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NEWS STREAM
Malala Yousafzai Released from the Hospital; Speculation about Hugo Chavez's Condition; Syrian Violence Update; Pentagon Report Released on Iranian Espionage Activities
Aired January 04, 2013 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to NEWS STREAM, where news and technology meet.
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STOUT (voice-over): And we begin in the U.K.
Malala Yousafzai has been released from the hospital. The latest on the condition of the young activist shot by the Taliban.
Also ahead, battling a severe lung infection, there is growing concern about the health of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
And taking a remarkable stand against human trafficking, 60,000 students shine a light on modern-day slavery.
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STOUT: Now it is an extraordinary day for 15-year-old Pakistani girl who's become a global icon for human rights.
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STOUT (voice-over): Malala Yousafzai has been released from hospital in Birmingham, England. Many around the world have been pulling for her since she was targeted by the Taliban in a brutal attack nearly three months ago.
A gunman shot her in the head and neck, leaving her inches from death simply because she said girls deserve the right to an education. And she will continue her rehabilitation in the U.K., where she's been treated for injuries since that attack in October.
And since the attack, Malala's courage has been recognized by politicians, celebrities and women everywhere. Matthew Chance is live in London with the very latest on her release.
And, Matthew, I mean, this is just an incredible turnaround.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: It is, and it's quite remarkable to see these images of Malala Yousafzai, that 15-year-old girl walking out of the hospital room, being accomplished by a nurse, also speaking to the medical staff along the route along that passageway.
She even turned at one point and waved at the person, the camera, as it -- the film was being recorded. So quite remarkable, really, that she can walk and look so sort of well recovered after those very traumatic head injuries that she received three months ago in Pakistan when she was targeted by Taliban gunmen.
It is just the start, though, Kristie, of what will we expect to be a long recovery process. She looks pretty good but the hospital say she'll be coming in and out of the hospital for more clinical tests and treatment.
And she's also going to be readmitted to the hospital at the end of this month or perhaps at the beginning of next month, according to the hospital, to have reconstructive surgery on her skull, which was, of course, shattered by the bullet that grazed her brain.
A statement issued by the hospital says that Malala is a strong young woman and has worked hard with the people caring for her to make excellent progress in her recovery. She'll be staying at the temporary family home in Birmingham in central England, where her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai has now been given a job for the next three years at least by the Pakistani government.
He's actually the education attache at the Pakistani consulate in Birmingham. That means that the family can, of course, stay in Britain for at least the next three years, possibly longer than that as well, while Malala receives ongoing treatment at that hospital in Birmingham.
STOUT: You know, it is very heartening, seeing the video, the images, Malala leaving the hospital waving to the cameras. Do we know how long she'll be receiving treatment there in the U.K.? And does she and her family plan to stay there long-term?
CHANCE: In terms of how long the family stay there, as I mentioned, it's on a three-year job -- the father is on a three-year job placement at the Pakistani embassy, apparently, according to the Pakistani government, that could be extended for a further two years after that. So for the foreseeable future, it looks like they're going to be there.
In terms of the recovery, well, this is going to be a very slow, ongoing process, of course. And you can see that Malala in those -- in that picture, she's not -- she's walking quite slowly; she's being -- she's using the assistance of a nurse to walk down the corridor. She obviously hasn't made a complete full recovery.
There are various sort of strands of treatment according to the doctors at the hospital that she still has to undergo including treatment to, you know, her physical therapy, her eyesight, other aspects as well, as well as that reconstructive surgery.
So I expect this was -- this will be at the start of a very long process of recovery; lots more therapy, probably several more operations as well before she can, you know, really achieve what would be called a full recovery. So it looks like for the moment this is going to be a very long process.
STOUT: But it has been a remarkable turnaround so far, and we wish Malala the very best.
Matthew Chance, joining us live from CNN London, thank you.
And if the Taliban thought that they could silence Malala and her cause, their attack has had the opposite effect. The long list of people who took on her fight as she fought to recover is nothing less than astonishing.
Now it started in Pakistan when Interior Minister Raymond Mala called Malala the pride of Pakistan. A local school and a college were renamed after her. Ban Ki-moon backed a U.N. campaign for girls' education called "I Am Malala," and that campaign is now headed up by former British prime minister, Gordon Brown. And he has spread Malala's message around Pakistan and beyond.
And the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commended the teenager's bravery in the face of extreme danger. And celebrity support has raised her profile even more. The actress Angelina Jolie donated $50,000 to a charity in her name. And Madonna dedicated a song to Malala during her recent tour.
The young activist ranked second only to Barack Obama on "Time" magazine's Person of the Year list. Malala's suffering has been long; it's been pronounced, but it has not been in vain.
