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Margaret Thatcher Buried Next To Husband; Pressure Cooker Lid Found On Top Of Building At Bombing Site; Hundreds Protest Margaret Thatcher During Funeral; Aid Workers Struggle To Reach Earthquake Victims In Pakistan; Social Media Plays Large Role In Aftermath of Boston Marathon Bombing

Aired April 17, 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.

Now the UK says farewell to a formidable political force. Find out what it was like to attend Margaret Thatcher's funeral.

New evidence, thousands of photos, and pleas for help: investigators piece together the deadly chain of events at the Boston Marathon.

And Pakistan struggles to get aid to victims of a massive earthquake that struck just across the border with Iran.

Saying good-bye to the Iron Lady, Baroness Margaret Thatcher. On Tuesday, much of London stopped to honor her. A funeral service ended just a short time ago. More than 2,000 mourners paid their respects to the former British prime minister, including Queen Elizabeth and current Prime Minister David Cameron.

Now many foreign leaders were also there, including a former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney and former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger.

The day began with a procession that started at the palace of Westminster. And the route was lined by members of the army, royal navy and royal air force.

The coffin traveled by hearse and then gun carriage to the streets of central London where arriving at St. Paul's Cathedral for the funeral service.

Now it was a ceremonial style funeral with full military honors. Becky Anderson joins us now live from St. Paul's Cathedral in London -- Becky.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I hear you. Thank you very much indeed. It's been an interesting morning here in London, full of pomp and ceremony. We do that very well, don't we?

It was a ceremonial funeral, not a state funeral. One of the attendees our very own Robin Oakley. He used to work at CNN for many years.

You were invited in. How was it?

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN POLITICS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I guess because I covered Lady Thatcher through the whole of he career, Becky. I first started taking her to lunch when she was a minister in Edward Heath's government. What was that, back in...

ANDERSON: It was certainly before 1970. It was just after -- yeah.

OAKLEY: So, and -- you know, I've traveled the world with her on the back of the DC 10 and a few of the colleagues from those days were there -- you know, we were back of the cathedral just like we used to be at the back of the plane. But we were there.

ANDERSON: Many complaints about the size and sort of nature of this funeral. It was a state funeral in all but name, as it were. I mean, she didn't lie in state here at St. Paul's Cathedral.

A fitting ceremony for a woman that you knew for so long?

OAKLEY: In a sense, yes, because you look at others who had a funeral on the same level: Winston Churchill, the Duke of Wellington, great war leader Admiral Nelson, all of them war leaders. And Margaret Thatcher has been seen, I think, above all else as a war leader because of the way she went in 1982 sent the forces to take back the Falklands from Argentina. And she is somebody who put her whole stamp on national life. And she had an effect on worldwide politics with Ronald Reagan helping to battle against Communism, bring down Communism I suppose in eastern Europe. She forced other parties as well as her own party to change their policies. So, she's had a pretty massive effect on our lives.

I mean, I was there personally today, because you have to be careful as a political commentator, really, but I was there personally to pay personal respects to somebody who had given me one hell of a good time as a journalist following her and interviewing her over the years.

ANDERSON: Like her or loathe her, she certainly made an enormous impact not just on her party, but on Britain and on the world. There today, Henry Kissinger, Dick Cheney and his wife, politicians past and present from all over the world, all of the surviving prime ministers of the UK -- John Major, who followed her, Tony Blair from a different party of course, Gordon Brown.

But also there today, of course her son and daughter Mark and Carol, and her grandchildren who we don't see very often. Born a brought up in America. And Amanda spoke at the funeral.

OAKLEY: Yeah, she gave her reading at the funeral, notably in an American accent, which probably came as a little bit of a surprise to some of those listening to her here. But you talk about all the dignitaries like Henry Kissinger being there. They were here, because Margaret Thatcher, you know for two decades before she came to power, Britain had been in steady decline. A lot of people thought the job of British politicians had simply become managing that steady decline. She was somebody who set out to reverse that decline and by tackling the unions and reviving the economy, she gave Britain a different clout in the world again. Britain began to count for something in world affairs again.

Her doing business with Mr. Gorbachev as the Soviet leader, her intense relationship with Ronald Reagan. She used to go over and see Ronald Reagan to recharge her political batteries. So, you know, there was that side of it.

But today was a funeral rather than anything else. It wasn't a memorial service to celebrate her ideas particularly, this was more about Margaret Thatcher the person.

And, you know, there was a much nicer side to Margaret Thatcher which people sometimes forget. And one (inaudible) that came to mind as I was sitting there today was when one of her aides, an MP who worked closely with her, got accused of shoplifting and was exonerated, but she made a point of going round all the House of Commons bars that night with him in tow showing she was still with him and that he was not to be an outcast, that sort of little thing was the better side.

