Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

19 Firefighters Killed Battling Massive Arizona Blaze; At least 16 Killed, 800 Injured In Egyptian Clashes Over Weekend; 40 Killed in Two Bomb Blasts Near Quetta; Pakistan; Cirque du Soleil Ka Shut Down After Performer Dies; Brazil Wins Confederation Cup; European Governments Furious Over Leaked NSA Spy Program

Aired July 01, 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: The headquarters of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood comes under attack as Egyptians take to the streets to demand the resignation of President Morsi.

Nelson Mandela's ex-wife speaks out as the former South African president remains in critical condition.

And we will go live to the hottest place on the Earth's surface -- California's Death Valley.

Not one day more. Now Egyptian protesters are demanding the resignation of President Mohamed Morsi. And one group promises nationwide demonstrations if Mr. Morsi does not leave office by Tuesday. Some protesters stormed the main headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood. They threw Molotov cocktails and shouted, "the people have toppled the regime."

Egyptian media report eight people were killed in clashes at the Cairo building. That means at least 16 were killed, almost 800 wounded during the unrest in Egypt over Sunday and Monday.

Now Tahrir Square has been relatively quiet after Sunday's large demonstrations. And this was the scene earlier on Monday.

But the crowd has been growing in recent hours.

And this is how the square looked on Sunday, the first anniversary of President Morsi's election.

Now they're being called the biggest protests since the 2011 uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak.

And here is another look at the large crowd. This group was outside the presidential palace. They accuse Mr. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood of failing to fix the nation's problems from the economy to security.

Anti-government demonstrations were not limited to Cairo. And they stopped traffic in the port city in Alexandria.

Now Mr. Morsi and his supporters are standing firm.

Now Ian Lee joins us now live from Cairo. And Ian, as the anger on the streets has grown, so too has the violence against the Muslim Brotherhood. Can you tell us more about what happened to its local offices?

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, I was actually at the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters last night during the clashes. And what I saw were protesters attacking the headquarters with Molotov Cocktails, with rocks as well as in the building then you would see gunfire coming from the building from shotguns as the people inside the building tried to defend it.

But earlier today the protesters were able to overpower those people who are guarding the building and were able to take it and eventually light it on fire and torch it, something they weren't able to do last night.

Though despite this attack -- and eight people did die in this attack -- the protests around Egypt have been largely peaceful. Millions of people in the streets now protesting against President Mohammed Morsi. 16 people killed, hundreds injured, but largely when you look at the protests in Tahrir Square here where I'm at that the presidential palace and in other cities, by and large fairly peaceful, Kristie.

LU STOUT: OK, by and large fairly peaceful. But let's talk about the scale of these protests, because of the weekend we saw millions take to the street. So is it your sense that the opposition can sustain the momentum? That these huge protests will go on?

LEE: Well, in the five years I've been here, I've never seen a protest this large. And that even includes the revolution. Everything seemed to be -- during the revolution, it was all very much Tahrir centric and focused, but this is a mass protest around the entire country. And if we use history as an example, these kind of protests do have a tendency to continue on -- continue as the days progress.

Right now, though, it doesn't seem like there are a lot of people at least at the presidential palace, but we usually see the numbers grow at night. And talking to the people in the square, they seem fairly adamant - - I think a lot of people were shocked about how many people actually did come out, but they're adamant about keeping up the momentum, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Ian, how many Egyptians support Mohamed Morsi, and what are they saying to defend him?

LEE: I've also been out at the rallies to support President Mohamed Morsi. And the rallies that I've seen have had over 100,000 people. So he does have a lot of support.

His supporters are saying that a year in office really isn't enough time to judge someone to turn around an economy that is failing as well as solve the security problem. They say give him the four years that he was elected to be president for and after those four years if you don't like him, then you can get rid of him.

But they're afraid that if President Mohamed Morsi is ousted, what does that mean for the next person that becomes president of Egypt? Could a popular uprising oust him as well? And does this lead to an era of instability in Egypt? So that's a fear from that camp.

LU STOUT: All right, Ian Lee joining us live from Cairo. Thank you very much indeed for that update.

Now mourners are preparing to bury the victims of a suicide bombing in Quetta in western Pakistan. Police say the explosion in a shed Muslim district of the city killed at least 30 people and at least 50 were wounded, but that was one of two attacks in Pakistan on Sunday. Saima Mohsin has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dozens killed in two separate bombings up and down the country here, one in the northwest just outside the city of Peshawar, the other in the southwestern province of Balochistan just outside Quetta.

