Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

Lonmin Withdraws Worker Ultimatum; Manchester United Falls To Everton In Opener; Sectarian Violence Spilling Over Into Lebanon; Profile of Mercedes Erra, Zaha Hadid

Aired August 21, 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 South Africa where a deadline has come and gone for striking mine workers to return to work and the fears of renewed violence.

Also ahead, a CNN investigation into a crime some fear is spreading. This man tells us why he killed his wife to protect what he calls his honor.

And better late than never, why this famous golf club is earning praise 80 years after it opened.

Now before we get to those stories, I just want to update you on an ongoing situation in Dublin. The Israeli embassy has been evacuated after police say embassy staff discovered a suspicious device a short time ago. The evacuation is a precaution. And the embassy says it won't comment on security matters.

Now Irish officials say a police bomb squad is headed to the site and will take a look at the device. And we'll also keep an eye on developments there. And we'll keep you up to date.

Now to Africa next and the world's third largest platinum producer is backing off its threat to fire striking South African miners who don't return to work by today. Now the British based mining giant Lonmin says it is worried the ultimatum could lead to more violence. Now about 3,000 miners at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana, South Africa went on strike on August 10. As of Monday, about one-third had returned to work. But deadly violence has overshadowed the walkout. 44 people have been killed during the strike, including 34 miners shot by police last week.

Now the controversial shooting has prompted an investigation and raised questions around the world.

Now let's take a closer look at what the striking miners are demanding. Simply, it's higher wages.

Now many of the strikers are rock drill operators who extract the precious metal from the Lonmin platinum mine. They make between just $300 and $500 a month for dangerous back breaking labor. And many live in a compound of one room shacks that they share with other families. Now they want a wage increase to at least $1,500 a month.

South African President Jacob Zuma has declared a week of national mourning to honor the victims of last week's deadly shooting. And he has also promised a full investigation into what happened.

Now David McKenzie is at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTENATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A handful of stones mark a makeshift grave. A body lay here. Now blood soaks the earth.

The people of Marikana are still in shock. This man who wouldn't give us his name says he lost two family members.

"I'm sad, because these people who were killed are my family," he says. "They were just killed. They did nothing wrong. They were fighting for their rights."

All he could find, he says, were their clothes.

This field has become the crime scene of the deadliest police action since apartheid. Late last week, after several days of a violent (inaudible) sparked by low wages at the Lonmin platinum mine. Police opened fire on protesters. More than 30 were killed.

The footage of the killings already seared in the minds of South Africans.

Do you feel that your company has blood on its hands from what has happened?

SIMON SCOTT, CFO, LONMIN: I don't think so. I mean, I think we all as South Africans feel exactly the same way that you feel. We've done -- you know, we've gone -- we've made sure that any of our employees that have been directly affected in this, we are doing as much as we possibly can. We put in place counseling for the families. We are assisting in the arrangement appropriately with regard to the burials that need to take place.

MCKENZIE: So whose fault is this?

SCOTT: There is a commission of inquiry that has been set up to look at whose fault it may be. At this time, we're not pointing fingers. We're saying let's get back to work. Let's get operations running smoothly. And then if there is blame to be apportioned, let's do that at a later stage.

MCKENZIE: But these union leaders say they won't. Many of the miners are rock drill operators in the Marikana mine. They earn between $300 and $500 a month for the dangerous work. They demanded at least three times that.

But inside the mining shanty town, any worker we try to interview is immediately stopped by union leaders.

The police helicopters are still circling the area of the mine. There's a real feeling of fear in this entire region. And the interesting thing is the union has put out the word. Nobody will speak to us.

Hundreds of protesters already been charged by the state. Miners scowl, they're restless to see who is in jail.

Family members of those who died say they support the strike.

"We are here to mourn," says this man, "and to cry for those who died on the spot."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was David McKenzie reporting.

Now memorials are also planned around South Africa on Thursday, the one week anniversary of the police shooting.

Now let's got to Nkepile Mabuse in Marikana. She joins us now live. And Nkepile, the mine operator has dropped its threat to fire the workers, so has that eased the tension there at all?

NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: The area is still tense, Kristie, and when you speak to people who have lost their loved ones, you know, the wounds are still so fresh, the emotional wounds are still so fresh. London platinum mine last week issued an ultimatum to workers to return to work on Friday, that was extended to Monday and then extended again to Tuesday.

