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NEWS STREAM

Kenya's Raila Odinga Will Challenge Election Results; 10 Years After Iraq War: Where Was The Intelligence; Japanese Debris Found Inside Dead Birds, Fish; Chelsea Rallies To Tie United In FA Cup Action; Tiger Woods Wins WGC; North Korea Severs Emergency Hotline, Declares Armistice Dead

Aired March 11, 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, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

One day away from the papal conclave, cardinals prepare to be shut away until they can decide who the next pope will be.

Japan's emperor leads a memorial exactly two years after the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country.

And why one of Facebook's top executives is attracting criticism for her new book.

It is the transition that will directly affect more than a billion people around the world and be watched by many more: the election of a new pope. On Tuesday, 115 Roman Catholic cardinals under the age of 80 will begin the secret voting process to replace Beendict XVI who stepped down in Februray, the first pope to do so in 600 years.

Now preparations for the conclave are in its last stages. And starting on Tuesday, the cardinals will be cut off completely from the outside world, that is until the symbolic white smoke rises from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

Miguel Marquez reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Crunch time at the Vatican. The chimney, the chimney that will announce to the world whether there's a new pope is placed atop the treasured 500 year old Sistine Chapel. It is delicate work upholding a tradition where white smoke billowing from the chimney signals a new pope has been named.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: The last thing they want is the Sistine Chapel to turn into a smoke filled room.

MARQUEZ: It is, after all, where Michaelangelo applied his hand, a specialized stove and chemicals to enhance the smoke's color goes along with the chimney. It does take time for the smoke to go from gray to either white or black.

ALLEN: One of the bits of drama about a conclave is that the Catholic church normally is a highly scripted, imminently predictable enterprise. You know exactly what is going to happen and you know when it's going to happen. But with a conclave, in a sense, all bets are off.

MARQUEZ: The conclave, their decision shrouded in secrecy and tradition and some modern twists: electronic jamming equipment ensures no one inside or outside the conclave knows the result before it's ready to be announced.

CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN, ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK: I'm ready to go home. I ran out of socks.

MARQUEZ: The frontrunners out in force in Rome.

There is Cardinal Odilo Scherer of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Could he be the first pope from the new world?

One of the frontrunners, Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan, Italy said mass at Rome's Church of the 12 Apostles.

And there's one of the dark horse candidates, Boston's Sean O'Malley. Could he be the first American pope?

SEAN PATRICK O'MALLEY, ARCHBISHOP OF BOSTON: Let us pray that the holy spirit illumine the church to choose a new pope who will confirm us in our faith and make more visible the law of the good shepherd.

MARQUEZ: The public politicking nearly over, once the conclave starts the cardinals go into deep seclusion until a decision is made.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Miguel Marquez reporting there.

For more on the conclave that is set to begin on Tuesday, Dan Rivers joins us now live from Rome. And Dan, what has been happening in the run up to the conclave?

DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: Well, it's all been getting pretty hectic here. We just had word from one cardinal who was walking out of the general congregation, which is the preamble, if you like, for all of the cardinals to this conclave. I asked him how the general congregations were going and he said beautifully. He wouldn't go any further than that.

But certainly this is their last opportunity now to have these wider discussions ahead of a very solemn task ahead of them in the Sistine Chapel.

Let's just have a look, give you an idea of where we are. This is St. Peter's Square behind me, of course. You can see the balcony has been prepared on the facade of the St. Peter's there with the kind of red curtains that they have been put up this morning in preparation for the new pope. That's where he will appear, that's where his name will be announced to the world.

Slightly to the right, if our camera can pick up the chimney on the top of the Sistine Chapel, the entire world's media are going to have their cameras trained on that from tomorrow, that's where the smoke, be it black or white, will come from.

And the security presence here has stepped up a lot as well. We're just outside the Vatican, strictly speaking, about -- what, about 30 meters outside the Vatican, but all around here lots of police cars stepping up the security presence. Obviously, there's a lot of media -- the media presence is amazing as well.

Look at this, this huge, big edifice over here full of cameras and broadcasters waiting and watching for this conclave to get underway.

So, lots of activity down here all mixed in with that -- you know, literally able to talk to some cardinals as they walk through. They're not allowed to say much, but beautiful the word from the general congregations this morning.

LU STOUT: Very vivid reporting of the scene outside, but you've got to wonder what's happening inside. I mean, we know that a number of meetings took place in the days leading up to the conclave. Dan, is that a sign of tension inside the church?

RIVERS: I don't know about that, but there are certainly (inaudible) compromise on a leader, that there are the kind of reformists who want to shake things up a bit to reform the curia, the bureaucracy, the civil service of the Vatican. They clearly are not going to want to back those who are part of that establishment.

