recommendations include better training on how to handle high altitude stalls. The Brazil to France flight, it plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009 killing all 228 people on board.
Now judges in Italy say the captain of the Costa Concordia is now free to leave his house, but he is not allowed to leave his hometown. Francesco Scatino had been under house arrest since January 17, four days after the cruise ship he was commanding ran aground. He's being investigated in connection with the shipwreck.
Now the accident left at least 30 people dead. The next court hearing is set for July 21.
Now some survivors of this disaster say the cruise line has been particularly skillful at navigating legal loop holes. As Dan Rivers reports, many of those survivors say they are now suffering because of it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In the weeks and months after the Costa Concordia disaster, many passengers reported signs of trauma.
PEREZ: The first month was hell for me. Almost every night I was having nightmares, especially of the deck as I was waiting there a few hours, waiting to get in. Sometimes I dream with my family that we're all running for our lives.
RIVERS: But the fine print of the passengers' tickets severely limits compensation offered by Costa.
SOHAIM KHAN, CONCORDIA PASSENGER: There's a huge page of terms and conditions, actually two pages. It's like a newspaper.
PEREZ: I lost everything on that boat. I lost laptops, cameras, memories. They offered me 11,000 euros. And that was supposed to release them from everything and anything that has to do with this accident. I cannot ask for more than this.
RIVERS: The 11,000 euros, about $14,000 is the minimum compensation under international law when the ship is abandoned.
The Ananias family were also offered 11,000 euros.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were forced to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't out of the goodness of their heart let's put it that way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. And what put the passengers at a disadvantage is they have a very, very tight contract. They have limitations to what they'll pay in the death of a person.
RIVERS: That limit is $71,000 for death or injury as spelled out in an international convention. But many experts believe Costa can pay more than $71,000 in this instance. James Walker, a maritime lawyer says any potential cruise ship passenger needs to examine the terms and conditions listed on the ticket.
JAMES WALKER, MARITIME LAWYER: There are a number of surprises, if not outright shocks contained in the fine legal print of the legal mumbo jumbo. The cruise lines have had their defense lawyers draft every conceivable protection of the cruise line to limit the ability of injured passengers to pursue their remedies.
RIVERS: Such contracts make it very difficult to bring a lawsuit in an American court where compensation would likely be much higher, even if the ship is American owned.
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER, (D) WEST VIRGINIA: Reports of the survivors of Costa Concordia do not inspire confidence.
RIVERS: Senator Rockefeller was highly critical of the industry at a hearing in March when he clashed with the CEO of the Cruise Line's International Association.
ROCKEFELLER: Carnival actually paid no U.S. corporate taxes at the all in 2011. Do you have a comment on that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Again, I can only say...
ROCKEFELLER: You're here representing your industry. Do you think that's right -- if I'm right, do you think that that's right if that happened?
CHRISTINE DUFFY, CEO, CRUISE LINES INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION: I think it's appropriate that the cruise industry pay their taxes based on the current laws.
ROCKEFELLER: I think the cruise ships are getting away with a lot and they're not paying taxes. And their ships are registered in other countries where they can, you know, get cheaper labor. They play virtually no taxes in this country.
RIVERS: Carnival is incorporated in Panama, Royal Caribbean in Liberia, and Princess Cruises in Bermuda, even though their headquarters are in Florida, a source of contention for Rockefeller.
From 2004 to 2011, Carnival paid just 1.1 percent in federal, state and foreign taxes, yet recorded $11.3 billion in profits. Bud Darr of the Cruise Line Association says all lines have to follow the international rules of the sea, but he concedes there are tax advantages of registering outside of the United States.
(on camera): Are there some fees and taxation considerations that go into that?
BUD DARR, CRUISE LINE ASSOCIATION: Certainly, we pay a wide array of fees, duties and we pay all of the taxes that we are required to pay.
RIVERS: Senator Rockefeller says the industry is piloting their boats through legal loopholes.
ROCKEFELLER: They don't reimburse coast guard. They don't pay taxes, which would help these 20 federal agencies which are watching over them. They always say safety is their emphasis. I have never quite believed that. I think the bottom line is their emphasis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now join us on Sunday when we move beyond what happened with the Costa Concordia to take a look at safety issues in the cruise ship industry as a whole. A special report "Cruise to Disaster" airs at 9:00 am in Hong Kong.
Now this is News Stream. And tennis fever continues to grip the UK. Andy Murray is on Center Court at Wimbledon later, but right now it's Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. We'll bring you the latest score in just a moment.
And goal line technology is finally going to be a part of football. We've got that story also just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, you're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.