Now Lonmin is saying they're taking a conciliatory approach. They say they understand just how profoundly the whole country has been touched by this. The government and labor unions have said in light of the president declaring six days of mourning for the dead London should give miners a little bit more time.

They are also mourning those who have died yesterday. Lonmin said 27 percent of its total workforce pitched up for work. Today, the numbers are up, but by not a significant number, 33 percent.

Lonmin is hoping by the end of the week those figures will be a little bit higher, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now politicians have weighed in on the mine dispute there, but what has been the popular reaction across South Africa to the violence, to the ongoing strike there. Is public sympathy with the striking miners?

MABUSE: Kristie, this country has been touched so deeply. People continue to flock here to the scene of those dramatic events of last week, Thursday. Just earlier a prominent South African former anti-apartheid activists, Bishop Paul Vorain (ph) was here. He took off his shoes with members of his congregation. And they were praying and they were singing. And it just took one back to those days in the 80s when Bishop Paul Vorain (ph) and others would go to similar scenes with Apartheid police had gunned down protesters.

And he said, you know, it feels like we're back in those days, but the enemy now is not racism, but inequality.

So very sad days here in South Africa at the moment, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And again, Memorials to be held on Thursday in honor of the 44 people who have been killed in ongoing violence during these strikes. Nkepile Mabuse joining us live on the scene. Thank you.

Now turning now to Ethiopia and the country's long serving prime minister Meles Zenawi has died. A government spokesman says that Meles died on Monday of an unspecified infection. He had been getting treatment outside the country. But no further details have been released about exactly how and where he passed away. And his death ends speculation that had been mounting for weeks about his health after he disappeared from public view.

Now Ethiopia's deputy leader Hale Marium Desalan (ph) is now acting prime minister.

Now Meles Zenawi's death has raised serious questions about the future of Ethiopia. Now Meles who was 57 dominated Ethiopian public life for more than two decades and was a key political figure in the volatile horn of Africa. A former rebel leader, Meles became president in 1991 after helping to overthrow the Ethiopian dictator Hale McGibb Zenario (ph) and went on to become prime minister four years later.

Now Meles was a polarizing figure during his time in office. He was credited with overseeing Ethiopia's economic growth over the past decade.

Here he is with the former French president Nicolas Sarkozy at the G20 summit back in 2011.

But Meles has also come under fire from human rights groups. Now they accused him of using Ethiopia's controversial anti-terrorism law to silence opposition voices.

Now just ahead here on News Stream, game change: the United States threatens military consequences if Bashar al-Assad's government deploys chemical weapons. We'll bring you the very latest on the situation in Syria.

Also ahead, turning the spotlight on a shocking crime. Why some kill their loved ones in the name of honor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now activists say 33 people have been killed so far this Tuesday in Syria. Residents of Aleppo and Daraa have come under new shelling and homes have been burned in Damascus. As Syria's brutal civil war rages, the U.S. president has issued his strongest warning yet to the al-Assad regime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus, that would change my equation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: But nothing said or done in the last 17 months has stopped the bloodshed in Syria. That violence has ignited old tension across the border in Lebanon. And the latest clashes killed two people and injured at least 36 others. And now the army has moved into the city of Tripoli to restore order.

Lebanon has long simmering tensions between Sunnis and Alawites. Let's bring in Jim Clancy from Beirut. Now Jim, the Syrian turmoil, it is spilling into Lebanon yet again with these sectarian clashes. What more can you tell us?

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie Lu -- Kristie, it's important to understand what is the situation there in Tripoli. What you have are neighborhoods -- a Sunni neighborhood here very much opposed Bashar al-Assad, very much in favor of the Free Syrian Army. They may even have relatives fighting in that Free Syrian Army. On the other side of the street you have an Alawite community. And they are very pro Bashar al-Assad. They see the interests of their own small group being represented, being protected by the government. They have been clashing for months now.

Last night it turned ugly. We understand one young woman was killed along with many others. Today we are learning of more casualties, some 40 people wounded, two people killed within the last 24 hours.

Now the Lebanese army moved in. Arwa Damon was there reporting that armored personnel carriers were moving on what's called Syria Street. And they were trying -- they were firing on both sides trying to get them to stop these clashes, trying to stop this conflict from spilling over.

Instead, they came under fire from a barrage of rocket propelled grenades as well as machine guns. The Lebanese army has been forced to retreat. The battles, we understand, have resumed. They are at this hour reported to be sporadic.