Now we are also monitoring the condition of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. A government official says that Mr. Chavez is battling a severe lung infection and now has respiratory failure. He remains hospitalized in Cuba, where he has not been seen in public since undergoing cancer surgery more than three weeks ago. His information minister spoke briefly on Venezuelan TV.
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ERNEST VILLEGAS, VENEZUELAN INFORMATION MINISTER (through translator): After the delicate surgery on December 11, Commandante Chavez has faced complications as a consequence of a severe pulmonary infection. This infection has caused a respiratory insufficiency that requires Commandante Chavez to strictly follow medical treatment.
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STOUT: Mr. Chavez has been battling cancer for quite some time. He first underwent surgery in June of 2011. At that time he revealed doctors in Cuba had removed a cancerous tumor, but did not specify what type of cancer.
President Chavez, he looked thin and frail when he finally returned to Venezuela in July. He went back to Cuba a couple of weeks later, delegating some of his power to the vice president and finance minister.
And by October, Mr. Chavez declared that there were no malignant cells left in his body. But in February of last year, he announced he would need more surgery. Supporters showered him with flowers as he headed back to Cuba. Mr. Chavez traveled there frequently for treatment. In July, he once again declared himself cancer-free and he went on to win reelection in October.
But just seven weeks later, President Chavez returned to Cuba for another round of medical treatment. And again, he has not been seen in public since. Now a former president of the American Cancer Society tells CNN Mr. Chavez is most likely on artificial respiration and receiving high doses of antibiotics. The Venezuelan leader is supposed to be sworn in for a new term just days from now.
But as Rafael Romo now reports, that is in doubt.
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RAFAEL ROMO, SR. LATIN AFFAIRS EDITOR: President Hugo Chavez's medical condition remains a closely guarded secret in Cuba. But across the Caribbean, Venezuela is teeming with speculation.
EDWIN RODRIGUEZ, VENEZUELAN VOTER (through translator): Sometimes it looks as if the president is well; other times, not so much. Honestly, we don't know what to believe, what the truth is and what's a lie. Everybody's living in uncertainty.
ROMO (voice-over): The Venezuelan president left his country for cancer surgery in Cuba on December 10th. He hasn't been seen in public since. But Vice President Nicolas Maduro has talked about complications, and that worries many Venezuelans.
CARLOS SALGADO, VENEZUELAN VOTER (through translator): Chavez is a strong man and a fighter. His party is not my party, but as a human being, one can't wish somebody else something bad.
ROMO (voice-over): Jorge Arreaza, the Venezuelan science and technology minister and also the president's son-in-law has been trying to quell the negative speculation.
"The medical team has explained to us that President Chavez's condition remains stable, but within a delicate state," Arreaza posted on his Twitter account.
JOSE ROJAS, VENEZUELAN VOTER (through translator): Sometimes it's people themselves who start the speculation, saying things that are not true. We just have to be patient and wait.
ROMO (voice-over): But patience is running out for the Venezuelan opposition. Leaders say the Chavez government owes Venezuela an accurate assessment of the president's health condition.
RAMON GUILLERMO AVELEDO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): Our demand for the truth is elementary because when a patient is a head of state who's just been reelected for a new term, there are implications that affect the entire nation.
ROMO (voice-over): The highest Roman Catholic authority in Venezuela is calling all political leaders to follow the law if a succession plan is needed.
ROMO: Chavez was reelected in October to another six-year term in office and is supposed to be inaugurated next Thursday. But government officials haven't indicated if he will be able to attend his own inauguration, which may have to be postponed.
The Venezuelan constitution also spells out a succession path that may be used if the president is officially declared permanently absent -- Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
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STOUT: You're watching NEWS STREAM. And still to come, a gas station is targeted in Syria as more deadly violence rocks the country. We'll bring you the very latest.
And this high school in the U.S. state of Ohio has been thrown into the national spotlight over an alleged rape scandal. The details, next.
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STOUT: Now U.S. troops have arrived in Turkey, where they will man Patriot missile defense batteries near the Syrian border. But the troops and the missiles are under the control of NATO which announced its operation last month.
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STOUT (voice-over): And the heightened military presence of the regime comes after Syria launched Scud missiles at cities near the Turkish border. And Turkish state media report that 27 U.S. troops have arrived in the city of Gaziantep, which is some 130 kilometers from the flashpoint Syrian city of Aleppo.
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STOUT: And Syrian TV reports that an explosion at a gas station in Damascus killed 10 people this Friday. And opposition activists say at least 170 people were killed in violence across the country on Thursday.
Mohammed Jamjoom joins us now live from Beirut with the very latest.
And, Mohammed, first let's talk about U.S. troops now in Turkey. They're there to help man the missile system at the border. Can you tell us more about this operation?
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kristie. Today we heard from Turkish state media that there was 27 U.S. troops that landed in Gaziantep, Turkey, but they're going to survey the Patriot deployment. Now U.S. officials didn't release any information about the troop arrival, but they had said last month that forces would be deployed to Turkey.