ANDERSON: Quite controversially, the queen was there today. Do you see that as controversial? I mean, what was their relationship like, first and foremost. And should the queen have been here at what was a politician's funeral?

OAKLEY: When it was heard that their relationship was a little bit on the frosty side and it wouldn't be altogether surprising. And, yeah, when I first heard that the queen was to attend I was surprised, because the only other prime minister's funeral she has attended was that of Winston Churchill who was something very special to the British people as, you know, the man who coordinated the battles against Hitler and saved Britain in war time. So unusual for a queen to do it.

But as I was saying, you know, Margaret Thatcher, it is a whole era. Very few other prime ministers had had an ism attached to their name. We talk about Thatcherism. We don't talk about Wilsonism or Majorism or Callahanism. So, you know, she was out of the ordinary run of prime ministers.

And we heard in the service today from the Bishop of London, he said when she got into the House of Commons, only 4 percent of the House of Commons were women. And against those odds -- I mean, it was hard enough for her to become a member of parliament let alone a party leader and a prime minister.

ANDERSON: The first and only female prime minister of the UK. She did three terms. One wonders when or whether there will be another one.

OAKLEY: Yes. That's a...

ANDERSON: Don't look at me.

OAKLEY: Good question, Becky.

But maybe her reputation would have been better and there would have been less of a divisive aspect premiership if we had an American system and a limitation of two terms. She did pretty good after two.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Always a pleasure. Thank you, Robin.

Robin Oakley who was one of the attendees at the funeral service behind me here at St. Paul's Cathedral. Back to you.

LU STOUT: Great insight there from Robin Oakley both personal and political. Becky Anderson, thank you.

Now after a private cremation ceremony, British media reports that Thatcher would likely be laid to rest at the Royal Hospital Chelsea next to the ashes of her husband Dennis who passed away in 2003. And the hospital is a retirement home for the Chelsea pensioners British army veterans. Margaret Thatcher was a strong supporter of the hospital.

And when she died, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Thatcher did not just lead her country, she saved it.

But her legacy has been divisive. She had as many detractors as she did supporters. And some Londoners even pledged a whole demonstrations today.

Well, there in the hour, we'll join our senior international correspondent Dan Rivers in London for more on that.

Now let's turn now to the United States as investigators try to piece together what happened during Monday's Boston Marathon. And we're learning more about the lives that were cut short by that terror attack.

Now the candlelight vigil was held for the youngest person killed in the bombing. Eight year old Martin Richard was watching the race with his family. Many people have seen this Facebook photo of him holding a sign promoting peace.

And 29 year old Krystie Campbell had attended the marathon for years. Her parents were initially told that she survived the attack, but when they got to the hospital they learned there had been a mistake. And her mother was overwhelmed with grief.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATTY CAMPBELL, VICTIM'S MOTHER: She had a heart of gold. She was all smiles (inaudible). You couldn't ask for a better daughter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now the name of the third fatality has not been released at her parents' request. She was a graduate student from Shanyang China studying at Boston University. And the school confirmed her death in this open letter on its website. Now she was studying statistics according to a profile on LinkedIn. Now thousands of people have posted condolence messages on her Sino Weibo account.

Now meanwhile, investigators say they have received more than 2,000 tips from around the world. Now law enforcement officials are also analyzing bits of bomb debris. Officials say one of the devices was housed in a pressure cooker and the other was also in some sort of metal container. Both were hidden in backpacks or nylon bags.

And this FBI photo shows what could be one of those pressure cookers. And another that shows what appears to be one of the nylon bags.

Now the FBI believes that both bombs were placed in dark colored bags, but we want to draw your attention to this photo, it was taken before the explosion. You can see a light colored bag on the sidewalk right next to the mailbox.

And here's the scene immediately after the blast. It appears that the point of detonation it was very close to that bag.

Now both photos were taken by a member of the public. And the FBI is asking anyone with photos or videos from the event to share those images with authorities.

Tom Foreman explains what they're looking for.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While public attention has focused largely on images of the twin explosions and their aftermath, investigators are more interested in this, the pictures of what happened before the blast.

RICK DESLAURIERS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE : I think we're processing all the digital photographic evidence we possibly can right now as quickly as possible with resources from FBI headquarters, Quantico, and that's a priority of the investigation right now.

FOREMAN: A law enforcement official tells CNN, so far, investigators have found no surveillance video of anyone planting either bomb. But it is early. Investigators are still combing local businesses to collect all security camera videos for blocks around, and asking people along the route to hand over any and all digital images.

DAVIS: It is our intention to go through every frame of every video that we have to determine exactly who was in the area. This is probably one of most well-photographed areas in the country yesterday.

FOREMAN: Visitors to the city are also being asked to offer up their images from the event before they leave town.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY ASSISTANT SECRETARY: There's a lot of questions going on Amtrak and now at Logan of people leaving, because everyone was there taking pictures. You may have seen someone.

