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NEWS STREAM
New Pope Takes Name Francis; Xi Jinping Elected New President of China; Samsung Reveals New Galaxy 4
Aired March 14, 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.
Changing times: Pope Francis becomes the new leader of the Catholic church with over a billion followers, while in China, Xi Jinping becomes president for more than a billion people.
Plus, Samsung's latest move to win over even more of the smartphone market. We look ahead to the launch of the Galaxy S4.
It is one of the oldest institutions in the world, and today the Catholic church and its 1.2 billion followers are celebrating the election of a new leader. On Wednesday, after two days of voting by the Cardinals, the signal that the faithful had been waiting for, a puff of white smoke a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel.
A short time later, the official announcement of habemus papem, we have a new pope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARDINAL JEAN-LOUIS TAURAN, PRESIDENT PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: And then the revelation of who will inherit the throne of St. Peter. The 76 year old Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. And the new pope has taken the name Francis. And many are speculating about what that means about the priorities he wills set.
Jim Bittermann takes us through a historic day's event and looks at what the future may hold under Pope Francis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPE FRANCIS I, CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): Let us begin this journey.
(CHEERS)
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): His journey began Wednesday when Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected to lead the Catholic Church. He's the first non-European pope since the eighth century and the first pope ever from South America. He'll be called Pope Francis, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.
Bergoglio was born in December 17th, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of an Italian immigrant, a railway worker. He had four brothers and sisters. He studied to become a chemist before receiving a call to the priesthood.
The 76-year-old was ordained a Jesuit in December of 1969, and has served as archbishop in Buenos Aires. He was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II on February 21st, 2001.
Bergoglio is said to be the runner-up in the 2005 conclave. And in 2013, he was the oldest of the possible candidates, barely mentioned as the top pick.
Some fellow Argentines are looking forward to his new chapter in the Catholic Church.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we want to move forward. Hopefully make some good changes. Hopefully, he'll be similar to John Paul II in some ways and being progressive. So, we'll just have to wait and see.
BITTERMANN: Bergoglio is the 266th bishop of Rome, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. But to many, he's known simply, Father Jorge.
Jim Bittermann, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And part of Pope Francis's first full day will be celebrating mass with the cardinals who elected him. And for more, I'm joined now live by Jim Bittermann in Rome. And Jim, tell us more about what's ahead for Pope Francis on his first few days as pontiff?
BITTERMANN: Well, for one thing, this morning, Kristie, he went very early this morning to be with the church, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the major basilicas here in Rome and prayed to the Virgin Mary. He's very much a believer in Mary. And I think that and the consistency of the line that has been practiced by his former popes.
But in fact another thing that's sort of a departure from the line of his former popes was something of style, because when he arrived at Santa Maria Maggiore this morning he actually was wearing his priestly black garb, the Jesuit black garb and not the pope white, the papal whites. He changed during a little brief period between when he started praying and when he arrived. But nonetheless he arrived in very simple fashion, the kind of thing we've been talking about quite a bit here about the way he differs from some of his predecessors.
Further ahead on Saturday he's going to hold a news conference with journalists. I don't think this is going to be necessarily a give and take session, but he's certainly going to be him meeting journalists, probably thanking them for what they've done over the last few days in terms of coverage.
And then Tuesday will be the big inaugural mass. And there I think we're going to see world leaders from just all across the world come in to sort of congratulate him on the beginning of his reign. I think we've heard that Joe Biden is going to come from the United States, the president of Argentina, and any number of other sort of religious and civil figures from around the world who will be joining the pope for his inaugural mass on Tuesday -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: It is a packed schedule ahead for the new pontiff.
And Pope Francis, he was a surprise choice. Why was he selected? Was it because he came from an area of population growth in the church, Latin America?
BITTERMANN: Just to emphasize your point, Kristie, look at this headline in Courierre de la Sera this morning, one of the major newspapers. "Here's the Surprise di Francsco."
Yes, it was a surprise. It was a surprise for all of us because we did not have him on any of our lists this time around. We did last time around, in 2005, but it was a surprise. And I think one of the things we debated long and hard about before the election was that whether or not you could have a pope from the developing world, the church has been so dominated by European popes that it was difficult to imagine that they would now turn to the developing world.
And it really is a gesture towards Latin America, an area of major growth for the church as well as other parts of the developing world. And it gives people confidence. We talked to a lot of people in the crowd last night, Latinos who were in the crowd, Mexicans, for instance, Brazilians, and others who -- you know, were very much in favor of this whole idea that the church was opening itself up in a way by choosing a pope that comes from Argentina and comes from an area of the world where the growth of the church is so important.
It is also an area of the world where the church is being challenged in the sense that there's a lot of evangelation -- evangelization going on by Protestant religions. And so it's an area where the church is facing some challenges and so this is another sort of statement that's being made by this.
It's all around a fairly amazing choice, I think, for a lot of people -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: All right, Jim Bittermann joining us live from Vatican City. Thank you very much indeed for that insight and analysis.