Now military funerals are taking place in Turkey today for two Turkish fighter pilots killed when the jet was brought down by Syrian forces last month. Meanwhile, world leaders at a Friends of Syria meeting in Paris have stressed the need for political transition in Damascus. A western official says a member of the Syrian president's inner circle, a general in the Republican Guard, has defected.
Now South Korean tech giant Samsung is forecasting record profits in the second quarter. And they are expected to jump nearly 80 percent to $5.9 billion. The company says the profit surge is largely due to strong sales of its Galaxy smartphones.
And we are waiting for the June jobs report to come out any minute now. Economists expect the rise of 95,000 jobs. And the economy is a key issue in the U.S. presidential election later this year. In fact, the numbers are in. A rise of 80,000 jobs.
And we will give you analysis of this lower than expected number with our own Felicia Taylor live from New York later on right here on News Stream.
Now, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, they are currently battling it out at Wimbledon. And next up, homegrown star Andy Murray takes on Jo- Wilfried Tsonga. Amanda Davies is at Wimbledon. She joins us now live. And Amanda, let's talk about the first match. Who is winning? Is it Federer or Djokovic?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Krsitie, welcome to a very wet Wimbledon. It has to be said it is advantage Roger Federer at the moment. He is 5-2 up in the first set. Djokovic had described this as the ultimate challenge here at Wimbledon. Again, the six-time champion, that's despite the fact that Djokovic is in fact the world number one. He, of course, is the defending champion here. And actually in recent times he's got a really, really good record against Roger Federer. He's won six of their last seven meetings.
The difference, though, here today this time is that this is their first meeting on grass. Roger Federer of course has been so dominant on the grass in recent times. And the other thing that a lot of analysts, a lot of pundits have been saying is because of the rain here today, the roof is closed, so it's playing a lot more like an indoor court. And Roger Federer has a great indoor record.
So as things stand, it is advantage Roger Federer, but we are very early on it's 5-2 in the first set.
LU STOUT: All right. There's your update there.
And also there's excitement building for Andy Murray's semifinal.
DAVIES: Yeah, it's funny really to be saying that a match between the defending champion and a six-time champion is the warm-up, but that is where we are today, because all British eyes, all home eyes are on Andy Murray. They're really, really hoping that the British number one can break this British hoodoo here at Wimbledon and that he can become the first homegrown man into the men's single finals for 74 years.
Boris Becker has given him his backing. He's up against Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga from France, the man who made the semifinal last year. But Murray has a great record against him. He's beaten him five out of their six meetings. And so understandably the home fans here are pretty confident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's going to win, definitely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A very tough game here. I mean, a very good player. So, yeah, I see Murray do it maybe in straight sets, yeah. I'm quite confident. He's playing very well lately.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's going to be a tough game, but I expect Murray to get through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brilliant if he wins. And I'm pretty confident in him. I think he'll do really well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I sincerely hope he wins. I think he will, because he has to win. He knows he has to. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's going to do great. Rooting for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIES: This is Murray's fourth straight semifinal here. He was beaten by Andy Roddick the first time and then twice by Rafael Nadal. People are suggesting that this is his best chance, really, against the fifth seed Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga, but Tsonga really is no mug. He came back from two sets down last year to beat Roger Federer and book his place in the semifinal. And of course for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as well, he is looking for his first place in a Wimbledon final, Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yeah, I love that one soundbite about Andy Murray, I think he'll win because he has to win.
Now Amanda, let's look ahead to Saturday and the women's final. What should we expect?
DAVIES: Well, Agnieska Radwanska says on her bio page on the WTA Tour website that he dream is to win a grand slam title and to become the world number one. And she can do both of those things here on Saturday. The slight problem for her is that standing in her way is the 13-time grand slam champion Serena Williams.
And it's also a Serena Williams in form. She's been in a really dominant display in her semifinal against Victoria Azarenka on Friday hitting a record 24 aces in a single match. That wasn't a three set match either, that was a two set match. And perhaps more worryingly, Serena says she felt she wasn't serving that well.
Radwanska is a former junior champion here. She won the lady -- the girls junior title in 2005. But she really is the underdog for the ladies final. She's lost to Serena in both of their two meetings. She's also been struggling with a chest infection which forced her to cut short her news conference after her semifinal yesterday.
So it's going to be a tough, tough challenge for Radwanska, but you know she says it's what she's dreamed of since she was a child. And she says she's going to take it and grab her opportunity with both hands.
LU STOUT: Yeah, very interesting to see how it all plays out. Amanda Davies joining us live from Wimbledon, thank you. Take care.