So there's going to be this push and pull, this tension between broadly those two camps, if I can put it as crudely as that, and that's why it's so difficult to predict, because they need to find 77 cardinals who agree on one candidate. So clearly the 28 Italians or the 11 American -- North American cardinals isn't going to be enough. They're going to have to get a much broader consensus and that would perhaps suggest that they're going to have to go for a compromise candidate that's acceptable to the vast majority of cardinals, which makes it so much more difficult to predict who is going to end up being the frontrunner.

Still at the moment, being touted as a favorite, is the Archbishop of Milan Angelo Scola. He is being -- certainly in terms of the betting odds, the favorite and mentioned as a possible future pope.

But, really, I think having taken soundings from all the experts and analysts here that it is very, very difficult to predict who is going to win and how long it will take.

LU STOUT: And once the conclave begins on Tuesday, what will happen on day one?

RIVERS: Right -- well, on day one tomorrow, Tuesday Rome time, in the morning they will file into the Sistine Chapel. I was in there on Monday watching the preparations, the last minute preparations. They built a series of tables at which the cardinals will sit. They were finishing that off on Sunday, they're surrounded in sort of red, purple cloth. There will be a brown cloth on the top, I'm told. They're in two rows facing one another, either side of the alter. They will file in there. There will be some sort of prayer and ceremony before the voting gets underway in the afternoon.

So no morning ballot on the first day, only in the afternoon. We'll be looking for smoke, of course. It's pretty unlikely that we will see white smoke as early as Tuesday, but as I say, very difficult to predict. But then as we go on through the week, there will be two sets of votes in the morning, two sets in the afternoon.

And the mechanics of the vote are interesting. They are given a piece of paper that they have to write their preferred candidate on. The piece of paper in Latin says "eligo summum pontificem," which means "I choose a supreme pontiff" and then the name. They have to disguise their writing to try and make sure that they don't give away how they voted. The votes are then put on a needle so they're not counted twice. If they don't get 77 they're burnt and black smoke will come out. If they do get the magic number, 77, we will see white smoke from the Sistine Chapel behind me.

LU STOUT: Compelling and curious details of the process ahead. Dan Rivers joining us live from Vatican City, thank you.

Now you are watching News Stream. And still to come, was it suicide or something else? Now one of the suspects in the gang rape and fatal beating of a woman in India is found dead in his prison cell, but his parents are disputing the official version of events.

Plus, refusing to concede: why the loser in Kenya's presidential election is challenging the results.

And a solemn anniversary. People in Japan mark two years since the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: In India, it was a crime that set off protests across the country, now one of the suspects in the gang rape and fatal beating of a woman on a New Delhi bus is dead. Now police say Ram Singh killed himself on Monday apparently using his clothes to hang himself in his cell. He was one of five men on trial for the December attack. A sixth suspect is being tried separately in juvenile court.

Now Singh was being held at New Delhi's Tihar Prison. And his parents are claiming that he was murdered. And his lawyers says Singh had no reason to commit suicide and that there was foul play.

Now Sumnima Udas is following developments for us from New Delhi and she joins us now live. And Sumnima, was it suicide or was it murder? What do we know?

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, the home minister of this country has said that preliminary reports suggest that Ram Singh, who is of course the driver of that bus in which that gang rape took place back in December committed suicide, but that an inquiry has been launched and that they will not jump into any conclusions at the moment.

And he also said that in the other inmates in that prison are also being questioned at the moment and also that security has been stepped up for the other accused as well.

Now as you mention, Ram Singh's lawyer and his family have claimed that this is foul play, did not believe that he, in fact, committed suicide. And they believe it's murder. And a lot of the -- a lot of questions are being raised at the moment on how something like this could happen in what is otherwise known as high security prison.

This is no ordinary prison, Kristie. Tihar Jail is one of the largest jail complexes in the world. It's certainly India's largest. It has a lot of security there. And so there are a lot of questions are being raised as to how this could have happened in such a high security place, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And also what next, what impact will the suspect's death have on the trial?

UDAS: That's right, that's the other question that's being raised here. Remember, Ram Singl is, of course, one of the main accused. It was through his statements that the police were able to identify and eventually capture the five other suspects. So a lot of people are saying -- or analysts here, at least, are saying that this will certainly have some sort of impact on the case itself. The prosecution has said in the past that they have all the evidence against all five of the accused and that the case will continue in the same manner, but the defense lawyer has said that he will approach the supreme court here to see if the case can be moved outside of Delhi.

LU STOUT: And is the reaction in India to this latest development? I mean, officials there are already under so much pressure over the gang rape case. Is the death of a suspect in jail seen as an embarrassment for the government?