Now the one in Peshawar was targeting a Frontier Corps, that's a paramilitary force convoy as it passed a bomb planted in a car was detonated by remote control. Police tell us up to 40 to 50 kilograms packed inside that car targeting this convoy.

The other, in the southwest of Pakistan, on the outskirts of Quetta in Harzara (ph) town, the Shia community targeted once again. This is the third bombing in Quetta alone this year targeting the Shia community. The LEJ, a Sunni extremist group, has claimed responsibility for that attack.

Saim Mohsin, CNN, Islamabad, Pakistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And well wishers continue to gather outside the hospital where former South African president Nelson Mandela is being treated. Now members of the police have been holding a vigil there singing, praying and lighting candles for the 94-year-old. On Sunday, an orchestra and choir played hymns near the hospital.

Mandela remains in critical, but stable condition. Former South African president has been treated for a recurring lung infection since June 8.

Now Nelson Mandela's ex-wife Winnie visited her former husband in intensive care on Sunday. You can see her here with her daughter Zindzi leaving the Pretoria Heart Hospital. And they sat down for an exclusive interview with reporter Mark Austin from our British affiliate ITV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK AUSTIN, ITV NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I was invited to their Soweto home to meet Nelson Mandela's ex-wife Winnie and their daughter Zindzi. They spoke between hospital visits to see the man Winnie was married to for nearly 40 years.

WINNIE MADIKIZELA-MANDELA, NELSON MANDELA'S EX-WIFE: Nobody knows him better than I do. And it is extremely painful to see him going through what he's going through now. But it is (inaudible) of course it is one of the most painful things to go through that and see him struggling.

ZINDZI MANDELA, NELSON MANDELA'S DAUGHTER: We try to spend quality time with him like every moment matters more so now than ever before. And obviously historically he wasn't with us when he should have been. So we just like literally take it one day at a time.

Yeah, we do speak to him, I mean, like all the time. We don't assume that like he's not with us. And (inaudible) somebody else's voice, somebody else coming to the ward, you know, he opens his eyes. When the one time he (inaudible) to sit down, because I was standing at the edge of his bed.

AUSTIN: They're furious at suggestions the family are considering a decision to end his life.

(on camera): So it's completely untrue that there's talk within the family.

MADIKIZELA-MANDELA: It is nonsense to suggest we needed to take a decision to pull the tubes.

MANDELA: Also when people say the family must let go. And we're saying let go of what? In fact, he is deciding what's happening with himself. It's between him and his maker, it is not to do with us whatsoever.

AUSTIN: So is that hurtful?

MAKIKIZELA-MANDELA: Yeah, extremely.

MANDELA: It's even hurtful when you hear about the rumors, like I'm so sad about your father's passing, send me a poem, and send me -- and I'm thinking -- sitting in hospital with my dad who is alive and well and breathing.

AUSTIN: And Winnie Mandela says this photo involving President Zuma and other officials a few weeks ago stripped her ex-husband of his dignity.

MAKIKIZELA-MANDELA: I only speak (inaudible) how hurt the family was and it was one of the most insensitive things for anyone to have done. It compromised the family, compromised his dignity, and it should have never been done.

AUSTIN: Do you feel he exploited him?

MAKIKIZELA-MANDELA: That was the reaction of the masters of our country. Already, he was showing signs of health deteriorating, and therefore none of them would expose their grandfathers in that state.

AUSTIN: How will you cope with the next few weeks and months?

MAKIKIZELA-MANDELA: You can't plan for that. I think you have to be in that situation to deal with it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Winnie Mandela there.

Now U.S. President Barack Obama spent the weekend in South Africa. He did not visit Nelson Mandela in hospital, but did meet with some of Mandela's relatives. And the president and his family paid a visit to Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. And he paid tribute to the man he said inspired him to enter politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Madiba's health weighs heavily on our hearts. And like billions all over the world, I and the American people have drawn strength from the example of this extraordinary leader and the nation that he changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And from South Africa, Barack Obama flew to Tanzania and is now in Dar es Salaam.

Now still ahead here on News Stream, not since 9/11 have so many U.S. firefighters lost their lives battling a single blaze. We'll bring you the story and the latest on Arizona's ongoing tragedy.

In football, Brazil faced Spain in the final World Cup warm-up. And stay with us for some of the match's best moments.

And later in the show, CNN's Robyn Curnow sits down with the former U.S. president George W. Bush and his wife for an exclusive wide ranging interview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. You're watching News Stream.

And you're looking at a visual version of all the stories we've got in the show today. We started with Egypt where protesters call for President Morsi's resignation. And a little later, we'll get highlights from Brazil's victory in the Confederation's Cup.