A very serious situation and one which the Lebanese authorities very much want to put a lid on -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Jim, inside Lebanon we've seen these street battles, these sectarian clashes inside the country. Also we've seen abductions of Syrian nationals by the Mikdad family. The clan, as I understand it, they have promised to stop its kidnapping spree. So Jim, is it over or is the threat still there?

CLANCY: No, it's not over by any stretch of the imagination right now, Kristie. When we look at this situation, you have not only the Mikdad Clan, but you have other clans that are involved in all of this as well. You have Shia families that have several members of their families that have been kidnapped. They're going to do tit for tat retaliation kidnappings.

Once again, the state has to intervene here.

And on that front, Human Rights Watch issued a call yesterday saying Lebanon has to follow, to apprehend and prosecute those that are responsible for these kidnappings if they really want to put an end to it. Thus far there's been any movement that we have seen between the two sides to exchange hostages.

In any event, a lot of people look at this and say so long as people can get away with it, as long as they're not prosecuted for doing this. If it's just accepted to be part of what the clans can do in order to retrieve their own family members, this isn't going to go away. And it's another serious threat that has people in this country nervous.

We shouldn't overstate the case by any stretch of the imagination, but at the same time it is cause for concern -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: So people in the country are nervous, Jim. I mean, just -- tell us more about the mood and just how high is the anxiety that Lebanon will be sucked into Syria's internal conflict.

CLANCY: Well, people have known ever since the beginning of this that there are so many familial ties between Syria and Lebanon that this is going to be a very emotional issue. They know what is going on in Syria is in one way or another going to be felt here in Lebanon. The question is, is it going to be controlled in a sensible way or are you going to have shootouts in the streets as were seeing here in Tripoli.

The government is doing what it can. Some are pointing a finger at it saying it's far too little coming far too late. They'll have to regroup and see what they an do.

There's also a need for religious leaders and political leaders not to exploit the situation or aggravate the situation, but to try to calm it down and to call for their respective parties to hold back, to control their emotions in all of this.

Literally, this country -- you talk to people here -- no one wants to be drawn in to what is happening in Syria, but they know, they know inside that there are so many emotions, there are so many ties with Syria right now, that's going to be hard to do. There has to be more done in order to prevent this from boiling over inside the Lebanese borders -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Jim Clancy live for us in Beirut. Thank you very much indeed for that.

Now at least 150 people were killed in Syria on Monday, that's according to an opposition group. And this woman was among those victims. Mika Yamamoto, she worked for the independent Japan press news agency. And her bio on the website calls her a pioneer of video journalism in Japan.

Now she covered Afghanistan under Taliban rule as well as the war there and in Iraq. And her father says that she was passionate about telling stories of people in need.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOJI YAMAMOTO, SLAIN JOURNALIST'S FATHER (through translator): She always thought of children and women under the fire of conflict and kept saying it's her mandate to tell the stories of those people to the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Yamamoto was shot Monday during a gun battle in Aleppo. The Committee to Protect Journalists says that Syria has become the most dangerous place in the world for both local and international journalists. At least 19 have been killed since November trying to report on the protests that have turned into a civil war.

Now still ahead here on News Stream, we go inside the mind of a killer. Why this man fatally shot his wife and did it in the name of so- called honor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream. And this week CNN is looking at the crime of so-called honor murders, that is when victims, usually women or girls, are killed by members of their own family, because they did something considered to have breached conservative norms. That could be anything from falling in love with the wrong person to making their own personal choices about their futures.

Now take a look at this map. And it highlights countries where the crime is prevalent according to one activist group. But it should be pointed out that honor murders tend to take place in communities where incidents may go unreported.

Now experts believe a large number of these crimes occur in south Asia. The Honor Based Violence Awareness Network says that India and Pakistan each have about 1,000 such killings very year. And around the world the UN says as many as 5,000 honor murders are believed to take place.

Now there have been high profile cases in the UK as well. One activist group says that there are about 12 there each year such as the 2003 murder of the teenager Shafilea Ahmed.

But what drives someone to kill a loved one? And why? Now CNN spoke to one man in jail in Pakistan. And a warning, you may find this interview disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MUKHTAR HUSSAIN, SAMINA'S FATHER (subtitles): My life is destroyed. My God destroy his life too. I have nothing left. I beg God for justice.

ISMAIL: I asked my wife to bring me my clothes. When she went inside the bedroom, I shot and killed her. She didn't say anything when I shot her. I didn't want to hear what she had to say anyway. The first shot hit the side of her body. I left her there and went next door and killed my wife's mother and sister. Then I came back and shot my wife again.