UDAS: Well, it's certainly being seen as a lapse in surveillance. Again, this is no ordinary jail. Tihar Jail was one of the most notorious jails in this country back in the 80s, but over the years it's gone through many reforms. And it's often seen -- often seen as a model jail here. They have even programs like meditation for all the inmates. They have cooking classes. So these inmates -- the products are actually sold all over the country. So it's often been lauded for the reforms that have taken place. A lot of people are wondering how this could have happened in such a jail - - Kristie.

LU STOUT: Sumnima Udas joining us live from New Delhi, thank you very much indeed for that update.

Now the Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga says he will contest the results of the presidential election. Now he is set to file a complaint in court later this week. On Saturday, Kenya's election commission announced deputy prime minister Uhuru Kenyatta won outright with 50.07 percent of the vote. Mr. Odinga came in second with just over 43 percent.

Now Kenyatta's victory is further complicated by the fact that both he and his runningmate have been facing trial at the International Criminal Court.

Now Nima Elbagir is following developments. She joins us now live from Nairobi. And Nima, first, breaking news from the ICC, what can you tell us?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, the ICC prosecutor has said that within her responsibility to only send cases to trial that she believes she has a good chance of getting a conviction on, she is dropping the charges against Mr. Kenyatta's alleged co-conspirator, the former head of the Kenyan civil service, Francis Muthaura.

Now the prosecutor has said that this will have no bearing on the trial against Mr. Kenyatta, a statement that's being met with some surprise here in Kenya, especially as he and Mr. Kenyatta were being charged as co- conspirators.

Prosecutors said that this case is being dropped for a number of reasons. One, she says she's been disappointed in what she calls the Kenyan government's failure to assist her with access to witnesses. Two, she says many of those whose testimony was key to Mr. Muthaura's case has either died or have been too scared to come forward with their testimony. And three, she's having to admit that a key eyewitness to an alleged meeting between Mr. Muthaura and Mr. Kenyatta and militiamen accused of agitating and being responsible for the violence that marred that post election period in 2007, that that witness has recanted part of his testimony and now admits to being bribed, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now, the charges have been dropped by the ICC. That decision aside, Kenyatta has a checkered past. What does his victory mean for Kenya's relationships and diplomatic ties with the west?

ELBAGIR: Well, what we should say is that Mr. Kenyatta has an indictment against him for crimes against humanity at the ICC for that 2007 election - - post-election period, a charge that obviously he clearly denies. But in terms of the international community, both the U.S. and UK have gone on record that it is their stated principle to have nothing but essential contact with ICC indictees anywhere in the world. And we are all -- based on that statement, many both in Kenya and abroad have taken that to mean that they will not have anything, but nonessential contact with Mr. Kenyatta. Obviously, Mr. Kenyatta's case is further complicated by the fact that the deputy vice -- the deputy president-elect William Ruto, his runningmate, is also up at the ICC on charges against humanity.

So many have been asking, given how crucial Kenya is to both regional economic, and security stability, who are the international community going to be dealing with if they can't speak to either the deputy president or the president?

But this is a very fast moving situation now, Kristie. And I'm sure that Mr. Kenyatta's legal team will be trying, will be seeking to press home the advantage of Francis Muthaura's case being dropped.

LU STOUT: That's right, they have promised a legal challenge to the vote result. What is the likelihood that the result could be overturned?

ELBAGIR: Well, Mr. Odinga, Kenyatta's rival, is certainly it will be. But we're waiting to hear from the Supreme Court. We had heard some time this week, perhaps even Wednesday, Mr. Odinga will be taking his case to court. Once that case arrives in front of the Supreme Court, that automatically puts a 14 day block on any presidential inauguration or swearing in while that case is looked at, Kristie.

So we're -- at the moment there's just an incredible amount of scrutiny both domestically and internationally and we're waiting to see how this develops.

LU STOUT: Nima Elbagir on the story for us live in Nairobi. Thank you.

Now in Afghanistan, the commander of the NATO led forces there says the U.S. and its allies are not colluding with the Taliban. He made the remarks after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the U.S. and the Taliban were holding daily talks. Mr. Karzai's statement followed a weekend bombing in Kabul that killed at least nine people. Mr. Karzai also said the Taliban would prefer that foreign troops remain in the country.

Now General Joseph Dunford later called Mr. Karzai's comments, quote, "categorically false," saying the alliance has fought too hard to ever think that instability would be to our advantage.

You're watching News Stream. And a world sport update is straight ahead as Tiger Woods turns back the clock with a dominant performance. Amanda DAvies will have all the highlights.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you are back watching News Stream.