So it sounds like it will be hard to predict the winners from today's semifinal matches at Wimbledon, but you can say with confidence that controversial line calls are unlikely. And as Alex Thomas in London can tell us, the same can soon be said for football -- Alex.
ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we certainly hope so, Kristie. Football bosses are finally approved the use of goal line technology. And it may become known as Lampard's law after FIFA president Sepp Blatter admitted it was the England midfielders disallowed goal at the 2010 World Cup that sparked the sport's biggest rule change for 20 years.
On Thursday, the green light was given to both the Hawkeye and the Goalref systems which determine when a ball has crossed the goal line. It's set to end years of controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THOMAS: You could trace the call for technology in football back to this famously controversial goal at the 1966 World Cup Final. It was awarded to England even though some dispute to this day whether or not the ball crossed the line.
Fast forward to the 2010 World Cup and this time England didn't get the decision even though modern television coverage showed Frank Lampard's shot was in.
FRANK LAMPARD, ENGLISH NATIONAL TEAM: It's a no-brainer it went. Goal line technology I can say that more than anyone in the World Cup.
THOMAS: The outrage that followed Lampard's disallowed goal was a major factor in FIFA president Sepp Blatter's decision to reverse his stance on the issue. Shortly after the Lampard incident, testing the goal line technology began with two systems emerging as the leading candidates one based on cameras the other on magnetic fields.
RICHARD SCUDAMORE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, PREMIER LEAGUE: Is it's specialized cameras that are fixed in I think seven different position for each half, so 14 cameras that is part of what we're looking at. And it's a system that effectively simulates what's going on and then that creates an absolute certain image of where that ball is or isn't at any given time.
THOMAS: Cricket umpires have been referring their decisions to technology for more than a decade. Tennis, baseball, American football, Aussie rules, and hockey all review decisions using some form of simulated or instant replays.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The puck has really crossed the line, the camera inside the net we have a good goal.
GRAHAM POLL, FORMER FOOTBALL REFEREE: All referees welcome goal line technology. There's nothing worse than driving home from a game, which is all about scoring a goal and a goal has been scored and generally through no fault of your own you haven't seen it.
THOMAS: Still, the debate in association football has endured with UEFA president Michel Platini remaining a staunch opponent.
MICHEL PLATINI, UEFA PRESIDENT: I would like for FIFA will try one day to prove to everyone referee in the center and four assistant referees around. Because we need to help the referee to make the decision. But it's not through technology.
THOMAS: Some sports that have introduced technology end up using it for more and more decisions. In cricket, it was initially used only to determine if a batsman had been run out. But it's now used to review any uncertain dismissal in front of the wicket.
Football bosses say that won't happen in this case.
NEALE BARRY, IFAB TECHNICAL COMMITTEE: Currently we're only talking about goal line technology. And the reason we talk about goal line technology is because it's a matter of fact. The ball either crosses the goal line or it doesn't. All the video technologies then come to a matter of opinion -- was it a penalty or wasn't it a penalty; should somebody have been sent off, should somebody not have been sent off.
THOMAS: While most fans may welcome football's embrace of technology, it's unlikely to stop the friendly arguments. There are many more decisions to debate in the sport than whether or not the ball has crossed the line.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
THOMAS: Let's switch to basketball now. And yes I know the NBA schedule for next season isn't even out yet, but there is a huge buzz building over where some of the stars will be playing, including four of the best point guards in the league. Here they all are. Steve Nash has raised the most eyebrows after agreeing to take a short trip from Pheonix to L.A. to join Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
And late on Thursday, reports emerged that Knicks star Jeremy Lin had signed an offer with the Houston Rockets. Let's not take him too far west. And that would take him away from the Big Apple to Texas. Now the Knicks can still match Houston's offer, but if Lin does wave goodbye to New York their fans can console themselves with the fact that Jason Kidd said he's leaving the Dallas Mavericks to join the Knicks. So we could get a bit of a switch between those two.
You may notice I left one guy untouched, Darren Williams, arguably the best of the point guards on the market. Well, he is not going anywhere. He signed an extension to stay with the Nets.
And a reminder of the latest score in the first men's semifinal at Wimbledon. Since we heard from Amanda there a short time ago, Roger Federer has taken the first set against Novak Djokovic by 6-3. And the defending champion has taken the first game of the second set, Kristie.
Back to you in Hong Kong.
LU STOUT: All right. Alex Thomas there with the very latest. Thank you.
Now let's get a look at the conditions for the athletes and the fans at Wimbledon. Karen Maginnis, she joins us from the world weather center - - Karen.
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: And Kristie, it looks like we did see a few umbrellas out and a little bit of light rainfall for the most part. The wind is a little brisk. Visibility is pretty good. And here is our view as we take a look across London.