I don't remember how many times I shot my wife. The gun was loaded. I stopped when I was sure all the bullets were gone.

I am proud of what I did, that's why I turned myself over to the police.

My wife never made me happy. She was just like a prostitute. She never took care of me. If I was sitting or sleeping alone, she never kept me company.

No, I don't regret what I did. Even if the government hangs me I wouldn't care. I did this for my honor. I don't care if I lose my life.

No, no, no. I don't miss my wife. How can I miss a prostitute?

If anyone's wife deceives him, he should do what I did. He should make her a lesson for other women.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Let's get more now from our Reza Sayah. He joins us now from Islamabad, Pakistan. Reza, I mean, it was deeply disturbing watching that clip just now as Muhammad Ismail explaining away his crimes. But despite that confession, is there a chance that he could be a free man?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I think some people outside of this region who are not familiar with the concept of blood money may be surprised that he could go free if the victim's family agrees to accept compensation. And that is an option for victim's families in many conservative Muslim societies based on the Islamic principle that mercy is more noble than revenge. And we should also point out that the confession that he made to police, that statement is not admissible in a court of law. If he wants to make a confession official he has to do it before a judge.

And that has a lot to do with the poor reputation of Pakistani police here over the years. They've been accused of using force and coercion to extract false confessions. So he could -- he could be set free.

LU STOUT: Unbelievable.

And last year -- and here is that worrying statistic once again -- last year 943 women were victims of so-called honor killings in Pakistan, that's an increase of more than 100 from 2010. So Reza, why is this happening? Why are honor killings on the rise there?

SAYAH: Well, activists say these numbers are on the rise because the root causes of the problem persist and that is an ineffective and often corrupt government, an ineffective and corrupt justice system, a law enforcement system that often doesn't have the power and the resources to effectively investigate and prosecute these crimes.

And then what you have is a patriarchal society, a male dominated society wehre men often view women as property. If you paid attention to that interview Muhammad Ismail was talking as if his late wife was his property and if the property doesn't function it's OK to discard it. It's a view that has persisted for generations even before Islam in these tribal cultures. And activists say it's going to take a long time to extract that view and replace it with a view that women are equal and women do have rights. They say that's the key. It's going to take a long time.

But if you don't do it, activists say, you're going to have more of these honor killings.

LU STOUT: So it's the failings of the legal system, a patriarchal society in some parts of Pakistan. Just to clarify here, Reza, the concept of honor it is not part of Islam, it's not universal in Islam is it? It's found only in more smaller, more conservative communities there.

SAYAH: Yeah, there is a perception, and it's a false perception among many, that this is a problem with Islam. Experts and activists here say the problem of honor killings was here long before Islam in these tribal cultures where they had this notion of Islam -- and again, male dominated societies where women were viewed as property and activists say if you're going to solve this problem like any problem it's going to need the donor community to step up, to raise awareness, to educate people. It's going to take a lot of money.

And of course for the past 10 years the focus here has been to tackle extremism in Islamist militants and that's why problems of honor killing have for the most part been ignored, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Reza Saya reporting for us live from Islamabad. Thank you.

Now the headlines are next after the break. And also ahead, the ongoing legal case between Apple and Samsung, we'll take a close look at the questions the jury must answer to decide which of the tech giants is at fault.

(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 owners of a platinum mine in South Africa where 34 people were shot dead by police last week have withdrawn a threat to sack strikers who refused to come back to work today. Now Lonmin, the company based in London, admitted its ultimatum isn't helping anyone and could lead to further violence. It's asking employees to come back to work as soon as possible.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zanawi was died. State TV made the announcement on Tuesday ending weeks of speculation about his whereabouts and health. A government spokesman said Meles died while being treated abroad, but it's not known exactly when or where he died. A week ago, state TV said that he was recovering well from an unspecified infection.

The U.S. president has issued a warning to the Syrian regime. On Monday, Barack Obama said his administration will not tolerate the use of chemical or biological weapons against the Syrian people. The president said this would provoke a U.S. military response.

Irish police tell CNN a suspicious device at the Israeli embassy in Dublin has turned out to be a false alarm. Now the embassy was evacuated and a bomb disposal team was called to the scene earlier on Tuesday. And police tell CNN the search of the embassy has been completed.