Now you heard Jim mention that Pope Francis is the first non-European pope since the 8th Century and the first pope ever from South America. But those are not his only firsts. Now he is the first pope to take the name Francis, after the revered servant to the poor, St. Francis of Assisi. Some also see it as a nod to St. Francis Xavier, a founding member of the Jesuit order. Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pontiff.
He's also the first pope who is able to telephone his predecessor. The Vatican says that Pope Francis called Benedict XVI after he was elected. Here you see them on February 28, the day Benedict stepped down, a notable first in its own right.
Now across Latin America, reaction to the election of Pope Francis has been positive. Argentina's president Cristina Fernancez de Kirchner offered her congratulations despite having clashed with him in the past over social policies.
Now for more on the reaction there, I'm joined now live by Shasta Darlington in Buenos Aires. And Shasta, tell us more about the reaction there?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, like everywhere around the world it was really a surprise here, you know. In Brazil and Mexico you had some people at least gathering in front of the Cathedrals. Nobody was gathering right here in front of the cathedral where the now Pope Francis used to celebrate mass, but as soon as that announcement was made, a good 500 people converged on the plaza here. They were singing. They were shaking their flags as though it were some kind of a football match. So a lot of excitement and a lot of curiosity.
I think that also they're really fascinated by the fact that this is a man who is known for his proximity to the poor. He really stands up for the poor. We've heard all these stories about how he chose not to live in the official residence. He actually live right here on the third floor of an apartment building right next to the cathedral. He cooked his own meals. And the homeless people right here on the street said that he would stop and chat with them.
So this is a man who is close to the poor, but at the same time was controversial because of his history during the Argentine dictatorship. Now a lot of people feel that he let too many things happen. There was 30,000 disappeared, killed, tortured, that he didn't do enough to stop it. And he's even been accused of being complicit in the kidnapping of two Jesuit priests who had a very stern, anti-government line. He, of course, denies that and the case was dropped.
In the past, he said that he actually helped protect people who wanted to flee the country. So that will be a controversy right here in Argentina and probably throughout Latin America, but at least in a very short-term people are just excited about this Kristie.
LU STOUT: So he's controversial to some there in Argentina. He's been close to the poor. He is well known as a conservative in doctrine, but is he also seen there as a potential force for change and reform in the church?
DARLINGTON: Absolutely, Kristie.
I think there are two ideas that we tend to mix up. He's not a progressive. He's a conservative. But a lot of people do view him as a reformist, so they don't expect any outrageous new ideas as far as gay marriage, abortion, women in the church, but there is hope that he could help shake up the Vatican bureaucracy. There is obviously a lot of feeling that it's too secretive, that there's been corruption. And he's an outsider, someone who is close to his flock, who feels that the church's mission is to be with the people.
And he's already shown us that he doesn't want all that pomp and circumstance. Here at the church apartments they said he didn't like it when people kissed his hand. He didn't like people bowing down before him. He really, really prefers this austere lifestyle. And that's what we expect, Kristie.
LU STOUT: All right. Shasta Darlington giving us an insider's view of the man joining us live from Buenos Aires, thank you.
Now there is still a lot more to come right here on NEWS STREAM. In fact, after the break we'll go to China where Xi Jinping is officially the new president. We'll talk about the challenges he faces ahead.
And later, we will go back to Rome and learn more about the new pope and how he could shape the church.
And also a very disturbing story out of Pakistan where police say these children were paid to plant bombs.
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LU STOUT: That's quite a light show here in Hong Kong. You are back watching NEWS STREAM.
And right here indoors, you're looking at a visual representation of all the major stories we're covering on this Thursday's NEWS STREAM.
Now earlier, we introduced you to the first ever Latin American pope, Francis, and we got reaction from that continent. But this is not the only leadership transition we're following today. On the other side of the world, the National People's Congress has confirmed China's new president.
Now Xi Jinping is beginning what is expected to be a 10 year term as leader of the world's most populous country and second largest economy. And today's vote by the National People's Congress appointing Xi, it was largely a formality. But as David McKenzie tells us now, China's new leader is facing some immediate challenges.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The pomp of party politics. Delegates cast their ballots for China's next president, now officially one of the most powerful men in the world Xi Jinping.
(on camera): State media called it the embodiment of democracy, but Xi Jinping won by 2,952 votes to 1, so it's not so much whether he would win, but how he will rule.
(voice-over): As a man of the people, says state media. Visiting the people in Hebei Province.
"You need to take your medicine on time," he tells this man.
The pragmatic reformer, he's called, who travels by bus, approachable and charming.
But Xi inherits a country at the crossroads: increasing domestic tension and protest, a capital clogged with pollution, a growing middle class wanting more freedom with their wealth, anger of a government corruption.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The government corruption is disloyal to the country. The government isn't doing right by the people. And the people will stop identifying with the government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes, of course it is important. The common people can't survive if this problem isn't solved. They can't survive.