And now, we go to the U.S. state of Arizona where wildfires have left a community in mourning. And that is because an elite team of 19 firefighters died as they battled a raging wildfire northwest of the state capital of Pheonix. The Yarnell Hill fire has tripled in size to more than 24 square kilometers. And so far the blaze has destroyed more than 100 structures and has forced families from their homes.

Now CNN's Kyung Lah is following developments. And she joins me now live from Prescott, Arizona.

And Kyung, this fire proving to be very deadly.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very deadly, in part, because of the conditions of this fire, Kristie. The winds have been extremely erratic. In the words of the firefighters here, it is monsoon type winds, low humidity, extreme heat here in Arizona, and then we're dealing with an area that hasn't had a wildfire in some 40 years -- a deadly combination for the elite team sent in to fight this fire hand-to-hand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAH voice-over): The Yarnell Hill fire began moving at a ferocious pace on Sunday, suddenly changing direction, claiming the most firefighter lives since 9/11, trapping 19 firefighters with no way out.

CHIEF DAN FRAIJO, PRESCOTT FIRE DEPARTMENT: We're devastated. We just lost 19 of some of the finest people you'll ever meet. I mean, right now, we're in crisis.

LAH: The firefighters were part of the Prescott Fire Department Hot Shot crew, getting their name because they worked in the hottest parts of the wildfire, confronting wildfires up close and setting up barriers to stop the destructive spread.

FRAIJO: These are the guys that will go out there with 40, 50 pounds of equipment and walk five miles, they will sleep out there. These are quality people.

LAH: The crew was tasked with digging a fire line and creating an escape route. The flames hadn't even touched Prescott. But like many other fire departments across the state, the Prescott team jumped into help fight the blaze. The fire which began Friday has burned at least 6,000 acres and at least 100 structures destroyed. Forced to evacuate, some residents had only minutes to grab their belongings. Others witnessed their homes burn as they fled the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went up to get the wife because the fire was getting close. And I woke her up and got the evacuation notice and we had no time. We got the dogs. We got the wife and it's gone.

LAH: Officials believe lightning may have sparked the fire. The area has been experiencing severe drought conditions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: Now the fire department here tells us that this fire crew, the hotshot team did deploy their fire shelters. These are small tents that firefighters use as a move of last resort. So these firefighters could see the fire coming and they were trying to save their lives.

The fire department, you see the building behind me, they have got to grieve, but they have also got a very tough job to do. You can see the winds are starting to pick up here, Kristie. It is going to be a long day ahead for an out of control fire and the firefighters who now have to go back in and fight it -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, and to go through all this. Such a devastating loss. And these are fast moving fires. So Kyung, what is the latest on the battle to control the blazes?

LAH: Well, I can tell you is that it is considered zero percent contained. Contain on these wildfires here in the southwest is that you're able to basically draw a circle around it. And what's what these hotshot crews do, they basically draw an entire line around it, create a physical barrier between the wildfire and then the homes that are on the outside. They've got to try to create that circle. Right now, they don't have it. And they've got to get all these other teams in to try to build it, because there are many more structures that are threatened, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now here is wishing those teams the very, very best. Kyung Lah joining us live from Arizona, thank you.

And conditions there in the fire zone not helping with the strong wind, low humidity, and of course very high heat all fueling the fires. Let's get the forecast now with Tom Sater. He joins us from the world weather center -- Tom.

TOM SATER, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, the numbers continue to go up. The mercury as it rises smashing daily records for heat across much of the desert southwest. But it's not just how high will the numbers be, it's how long can people endure this.

High pressure right over the western part of the U.S. causes sinking air. Sinking air is compressing air. And compressing air heats up.

The numbers look like this, 52 degrees in Death Valley. Should be warmer than that. Getting very close to the all-time record. You can see how it's very near 50 in several locations, though this really encompasses several states. Already drought condition do persist. This is New Mexico. Here is Arizona. We have a few spots with extreme drought conditions. Of course, you thrown in the catalyst here, lightning. This is the monsoon season, which monsoonal means seasonal. Time of year that thunderstorms develop.

We're going to get in a little bit closer to Yarnell. The winds were southerly. So the firefighters that jumped in, those hotshots, were battling winds that were coming in from the south. Afternoon thundersorms developed, shifted the wind, so the wall of fire, the flames, shifted 180 degrees, caught them off guard.

Here's what's happened, here's a look at what you can get an idea where Pheonix is, Prescott to the north.