And right here, you're looking at a visual rundown of all the stories we're covering in this show today. And we are just one day away from the papal conclave. And later, we'll look back at the war in Iraq 10 years on, but now to sports and a good weekend at last for Tiger Woods.

Now with golf's first major of the year fast approaching, Tiger Woods will hope to maintain the great form that earned him yet another PGA Tour victory.

Amanda Davies joins us now with more -- Amanda

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kristie.

Yeah, it's all about finding your form at the right time, isn't it? And with a month to go until the Master's, Tiger has certainly sent out a warning to the rest. He claimed victory at the World Golf Championships in Florida by two shots to put him in touching distance of the world number one spot once again.

Woods went into the final day in Doral four shots clear at the top of the leaderboard and carted a one under par round of 71 to finish ahead of fellow American Steve Stricker. It's Woods' second victory of the year, his 17th WGC title in all.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy finished joint 8th. So Woods has moved just a point behind him in the rankings and could regain the top spot if he wins at Bay Hill in two week's time.

Let's just have a recap of how the final leaderboard looked. Woods confirmed as champion for the fifth time in 19 tournaments, a clear sign of intent as he looks to end his five year major drought. Steve Stricker was second after shooting a final round 68.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER GOODS, GOLFER: I'm just trying to get better. It's very simple. And I feel like my game is becoming more efficient and it's -- consistent - - more consistent day in and day out. And I'm very pleased with the progress I've made with Sean.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Sir Alex Ferguson's relationship with Rafa Benitez doesn't show any sign of improving with the interim Chelsea manager accusing his United counterpart of refusing to shake hands after Manchester United's FA Cup quarterfinal against Chelsea on Sunday. The match finished 2-2 after Chelsea came back from two goals down at Old Trafford.

Any concerns over a United hangover from their Champion's League defeat were dispelled early on when Javier Hernandez put them one up after just five minutes. And one became two just six minutes later. Wayne Rooney was back in the side having been dropped against Real Madrid. He made his point from the free kick.

Well, it looks like Chelsea were on the way out of the FA Cup, but the Blues have a great record in the competition in recent years and after halftime really stepped up a gear, Evan Hazard came on as a substitute and quickly made it 2-1. The tide had definitely turned.

And less than 10 minutes later, Oscar found Ramirez who leveled it.

Chelsea did go on and try and win it. Manchester United needed a great save from David de Gea in goal in the final minute of stoppage time to make sure of the replay.

So they'll face off again. And it's Manchester City waiting for the winner in the semifinals.

In the NBA, LeBron James and Miami Heat won their 18th straight game on Sunday, beating the Indiana Pacers 105-91, a relatively quiet night for LeBron, though. He claimed just 13 points, adding the hammer dunk there in the second quarter. Despite the modest point total, James found other ways to be effective. After turning the ball over, he chases down Paul George for the big block.

Pacers weren't helped by 16 turnovers. Dwayne Wade accounted for six of them, here putting in the dunk to leave Frank Fogel (ph) unimpressed.

Miami didn't let their lead slip after that. It was Mario Chalmers who was top scorer with 26 points, knocking down one of his five threes here. So it's the Heat celebrating another win. They've now beaten every time in the league this season. And have the longest winning streak since the Celtics in 2008, '09.

Now it's a big day in the sporting world, the Oscars equivalent taking place on Monday. It's the 2013 Laureus Sports Awards. And given the focus on Brazil over the next few years, it's perhaps right that they should be held in Rio this year.

And Pedro Pinto is lucky enough to be there for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PEDRO PINTO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Welcome to Rio, Brazil's second largest city, but an undisputed number one when it comes to the world of sports.

Over the next three-and-a-half years, it'll have the privilege of hosting a FIFA World Cup and a summer Olympic Games.

(voice-over): On Monday, Rio will already get a taste of what's to come as it welcomes another high profile event: the Laureus World Sports Awards, which are also known as the Oscars of sports. It's the first time the awards have come to South America after previous stops in Europe and the Middle East. The top prizes up for grabs are sportsman, sportswoman and team of the year.

For Rio, there's no doubt this is a big chance to prove that it has what it takes to host major international sports events amidst speculation that preparations for next year's World Cup are running behind schedule.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIES: Well, that was part one of Pedro's road to Rio, plenty more to come this week. We'll be running further installments throughout the week on World Sport.

I tell you, Kristie, Pedro gets the really tough gigs, doesn't he?

LU STOUT: I know, to go to Rio. Oh, I only wish. Amanda Davies, one of these days. Thank you.

Now you're watching News Stream. And up next after the break, two years on Japan is remembering one of the most devastating days in its history. And today, that set off a tragic chain of events still being felt around the world.