FOREMAN (on camera): Before it is all done, investigators could wind up with tens or hundreds of thousands of still pictures and many, many hours of video. But the painstaking analysis of all those images is anchored on one hope -- that somewhere in all of that right now is a picture of the person or persons who planted the bombs.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now so many leads to follow here. Let's get some new information on the investigation right now. Susan Candiotti joins us live from Boston near Copley Square. And Susan, tell us more about the pressure cooker and the devices that the FBI recovered from the scene.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, sure, let's give you some brand new information exclusive to CNN right now. We have learned from a U.S. law enforcement official that the lid to one of the pressure cookers that was used as a bomb device blew all the way onto the top of a building and that's part of the evidence that they have collected.

Why is that significant? Well, in part it might explain, for example, the force that was used -- that was contained in this bomb and the distance that it blew, imagine that. And they're using this to help them analyze what was used to craft this bomb.

So, they're learning from the pressure cooker things like the serial number that is contained and stamped on it. Possibly that might allow them to trace where this came from. Was it purchased in this area? Somewhere else? That's the kind of thing they're looking for when they look at all these ingredients. Including the pressure cooker.

LU STOUT: So, Susan, we're learning more about -- more about this case with the devices picked up at the scene. We're learning more from the hours and hours of video -- closed cicruit TV video, cell phone camera video as well, and also evidence being picked up from inside the hospital. What has been recovered -- and this is quite gruesome to say, but what has been recovered from inside the patients' bodies?

CANDIOTTI: Well, Kristie, doctors have been telling us that they have been recovering, for example, very small nails or even BBs, ball bearings, from inside the wounds of many of the victims. And, of course, where did it come from? Either from the device itself or from surrounding shrapnel that was caused as a result of these massive explosions. So that's what they're able to learn from that.

Again, it will help them tell a different part of the story: where all of this came from -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Susan, just how close are we to knowing who triggered the attack and why?

CANDIOTTI: Well, that's what a lot of people would like to know. And admittedly, investigators are telling us they don't know yet. No one has claimed responsibility for this attack, nor have investigators so far been able to isolate who is behind this. Was it one person? More than one person? Was it a domestic attack or was it based overseas someplace? They don't know those answers, not now.

LU STOUT: All right. Susan Candiotti on the investigation trail for us. Thank you very much indeed.

You're watching News Stream and still ahead paying tribute: Boston's professional baseball team, The Red Sox, hold a moment of silence for the victims of Monday's attack.

And toxic mail. An envelope addressed to a U.S. Senator tests positive for Ricin.

And a rush to reach survivors, the latest on relief efforts after Tuesday's massive earthquake shakes Iran and Pakistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

And you're looking at a visual representation of all the stories we're covering today on News Stream. And earlier we took you to London for the ceremonial funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

And later, we'll bring you up to date on relief efforts in Pakistan and Iran after a deadly earthquake there.

But now, let's turn our attention to a poisonous plot uncovered at this mail facility near the U.S. capital.

Now U.S. authorities have intercepted a letter that has tested positive for the deadly poison Ricin. It was addressed to a Republican senator and was detected at the U.S. capital's offsite mail facility.

Now Dana Bash has more from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: CNN can now report that the envelop addressed to Senator Wicker did test positive for ricin at the actual lab. So there was a more formal and reliably positive test beyond the initial test conducted in the field, that's according to the Senate sergeant-at- arms Terry Gainer.

We can also report that the exterior markings on the envelop sent to Senator Wicker were not outwardly suspicious. It was missing a return address and it was postmarked from Memphis, Tennessee which isn't that far from Senator Wicker's home state of Mississippi.

Now Senate officials are taking precautions. They have closed postal facilities for two or three days while testing continues and law enforcement investigates. And in a briefing tonight, senators were reminded to warn their employees to be very vigilant in handling and processing all mail that comes to their offices in the Capitol and also in their district offices back in their home states.

Now the very first stop for Capitol mail, we should tell our viewers, is actually not on the Capitol complex. It's at offsite facilities. And that began back in 2001 after a couple of senate offices received letters that were laced with anthrax.

Now one question people might have is how much of a threat is ricin? Well, ricin is toxic and lethal, but only when it's injected, which is why the Department of Homeland considers it what they call category B, or a lower threat agent as opposed to say Anthrax, which is much more deadly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: All right, Dana Bash reporting there. And as she mentioned, the tainted envelop never actually got to the senator's office on Capitol Hill, that's because congressional mail is first processed offsite. And this letter was found at a facility in Hyattsville, Maryland.

Now this isn't the first time there's been a ricin scare on Capitol Hill, an envelop containing the poison was detected in a senate mail room back in 2004. And 16 employees had to go through a decontamination treatment.