This is -- this is along with the news that we got that Turkey had asked NATO to deploy Patriot missile batteries there. Syria had previously launched Scud missiles at cities near the Turkish border and there is a concern about the spillover of violence into Turkey along that border with Syria.
Now these missiles and troops will be under the overall control of NATO, but the missiles will be operated by U.S. forces, Kristie.
STOUT: And to clarify, this is a small group of U.S. troops, some 27 troops now inside Turkey. And, Mohammed, we're also learning more about the kidnapped American journalist, James Foley. What have you heard?
JAMJOOM: Well, Kristie, yesterday there was a press conference that was held by James Foley's parents outside their home in New Hampshire, in which they once again appealed for any information that would help in locating their son.
James Foley's father has appealed several times and his mother as well for his captors to please get in touch with them, to provide them with any information. They'd like (inaudible) whereabouts. The family had said the day before that they had decided to go public in the hopes that it would increase the chances of finding James, of locating him.
They had also said that the last time they had been in contact with James was on November 22nd, Thanksgiving Day. That was six weeks ago.
According to James Foley's brother, the last communication the family had with James was when his sister spoke to him via Skype, that James, who had been in Syria for the past year reporting out of there, had been working on several different stories in the Aleppo region, including one on the devastation of the old city there.
Now James had been kidnapped once before. That was when he was reporting out of Libya in 2011. But he had been released by the Libyan military in 2011 as well, Kristie.
STOUT: All right. Mohammed Jamjoom, thanks for the added context there.
Now the U.S. says it has new information about Iran's spy services. Washington says Iran has tens of thousands of secret agents that have been used to plan worldwide terror attacks and to suppress dissent inside Iran. Brian Todd reports.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Assassination plots, terrorist bombings, cyber-warfare, tactics used around the world by Iran's intelligence service, one of the largest and most aggressive spy operations in the world. That's according to a new report by government researchers commissioned by the Pentagon.
The report says Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security has 30,000 people working for it. That's compared to just over 100,000 in the 17 U.S. intelligence agencies and offices.
TODD: From the standpoint of U.S. national security, Western national security, what's the most dangerous operation that Iranian intelligence has its hands on, do you think?
REUEL MARC GERECHT, FORMER CIA OFFICER: Well, I think the most dangerous thing they do is there's -- is terrorism. They have for decades now developed networks with other terrorist groups. So they themselves don't necessarily have to do something. They can contract it out. They can encourage others to engage in terrorism against the United States and our allies.
TODD (voice-over): Reuel Gerecht, a former CIA officer who tracked Iranian intelligence through Europe and the Middle East says the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security used to conduct most Iranian sponsored assassinations overseas. He says that unit killed Shapour Bakhtiar, the former Iranian prime minister assassinated in Paris in 1991.
But Gerecht says now those operations have shifted to the feared Quds Force, the shadowy Iranian military unit that's part of the Revolutionary Guard. What's the ministry of intelligence's biggest job now?
GERECHT: They're primarily used as an instrument of internal repression. They know how to hurt people.
TODD (voice-over): The report also says the Quds Force is inside Syria, backing President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
TODD: Separate from the report, Congressman Peter King, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, has said that Iran runs spies out of its mission to the U.N. and here at the Iranian intrasection (ph) in Washington.
TODD (voice-over): King made those comments after a plot was revealed to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S. The Iranian American who pleaded guilty in that case said he'd worked with Iranian military people to formulate the plot. In the wake of that, King called for strong retaliation against Iranian diplomats in the U.S.
REP. PETER KING (R): To me, should get rid of either all of them or most of them and send a clear signal.
TODD (voice-over): Iranian officials denied any role in trying to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington. We called and emailed Iran's mission to the U.N. for comment on the latest report on the country's intelligence operations. We got no response -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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STOUT: Interesting report into Iran's global reach.
You're watching NEWS STREAM and coming up next, high school football players accused in the alleged rape of a teenage girl. And much of the evidence involves online messages and images. We'll tell you about the case that is tearing a small American town apart.
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STOUT (voice-over): Coming to you live from Hong Kong, this is NEWS STREAM.
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STOUT: Now I want to tell you about a troubling case in the U.S. state of Ohio. It involves two high school football players in the town of Steubenville. They're accused of raping a teenage girl at a party in August. And the boys are scheduled to stand trial next month.
And some of the evidence in the case is said to include videos and pictures posted online as well as chilling tweets about the alleged crime. And that has many people asking why no one tried to intervene. Poppy Harlow joins us now live from Steubenville, Ohio.
And, Poppy, I understand that you spoke with the police chief there. What did he tell you?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, I did. I had a chance to speak with Police Chief McCafferty here in Steubenville. He is not running the investigation at this point. It's in the hands of the attorney general's office. But it is still ongoing. So he wasn't able to discuss a lot of the details of the investigation.