And as nuclear energy continues to spark heated debate in post Fukushima, Japan, we'll look at one alternative source of energy to help power the country. That still ahead right here on News Stream.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now, in India, one of the suspects accused in the gang rape and fatal beating of a woman on a bus is dead. Indian authorities say Ram Singh committed suicide in custody by hanging himself. But his parents say their son was murdered. He was one of six accused of attacking the woman who later died of her injuries.

al Qaeda is claiming responsibility for an attack on a Syrian army convoy in Iraq. 48 Syrians and nine Iraqis were killed when gunmen ambushed the convoy last week. The attack raises concerns that Syria's civil war could spill into Iraq. al Qaeda's claims surfaced online earlier this Monday on jihadist forums.

Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles says that he will run for president in next month's election. Acting president Nicolas Maduro will also be on the ballot. Maduro was Hugo Chavez's hand-picked successor.

Now governments have joined forces to try to stop four types of shark being wiped out because of demand for their fins. The convention on international trade in endangered species voted to restrict exports of various shark species. China and Japan tried and failed to block the proposals, which could be formally approved later this week. Now shark fin soup is considered a delicacy in parts of Asia.

Now two years ago today, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off Japan and soon after, the world watched in horror as a massive tsunami engulfed the country's northeastern coastline. The destruction was catastrophic. And the wall of water also sparked the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years.

Earlier this Monday, Japan held a moment of silence at the exact time the earthquake struck. Japan's emperor and empress led the tributes. And they bowed in front of this national memorial in Tokyo.

Now two years on, the tsunami remains a destructive force. And debris from Japan continues to wash ashore thousands of kilometers away. Kyung Lah looks at the environmental impact.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Slamming the shores of one of Hawaii's most remote beaches. Debris, big and small, covering every inch of the Kamilo Beach coastline. The foreign markings tell where some of it comes from.

(on camera): These are definitely from Japan. This is some type of pickle. That is definitely Japanese.

(voice-over): Hawaii wildlife fund's Meagan Lamson has seen debris from Japan hit at a growing rate since fall, like a refrigerator with Japanese on the temperature dial. Large buoys, even an in tact fishing boat from Japan sucked into the Pacific on that horrifying day two years ago, traveling through the Pacific, volunteers like HWF have been fighting the already big problem of marine debris, only made worse with the 1.5 million tons of floating tsunami debris.

MEGAN LAMSON, HAWAII WILDLIFE FUND: It's disheartening to come out here and see all this marine debris in this area that's otherwise so remote, debris that's washing up from other countries.

LAH: This is not just a litter problem, look at what's inside this albatross, a sea bird, found dead, plastics fill its body.

PROFESSOR DAVID HYRENBACH, HAWAII PACIFIC UNIVERSITY: So little fat.

LAH: David Hyrenbach and his team are researching the alarming rate of debris in the birds.

HYRENBACH: So here you see...

LAH: It is filled with plastic.

This is the stomach of a two month old albatross.

LAH: Is that part of a drain?

HYRENBACH: Maybe. Oh, it's a brush. Look at that. You see?

LAH: About 80 percent of this baby bird's stomach is indigestible plastic, fed this by its parents who confused it for food.

HYRENBACH: Morally, this is terrible. How is this possible, right? I mean, majestic, far ranging, beautiful birds, right, in a pristine place of the North Pacific and then you open them up and this is, you know, what you find.

LAH: Hyrenbach says every single bird he's opened up had some sort of plastic, some large ones like these toys and lighters in the adult birds.

HYRENBACH: So it goes way beyond the albatross.

LAH: It's also in our fish. NOAA fisheries biologist Leslie Jance (ph) is cutting into the stomach of a lancet fish. It may look scary, but this is what yellowfin and bigeye tuna eat. The tuna that ends up on your plates.

HYRENBACH: What is that black thing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is a plastic bag.

HYRENBACH: Like a grocery bag?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or like just a garbage bag.

HYRENBACH: Nearly half of the lancet fish Jance (ph) cut into had plastic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One thing that is a concern that we don't know is if any chemicals are absorbed into the tissue of the fish, which is problem if it's going to be eaten by other fish that we consume.

HYRENBACH: A disaster still in the making, now widening its reach.

Environmental activists here say that there's nothing they can do about the tsunami debris, they can just clean up the beaches, but there is something that consumers can do to help them out. They see plastic bottle caps of the plastic water bottles that we use around the world. Consumers can simply use less plastic.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Hawaii.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: That's incredible to see that tsunami debris big and small still washing up on far away shores.