Now moving on to South America now, violent protests continue in Venzuela following Sunday's presidential election. Seven people have been killed, 61 others injured. Now president-elect Nicolas Maduro is due to be sworn in on Friday. He won 50.8 percent of the vote. Now opposition Henrique Capriles won 49 percent. But Capriles is demanding a recount, accusing Maduro's camp of fraud. His supporters have continued protesting on the streets.

Now two rockets have hit the southern Israeli city of Eilat on Wednesday. No injuries are reported. Now the Israeli military says the rockets were fired from the Sinai peninsula in Egypt. And residents have been advised to take cover and move to safe zones if they hear sirens. Authorities have shut the city's airport as a precautionary measure.

Now still to come right here on News Stream, the sporting world pays tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings as organizers of future events makes sure their security is up to scratch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Operations at American Air Lines halted across the U.S. on Tuesday after it says a computer glitch affected both its primary and backup reservation systems. Now this plane in Miami it came literally to a standstill on the tarmac. The airline says systems are back up, but passengers could still expect delays and cancellations.

Now the company says it flies nearly 300,000 passengers a day and takes in around 240,000 reservations.

Now Major League Baseball has been paying tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Amanda Davies joins us now with more -- Amanda.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kristie. Yeah, it was certainly an emotional night in Cleveland as the Indians hosted the Boston Red Sox in their first match since the Boston Marathon bomb attack that killed three and injured more than 180.

And after winning two world series with the Red Sox, the Indians' manager Terry Francona was particularly affected.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY FRANCONA, CLEVELAND INDIAN'S MANAGER: So then I went to turn the TV on and saw right where it was. It gets personal for just about everybody. I mean, some of those views -- you can see the church where my daughter got married in. So, you know, it's very unsettling, for everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: Well, the Red Sox hung a number 617 jersey -- 617 being the Boston area code -- above their dugout with the words Boston and strong on it. Like all of the games on Tuesday in the United States, they held a moment of silence in memory of those affected.

Boston won 7-2 in the end. And they said they hoped the result provided some comfort to those affected.

Well, this weekend's London Marathon will pay tribute to Boston's bombing victims by holding a 30 second silence ahead of the race. Runners are also being encouraged to wear black ribbons. Organizers have reassessed their safety measures after the events earlier this week, but the British government says it's as confident as it can be of delivering a safe event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUGH ROBERTSON, BRITISH SPORTS MINISTER: We have enormous experience dating back to the Olympics and other major sports events. I was privileged enough as the minister responsible for the day-to-day management of the London 2012 Games to see the metropolitan police, to see our security services, to see our armed forces on a daily basis last summer. We have some of the very best, if not the best professionals, in the world working on a daily basis to keep us safe. And I'm as confident as you possibly can be at this stage that we will deliver a safe and secure marathon on Sunday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIES: And Russia are revisiting their security policies around sporting events as well with the World Athletic Championships and Winter Olympics coming up in the next 12 months. The head of the World Athletics Federation in Russia said on Tuesday terrorists don't choose any old target, but the more vulnerable areas from the security services point of view. Sports events that take place in the open air are harder to protect, because attacks can happen anywhere.

In other news, time has been called on the career of the Australian super horse Black Caviar. She'll retire unbeaten after 25 races run, 25 races won. Trainer Peter Moody announced the decision at a press conference in Australia on Wednesday morning, admitting that the horse has done everything they asked her to do.

Black Caviar won $8 million in prize money and an Australian record 15 group one wins and became the first horse to grace the cover of Australian Vogue.

She won her 25th race last Friday at Royal Randwick. And despite suggestions that she was going to race again at Royal Ascot this year, she's going to make a farewell appearance at Colefield (ph) racetrack in Australia on Saturday without racing.

And just one other line for you, the Welsh team Cardiff City is celebrating their return to the English Premier League. They secured promotion from the Championship on Tuesday night. It's been 51 years since they've played in the top flight of English football.

That's it from me for now. Back to you, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right. Amanda Davies there, thank you.

You're watching News Stream. And coming up next, on the day Britain is saying good-bye to Margaret Thatcher, her detractors are also out in the streets. We'll have more on her divisive legacy coming up.

And after a powerful earthquake on the Iranian-Pakistan border, relief workers rushed to send aid to the hardest hit areas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

As investigators try to piece together the chain of events in the Boston bombings, a federal law enforcement official says a lid to a pressure cooker has been found on a rooftop near the scene of Monday's attacks. Investigators say at least one of the bombs was housed in a pressure cooker. And police are still without a suspect or a motive.

Now a letter sent to a U.S. senator has tested positive for the deadly poison ricin. It was addressed to lawmaker Roger Wicker. And the letter was intercepted by mail screeners at an offsite facility and sent to a lab for further testing. Now ricin is a highly toxic poison. Even the smallest amount can be deadly.