Now Apple and Samsung are set to present closing arguments to a jury in the U.S. today. It's just one of the fronts in the tech giant's global legal fight. Now essentially Apple believes that Samsung copied the iPhone and iPad while Samsung accuses Apple of infringing on key wireless patents.

Now it sounds simple enough to you and me, but what a jury actually has to decide is very different. Now all things D got their hands on a tentative jury questionnaire. It is 22 pages long and it is full of questions a jury must answer to decide the case.

Let me give you some idea of the detail here. Now in this section, not only do juries have to decide whether Samsung has infringed on Apple patents, they have to do it for 13 different Samsung devices. And they have to decide whether Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electronics America, or Samsung Telecommunications America infringed on that patent.

And remember, that is just one question. There are 36 in all. So it's no wonder that the trial judge ask both sides to reduce the size of their cases, calling their original claims, quote, "cruel and unusual punishment for a jury." We'll be keeping tabs on the trial there.

Now to keep tabs on the weather and two storms that are threatening East Asia, one in fact is a major typhoon, details with Mari Ramos. She joins us from the world weather center -- Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the map very crowded now, Kristie, with tropical cyclones across the Pacific and the Atlantic. We'll try to get through all of these, because there's a lot going on. And remember, we talk about these storms quite a bit, because they're very large, of course, and they affect millions of people if they make landfall.

And we have two right here across East Asia. One is a tropical storm and one is a typhoon. And this one, it is a very dangerous typhoon. It's moving away from northern Luzon, a little bit of a track to the north you can see it here, but then the track is expected to move it toward Taiwan. And this is very significant. They're already on alert here as this track will tack it into this area. It's going to start slowing down just a little bit, but then it will take it into Taiwan, we think, probably within the next day and a half to two days. And then after that moving toward mainland China, that's very significant as well.

And close behind, we have our next weather system, the tropical storm that is expected to become a typhoon probably by this time tomorrow. And then that storm also taking a similar track headed toward East Asia. We'll just have to see what develops with that storm.

Let's go back to the Typhoon. This map that you see right here, the area in yellow shows you the tropical storm force winds, the area in red is showing you the typhoon force winds. Well, that center of circulation is expected to jog a little bit to the north and then begin tracking a bit more toward the west here. And as that happens you can see that the bulk of that typhoon will move right over Taiwan. It looks like the Typhoon force winds will be across central, maybe southern portions of Taiwan. And then the storm continues to track toward Mainland China.

This is very significant. We can see some deviations in the track, maybe more to the north or more to the south, but right now look at this, the wind has -- are up to 200 kilometers per hour, gusting to more than 250. This will be a major storm making landfall in a densely populated area. Very significant.

Now we could see changes with the track, and that's important. Like I said, these areas shaded here in red could have the storm maybe more a little more to the north, or more to the south. So the next couple of days are going to be critical to see how this storm actually behaves when it begins to slow down here just offshore of Taiwan and then eventually begins, we think, might track a bit more toward the west.

So that's number one.

The other one, this one, the Tropical Storm Bolavin, this one is still way out at sea, winds close to 100 kilometers per hour. But then it becomes a typhoon with winds maybe gusting up to 170, 180 kilometers per hour.

And look at that track, way out here. Day four and five, it's going to be critical My the Ryukyu Islands, maybe all the way down to Taiwan, maybe Mainland China it's still to early to tell, but definitely another story that we'll be monitoring on the heels of whatever this major typhoon decides to do in the next day or so.

Then after that we head to the Atlantic, because here we have a new tropical depression, which is at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to tropical cyclones. You have tropical depressions, then you have tropical storms, and then if they keep intensifying they become typhoons or hurricanes which are basically the same thing depending on what part of the world you are.

Well, in this part of the world they're called hurricanes. And right now we have a tropical depression. It is expected to become a tropical storm as it continues to move here toward the Lesser Antilles.

You're looking at the north coast of South America. You have the Lesser Antilles here. There's Puerto Rico and then eventually the United States there as you continue going up the coast.

Right now there are tropical storm watches and warnings extending from Puerto Rico all the way to Dominica as this storm is expected to move into the Caribbean probably in the next couple of days.

Kristie, back to you.

LU STOUT: Wow, stormy weather all across the globe. Mari Ramos is on it. Thank you very much indeed, Mari.

Now NASA is still on something of a high after the successful landing of Curiosity. But the U.S. space agency also has its eyes further down the horizon. It has already unveiled its next Mars rover. And here is an artist's rendition of Insight. You can see it here drilling into the Martian crust. And that is the main point of the mission, which is slated to launch in 2016.