WENRAN JIANG, ASIA PACIFIC FOUNDATION OF CANADA: Corruption is a very, very serious issue that's been widely recognized by the general public in China as a serious problem. It's been talked about, debated about, and the party has to register about it.
MCKENZIE: But he's also consolidating his hold on the military, leading a more assertive China on the regional stage, helping protect his domestic agenda says author Robert Kuhn.
ROBERT KUHN, AUTHOR: When any new leader comes into office in any country, they need to tack with a nationalistic viewpoint, they need to show an appreciation for their country's pride and patriotism and to defend their own sovereignty.
MCKENZIE: Where will Xi lead China in the next decade, no one knows. But as he takes part in the shadow of China's turbulent past, some worry that he may well put power and stability before meaningful reforms.
David McKenzie, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: I'm joined now by Frank Ching here in Hong Kong. He's a political commentator and a columnist. And Frank thank you very much for joining us here on NEWS STREAM.
What should China and the world expect from president Xi Jinping?
FRANK CHING, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND COLUMNIST: I think Xi Jinping knows that the main problems of China are domestic. And when he first became the party leader back in November, he came out and met with the international press, gave a speech, said not a word about foreign policy, it was all domestic. So I think that that's what the emphasis is going to be.
But already he has let it be known that his first overseas trip will be to Russia. And I think that's very interesting, because that's what his predecessor did 10 years ago. Hu Jintao's first trip overseas was to Russia, his last trip overseas was to Russia. Wen Jiabao's last trip as prime minister was the Russia.
So I think there's a lot of emphasis on the China-Russia relationship. And then of course he's going to Africa after that.
LU STOUT: But you mentioned in terms of domestic priorities, that is what he's focusing on first. One big domestic priority is, of course, water safety. Earlier this week, we saw that disturbing video of the carcasses of nearly 6,000 dead, diseased pigs floating in a river in Shanghai, raising concerns about food safety, about pollution. How will he address this issue?
CHING: Well, I think this is an issue that actually arose because of another reform earlier. People were selling their pigs for food. And the government clamped down and you cannot sell pigs. And what to do with all these carcasses, the farmers just dumped them in the river. And I think this shows that the government did not have the entire picture in mind, they just saw one problem and thought they could deal with that problem, when actually we look at it overall there are a number of problems involved. And one government department is not enough.
So I think Xi Jinping needs to have a holistic view of the entire situation in China.
LU STOUT: Bringing multiple departments together.
Let's talk about U.S.-China relations next. And overnight, U.S. President Barack Obama in an interview with ABC News, he said that he believes some, not all, but some cyber attacks from China are state sponsored. This came after U.S. intelligence chief said earlier this week that cyber terrorism is the number one threat facing America.
This is a big issue. How will Xi Jinping manage it?
CHING: Well, I think the Chinese have already said that they would like to have some kind of international agreement on what to do about cyberspace, cyber security. And it seems to me that this is something the U.S. should actually seize upon. It's good to have an international agreement. And I think one thing they ought to do at least is to agree that governments should not be spying on private companies, that is the Chinese government or any other government should not be spying on foreign companies to help their domestic companies. I think that's something that probably all governments can agree to as a first step.
LU STOUT: We also have to talk about North Korea, because especially in the last few months we've seen the tensions rising from some very dramatic and bellicose language being used from the North Korean leader Kim Jong un. We know that China did apply some muscle behind those new set of sanctions at the UN security council targeting Pyongyang.
But is China going to distance itself further from Pyongyang? And will it apply more meaningful pressure to reign in its nuclear ambitions?
CHING: I don't really think so. I think that the Chinese foreign minister has already said that sanctions will not solve the problem. And China had previously voted for sanctions and I'm not sure they ever implemented those. So the fact that they voted for these new sanctions, I'm not sure that it's really that meaningful.
LU STOUT: Interesting.
And finally, while we have you here, one last question about the East China Sea dispute, Senkaku and Diaoyu Island. It is quiet for now, right now, but could it flare up again now the Xi Jinping is properly and officially installed as the president of China?
CHING: Well, I think that it is Chinese policy, both for Hu Jintao and for Xi Jinping, to continue to do what they've been doing in the East China Sea, in the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. They have called on Japan to recognize the changes -- the status quo change -- and Japan has to recognize that it is not itself governing the Senkaku Islands, that China is also sending its ships and its planes. And I expect China to continue to do that.
LU STOUT: We'll watch out for that.
Well, many challenges ahead for the new Chinese president. Frank Ching, thank you so much as always for your insight there.
CHING: Well, thank you so much.
LU STOUT: Thank you and take care.
CHING: Bye-bye.
LU STOUT: Now you're watching NEWS STREAM. And still to come, the Champion's League quarterfinalists, they are set, but are Arsenal among the final eight? Amanda Davies will have the answer next.