Now Britain's former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was honored at her funeral at London's St. Paul's Cathedral. More than 2,000 guests attended the service, including Queen Elizabeth, her husband Prince Philip and Prime Minister David Cameron. And foreign dignitaries were also present representing at least 170 countries. Now Baroness Thatcher died of a stroke on April 8 at the age of 87.

Now aid workers are rushing to bring food and relief supplies to people in Iran and Pakistan after Tuesday's massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Now the ground, it shook across the Gulf region and could be felt all the way to New Delhi in India.

Now the epicenter, it was north of the Iranian city of Saravan, but most of the damage has been reported in Pakistan's Baluchestan province which is on the border with Iran. And this is what it looks like there. More than 150 mud houses collapsed.

Pakistani officials say at least 35 people are dead, more than 150 are injured. At least a dozen people have been reported injured in Iran.

Now two strong aftershocks also rocked the area this morning. And for the latest on the relief efforts, let's got to Saima Mohsin in Quetta Pakistan.

Now Saima, how much help is getting to the quake zone?

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, the military is leading the relief and rescue operation. As we speak, helicopters are flying to and from some of these very remote areas along that Pakistan-Iran border where people, as you say, were living in mud houses so extremely poor. And what little they have seems to have collapsed around them.

Military sorties have been leaving since early morning Wednesday to the areas taking paramedics, medical supplies, food, shelter. And people are telling us in those areas that the power lines are down and (inaudible) collapsed. People can't get to local supplies to buy a bread or water to drink. So the military is very much leading the way, trying to get that essential aid to them.

Also today, they've air lifted 16 people and brought them to Quetta City where I am where they are receiving emergency treatment in hospital, many of them women, young children who have had to be taken out of those remote areas to receive the medical attention they very much need.

LU STOUT: Now Saima, the UN chief Ban Ki-moon, he said the the United Nations is ready to help if asked to do so. Does Pakistan need international assistance?

MOHSIN: Right now they're saying that they can handle it, the military is very much in control of the situation as far as they're concerned, but not being interestingly much word from the government. The home minister has been updating us in terms of the casualties, but in terms of the rescue and relief efforts, so far what we understand is very much in the control of the military. And they're the ones that are leading the way. And they are saying that they don't need any support.

We're hoping to get to those remote areas ourselves. I'm in Quetta City at the moment where some of those tremors were felt. People told me that the floor was shaking, lights were swinging in the air. But where it was worst felt along that border in remote town like Mishkel (ph). We're trying to get their ourselves so we can see the kind of devastation and impact that's been caused.

But so far, no calls for international aid.

But that's often the case that we saw that with the flooding, too, in Pakistan. And last year and around 2010 the government and the military say they can handle it. But who knows in a few days time they may think twice about that and require more help, because as I say these are people in remote areas, some of them haven't been gotten to yet.

LU STOUT: Yeah, very alarming. And we need to get more information about the extent of the damage there in the quake zone.

Saim Mohsin reporting live for us on the rescue and relief effort there in Pakistan. Thank you.

Now let's go back to London now. And police in London say that more than 4,000 officers were on duty for Margaret Thatcher's funeral. And while a strong police presence was planned, the bombings in Boston on Tuesday has heightened the attention on security even further, especially with the list of high profile guests that attended Thatcher's funeral in London.

Now in life and now in death, Baroness Thatcher remains divisive. As guests gathered for her funeral earlier today, protesters threatened to hold demonstrations against the Iron Lady.

Dan Rivers joins us now live from Trafalgar Square. And Dan, what kind of outcry, if any, have you seen today?

DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're actually at Ludgate Circus where one of the protests took place, or the protest. But it was very, very small. I'd say a couple of hundred people at most. They turned their backs, some of them, on the coffin as it went past. And there are shouts of "what a waste of money" every time any of the military paraded past, and indeed for the coffin as well, and some booing as well.

But apart from that, it was peaceful. There was no -- there were no arrests. There was no clashes with the police as had been feared. And certainly not being interrupted the solemnity of the procession or anything. So I think the police would consider this a big success. They allowed them to make their point. The point was her political legacy was extremely divisive. Many people felt that she did more harm than good. Of course a lot of people would disagree with that view, but that was what they wanted to get across here. And they felt that they could do that by turning their back on the coffin, something that many other people in Britain will have found rather distasteful and some even offensive.

But certainly in terms of violence, there was none.

And of course in light of what happened in Boston on Monday, there were extra concerns not just for political protesters, but of course that this could be perceived as a terrorist target as well.

LU STOUT: That's right, so no clashes, no interruptions to the funeral procession. But let's talk more about the aftermath of the bomb attack in Boston. Just to what degree did that lead to heightened security this day in London?

RIVERS: Oh, well, I mean, there was always going to be a major disruption in central London because of this courtage (ph) that was going...

LU STOUT: Unfortunately, we just lost our Dan Rivers there. Giving us the very latest in the situation there in London. Our apologies for the technical disruption.