But I want to play you sound from our interview because he believes that the correct charges were brought against these two young men, those rape charges. Again, it's very important to point out that these are innocent until proven guilty. They will have their day in court next month on February 13th. But here is what the police chief told me.
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WILLIAM MCCAFFERTY, STEUBENVILLE POLICE CHIEF: The thing I found most disturbing is depending on who actually was there, why didn't somebody stop it? I mean, you simply don't do that. I mean, it's -- it -- it's not done.
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HARLOW: And again, those minors, those 16-year-old boys, still have to face trial and they're innocent until proven guilty. But the police chief here is very troubled by the fact, Kristie, that he believes if this did happen and it was so widely discussed on social media, why did no one step in at that point in time? And that's one of the biggest questions here.
STOUT: That's right. And Poppy, as you're there, live in Steubenville, tell us about the local reaction. What have you been hearing from people there in the community?
HARLOW: I've spent a lot of time here over the past 24 hours talking to residents here, business owners and there is a lot of concern. They feel like this is putting a dark cloud over the entire community. Their concern is that if this did indeed happen, then it was the action of a few individuals and not the entire football program or the entire school.
Some feel like the football program is coming under fire because these two that are accused were part of the football team. I spoke to one business owner, Jerry Barilla, who has lived here for more than 70 years, and here's his take.
JERRY BARILLA, STEUBENVILLE BUSINESS OWNER: The buzz that keeps coming about is that Steubenville is a bad place. Things are being covered up. More people should be arrested. And I feel that's all unjustly so.
HARLOW: Why?
BARILLA: Because I think that to condemn an entire city for something that happened is not the -- is not right. To condemn a school, an entire school and all the kids that go there for something that took place among a few students, is still not right.
HARLOW: Now, Kristie, I went into the school, Steubenville High School, to try to talk to some of the administrators there, the principal, and they told me no comment.
One man I met outside the school told me he was a father of one of the football players, and what he told me is that he thinks that this has divided the community, divided people to take a position on something that he's not sure even happened.
One mother that I met in front of high school as well yesterday, she was coming to the school to pick up her first-grade student because the elementary school is in the same building as the high school. And she said, you know, I feel like there are threats out there against this community, against this school. I don't feel like my child is safe here.
So she came to take him out of school. So you really get the sense of how this is affecting the entire community. And a lot of that is because so much of it is out there on social media, on Twitter and those viral videos that have been surfacing just this week.
STOUT: That's right. I mean, this is a high-profile complicated and very emotive case.
Poppy Harlow reporting for us live in Steubenville, Ohio, thank you.
Now a lawyer for one of the defendants spoke with CNN U.S.A. just a short time ago. And he says that his client is being unfairly tried in the court of public opinion.
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WALTER MADISON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The 1st Amendment is very important. And I'm a defender of that. And let me also say that I am not against social media. It has wonderful, wonderful benefits that we all take advantage of every day. But there is also a very ugly underbelly that goes along with that.
And what you're seeing is it now. When you have individuals who do not have to produce their name, their location or their source of information, the accountability is in question.
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STOUT: And the trial is set to take place before an Ohio Juvenile Court judge on February the 13th.
Now let's turn to the fight against modern-day slavery. Now an estimated 20 million to 30 million people around the world are victims of sexual slavery and forced labor. And now some 60,000 young people are gathered in Atlanta and they are working to reverse those numbers. Jim Clancy has more on these students and their journey for justice.
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JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than 60,000 young Christians from around the country and around the world held candles aloft in the frosty air. Their own faces shine back at them from a massive cube set up outside the Georgia Dome, faces of those who have pledged to light up the world and put an end to human trafficking in their lifetimes.
BRYSON VOGELTANZ, PASSION 2013: Slavery is trapped in dark places all over the world. It's trapped here in Atlanta, in the shadows. It's in the shadows in Mumbai, India. It's in the shadows in Cambodia. It's in the shadows around the world in brothels and factories.
These 60,000 students, they're going to shine a light on slavery.
CLANCY (voice-over): For many, this is a journey of the Christian faith, one that brings them here to the Passion conference to worship, pray and learn. For the past two years, they've been focusing on the unholy scourge of sexual slavery and forced labor.
The 27 million victims, the billions of dollars churned out by robbing men, women and children of their freedom. These young men and women are determined to change that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Truth is spoken here and where truth is spoken, things change.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to raise the awareness. We're going to fly (ph) for those who don't have a voice. And we're just going to tell people about it. We're going to let this world know that there's an issue and (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To just know that this is out there and like it just opened my eyes to all this. Like I had no idea this was really going on. And then like I just want to be able to help as much as I can.