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LU STOUT: Welcome back.
And the Champion's League is down to the last eight teams, but the focus is on the teams that didn't make it. Amanda Davies joins us now. She's got more -- Amanda.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kristie. Yeah, Arsenal managed to regain a little bit of pride, but ultimately they are out of the Champion's League. And their manager Arsene Wenger is talking of a massive wake-up call for English football, because for the first time in 17 years there's no English side in the quarterfinals of the European Champion's League.
Aresenal beat Bayern Munich 2-0 on Wednesday night in Germany, but failed to make it through to the last eight on away goals, because of the Bundisliga side's 3-1 victory in the first leg. Goals from Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny restored some pride for the Gunners, but it's Bayern celebrating their passage to the next round as they look to make amends for defeat in the final to Chelsea last year.
Bayern joined Dortmund in the quarterfinals. And for the first time in 10 years there's three Spanish sides in the quarterfinals after Malaga got past the two time European champions Porto. They overturned a one goal deficit from the first leg to go through 2-1 overall with substitute Rocky Santa Cruz scoring the winner 13 minutes from time. So the fairy tale just continues for Manuel Pellegrini's side who have overcome massive financial problems. And of course they're playing in the tournament for the first time.
Today is Thursday, though, and that means that Pedro and the team will be mulling over this week's events in CNN SC later on. This week he's joined by (inaudible) and Boris Becker, no less. That's 5:00 pm UK time, 6:00 pm Central European Time. And of course it's the chance for viewers at home to get involved and have your say via Twitter and Facebook as well.
Now the big question on everyone's lips in the NBA is who will beat the Heat? On Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers came close, but Erik Spoelstra's men stepped up to take their record winning streak to 20 matches. They won 98-94. The defending champions arrived in Philadelphia with the 76ers having lost 12 of their last 15.
The Heat impressed early on. LeBron James on the score sheet on the way to 27 points on the night. But the Sixers came all the way back. It was tied at 91-all late in the fourth quarter until Miami took a one point lead on a LeBron free throw. And from there, the Heat pushed on to win it. Dwayne Wade had 21 points in all as the Heat claimed win number 20.
Formula 1 back this weekend with the 2013 season starting in Melbourne in Australia. The team lineups are complete, winter testing is done, and the drivers and cars are all geared up and rearing to go. The question whether anyone can break the recent dominance of Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bulls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN VETTEL, THREE-TIME WORLD CHAMPION: Last year it was very close, so I don't expect it to be any different than last year. If anything, even a little bit tighter. So it will be crucial to make the most out of every single race.
FERNANDO ALONSO, FINISHED SECOND LAST YEAR: Sure, we lost two times in the last three years in the last race. And we want to have, again, the possibility to fight for the world championship hopefully this year and hopefully as well change the final result.
MARK WEBBER, FINISHED 6TH LAST SEASON: Just great to come to Australia in these days, let alone for a race. So I think we're all looking forward to finally getting racing. There's a lot testing that goes on in Spain. And we can get down to what we all enjoy doing and that's racing the car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIES: Kristie, it's not many of us who are lucky enough to name a Formula 1 car, but Sebastian Vettel every year gives his racing car a name. He's gone for something quite special this year. We've had Kinky Kylie in the past. We've had Luscious Liz. This year, he's hoping Hungry Heidi will take him to another driver's championship.
LU STOUT: He's got a theme, doesn't he? Yeah. Interesting set of names there.
DAVIES: Ladies.
LU STOUT: Amanda Davies -- yeah, ladies all around, and of a certain type, too. Amanda Davies, thank you.
Now you're watching NEWS STREAM. And coming up next, Pope Francis's first full day in his new role. We'll look at the significance of the name he has chosen.
And police in Pakistan reveal that children are being recruited to plant bombs. We'll go live to Islamabad.
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LU 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): Now the people of China have a new leader this Thursday. Xi Jinping has been formally elected president by deputies of the National People's Congress. He succeeds Hu Jintao in the top job. And he's been primed for this role for years.
Nine people have been killed in a string of bombings in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. Police tell CNN that four bombs blew up in the center of the city. The attacks happened near the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs.
Pope Francis began his first full day as pontiff with prayers at a basilica in Rome. And later, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday will celebrate mass at the Sistine Chapel with the cardinals who chose him.
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STOUT: So what's in a name? Now Pope Francis is the first pontiff in history to take the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi. Now the life and example set by that 12th century saint resonates through Catholicism. Tom Foreman explains.
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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In all of the Catholic world, few figures are as revered as St. Francis. So in the act of choosing that name, the new Pope sent a strong and unmistakable message to his church. He wants change. He will bring reform.
REV. THOMAS ROSICA, VATICAN DEPUTY SPOKESMAN: Here's a Pope that's going to come in and look at a situation, take it back to basics. This is about the gospel. This is about what we are at our best. We're called to be saints. And I just said, wow.