Now, let's give you the check of the global weather forecast with Mari Ramos. She joins us now from the world weather center -- Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kristie.

I want to start you off, first of all, with an update on a quake that just happened in the last -- within the last hour or so. This one happened just off the north coast of Honshu here. It was a 5.7. There are reports of some significant shaking across some of these areas. So far, no reports of damage or injuries. I just wanted to make sure I updated you on this. A 5.7 just off the coast of Japan.

There is no tsunami warning issued with this. I report, no tsunami warning. So no worries about that.

Just remember that it did happen in this area right in here. And of course people very sensitive to earthquakes in this region after that disaster that happened there with the tsunami and the very strong quake.

And speaking of earthquakes, I also want to update you on the weather situation in the aftermath of that 7.8 earthquake that happened yesterday near the border with Pakistan, this one in southeastern parts of Iran. We heard a reporter from Quetta just a little while ago saying how difficult conditions are in some of these cases and how remote these areas here of Pakistan are that have been affected by the quake, that is where most of the damage has been reported.

There are reports of some homes and buildings that were damaged on the Iranian side, but most of the damage so far appears to be on the Pakistani side. And there are people who need help in that region.

I wanted to tell you about the weather here, because this time of year, of course it's very warm here. We usually get little or no cloud cover. Right now in one of the closest cities that we found the temperature is 28 degrees, a little bit later in the day. As we head, though, into interior parts of Pakistan here and southern parts of Iran it does get much warmer.

Now we do have a little bit of moisture coming through right now and that has helped keep the temperatures down. But for example in -- in some of these areas that are close to that epicenter, we are seeing temperatures there maybe close to 34, maybe 35 degrees Celsius, which is just slightly above the average for them for this time of year.

The hottest temperatures are actually farther here toward the east. New Delhi, for example, at 36 degrees right now, hit 40 degrees yesterday for the first time in over nine months. So we're really looking at some significant heat across the subcontinent for this time of year.

So for those people affected by the quake near the Iran-Pakistan border, that's going to be one of the concerns, make sure that they have proper shelter in the daytime, in particular. And then of course, Kristie, as to -- enough water is going to be a huge concern, because the temperatures are so high.

I want to show you a different images now, these are from a dust storm in China. Dust storms in China this time of year are a little bit more calm. And look at that, the sky, the day turned to night in western China as this dust storm was moving through there.

When you think about this, what happens is you have these strong dust storms that come across the area. The dust gets -- the wind picks up the dust and brings it into the cities from the desert and into the cities. And even at this hour here in interior China, come back over to the weather map, we are still getting reports of blowing sand and dust across some of these areas. And you'll see those starting to pop up right there. Still the wind quite high. I don't think that this will affect you in Beijing, but it will affect other areas across that eastern portion of China later today and tomorrow -- back to you.

LU STOUT: It's incredible how we could see the size of that dust storm on that satellite map behind you. Mari Ramos there, thank you.

Now let's give you some more detail on those violent protests in Venezuela mentioned earlier here on News Stream.

Now the president-elect Nicolas Maduro is due to be sworn in on Friday, but as Paula Newton reports his opponent who lost in a very tight race refuses to concede.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Combat on the streets of Caracas. Opposition protesters mount cameras on their motorcycles to show us the violence up close. Protesters and police are squaring off after a razor thin election victory for the government led to demands for a recount by the opposition amid accusations of fraud.

And the ferocity of these pitched battles is matched word for word by vicious verbal sparring between the two sides.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He will not go to the center of Caracas to fill it with blood and death.

NEWTON: President-elect Nicolas Maduro says the protests are illegal.

Henrique Capriles, his election challenger, is still demanding a recount.

HENRIQUE CAPRILES, OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): Because I believe they haven't won and to read Sunday's results, there isn't a majority in the country. There are two sides.

NEWTON: This is not the divine inspiration Hugo Chavez had hoped to give Venezuela. More than a month after his death, those at his shrine still pledge devotion. But to his successor...

"I think a lot of people don't know Maduro, so they didn't vote for him," she says. "But here we are. It was very close."

Chavismo (ph), Chavez's brand of Socialism is losing steam.

So even here at (inaudible) one of the most loyal neighborhoods to Hugo Chavez you can understand why some people will have turned their backs on Chavismo (ph) on Nicolas Maduro and why, it's because of the economy.

A currency crisis and record inflation expected to reach about 30 percent a year means shortages are everywhere. This sign says only four baguettes per person. There won't be more flour until the end of the month.

(on camera): The owner of this bakery has allowed us inside. And he's trying to show us that, look, he's saying that the bakery store shelves here are not as full as they should be, that normally they would be full to the rafters. He also says he is down to his last three bags of flour and this has never happened to him before.

Now despite this, he says he can't talk about this on camera, because he is afraid of the consequences.