GARY HAUGEN, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION: The reason I'm so excited about this generation is that they have an understanding that they don't want to tolerate slavery. They don't want to tolerate mass atrocity in the world and do nothing about it.
CLANCY (voice-over): Gary Haugen's International Justice Mission is just one of more than a dozen groups singled out by Passion organizers for support.
VOGELTANZ: This is about students starting a journey of justice, that their entire lives would count for justice, their entire lives would count for freedom. And that's happening here.
CLANCY (voice-over): Last year the event raised $3.5 million with 20,000 more participants this year. Tablet computers were used to help speed the donation process. Some of the money comes from the students themselves. More was raised in their communities. It will be used to help raise awareness, rescue victims and help them restore their lives.
CLANCY: These Christian students have all donated their money and now they're posing for pictures that will make a personal statement -- we're in it to end it -- each and every one of them knows that human trafficking hangs like a darkness over the world. But they're making a personal commitment to being the ones to hold the candles to shine the light of freedom.
CLANCY (voice-over): Jim Clancy, CNN, Atlanta.
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STOUT: An inspiring display of commitment there.
Now Transocean has agreed to pay $1.4 billion in fines in connection with the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The company owned the Deepwater Horizon oil rig which exploded, killing 11 workers and causing, as you recall, the worst maritime oil spill in U.S. history. Transocean will pay $400 million to settle criminal charges and $1 billion in civil penalties.
Transocean was contracted by BP, which leased the rig. In November, BP agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges in relation to this incident. It also agreed to pay $4.5 billion in government penalties.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. And coming up next, we are just minutes away from that all-important U.S. monthly jobs report. The latest numbers straight ahead.
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STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching NEWS STREAM, and these are your world headlines.
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STOUT (voice-over): The Pakistani teenager shot by the Taliban has been released from hospital in the U.K. Malala Yousafzai was shot while campaigning for girls' education rights in her home country. The 15-year old was taken to a hospital in Birmingham, England, for emergency treatment. Doctors say she will continue her rehabilitation at her temporary home in the U.K.
New details are emerging about the health of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The country's information minister says that Mr. Chavez is battling a severe lung infection that has caused respiratory failure. The Venezuelan president (inaudible) Cuba where he underwent cancer surgery three weeks ago.
And police in the Philippines say a gunman has killed at least nine people in a town near Manila. They say that he went door to door, opening fire in his neighborhood. There are 11 people who were wounded in the residential area of Kawit (ph). And police say that they killed the shooter after he refused to surrender. Investigators are now searching for his suspected accomplice.
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STOUT: The closely watched U.S. monthly jobs report has just come out showing nonfarm payrolls rose by 155,000 in December. That was close to estimates and slightly less than November's revised 161,000 jobs. Meanwhile, the U.S. unemployment rate held steady at a four-year low of 7.8 percent, and that was widely expected.
Now a two-year investigation into Google's search business has ended with no fines or any other penalties. The Federal Trade Commission says it came to a unanimous decision that the search giant is not violating U.S. anti-trust laws. Google claimed victory, claiming that Google's services are good for users and good for competition.
But it's making voluntarily concessions, including making it easier for advertisers to switch their campaigns to competitors. Google has been criticized for adding its own products like its social network, Google Plus, into its search results. Competitors say that that means their listings rank lower on search results pages.
And one rival, Microsoft, is not taking the FTC ruling quietly. Remember, Microsoft runs a search engine, Bing, which powers Yahoo! search as well. And Microsoft says this, "We find it troubling that the agency did not adhere to its own standard procedures. The FTC's overall resolution of the matter is weak and, frankly, unusual."
Microsoft also says it hopes for better result in Europe, where Google still faces a similar investigation.
And speaking of Microsoft, you may remember that this man suddenly left the company two months ago. And now the former Windows chief, Steven Sinofsky, has a new job. He launched a blog. This one is called "Learning by Shipping."
This came out of Thursday, but don't look for the famously abrasive execute to dish dirt on his old company. He writes, quote, "I will work to keep posts free of snark and ad hoc criticisms."
Now let's get back to that U.S. jobs report and what the December numbers mean for the U.S. economy. We have Maggie Lake standing by. She joins us now from CNN New York.
And, Maggie, what's your read on the numbers?
MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Kristie, these have to be a little bit disappointing, especially given the fact that we saw some pretty strong numbers out of our private sector survey yesterday. It's right in line with expectations, but I think economists and investors certainly hoping for something stronger.
And listen, this sort of reinforces the story line that while the U.S. economy is growing, it's sort of bumping along, lackluster growth. The -- in order to sort of assume that the U.S. economy was ramping up and growth was improving, you'd want to see numbers much higher than this on a monthly level.
We did see some gains in areas like construction and health care, but retail and the government side of things, government jobs continued to be a drag, 155,000, that unemployment rate creeping up slightly to 7.8 percent. It's not a big change.