Now scientists, they want to study the core of Mars. And that will help them better understand how rocky planets like Earth formed.

Now the first full weekend of the English Premier League wrapped up with a result we were not expecting. Amanda Davies has that and all the other sports news -- Amanda.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Certainly no talk of it being boring, the opening weekend, Kristie. All the talk had been of Robin Van Persie pre-match on Monday, but it was another name that stole all the headlines after Manchester United's season opener against Everton. The Toffees pulled off the biggest shock of the English Premer League's opening weekend. They beat United 1-0. And it was Everton midfielder Maruouan Fillaini (ph) that was the talk of the town. His goal making the difference to see United beaten in their first game of the season for the first time in nine years.

Well, some pundits say they think Everton are good enough to challenge for the top four this season. And they did show that they've got potential. It is very early days, though. And their manager is trying not to get too carried away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MOYES, EVERTON MANAGER: There's only one year I think I can really remember we had a good start in a way. We finished in the Champion's League spot. So I don't know if it's possible to do that, but I think if we can get a good start, then we can start trying to chase some teams instead of us being having to play catch up all the time. And that's what we tended to do.

But one game tonight is certainly not solve the -- solved that yet. I proved that we're slow starters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Well, Van Persie started the game on the bench. He came in 68th minute. And Sir Alex Ferguson criticized his players afterwards for failing to get the most of out United's new striker. Ferguson clearly has a wealth of attacking options. He played Rooney, Welbeck and Nani up front on Monday. So it remains to be seen how he thinks Van Persie will fit in to the team.

In the meantime, though, everyone has an opinion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR RADNEDGE, FOOTBALL ANALYST: Well, it's going to be fasinating to see whether Van Persie and Rooney can work together, because you've always seen that Rooney is better from, you know, coming behind a main striker and whether Van Persie is a main, you know, up front striker. I'm not sure. He likes a bit of space in which to work. I think we saw during Euro 2012 that when Holland just pushed him up on his own he really didn't like it and didn't respond to it.

But, you know, when you've got Sir Alex Ferguson as our manager, you tend to think that he'll come up with the answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Now they say it's all in the timing. And Sergio Garcia has well and truly nailed it in his bid for a place on Europe's Ryder Cup team. The Spaniard claimed his first win on the PGA tour in four years on Monday. And with it he moved into the automatic qualifying places for Jose Mario's (ph) team for (inaudible).

Dreadful weather in North Carolina meant a Monday finish for the Wyndam Championship, but Garcia didn't seem to mind the wait. He held his nerve carding five birdies, two boogies on the back nine for a final round of 66, which saw him finish two clear of South Africa's Tim Clark.

Garcia of course one of Europe's most enthusiastic Ryder Cup players, he had to settle for being a vice captain two years ago at Celtic Manor, but he'll now join his great friend Alafa Bell (ph) who will lead the European team next month. Garcia delighted that he got his game back and just in time as well.

Back to you, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right. Amanda Davies there. Thank you very much indeed.

Now staying with golf, it if no longer an all male club. The famed home of the U.S. Masters tournament has admitted female members for the first time in its 80 year history. The elite Augusta National Golf Club had come under increasing pressure in recent years to end its all male policy.

Mark McKay reports on this new era on the green.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK MCKAY, CNN SPORTS CORREPSONDENT: Membership was extended to and accepted by Condoleeza Rice and Darla Moore. Rice has the name recognition as a former Secretary of State serving under U.S. President George W. Bush. Moore is the vice president of a private investment company who rose to success in the banking industry.

In announcing the club's newest members, Augusta National Golf Club chairman Billy Payne said, "these accomplished women share our passion for the game of golf. And both are well known and respected by our membership. This is a significant and positive time in our club's history."

Four-time Master's champion Tiger Woods was among the golfers who praised the move. "I think the decision by the Augusta national membership is important to golf. The club continues to demonstrate its commitment to impacting the game in positive ways. I would like to congratulate both new members, especially my friend Condi Rice."

TIM CLARK, PGA TOUR GOLFER: I think it's great, you know. I mean, it's just a sign of the times and you know Augusta is a club that always seems to want to progress and you know I think it's obviously about time and, you know, it's a place I love and love going to, so it's just nice to see them make that move.