FOREMAN (voice-over): The birth date for Francis of Assisi is believed to be around 1181 in central Italy. Until his early 20s, he seemed destined to be a wealthy merchant like his father. Then after being captured in battle and falling ill, a conversion.
Through dreams and visions, religious historians say, he became convinced that the church needed to return to its roots. He took on a life of poverty, prayer and service, a discipline embraced by Cardinal Bergoglio.
REV. EDWARD BECK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: This is a man who gave up his residence, his cardinal's residence, moved into a small apartment, gave up his driver. He wanted to project and live a simple life.
FOREMAN (on camera): Saint Francis of Assisi is also one of the patron saints of Italy, so the name instantly forms a bond between this new Pope from Argentina and the country that has given us so many Popes.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Many miracles are attributed to Saint Francis. Among them, an ability to talk to animals, especially birds. So Catholics will no doubt remember the seagull that sat atop the Vatican smokestack shortly before the white smoke appeared, and Pope Francis emerged -- Tom Foreman, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: All right, 150,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square to welcome the new pope after the white puffs of smoke first alerted the world that the cardinals had reached a decision. Now CNN's Ben Wedeman, he joined the crowd for this historic moment.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're on our way to St. Peter's Square; lots of people are rushing into it. This is that odd period between the time when we know they've elected a pope, but we don't know who it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think that it will be an Italian pope.
WEDEMAN: Who would you like to see as pope?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is not important the nationality. It's important what he will do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoever it is, it's going to be a great joy for us as Catholics. And when the cardinal deacon (inaudible), everybody watching CNN is going to hear one of the largest cheers they've ever heard, bigger than a Super Bowl.
WEDEMAN: There really is a sense of anticipation now. We know there's a pope. But now we have to wait to find out who it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a pope; we don't know who it is, but we know that our Lord is looking after his church and he's given us another successor to St. Peter to guide his church and to the years ahead. I really couldn't say. I think --
(APPLAUSE)
CARDINAL JEAN-LOUIS TAURAN: Habemus Papam!
(APPLAUSE)
TAURAN: (Speaking Latin.)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Italiano.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) Francisco.
WEDEMAN: So the first non-European pope is making an appearance on the balcony. The reaction of the people was somewhat muted because he's something of an unknown.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Great, great Holy Father, everybody will like him. He showed lots of humility and behaved very well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It is a good choice. I know this Argentinian to be a good pastor. He is close to the poor.
WEDEMAN: Just as quickly as people rushed into St. Peter's Square they seem to be leaving. The event has happened; Habemus Papam and now it's time to go home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Ben Wedeman reporting there.
Let's go back to our video rundown now. And earlier we told you about two big leadership transitions: a new pope for 1 billion-plus Catholics and a new president for 1 point plus billion people in China.
But now I want to take you to Pakistan, where police say that they have arrested these young children, 11 children in all, some as young as 8 years old, have been apprehended in the southwest city of Quetta. And police say that they were recruited and paid to plant bombs in public places.
Now Saima Mohsin is following the story for us. She joins us now live from our bureau in Islamabad.
And Saima ,this is an incredible story. Is it true? Children recruited as bombers?
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's disturbing, isn't it, Kristie? We've heard of children being recruited as suicide bombers by the Taliban in the past. But this is the first time we've heard of them as allegedly being used as delivery boys or bombing mules, I might call them, to deliver packages to key locations, picked by the terrorist gang leaders.
And children as young as 8, not older than 15. So vulnerable young minds, allegedly being used in this. But let me tell you also, Kristie, that just as you come to us, we've been hearing reports from Quetta City where a protest has broken out.
We understand that people who say the parents of the children who've been apprehended by police are saying that their children are innocent. They have had no part in any of this. It could, of course, be possible that the parents didn't know. But that's what police are trying to get to the bottom of.
But right now, as you come to us, there is a protest of around 70 people outside Governor House in the city center of Quetta in the Balochistan province, where parents, relatives and the general public are protesting against the apprehension of these children.
Now a bit more about these children, what police have told CNN is that these children were being used to deliver the package, to deposit it where they were told. They had a half an hour timespan by a timed device in which to place it and get out.
One of the children has allegedly already confessed to a bombing on the 10th of January in which we know that 11 people were killed and at least 67 injured, Kristie.
STOUT: So we have these protests, as you reported, happening right now in Quetta on the news, that these children were recruited as bombers have been arrested.
Can you tell us more about the children now? We know that they've been rounded up. Where are they? Under what kind of conditions are they being held?
MOHSIN: Well, they've already made their first appearance in court, Kristie, to an antiterrorism court, even though they are juveniles. So they've been facing terrorism charges now.
But the judge gave police six days in which to question them to get to the bottom of exactly what their involvement was, what they -- what they've been doing in their time with this terrorist gang, because they were found in a raid at this terrorist hideout, and of course, to try and get to those people behind this ring in Balochistan.