Sometimes actually when the unemployment rate increases it means people are back in looking again and being counted. So that's not always a totally negative thing. Unclear this time; we'll have to go through the numbers a little deeper about why we saw that slight edge up.
But this is OK; it's certainly not getting a lot worse, but it's not getting better. And that's really frustrating for investors, Kristie.
STOUT: So a disappointing jobs report and it reveals that the American economy is still wobbly. What does this mean for the debt ceiling debate and the budget dispute in the U.S.?
LAKE: What is means is that politicians need to get out of the way of the economy. Listen, this is what we've been hearing from the private sector over and over again, that all of the uncertainty tied to the fiscal situation here in the U.S. is preventing companies from hiring. They don't know what the business environment's going to be, although we got a little bit of clarity on some of the tax issues.
There are still very concerned and especially if you're talking about the prospect of bitter partisan arguing in Washington resulting in yet another downgrade that would increase borrowing costs on a state and local government level. It'll affect borrowing costs across all sort of businesses again, that another uncertainty.
We've heard that from business executives. They've been delivering that message loud and clear to Washington. And this seems to be yet another sign of it, although there is some job growth, businesses feel uncertain about the future. They don't want to make a commitment of taking on a full-time employee.
And economists have said that if you look at some of the other things about the U.S. economy, housing is doing well, consumer sentiment has actually been hanging in there, despite all the negative headlines, that if Washington would get their act together, come up with a substantive deal, it might sort of unlock some of the growth that might there for the U.S. economy.
So I think that's going to reinforce the message that Washington really needs to get serious. Politicians need to get something done, some certainty out there for executives and then maybe we'd see these monthly job number improve, Kristie.
STOUT: Yes, but this December jobs report, not an ideal way to cap off the year. Maggie Lake, thank you so much for that analysis.
And of course more analysis ahead top of the hour on "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY".
Now pressure is mounting on football bosses to make a bold statement or take action after the latest example of racism to affect the sport. Let's bring up Alex Thomas for more on this story.
Alex?
ALEX THOMAS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Kristie, UEFA has declined to comment on the racist abuse which forced AC Milan's players to walk off the pitch during a practice game on Thursday. European football's governing body says it's a matter for Italy's football federation despite many claims that UEFA hasn't set a strong enough example in tackling the issue.
The latest in a long line of incidents came during a so-called friendly against Italian Force Division club Pro Patria. Milan's (inaudible) Kevin-Prince Boateng kicking a ball at the crowd after losing patience with the constant racist abuse from a small group of fans.
He then stormed off the pitch and the other players followed suit with the referee forced to abandon the game. Milan has received widespread praise for its stance.
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MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI, MILAN COACH (through translator): We have to stop it with these uncivilized gestures. This country, Italy, has to improve in this manner. It has to become a more civilized and intelligent country. I'm disappointed and saddened, but I don't think we had any other choice.
And I hope the same thing would happen in the championships when the minor leagues desiria (ph). So I'm sorry once again, but I hope this uncivilized act does not ever happen again.
MASSIMO AMBROSINI, MILAN CAPTAIN (through translator): We are really sorry. Because of a few people, many other people have been affected who came to see us play, to see a team like Milan play. But a strong message needed to be made.
THOMAS (voice-over): The Italian football federation has launched an investigation saying, "We must react with force and without silence to isolate the few criminals that transformed a friendly match into an uproar that offends all of Italian football."
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THOMAS: Roberto Mancini has played down his training ground clash with Mario Balotelli, insisting he only lost his temper for two seconds.
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THOMAS (voice-over): The Manchester City boss says these photographs that were widely circulated yesterday made the incident look worse than it was, although he confirmed that Balotelli had refused to go back to the locker room when ordered and, as a result, Mancini grabbed the player's shirt and gave him a push.
The City boss says he'll give the controversial Italian forward 100 more chances, producing speculation that Balotelli will be sold during the January transfer window.
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THOMAS: Now this season's two surprise packages in the NBA went head to head on Thursday night. The experienced San Antonio Spurs and the recent underachievers, the New York Knicks, who were second in the Eastern Conference standings.
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THOMAS (voice-over): The Spurs had won seven in a row coming into this one. But the Knicks have protected their home court well this season. And the offense was clicking for New York all game. Clayton the first, for getting the steal and run the court and Tyson Chandler finishes with the Alley Oop slam for a 5-point lead.
Now in the 3rd, J.R. Smith gets in the lane, draws three defenders and dishes to a wide-open Pablo Prigioni, who lays it in. Later in the 3rd, Prigioni turns for (inaudible) in-bounds pass (inaudible) for the dunk as New York take a 9-point lead.
And then in the 4th, the Knicks would be exclamation for this game, Smith again with a sweet reverse slam, making it a 20-point lead. Knicks win 100-83 at the end, the Spurs (inaudible) over.