Some of these heavier showers rotating around a trough of low pressure. There could be a little bit of a break here as we go in the next couple of hours, but some of that rainfall has been heavy.
Temperatures had been amazingly hot just about everywhere we look in the northern hemisphere. We start across the United States with some staggeringly high temperatures. Chicago made it to 39. A typical July average is around 29. So 5 to 10 degrees hotter than it typically would be for this time of year.
We go across the Atlantic and you've heard all week long about the exceptionally hot temperatures we've seen in southeastern and eastern sections of Europe from Budapest we have seen a temperature on Thursday of 36 degrees, typical high would be around 27. Belgrade, Kiev also included in those very hot temperatures.
Even in the Middle East -- Kuwait City topped out at 44 degrees. Look at Doha, Qatar 47 for a high temperature there Thursday afternoon.
And not to finish, here we go towards China also in the past week or so we've talked about the exceptionally high temperatures, mostly in the 30s. For Shanghai, 38 degrees. This July average would be about 30.
All right. Well, across Europe it looks like that broad area of high pressure is going to keep those temperatures running 6 degrees in some cases above where it should be. But the reason you saw those showery conditions across the United Kingdom is this trough has been carved out. It'll shift a little bit more towards the east, and as a result some areas of Poland that had been exceptionally hot will cool down just a little bit.
Budapest, temperature actually goes up as we head toward the weekend. Not even a few showers, the storms will cool it off. Then into Warsaw, Saturday and Sunday, by Sunday temperatures drop down a few degrees, but it looks like the thunderstorms becoming a greater likelihood.
In Paris, 21. And in the champagne district for stage six as we go towards the Tour de France we're expecting a few showers expected there as well.
For Kiev, 29. Bucharest is looking at 32. And Athens a pretty steamy 34 degrees.
Now a look at these international forecasts.
We closely monitor what happens as far as the monsoon is concerned across the Indian subcontinent, because it is so vitally important to the agriculture across the region.
Well, it looks like it's about 30 percent behind. Some of the rainfall is a little scarce as we head up more towards the north and towards the north potentially you in Indian states.
Well, take a look at what's happening as we go through time for July. We should see it at least towards this region, but it is still kind of lingering behind. We saw kind of a late onset as well.
We'll keep you updated on that. News Stream will continue right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: All right. Welcome back.
And let's return to one of our top stories, the U.S. jobs report for June is out. And is shows the U.S. economy added 80,000 jobs. Let's get more analysis of what those numbers mean for the U.S. economy and bring in Felicia Taylor who is standing by in our New York bureau.
And Felicia, this was below forecast of 95,000 jobs.
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORREPSONDENT: Absolutely. It was a lower number than was expected and certainly a little bit disappointing for the marketplace as well. Already futures are indicating a significantly lower open. One trader I spoke to said you know we could see a drop of about 1, 1.5 percent in the stock market because of this dismal number.
But let's take a look at, you know, sort of what was inside that number. In terms of private sector payrolls, only 84,000 jobs were created and that, too, is not really enough to keep up with what would be expected of at least 125,000 to keep up with population growth.
Now this is the third month in a row that we've seen these kind of very low double digit, and I mean just you know 80,000, 77,000, 69,000 kind of numbers when what we really need to see is more like 200,000, 250,000 jobs created.
So the question becomes, and you can see right there that the May jobs number was revised upward from 69,000 to 77,000. That, too, obviously not a good thing. The question now becomes will the Federal Reserve be forced to do something in terms of stepping in and adding a little bit more stimulus to the marketplace. That's the discussion right now on Wall Street. And that's what traders certainly are hoping.
The unemployment rate has maintained steady at 8.2 percent. Keep in mind, though, that more people have come back into the labor force and that's what's keeping that level at 8.2 percent -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: You know, Felicia, all eyes on the Fed, but also all eyes on President Obama. This is an election year. We have back to back gloomy employment reports. What's ahead. Is there going to be more downside risk leading up to November?
TAYLOR: Well, it's a very good question. We've only got four more months until that election date. So we've only got four more numbers. It's very difficult to turn around this kind of a jobs picture with such little time to go.
So this is not good news for the Obama administration, certainly not, and whether or not he's going to be able to overcome that is obviously the question that everybody has to hear from him. He's on the campaign trail right now obviously in key states such as Ohio where those votes are very important in terms of winning the election.
So, yes, there's no question about it that everybody is going to be focused on the jobs number. That is the critical point of this economy in terms of getting any kind of a turnaround.
The discussion now is really about things slowing down. That's not what the administration wants for the voters to hear as they go to the polls.