The police tell us that this in the United Beloit (ph) Army which is behind this group, a separatist movement in Balochistan. They're being held in police stations around Quetta for the moment throughout the next six days. And then they'll be transferred to a juvenile section of a jail.
But as far as police stations are concerned, conditions aren't necessarily set up for young children in Pakistan. There is a juvenile court. There are some juvenile detention centers but not necessarily those facilities in police stations, Kristie.
STOUT: All right, Saima. Please keep us posted about the fate of the children as well as the situation there in Quetta, Saima Mohsin reporting live for us from CNN Islamabad.
Now turning to Venezuela now, and it looks like it could be too late to embalm the body of Hugo Chavez. Acting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says that scientists have determined the procedure should have been done much earlier. And they say doing it now could prove to be, quote, "quite difficult."
Now Chavez, he died earlier this month after a long battle with cancer. Maduro had announced Chavez's remains would be embalmed and placed on permanent display at a military museum, much like the bodies of revolutionary leaders like Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong.
Now a former leader of the Khmer Rouge has died in Cambodia. Ieng Sary passed away in Phnom Penh on Thursday. He was 87. Ieng had been on trial for war crimes and genocide in the killing of more than 1 million people during the late 1970s. Now two codefendants still face judgment by the same U.N.-backed court.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. And still to come, get ready for the next Galaxy. Samsung is set to unveil its latest smartphone, the S4. We'll talk about the pros and cons.
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STOUT: Welcome back. And today is the day that Samsung unveils the Galaxy S4. And Samsung has been going all out to build buzz around its new smartphone. Now Samsung tweeted this teaser on Monday.
And remember, when we were at the Mobile World Congress last month, analysts noted that it was pretty unusual for Samsung not to launch the product there. Instead, it will debut in the United States, New York's Radio City Music Hall, to be precise. The splashy event, it kind of takes a page from Apple.
And Samsung hopes it will take Apple customers as well, though Apple still has nearly 30 percent of the U.S. market. Samsung has rapidly closed the gap with 21 percent. The launch comes as the man in charge of the software those smartphones run on steps down.
Android's cofounder Andy Rubin (ph) isn't going too far. He'll be staying on at the parent company, Google, in an unspecified role. Now, of course Samsung is not the only company running Android; it is now the most widely used mobile operating system in the world.
Our regular contributor and editor at the newyorker.com, Nicholas Thompson, joins us now live from New York.
And, Nick, the apparent sudden replacement of Andy Rubin (ph), I mean, how significant is this?
NICHOLAS THOMPSON, NEWYORKER.COM: Well, it's very significant. It shows the maturation of Android. This is a man who created Android even before Google bought the company and then turned it into the great Android operating system there, the great success of the Android operating system that it's been.
What I think it's a signal of, it's a signal of, from what we're hearing, a couple of things.
One, Andy Rubin (ph) is kind of a tough guy. He likes to run his own team. He likes to run it a little separately from (inaudible) the company, grated against some of the other people in senior management. He did so well they let him be. And now I think they've figured, OK, we can move him out.
Secondly, Google has a bit of a complicated problem. They have these Chrome books, which run the Chrome operating system. And the Chrome operating system actually could be ported to tablets.
And they have the Android operating system, which works on phones and tablets. Everybody for years has been saying at some point the Chrome operating system and the Android operating system have to merge into one so as not to confuse people.
What Google has now done is they've moved Rubin (ph) out and the man who's replaced him is the man who's been running the Chrome operating system. So we'll probably see some kind of a merger soon.
STOUT: Interesting. So we might see a little bit of the Android OS magic from the mobile phone going to Chrome OS, the other part of Google.
Now let's talk about Samsung next. We know that Samsung is set to unveil its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4. Walk us through the specs.
THOMPSON: Well, it's going to have a much better screen. People are very excited about that. It'll have a much faster processor. People are excited about that. What people are really jazzed about are kind of the way that you'll be able to control it.
There are all these rumors or slightly better than rumors circulating on the Internet this morning, that you're going to be able to hover over the screen and get a little popup window.
It'll have smart pausing, so that when you look away from the phone, a video you're playing will stop, which is actually quite useful; you're watching something, somebody says something, you look away and then it stops. You don't lose your place.
So there's going to be -- and there's going to be a lot of sort of gesture recognition. There was a rumor going which seems to be shot down you'll be able to open and browse the Web just by looking at the phone.
It'll sense where your eyes are looking. You'll be able to close your eyes to close a tab. That may be a year away. But what's clearly happening is that a lot of the innovation, both sort of the core products that are being innovated and then also the gesture and the way we interact with the phone is advancing.
STOUT: Now you're a very discerning tech consumer. Do you like the specs about the new Samsung Galaxy S4? And also how worried should Apple be?
THOMPSON: Well, yes, I do like them. I mean, I don't think this is -- this is transformative. But we haven't had a transformative phone in a little while. Everybody just sort of innovates one step beyond. But the fact that Samsung is able to do things that others haven't done is quite impressive (inaudible) very competitive marketplace right now.