(voice-over): From the bakery to the street there is fear about where all this is going. The Chavista government is ordering protesters off the streets. The election is over. We won, they say. And the opposition is running out of ways to prove them wrong.

Paula Newton, CNN, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And coming up next, disasters like the Boston bombings highlight the best and worst of social media. We'll examine both sides in our weekly tech talk with Nicholas Thompson. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now let's return to our top story, the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. And we want to examine the role of social media now. As in other disasters it broke the news. Word of a large explosion first started circulating on Twitter.

Now CNN and other media organizations quoted the Boston Marathon's Facebook page which said two bombs exploded near the finish line.

Now social media was also used by authorities to spread information. In fact, the Boston Police Department used its Twitter account to give updates on the situation. It also put out this call for video and for tips.

Now the FBI is in the lead in the investigation. And among other things, it is looking to images posted online for clues about the attackers.

Let's bring in our regular contributor Nicholas Thompson. He is the editor of the New Yorker.com. And Nick, take us back to earlier this week, just how did the initial news of the Boston Marathon bombings play out on social media?

NICK THOMPSON, NEW YORKER.COM: Well, it starts out on Twitter, right, about a minute after the bombs hit, the first tweets, they start getting retweeted and then two minutes, within four minutes everybody knows about it. Anybody who is near anybody with a Twitter account here's something, "oh my god, bombs have gone off in Boston."

And of course because news -- you know, inaccurate news, or false news, breaks off, and on Twitter your first reaction is wait, maybe that's not true. It's Twitter, so there's the chance this is false. But gradually you get the sense and then it starts spreading through other social media platforms.

And then Facebook plays an extremely important role, because it becomes the easiest way for people who were running the race or watching the race who were OK to tell all their friends and family instead of having to call 100 people, you just post something on your Facebook page. So Facebook became this sort of wonderful method of letting people know you were safe.

LU STOUT: You know, these days everyone is pretty savvy about social media and breaking news on social media, because we know that social media can often spread misinformation, especially after a disaster. We saw that after Sandy last year. But how much of that did we see after the Boston attack?

THOMPSON: I actually think there was a real sign of social media maturation during this crisis. There was far less misinformation spreading on social media, there were far fewer rumors. I mean, there were panics. There was a sudden panic about unexploded devices. And there were panics about other things going off, and terrible things happening. There was, you know, some misinformation about the cellphone network in Boston.

But, really, it was actually pretty good. I think people are getting better at knowing what to tweet and who to retweet, sort of the self correcting mechanisms of Twitter whereby the people who are putting out false information or inaccurate information or unverified information aren't getting as much play and aren't getting as much amplification as they did during past crises.

LU STOUT: It's interesting to hear that the medium is maturing in this regard.

Now let's talk about the hashtag #prayforBoston. It was one way for people to pay tribute to the victims on Twitter. Can social media, though, really bring people together during times of disaster and crisis?

THOMPSON: Oh, I think it absolutely can. I mean, even if it's only doing so at a superficial way, it does feel good to go onto social media and both to tweet and to say -- you know, to tweet #prayforBoston or to send your condolences or to say something moving and pithy. And then to read hundreds of these responses, it makes you feel like part of a community.

One of -- a hard -- you know, in the past watching these events, these terrible things happen can lead to a real sense of isolation, but doing it on social media can bring you together even if you're not actually doing anything, even if you're not giving blood, even if you're far away, even if you're not helping someone at the finish line you feel like you're part of it and it helps you process it in a way.

LU STOUT: OK. And one final question for you. You wrote a piece for the New Yorker about the meaning of the Boston Marathon and why it was targeted. And by writing that piece, you met a runner who was pictured in a photograph above your article. We'll show the photograph of her. Her name is Emily Locker. And tell us about this incredible story involving her.

THOMPSON: So I wrote this story. And I said, look, the amazing thing about the Boston Marathon is it's this spectacle. These people run at, you know, less than five minutes per mile for 26 miles. But it's also this very prosaic thing, this normal thing that regular people run. It happens on the streets of Boston, the streets that everybody who knows the city know. So it's a spectacle, but it's taking place in a very familiar place. And every runner has a story.

And above that post, we put a picture of this woman. And then the next day she emailed me and said, so I'm the woman in the picture. And she and I talked on the phone. It turns out she has an incredible story. She was a runner for a long time. Her husband running for a long time. And then she came down with breast cancer. She had a double elected mastectomy. And she had intense chemotherapy. But each time that she went through chemotherapy she ran a little bit, even if it was only a mile, even if it was slowly. She wanted to be able to get back out there to run again, to run another marathon. And this was the marathon that she was going to run.

If you look at the picture, you can see that she has her hair is just a little bit tied back behind her head. And she said it was very moving for her, it was the first time since the chemotherapy that she had enough hair on her head that she could tie it. And, you know, she's wearing her lucky purple shoes which she felt that would bring her, you know, some good karma in this race.