Our Mari Ramos has also been tracking the debris from Japan and she joins us now with her latest findings -- Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, one of the things that amazes me, you know, that report from Kyung Lah, what they found inside those baby birds, 80 percent, 90 percent of what was inside the baby bird was plastic, unconsumable, indigestible plastic. It really is amazing.

But this little piece of data will, I think, surprise you. Officially, only 21 pieces of debris from the tsunami, officially, that's the official word, have been found in across the United States. And six of them, officially in Hawaii. So, there you have it.

We have, for example, this boat that was found off the coast of Alaska. That boat was sunk eventually by NOAA just off the coast before it reached the coastline, but that was an entire vessel that was found that came from the tsunami debris. You may remember this Harley motorcycle, this one in British Columbia in Canada. Also that was carried over by the debris.

This pieces -- unofficially from the tsunami, these were found on this very remote, hard to reach island, off the coast of Alaska. And they were literally thousands and thousands of pieces there. And environmental activists are saying if we pick this up we have no way to move it out of the region because these islands are so far away and so hard to reach.

So really, it's quite amazing when you think that there are millions of pieces of debris of this plastic which is the stuff that's not going to degrade naturally into the echo system, because the wood and all this other stuff, that will degrade and then the heavier pieces are going to sink down to the bottom.

It's that stuff that ends up floating around where the animals live that is the most -- the most disturbing. And really when you think about how much of it is there.

So we had that happen there off the coast of Japan.

The ocean current and the wind are actually what's carrying this over toward -- across the Pacific for those thousands of kilometers and into these areas, because of these ocean gyres that you see here, you know, the way the water bumps up along the coast here of Canada and then back over toward Alaska. That's why here in that area of Alaska, that's where we found those first pieces of debris.

The other currents take it in areas along the coast of the U.S. and then to the south. And then it kind of turns around. And then you get the debris on the -- brings it back over toward Hawaii so there's a lot of stuff -- Hawaii is getting the debris coming in from the west -- from the east and then eventually coming back around the other way. So that's, I think, something else to keep in mind.

The highest concentration of debris, of that floating debris, is believed to still be out here in the ocean. It's very difficult to track via satellite, because they just can't pick it up very well, because of what's it's made of. And it's almost invisible when you look at it from the top, when you look at it through satellites.

But this debris will continue to just come along for years and years to come, because it's going to take a long time for that to actually happen.

You know, Kyung Lah mentioned also that they ask for the public's help. There is a way that people can help if they spot any kind of debris. That helps the scientists track what they see. It helps them create better computer models to see where this debris is going. And also to find what is actually out there. Disaster debris at NOAA.gov, so all of you that are out there in the ocean all those times, you know, you guys can help out with that and @debristracker is their twitter page. And of course you can find more information. I'll go ahead and tweet this information again at MarineDebris.NOAA.gov.

So it's pretty interesting how much of this -- how connected we all are. And two years later, of course we're still talking about that.

Yeah, we are very connected. And thank you for sharing that information. You've mentioned that very small official figure, the amount of debris from the tsunami, and here's hoping that the relevant authorities are watching your report and Kyung's report and they'll update that number pretty soon.

Mari Ramos there, thank you.

Now the disaster in Japan, it has renewed also the global debate about the safety of nuclear power. And for the past two years, Japan itself has been looking for other ways to meet its energy needs.

Alex Zolbert looks at one alternative and the challenges that come with it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX ZOLBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In the far north of Japan's Honshu Island, wind farms blanket the landscape. They are one piece in an energy puzzle as Japan tries to figure out how it will power itself in a post-Fukushima world two years after the tsunami and destruction of the now crippled nuclear power plant.

It is a tall order when it comes to wind power. Right now, it accounts for less than 1 percent of Japan's energy resources.

(on camera): As you can see, this area is remote and rugged, and on most days, particularly in the winter, windy as well. But as some skeptics of this renewable energy will point out, when the wind stops, so does the ability to generate power.

(voice-over): And it is a stable constant supply of energy that is crucial. But at the heart of Japan wind developments Futamata project, are these: massive batteries, 17 of them, capable of storing energy and releasing it in an even flow.

JOHN POPHAM, JAPAN WIND DEVELOPMENT: This completely changes the equation for a renewable power plant. You can actually supply the power when it's needed, not just when it's -- when the wind is blowing.

ZOLBERT: The batteries can store energy through the night when there's usually more wind and then release it during the day when demand is higher.

But as the company admits, it doesn't come cheap.

POPHAM: The Holy Grail, really, for us will be to bring down the cost of renewable plus storage to a level which is competitive with other energy forms. And I do believe that will happen, whether it's five years or 10 years or longer nobody knows. But it will happen, I'm sure.