MCKAY: Augusta National has come under fire through the years for not having any female members. A decade ago, protests lead by Martha Burk of the National Council of Women's Organizations were staged outside these grounds. While Burk is not taking credit for this groundbreaking move, she told CNN it's more about women's equality in general rather than inclusion into this exclusive club.

MARTHA BURK, WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST: It's not about golf and it's not about playing golf, it is about making deals in corporate America. It is about those halls of power that you're talking about. The more women we have, even if it's just a couple to begin with, that cracks open that glass ceiling just a little bit further.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was Mark McKay reporting there.

You're watching News Stream. And coming up next, an architectural visionary and an advertising powerhouse. Zelha Hadid and Mercedes Erra are Leading Women. Up next, we'll tell you how they rose to the top.

(COMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

In our Leading Women series this week, we introduce you to two visionaries at the top of their fields. Now Becky Anderson talks to Zaha Hadid, an architect who is pushing the limits of design. And I profile global advertising executive Mercedes Erra who is opening doors for women in France.

(BEGIN VIDEOTPAE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Britain's Zaha Hadid is one of the most accomplished architects in the world. And she has the body and work and accolades to prove it.

On this day, we're in London touring the construction site of the new wing she designed for the Serpentine Gallery.

That will become a gallery. What will this --

ZAHA HADID, ARCHITECT: This is a kind of social space or events, maybe a cafZ. It's open to the public all the time.

ANDERSON: Hadid is also the architect behind the Aquatic Center where Olympians recently enthralled world audiences.

And there's the Evening Grace Academy, also in London.

But she'd like to see more of her work in this city.

Has being one stood in your way, do you think, really?

HADID: Well, I couldn't be anything else, because in our stereotype they don't know -- they'll let you get away with things which they would not let someone (inaudible) with. But on the other hand, because you're a woman or not -- you know, a European guy -- there's certain territories no matter what you do you cannot enter. I will never be part of the brotherhood. I cannot go golfing with these guys or on a boat trip. I mean, it's not going to happen.

ANDERSON: She has some 300 employees working on her various projects and is also her exhibition space.

HADID: You can try it Come on. Come and sit down.

ANDERSON: The seed amongst the flowers.

HADID: Yeah, it's nice.

ANDERSON: It's very nice.

And Hadid sounds like she has much more to create and remains passionate about her work.

HADID: You are totally focused on the project, nothing matters. It's the most rewarding experience.

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout. The passion for architecture and design continues with French advertising executive Mercedes Erra. You can see her talents in the beautiful layout of her home.

MERCEDES ERRA, ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE: I love order. For me, order and beauty are a relation.

LU STOUT: Merces Erra enjoys the things she works hard for and loves sharing them with family, a family that didn't have very much when she was growing up.

ERRA: My mother and my father have not much money. And when I have a little money I first I bought a house for my mother and for my father. So we bought a house for my brother after for my sister, because for me it's very important to have the capacity to share. And I don't think my children need too much money.

LU STOUT: Erra has five sons with her husband Jean-Paul who is a stay at home father.

JEAN-PAUL VALZ, ERRA'S HUSBAND: It's a really good job, because it's a job to stay at home and to live with the kids. But they really love her.

ERRA: Sometimes people think is my husband a (inaudible). I do many things (inaudible). And I think it's good.

LU STOUT: Mercedes was born near Barcelona, Spain and moved to France when she was six. After graduating from HEC, a prestigious business school in France, she began a career as an intern at Satchi and Satchi where she eventually became managing director.

Now she is co-founder of her own agency, BETC, a leader in French advertising.

ERRA: My job is difficult job. To move people is not easy. At first I think it's very interesting. It's a (inaudible) for the brands.

LU STOUT: She's a powerhouse, respected by colleagues.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She doesn't try to make you work too much on your weaknesses, you know. (inaudible) do that. She is not of this kind. Work on your qualities.

LU STOUT: Outspoken for women's rights, Erra was awarded the French Legion of Honor for her efforts to ensure more women take on executive roles.

ERRA: I am a very good (inaudible) award. It's because I respect women and me. I am sure about this.

LU STOUT: And standing up for what she believes in is something very admired at home.

VALZ: It's the reason why I'm so proud to be with her and she helps me to grow all the time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Coming up on News Stream, call it brave or just plain foolish. We'll meet a dare devil who is flirting with speed and gravity.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now with all the economic news coming out of the EuroZone, sometimes it could be hard to make sense of the crisis. In Portugal, however, that just got a bit easier as Issa Suarez explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISSA SUAREZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: In the pages of this book the markets are the bees and the deficit the bear, big and fat. The crisis of speculation, the credit ratings, the debt, the troika, there's no once upon a time. This is a story of today as explained to children in crisis hit Portugal.