You can see she's walking kind of against the stream of the runners. She's been stopped. She got to the point where all the runners were stopped on Commonwealth Avenue and she's walking backwards looking for a friend. She's not sure what's going on. She's a little bit cold.

So it was a very moving picture. And to an extent I had no idea when I wrote that initial post and when we put that on New Yorker.com.

LU STOUT: Yeah, I'm so happy that she reached out to you and you shared the story to your audience and international audience through your column. And incredible story of survival and what the human spirit is really capable of. Nick Thompson of New Yorker.com thank you so much and take care.

THOMPSON: Thank you, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now, on our website you can find five viral stories about the Boston attacks. In fact, CNN.com's Doug Gross, he debunks them one by one. Not to be missed. You want to check it out. CNN.com.

Now you're watching News Stream. And still ahead, remembering the victims. Family and friends of the people killed in the Boston Marathon bombings talked to us about their loved one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now so far this hour we've brought you up to date on the investigation into the Boston bombings. And now to the victims.

Now a Chinese student studying in Boston was among the three fatalities in Monday's attack. And our correspondent in Beijing David McKenzie has more on who she was.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The tragic bombings in Boston had taken on an international dimension. It has emerged that one of the victims was a Chinese national, a student studying at Boston University. Now her parents from northeast China have asked that her name not be revealed and we are respecting that wish. But I can give you some poignant details.

The graduate student who was studying math and statistics went with two friends to the finish line of the Boston Marathon to enjoy this spectacle. She'd only been there a few months in the city, then two bombs ripped through the crowd and her and her friends went missing.

The Chinese community at BU is a tightly-knit one and they tried to search for their friend going on Facebook and calling local hospitals, but to no avail.

Later, the Chinese consulate and the university confirmed that she had died in the blast and that one of her friends, Zordam Ling (ph) had been gravely injured, the other walked away from the blasts.

And then probably the most poignant part of the story, she posted this on Weibo, a Twitter-like site earlier in the day showing her breakfast, "my wonderful breakfast," she wrote. 9,000 people or more commented on this post here in China.

One wrote, "she might be a single child, the whole family is destroyed."

Another, "I don't know what was in the terrorist's head. Why don't they just live in peace? But they chose to hurt others."

Of course no one knows who perpetrated this attack in Boston, but one thing is clear that it's effects have been felt across the world.

David McKenzie, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now the youngest bombing victim is being mourned by those who knew and loved him as well as people who never even met him. Now Gary Tuchman tells us about Martin Richard whose life was tragically cut short.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is how Martin Richard will be remembered. The beaming 8-year-old boy holding this sign in a picture taken last year when he participated in a walk to promote peace in inner city Boston. The sign declaring, "No more hurting people," and the word "peace."

This is also how he'll be remembered: as a brother and son. Martin was attending the marathon with his entire family on Monday, at the finish line in Boston's Back Bay. His father Bill and older brother Henry on the lower left were not hurt, but his mother Denise and younger sister Jane were seriously injured. His sister, who was a dancer, lost a leg and may lose part of another leg.

His father, releasing a written statement describing this real-life nightmare: "My dear son Martin has died from injuries sustained in the attack in Boston. My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries. We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin. We also ask for your patience and for privacy as we work to simultaneously grieve and recover. Thank you."

In front of the Richard family house in the Dorchester section of Boston, friends and neighbors left flowers. We talked to the Richards' next-door neighbor, who saw Bill Richard when he came home Monday night without his son, daughter and wife.

JANE SHERMAN, NEIGHBOR: He looked like he was in a state of shock, and I said, "Bill." He didn't answer me. He just walked very slowly into the house. His friend came over, and I said, "Is everything OK?"

And he said, "No. Martin was the little boy that was killed." And I was -- I was speechless. And I didn't -- I think he probably said something about Denise and the little girl, but I was really interested...

TUCHMAN (on camera): His wife and daughter?

SHERMAN: Right. And I was in such a state of shock, I didn't even hear what he said. I started to cry, and I said, "Please, if there's anything we can do, just let him know I am here."

TUCHMAN (voice-over): This is also how Martin will be remembered. A Boston Bruins fan, attending a hockey game at the Bruins' home rink, the TD Garden.

He will also be remembered like this: a faithful boy who regularly attended church with his family. And friendly and smart, too, as his school said in a statement: "Martin was a bright, energetic young boy who had big dreams and high hopes for his future. We are heartbroken by this loss."

Martin's relatives took to Twitter to write about the 8-year-old. One cousin saying, "I love you, Martin. You will be in my mind forever and ever."

And Martin will also be remembered this way, from an aunt on Twitter writing, "Martin, you were the sweetest, funniest boy. I'm going to miss you so much. But now you are an angel."

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Poignant details of a young life lost in Boston.

That is News Stream. World Business Today is next.

END