ZOLBERT: This is just one part of the wind energy equation in Japan, another idea being floated, literally, is harnessing the wind on the water.

This project launched off the coast of Nagasaki last august. And later this year, the country will start work on an even bigger endeavor off the coast of Fukushima just miles from the now infamous nuclear power plant.

Ideas that are generating energy as well as debate about the best ways to power the country.

Alex Zolbert, CNN, Rokkasho, Aomori, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Still ahead on News Stream, chasing false leads. 10 years after the U.S. invaded Iraq, Nic Robertson recalls the hunt for weapons of mass destruction that did not exist.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

And this month, it marks the 10th anniversary of the U.S. led invasion of Iraq. Now Washington's justification for war was laregly based on the claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Nic Robertson was in Iraq before, during, and after the war and reflects on how the search for WMDs went from fear to frustration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY BLAIR, FRM. PRIME MINISTER OF BRITAIN: It concludes that Iraq has chemical and biological weapons, that Saddam has continued to produce them.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: Before the invasion, the drumbeat: Saddam Hussein has WMD.

BLAIR: ...which could be activated within 45 minutes...

ROBERTSON: And isn't afraid to use it.

COLIN POWELL, FRM. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: When Iraq finally admitted having these weapons in 1995, the quantities were vast.

ROBERTSON: It felt incessant, persuasive, but not a drop of nerve agent, nor grain of biological weapon was found.

(on camera): Unlike other areas in Iraq, U.S. aircraft have so far not dropped leaflets over Baghdad.

(voice-over): That's me on the eve of the war in Baghdad in the pet market. I bought a bird to warn of chemical attack. Yes, I believed there could be WMD.

Here I am again.

(on camera): We're running to get into the cars...

(voice-over): Four months before the war, chasing UN weapons inspectors as they scoured Iraq for WMD. Iraqi officials bamboozled, obfuscated and blocked at every turn.

(on camera): The president has told people the very document (inaudible) what do you make of all that?

(voice-over): Neither the inspectors nor us reporters could get a straight answer or unrestricted access.

(on camera): Many times I've asked myself how we could have been duped, misled it seems not just by a failure of western intelligence, but by Saddam Hussein's big gamble. Rather than admit he had no WMD and lose face in the Arab World, he bet against invasion and lost everything.

(voice-over): In the days after he fell, we went back to some of the sites the UN had inspected.

(on camera): Iraqi government claims that this site was nothing more than a radio frequency testing a repair facility.

(voice-over): This was one on the outskirts of Baghdad. We had free, unfettered access. We asked questions, poked around, but nothing, not a hint of WMD.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The area that we were testing, the barrel that stands up is the one we opened.

ROBERTS: False leads kept coming. U.S. troops found this, thought it might be Saddam's special chemical weapons manufacturing train, much touted by politicians before the war.

(on camera): An electrical diagram chart and on the back a correction table in Cyrillic and in English. And on the bottom, dose settings, prescribe dose...

(voice-over): The carriage was nothing of the sort. It turns out the original intelligence source was less than honest.

(on camera): The U.S. commission on the intelligence of the U.S. regarding WMD concluded the WMD episode was one of the biggest and most public intelligence failures in recent U.S. history due in a large part to analytical failures.

I was there and I saw it. And still to this day I wonder just how it could have happened.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Today, heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. Now North Korea's army has declared the armistice agreement that stopped fighting the Korean War invalid, that's according to the official newspaper of the north's ruling party. And this comes as annual joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. get underway.

Now, North Korea has called these training exercises a, quote, open declaration of war. Now South Korea insists that the drills were only defensive in nature.

Let's go now to Anna Coren who joins us now live from Seoul -- Anna.

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, it made these threats last week that it was going to scrap the armistice and today, as you say, and the state news agency. It said the armistice was invalid.

Now what does this mean? We know the armistice is a legally binding document that theoretically stops the resumption of the Korean War. And according to Pyongyang, that is now dead.

Now we know that they have severed the emergency hotline between the two countries. Now they have done this before, but in this climate, it really does change the current situation, because if there is some military provocation then there is no form of communication between the two countries.

Now this is all happening in an extraordinary context. We go back to the Korean War. The Korean War was a brutal war, Kristie, that ended 60 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: In the heart of South Korea's capital, nestled on the side of a hill, lie the remains of some of the country's fallen heroes. Grave after grave, row after row, are victims of the brutal and devastating Korean War.

It began in the summer of 1950 when North Korean founder Kim il-Song waged war on his southern neighbor. The Korean peninsula had been divided after World War II following 35 years of Japanese occupation.

Russia took control of the north, the United States the south. With a border marked along the 38th parallel, also known as the DMZ.