LU STOUT: Felicia Taylor joining us live from New York. Thank you very much indeed for that analysis and insight.
And we will have a full breakdown of those numbers and what it means for the U.S. economy plus the latest business headlines it's coming up on World Business Today in about 10 minutes from now.
Now do you remember the Florida lifeguard who was fired for saving a life? Well, he's been offered his job back. John Zarrella reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tomas Lopez gave the news to his friends and fellow lifeguards. He had just spoken with the company president. After a tumultuous three days, they could all have their jobs back.
TOMAS LOPEZ, FORMER LIFEGUARD: Hopefully you guys make the decision you want to, that's for you guys all right?
ZARRELLA: What do you guys think? Do you think you'll go back?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going back.
ZARRELLA: No?
Lopez had already made up his mind.
LOPEZ: I said I humbly decline the invitation to get the job back. I just -- it's another chapter in my life closed. And I'm just going to continue and get my schooling finished and get on with my career.
ZARRELLA: On Monday, Lopez had no clue he would soon be the central figure in a you've got to be kidding kind of story that literally went viral. Lopez was working a lifeguard stand in Hallendale Beach, Florida. A beachgoer runs over, asking for help, telling Lopez someone is drowning.
SZILARD JANKO, FORMER LIFEGUARD: You know, I was guarding his zone to make sure it's still safe while he's off tower performing the rescue. And when he gets back a few minutes later we were informed that he was fired. They let him go after he performed the rescue. And...
ZARRELLA: That quickly?
JANKO: Just a few minutes later, yes.
They fired him basically on the spot.
ZARRELLA: Why? Lopez says because he left his zone and he didn't call 911 instead of running to help with a rescue in an area of the beach that as this sign reads is swim at your own risk.
The Orlando company Jeff Ellis Management that provides under contract the lifeguard services for Hallendale Beach told the local newspaper there are liability issues if lifeguards go out of their zone. Company owner Jeff Ellis told CNN firing Lopez was wrong.
JEFF ELLIS, JEFF ELLIS MANAGEMENT: Clearly he should not have been terminated for what had occurred. I know that he has tried to do the right thing.
ALEXANDER LEWY, HALLANDALE BEACH FLORIDA COMMISSIONER: The company made a knee jerk reaction, the local management of it, and that's why the president is coming down to make sure a full investigation is done.
ZARRELLA: Three lifeguards quit after the incident. Two others were fired. How come? Because, they say, they told company officials they, too, would leave their zones breaking company policy if they had to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So they told us we'd be liabilities and that we had to be in our zone.
ZARRELLA: We have not been able to reach the company for comment on any of this. Lopez says he'd do it again every time. No regrets.
LOPEZ: I ended up going to be knowing that I did the right thing and I can sleep sound at night that I tried to help.
ZARRELLA: The man he helped is alive and recovering at a nearby hospital. And Thursday, the company was training new lifeguards on the beach.
John Zarrella, CNN, Hallandale Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now you're watching News Stream. And still ahead, Fourth of July flop that one big fireworks show didn't quite go off as planned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Now it was intense, but it was over all too soon. After a few frantic seconds it was time to go home. Now Jeanne Moos reports on San Diego's Fourth of July flop.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're looking at fireworks where the fire worked, just not the timing.
It really rocked San Diego.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god.
MOOS: All of the fireworks intended for an entire 20 minute show went off at the same time. It was over in under 30 seconds.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. This has been this year's fireworks demonstration.
MOOS: You know, it's always hard to tell when a fireworks display is over. You're always asking was that the finale? Was that it?
Same here.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe that was everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That wasn't supposed to happen was it?
CROWD: No way.
MOOS: You betcha.
Garden State Fireworks, a company famous for its shows says the snafu may have been caused by a corrupted file resulting in a computer glitch that launched every single firework. Garden State's co-owner August Santore.
AUGUST SANTORE, GARDEN STATE FIREWORKS CO-OWNER: I wish I could unring a bell, but I can't.
MOOS: At least unring the car alarms.
The short, but intense show was a disappointment to some, but not all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was not expecting that. That was awesome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was a good start. You don't often see the grand finale at the beginning.
MOOS: On the internet they call this an epic fail. Too bad it happened too late to be included in this.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: The ultimate fireworks fail compilation set to music.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: At least no one was hurt in the San Diego blowout.
The coast guard had a technical term for the fireworks fiasco.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A, quote, premature ignition.
MOOS: Leading one poster to quip, "I swear to you this is never happened to me before."
Even after the fireworks was spent, the music played on.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: In the land of the free, feel free to cheer premature ignition.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now that was epic.
And that is News Stream, but the news continues at CNN. World Business today is next.
END