BOY (through translator): The markets are getting worse with the crisis, now the troika.

SUAREZ: To make it fair for all, or perhaps complicate matters further, the authors have created two editions of this book. One with a view from the right.

JOAO MIGUEL TAVERES, AUTHOR (through translator): There the debate is really extreme. The people on the right say the bear, who is the deficit, got fat too quickly, ate way too much, ate too much honey.

SUAREZ: And the other from the left.

TAVERES (through translator): Poor bear. It's not the bear's fault. It was the bees, who in this case are the markets that stuffed the bear's mouth with honey and he is innocent.

SUAREZ: Five year old Ineish (ph) has no idea who to blame, or how Portugal slide into this crisis. It seems she's not alone.

GIRL (through translator): The crisis I can't complain, because it's a bit complicated and I haven't understood it yet.

SUAREZ: Despite the long silences and pauses, Portugal's finance minister Vitor Gaspar was invited to take part in the book launch. He's hoping it will help educate the young. Even he has leafed through these pages.

VITOR GASPAR, PORTUGUESE FINANCE MINISTER (through translator): For the parents, there is no (inaudible). The order is seeing the world upside down.

SUAREZ: Perhaps he will take it home with him, some light summer reading before the bears come out again in September.

Issa Suarez, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: There needs to be an English translation of that book.

Now up next, it is a nail biting stunt that has been viewed on the internet at least 2.5 million times. And this latest viral sensation, it involves a dare devil, a tight rope, and two speeding trucks.

Jeanne Moos has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)?

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two trucks hurdling down the highway with a woman walking a line between the two barreling toward a tunnel. Will she get splattered in what looks like a scene right out of a movie like "Mission: Impossible"? Or will she survive like Tom Cruise? And who is this woman?

HENRY ALEX REUBEN, DIRECTOR (via phone): Faith is nuts. And only a crazy person would try anything like this.

MOOS: Take it from the director, Henry Alex Reuben, who shot this last year on a brand-new, hadn't yet opened highway in Croatia.

REUBEN: Many countries said no before Croatia.

MOOS: What Faith Dickey is doing is called slacklining, like walking a tightrope, only slack and bouncy.

FAITH DICKEY, DAREDEVIL: I've high-lined on longer lines, and I've high-lined in harsher winds. But I've never slacklined moving forward before.

MOOS: Faith Dickey is the women's world record holder in various categories of slacklining, which is why they got her for this, what's called the ballerina stunt. ??The object was to get across the line before the trucks got to the tunnel. She fell once. They did three takes. Faith was wearing an ankle safety harness.

(on camera) The question is, what is this an ad for?

(voice-over) Is it for shoes? Is it for the camera on her head? Nope. It's for trucks. Volvo trucks, pretty risky for a brand associated with safety. As one of the precision drivers remarks...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too far apart, the rope breaks. Too near together, she falls off.

MOOS: The trucks headed for the tunnel, top speed of about 50 miles per hour. ??Some thought more than the rope was being stretched: "Faketastic!" "Megafake," posters said. ??To which the director replied...??

REUBEN: A little bit of Hollywood editing makes everything seem more exciting, and obviously, we cut three takes together. ??

MOOS: But Reuben says she came within seconds of the tunnel entrance.

REUBEN: She did do it. She did that stunt, and it was pretty sick. I mean, the crew applauded her afterwards. ??

MOOS: Ye of little faith, have faith in Faith Dickey. ??Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)?

LU STOUT: And finally, Apple has become the most valuable public company of all time. Now the stock, it rose to a high of over 665 dollars on Monday, giving the company a market value of over $623 billion. Now more than what Microsoft was worth at its peak back in 1999. And it's been an amazing run of success for a company that was valued at just $10 billion in 2004.

And it reminded us of a comment that one CEO might wish he had never said. Back in 1997 before the iPad, before the iPod, even before the iMac, Dell founder Michael Dell was asked what he would do if he was in charge of Apple. And his response, "I'd shut it down and give all the money back to the shareholders."

Now all the time with Apple ailing, Dell's answer might not have been so ridiculous, but 15 years on it has become one of the most infamous quotes in tech history.

And that is NEWS STREAM, but the news continues at CNN. WORLD BUSINESS TODAY is next.

END