The North Korean regime invaded all the way to the southern tip of the peninsula before U.S. and UN reinforcements pushed the enemy back well across the border. And then the Chinese arrived with a tactic that still haunts surviving allied soldiers to this day.

ANDREW SALMON, KOREAN WAR HISTORIAN: This human wave of very, very large massive men attacking at very, very short range. Most of the fighting took place on hills, which is rugged terrain at night and at very close range. So for the UN troops who fought here, I mean, it was a very, very traumatic experience.

And some of the guys I know, you know, six decades later still can't sleep without the lights on.

COREN: One man who still has nightmares is In Jun Chung (ph). He joined the South Korean military at the age of 20, desperately wanting to defend his country. Shot in the leg, the 82 year old tells me a story about how he managed to escape after coming under attack one night.

"I couldn't see anything in front of me. And suddenly there were bodies everywhere. There was no way to avoid stepping on them. I tried not to step on their faces, but rather their arms and legs because their stomachs were as soft as tofu. I kept falling, but we had to keep going, otherwise we would have been killed."

While the Korean War lasted for only three years, the loss of life here on the Korean Peninsula was extraordinary. Conservative estimates put the number of dead at around 2 million. But with no official records out of North Korea, analysts believe the total figure could be as high as 5 million.

In the end, North Korea was devastated. And at midnight on the 27th of July 1953, the armistice agreement was signed effectively ending the Korean War. And as Pyongyang threatens to nullify the ceasefire, this grandfather of eight says the stories of his war are now more important than ever.

"We must teach the younger generations, because they know nothing about the suffering we endured. God forbid, they need to prepare in case there is another war."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Now, Kristie, you mention those join military drills being held between the United States and South Korea. Some of those kicked off early this month, others began today.

Now experts here in Seoul say that Kim Jong un and his regime, they won't conduct any provocations while these exercises are happening. They will wait until they are over next month, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Anna, you report some powerful accounts of that brutal war. And Anna Coren joining us live from Seoul, thank you.

Now you're watching News Stream. And coming up next, one of the most successful businesswomen in America says that not enough women are getting ahead in the workplace. And you might be surprised just where Sheryl Sandberg places the blame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now Facebook's number two is no stranger to controversy. Last year, Sheryl Sandberg touched off a storm when she said that she leaves the office at 5:30 every day to spend time with her children. And now the billionaire businesswoman has written a book about women in the workplace. Susan Candiotti explains why Sandberg's words are drawing praise and criticism.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sheryl Sandberg wants women to succeed and says it's alarming how far they haven't come.

SHERYL SANDBERG, COO FACEBOOK: The very blunt truth is that men still run the world.

CANDIOTTI: In her first televised interview to debut her new book "Lean In" Sandberg tells "60 Minutes" that leadership roles for women are alarmingly small, only 21 female CEOs in the Fortune 500.

SANDBERG: This is deeply personal for me. I want every little girl who someone says they're bossy to be told, instead, you have leadership skills.

CANDIOTTI: Sandberg lays a good deal of the responsibility on women themselves. Facebook's 43-year-old chief operating officer says women too often don't compete for promotions because they're worrying too early about the future.

SANDBERG: They start leaning back. They say oh, I'm busy. I want to have a child one day. I could possibly, you know, take on any more. Or, I'm still learning on my current job. I've never had a man say that stuff to me.

Though she also blames discrimination at work and a lack of affordable childcare, her views have made her a lightning rod.

LESLEY JANE SEYMOUR, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, MORE MAGAZINE: Instead of saying that doesn't work for women, and it won't work, and let's change the system, she's kind of going backwards and saying, let's change you instead. That's probably where most of the anger is coming from.

CANDIOTTI: But Sandberg isn't apologetic.

SANDBERG: I'm not trying to say that everything I can do everyone can do. But I do believe that these messages are completely universal. The things that hold women back hold women back from sitting at the board room table, and they hold women back from speaking up at the PTA meeting.

CANDIOTTI: Sandberg, a mother of two, also says leading at work requires men to share the workload at home.

SANDBERG: There's an awful lot we don't control. I am saying that there's an awful lot we can control and we can do for ourselves to sit at more tables, raise more hands.

CANDIOTTI: Challenging women to lean in and listen.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, The Economist has put together what it calls a glass ceiling index. And we want to highlight a few of those findings. According to the index, New Zealand is the best country for women to work. Norway and Sweden, they come in close behind. As for the United States, it placed 12th out of the 26 nations ranked.

So where are the worst conditions for working women? Well, Japan is near the bottom. Just 1.4 percent of Japanese executives are women. And in the very last place, South Korea. Now it remains to be seen if conditions will change under the country's first female president.

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

END