Should Apple be worried? Yes. Apple is losing to Samsung right now. I mean, Apple had the upper hand forever. They won the big patent fight this summer. But ever since then, everything has moved in Samsung's directions. You look at the market share of Android versus Apple, and it's now worldwide.
It's, you know, 70 percent and 19 percent. Apple and -- is losing a lot of the momentum. It's losing some of the sheen. It's losing some of the energy. It's losing some of the excitement. It's losing some of the glamor in the sense that Apple is the unbeatable, undefeated heavyweight champion of the world.
Samsung has come along and has taken a lot away from them. And that, I think, is a big reason why Apple's stock has dropped, you know, down to 430, which is, you know, a precipitous drop from a company that analysts were saying was going to hit 1,000.
STOUT: It is incredible after seeing the rise and rise of Samsung. And finally, Nick, your thoughts about the future of mobile devices. Is the focus shifting from mobile phones to mobile accessories?
THOMPSON: Well, I think something that is really happening in the tech world right now is that a lot of the energy and focus is shifting away from phones. Phones are the most important gadget around. It's where Internet traffic is going. We keep them in our pocket all the time. Soon it'll be how we pay for everything.
Phones will be sort of this ineluctable part, inseparable part of our life. But if you notice where Apple's attention is, well, right now it's on watches and TVs. You look at Google, there's Google glass.
There's a lot of excitement about other things that are coming. So we may have reached a point where we're not done with phones but where the changes that come to our phones aren't going to be the most exciting things happen in the tech world. The most exciting things in the tech world are actually going to be happening in glasses, watches, cars, other things.
STOUT: Oh.
THOMPSON: So lots to watch.
STOUT: Smart cars, smart watches, smart glasses, a lot to watch through the smart glasses perhaps. A shift is happening. Nick Thompson, all over it, thank you so much. Nick Thompson from newyorker.com.
We'll talk with you next week.
Now Google's 3D maps have become pretty useful for getting around in unfamiliar places. But the company must now pay a $7 million fine in the U.S. for collecting people's personal data without their permission. This is under a just-reached settlement agreement.
Now when Google launched Street View back in 2007, it allegedly intercepted data from unsecured wi-fi networks because many people just didn't protect them with passwords. So could that still happen now? Well, we put Jim Boulden on the case.
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JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So when Google was collecting the information between 2007 and 2010 to create Street View it also was collecting data from unsecured networks. Now most people today would not have an unsecured network. But we thought we'd drive around some parts of London to see if we could find any. Let's have a look.
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BOULDEN (voice-over): One big part of the Google business plan was to help users pinpoint exact locations using Street View with Google cars collecting more data than just pictures. From wi-fi networks that were not blocked (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) pull up in here.
BOULDEN: Even though Google collected this data from a car, I'm not picking up many networks this way. So I thought it's try some on foot.
BOULDEN (voice-over): In 2010, Google admitted it also collected so-called payload data, which included emails, passwords, URLs, even text messages. It says it never used that data.
BOULDEN: (Inaudible). (Inaudible) unsecured network here at the Egyptian embassy. Let's see on another street.
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BOULDEN: Oh, MI-5 surveillance. No joke. Can't be the real name. That must just be a bit of fun. I'm not going to click on that one.
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BOULDEN: So I've walked around the streets of London. Can't find any unsecured networks that would let me -- if I was allowed to -- log in and surf the 'Net. Either they all have locks or they, of course, would have password and have to pay for it to get on.
BOULDEN (voice-over): It was six years ago that Google started collecting the data, another era in the fast-paced world of tech. In fact, it's hard to believe people, companies and hotels had so many unsecured networks back then.
BOULDEN: Maybe the point is that Google was going around now doing Street View, it wouldn't be able to pick up that information, presumably, because everyone seems to have -- or should have -- a secure network, a password, a lock on their wi-fi network.
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STOUT: Jim Boulden there.
Now still to come, right here on NEWS STREAM, how a seagull helped the world's media see through the Vatican smoke signals.
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STOUT: Welcome back. And now to an issue that's becoming increasingly prevalent online, sports stars getting repeatedly insulted on Twitter. Now one British boxer decided enough is enough and took drastic action.
Curtis Woodhouse decided he'd reply to one Twitter user's insults and he did this. He offered 1,000 pounds to anyone who had his tormentor's picture and address. Well, someone gave it up. And Woodhouse, he tweeted as he tried to make his way to that address.
But when he got there, the Twitter bully never came out to face the professional boxer. Instead, he chose to apologize on Twitter. Now he has since deleted all his tweets on the matter, including the abusive and apologetic ones. Woodhouse admitted that what he did might have been a bit silly, but in his words, sometimes enough is enough.