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THOMAS: That's it. We'll have more in "WORLD SPORT" in just over three hours' time -- if I can do my math right, Kristie. Back to you in Hong Kong.
(LAUGHTER)
STOUT: You can do it. Alex Thomas there, thank you. Take care.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. And still ahead, driven by a sense of duty, a global business leader gives us rare insight to what it takes to make it to the top. Our "Leading Women" series is next.
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STOUT: Now it is a new year and the first leading woman of 2013 says that success was not just something she wanted. She says it was her duty. And that drive helped Turkish executive Guler Sabanci become a global business leader. Becky Anderson has her story.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Whoever coined the term "it's a man's world" has never met this woman.
GULER SABANCI , SABANCI HOLDING: This is the century of us. This is the century of woman.
ANDERSON (voice-over): A powerful force in her native Turkey, a mover and shaker across the globe. She runs a multibillion-dollar family empire that dates back generations. For her, it's more than just a job.
SABANCI: It was my duty to carry the flag.
ANDERSON (voice-over): As chairwoman and managing director of Sabanci Holding, she's carrying the flag at the largest industrial and financial conglomerate in Turkey, with businesses in more than a dozen countries and sectors that include energy, cement and retail.
This business tycoon is Guler Sabanci.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): In Turkey, the name Sabanci is among the most recognizable. The family's financial prominence began in the early part of the 20th century in the city Anatolia. The textiles business was among their first enterprises.
Today, the maritime city Istanbul is the global backdrop for the Sabancis. The family name has also come to symbolize education, philanthropy and an appreciation of the arts.
ANDERSON: What a collection. I mean, this is remarkable.
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ANDERSON: I didn't even know that there were this many (inaudible) in the world.
SABANCI: Yes, they exist.
ANDERSON (voice-over): I met Guler Sabanci at the Sakip Sabanci Museum in Istanbul. It was once the family's summer home.
ANDERSON: It's remarkable. 2002 this became a museum, right?
SABANCI: Yes, my late uncle, Mr. Sakip Sabanci, was alive at that time. And we named it under his name because he has donated his two collections.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Sabanci's uncle is a legend in the family. He was the force behind the company's growth over several decades. After he died, Guler Sabanci took over the top job back in 2004.
SABANCI: It was a challenge. It was not an easy task to take after him.
ANDERSON: Do you remember that time? Do you remember your first day at work?
SABANCI: Yes, I do. I do. I do. I do remember very well. And I do also remember my first announcement for the Sabanci employee. I told them that don't ever expect me to fulfill what Mr. Sabanci has had. I am just merely going to be responsible of the business together with my team.
ANDERSON: What's the -- what's (inaudible) you for the group going forward?
SABANCI: The group has been growing in the past 10 years average 12 percent net. So the target for the next 10 years is to grow higher than this. We are constituting about 5.5 percentage of the total tax revenues of the Turkish government, 5.5 percent.
ANDERSON: That's some responsibility, yes?
SABANCI: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
ANDERSON (voice-over): Guler Sabanci says it was inevitable that she join the family business. When she was a child, her grandfather who launched the businesses would take her to the factories, planting a seed for the future. After graduating from college in 1978, Sabanci took up a job in the family's tire factory and worked her way up.
ANDERSON: So you felt, though, discrimination both within and outside of the company as you grew up, as a woman, within the managerial ranks?
SABANCI: Yes. Professionally, when you want a leadership role and you want a managerial role, it was not only in my country. There was a bankers' club in London. I was very interested to have lunch there. And they said, no, we can't go. Were there no women bankers in '85, '86 in U.K.? I bet there were. But they were not allowed to the bankers' club.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Sabanci says no matter what she's confronted, she approaches it simply with this:
SABANCI: God, give me the courage to change the things I can change. God give me the patience to accept the things I cannot change. And give me the wisdom to know the difference.
This is my motto in life.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Another powerful conviction is her commitment to helping young girls. One of the ways is through her work with Girls, Not Brides, an organization fighting against child marriages.
SABANCI: It is the girls' human right (inaudible) very basic human right that they should have the opportunity to study until 18 years old.
ANDERSON (voice-over): We'll learn more about Guler Sabanci in the coming weeks.
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STOUT: A woman of conviction and courage.
Next week, you will meet this month's other leading woman, Marti Kair (ph). Now she is an internationally recognized artist from India. And for more on leading women, go here: CNN.com/leadingwomen.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. And still ahead, not a bird, it's not a plane. So just what was this flying wonder? Find out after the break.
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STOUT: Welcome back to the program. And time for a world weather check. We have soaring temperatures and raging wildfires gripping parts of Australia. Our meteorologist, Karen Maginnis, is at the World Weather Center with more. Karen?
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It has been devastating. When you take a look at the images coming out of Australia, it is remarkable.