Now a tropical cyclone is spinning off the coast of Queensland. Will this mean heavy rain and strong wind over the weekend? Let's find out with our meteorologist, Jennifer Delgado. She's standing by at the World Weather Center.
Jen?
JENNIFER DELGADO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, there, Kristie. You're right; we are tracking this cyclone. And right now it's not a threat to land. But as we go through the next couple days, we could see tropical cyclone Tim potentially taking a bit of a turn closer to the coastline. Here it is on the satellite imagery, pulling away from Cams (ph).
Again, this is in that northeastern part of Queensland. So what is going to happen? As we go through the next couple days as well as into the weekend, well, there's track of this system going to be moving east, southeast, the winds right now at 93 kph.
But as it moves through the Coral Sea, we are expecting more strengthening out of this system. And then you notice 72 hours now, we're going to start to see that turn closer to the coastline. And of course you can see where Mackay is as well as Rockhampton. So we will be following that cyclone.
I can tell you this: the heavy rainfall is going to be well offshore over the next 72 hours. But certainly this feature is going to get more interesting, especially as we head into the weekend. Looking across parts of China, notice it's very quiet out there right now, a little bit cool in some parts.
But what we're dealing with is for the next two days is pretty quiet weather pattern, because we have a ridge of high pressure that's going to be in place. We'll see one little spot of area of rain and precipitation. But overall, the weekend's looking very nice.
We are going to be dealing with warmer temperatures as that ridge fills in and that includes Taiwan into Hong Kong, all the way up towards the Korean Peninsula. Now for Japan, you're going to remain cool.
But as we go through Friday, Kristie, and we're getting closer to Friday; that's the exciting news here, we are going to see those temperatures in the 20s, 19 for a high in Taipei; 22 in Hong Kong; 10 in Seoul.
And then eventually you're start to see more of that yellow working into areas including Japan. And that is a warming trend. Wondering when March or when spring's going to start? March 20th, if you're counting it down; I don't know, Kristie. I know I am.
STOUT: Well, it -- the party's already starting here in Hong Kong. I like that number above Hong Kong on the map there.
DELGADO: (Inaudible), you like it.
STOUT: (Inaudible), Jen.
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STOUT: Good stuff. Jen Delgado there, thank you; take care.
And finally, holy smoke. These days it may seem like an awfully low-tech way to tell more than a billion people that they have a new spiritual leader. But that's how it works at the Vatican. And as Jeanne Moos explains, it does work once you get your colors straight.
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even thousands of miles away from the Vatican --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely black smoke.
MOOS: -- talk of smoke was so thick --
LESTER HOLT, MSNBC ANCHOR: No sooner than I said black smoke, I had a little lump in my throat there, thinking it might turn white.
MOOS: -- you almost got smoke inhalation just watching your TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to go with black.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you look at the smoke, it's not as dark as it was last night.
MEGYN KELLY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: No smoke yet?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're all sitting here smoke obsessed.
MOOS (voice-over): With smoke coming out his right side --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the Roman curia.
MOOS (voice-over): and smoke coming out his left, this priest looked like he was being cooked.
Visibility only worsened when Matt Lauer tried to demonstrate how confusing papal smoke signals can be by showing smoke from the previous conclave.
MATT LAUER, NBC'S "THE TODAY SHOW": On the left of your screen is black smoke from that conclave signifying no pope had been elected. Now on the right -- OK. The left is today.
MOOS (voice-over): Even in the golden age of westerns --
JOHN WAYNE, ACTOR, "THE RINGO KID": War signals.
MOOS (voice-over): -- we didn't see this much smoke.
There was the pope alarm if you wanted to be notified by text or e-mail when the smoke turned white.
The Papal Smoke Stack itself tweeted, "I'm not the first to know, but I am the first to tell."
And when the papal chimney got boring, a seagull had the gall to give us something to see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We went from smoke watch to bird watch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm waiting to hear it cough when the smoke hits it.
MOOS (voice-over): In minutes the seagull was tweeting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's @SistineSeagull.
MOOS (voice-over): Where there's smoke, there's a new pope and, finally --
BOLDUAN: We have smoke. It appears gray. It's whitish.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I can see smoke.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hear cheers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks white.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks white.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kind of dark, kind of light.
DIANE SAWYER, CBS NEWS ANCHOR: We're seeing smoke change before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certainly seems to be turning progressively more white.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is definitely not black smoke. It's white smoke.
MOOS (voice-over): The website, IsThereWhiteSmoke.com went from "no" to "yes."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: White smoke, finally!
MOOS (voice-over): Thank you, Pope Francis. No longer will we have to endure having even our commercials cluttered with tiny boxes showing a live image of the papal chimney.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To order the incredible flexible hose.
MOOS (voice-over): But is it incredible and flexible enough to put out all that smoke?
Enjoy it while you can, Sistine Seagull. With the election over, they'll be dismantling your perch -- Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
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STOUT: And that is NEWS STREAM. But the news continues at CNN. "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" is next.
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