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MAGINNIS (voice-over): Let's go ahead and get you set up as far as what's happening here. Take a look at these images coming out of south central Australia, south Australia, New South Wales. There's also Tasmania. These are areas including the Victoria area and Queensland that are seeing some of these brush fires.
They are rivaling what happened back in 2009. So far there's a report of one possible fatality. Tasmania has been hit especially hard with just about 55 kilometers outside of Hobart. They're saying 65 structures were damaged or destroyed including the local school. Look at the temperatures affecting Australia.
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MAGINNIS: Wudinna, 48 degrees. The average high temperature would be 33. Melbourne at 42. Here's what's going to happen going into the next couple of days: doesn't look like there's going to be much if any relief, maybe for Melbourne you might see those temperatures come down just a bit. But for the most part, that's not going to last very long.
Look at these temperatures, a good swath of Australia, temperatures topping 40 degrees. This is significant because 70-80 percent of the entire country is affected by this soaring heat and the potential for fire damage.
In Perth, these temperatures, upper 30s; by Monday, mid-30s. And average high temperature this time of year would be 30 degrees. And take a look at Melbourne. Saturday a forecast high of 27, not so bad.
But going into Sunday, we see that notched up a little bit more. And then by Monday, 38 degrees expected for Melbourne and it looks like those temperatures at least in the mid-forecast time period are still soaring into that 30 approaching 40 degree range.
There's Adelaide and Canberra and both have seen temperatures exceptionally hot. Look at Adelaide with 41 degrees forecast for Monday afternoon.
If you're look for any kind of rain relief, as you can expect with these hot temperatures, it's just not going to happen. Across the northern coast, yes, a few spotty showers, but that's just about it. It's not going to do anything to help the weather situation there. Here we look over the past 12 hours, most of the showers, as I mentioned, further to the north, just a few spotty showers down here.
But not enough moisture anywhere to do much good. We're looking across the southwestern United States now. And I point this out because there are a number of winter storm warnings out meaning we could see some snowfall.
Well, in fact, some areas across Texas did. This coming out of Ft. Bliss, Texas, area. This dog is a working dog. It is the Ft. Bliss working dog. And apparently this particular one has never seen snow before.
They collected already about 7 centimeters. And this is from our iReporter, Charles A. Ogin IV and he said that it was quite interesting to watch the other dogs look at that dog, because he was very flummoxed by the idea of snow.
Well, as we look across the western United States, here comes yet another storm system, another round of mountain snowfall that could be heavy. That's a look at your international weather, Kristie.
STOUT: All right, Karen. Amazing (inaudible). Have a great weekend. Take care.
Now he is one of the most recognized superheroes of all time. But we all know that Superman is just a work of fiction. But that didn't stop a few people from doing a double take recently. Jeanne Moos has that.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He may look like the Man of Steel, but he's actually the man of lightweight foam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Faster than a speeding bullet.
MOOS (voice-over): Actually, his top speed is 30 miles per hour but the sight of Superman. flying above the California coast 2as enough to make a cyclist stop and shoot it. The video went viral. And now folks are wondering --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, up in the sky!
It's a bird!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a plane!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's Superman!
MOOS (voice-over): Yes, if Superman were 5'2" and weighed less than two pounds. He's a sensation on the local news.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The big question: (Inaudible) propeller?
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS (voice-over): It's not nice to laugh at Superman. But we'll show you on the female version, Supergirl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a three-blade propeller.
MOOS (voice-over): With an electric motor and a battery that goes on her head.
Otto Dieffenbach (ph) has built about a dozen of these remote controlled figures. He's a former Air Force test pilot with a long career in aviation. He even customized Superman with a cape that he had to shorten to keep his superhero aerodynamic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aesthetically, it adds a lot to it. And plus it sounds really cool when you fly by it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And plus it's removable.
MOOS (voice-over): Otto (ph) and partner, Gary Graff (ph), plan to launch a business. In a few months, selling slightly smaller remote controlled figures for under $500 each. The buyers would assemble and customize their superheroes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I really like to show off are her stiletto heels on the back.
MOOS: She's very shapely, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She actually started as a nose art, you know, like the old aircraft used to have nose art.
MOOS (voice-over): Modeled after pinup Vargas girls, but Supergirl's anatomy offered engineering opportunities.
MOOS: You mean her breasts are actually landing gear?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Silicone implants. So that she would roll them on the ground and do graceful landings.
MOOS (voice-over): (Inaudible) the males have to resort to sort of sticking their landings, she's shapelier than a speeding bullet -- Jeanne Moos, CNN --
MOOS: Hey, get your hands off her, Gary (ph).
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is my wife going to see this?
MOOS (voice-over): -- New York.
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STOUT: All right. The proportion's a bit wrong there, but I like the heels.
And that is NEWS STREAM. And "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" is next.
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