Yarnell is an old, historic mining town known for gold mining, a lot of ranchers here as well. High elevations. But what happened, of course, is now with the fire -- zero percent contained. More thunderstorms in the afternoon means more lightning strikes in several areas. Authorities say they're going to bring in another 200 to 250 firefighters.

But when you take a look at Prescott right now and Yarnell, winds are southerly again. This is going to play games with them. The monsoon areas, the winds are erratic. They are helter skelter fashion. It's almost a game here that no one wants to play. They pack this protection. This is what they call their last resort. It's some sort -- it's a canopy, a tent if you will. It's designed to repel the heat, try to absorb any cooling from the earth that it possibly can get.

Now unfortunately, authorities said that when they found the night team dead, that half of them were in the shelter and many times they suffocate what with fire walls this large, Kristie, it's almost hard to survive anything. They did everything they could in the last moments, obviously, with this deployed.

Back to you.

LU STOUT: Yeah. It is such a tragic loss. These men, the 19 firefighters lost, they were called the elite. They were the best of the best.

SATER: Yeah, 14, 15 hour days. It's amazing work.

LU STOUT: That's right, that's right.

Tom Sater, thank you very much indeed for that update.

Now, to our next story now, a long running Cirque du Soleil show has been canceled indefinitely. And authorities are investigating the death of a performer during a show over the weekend. Dan Simon tells us about this tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an edge of your seat show that features an incredible array of acrobatics, pyrotechnics and larger than life sets. Cirque Du Soleil performers are highly skilled and intensively trained, but an accident on Saturday night claimed the life of a 31- year-old performer, acrobat and aerialist, Sarah Guyard featured in this show died while performing in the production of Ka at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The "Las Vegas Sun" quotes witnesses that say Guyard was being hoisted above a vertical stage like the one seen here during the show's finale when the acrobat fell into the hollow pit 50 feet below. According to those accounts, some audience members thought the fall was part of the show until they heard screams from the stage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could hear people crying. All the actors were looking down.

SIMON: Guyard reportedly a mother of two pictured here at a camp taught physical fitness and circus skills to kids. In a statement, Cirque Du Soleil's founder says, quote, "I'm heartbroken. I wish to extend my sincerest sympathies to the family. We are all completely devastated with this news.

The accident is an unfortunate reminder of the dangers of performing in high flying shows. Just last week, a performer in the production of Michael Jackson 1 suffered a concussion after falling from a slack rope. And in 2010, a stunt man fell 30 feet off the stage in the production of "Spiderman." He suffered numerous injuries including a fractured skull, broken rib and broken vertebrae.

Dan Simon, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Terrible story there. You're watching News Stream. And still to come, we have a CNN exclusive straight ahead. Here what George W. Bush has to say about NSA leaker Edward Snowden and the U.S. surveillance program he helped put into place when he was U.S. president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now the former U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife are in Zambia. They made the trip to help transform an existing health clinic into a cervical cancer screening and treatment center. And over the weekend, CNN's Robyn Curnow sat down with them for an exclusive wide ranging interview. And she joins us now live from Pretoria, South Africa - - Robyn.

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there.

Well, we're outside Mandela's hospital. This is the fourth week he spends in the hospital, still critical, still on life support. And while I met President George W. Bush and his wife Laura, I got the opportunity also to ask them what Mandela means to them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Sometimes there are leaders who come and go, he -- his legacy will last for a long time.

LAURA BUSH, FRM. FIRST LADY: He is I think really an inspiration for people around the world and to a lot of Americans a figure that we watched from afar, from the United States and have a lot of respect for, of course.

CURNOW: He was quite tough on you, though. He criticized you publicly about the Iraq war.

BUSH: Yeah, he wasn't the only guy.

(LAUGHTER)

BUSH: It's OK. I mean, I didn't look at him any differently because he didn't agree with me on an issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: OK. And after 9/11, of course, the Bush administration really stepped up surveillance programs. So with that in mind, I asked President Bush his reaction to the Edward Snowden leaks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Do you think he's a traitor?

BUSH: I know he damaged the country. And the Obama administration with deal with him.

CURNOW: But do you think it's possible for one man to really damage the security of the nation?

BUSH: I think he damaged the security of the country.

CURNOW: And when it comes to surveillance, there can be real-time understanding of what you're Googling...

BUSH: I put the program in place to protect the country. And one of the certainties is civil liberties were guaranteed.

CURNOW: So you don't think there's a compromise between security and privacy.

BUSH: I think there needs to be a balance...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: OK. So he's comfortable in retirement, comfortable with his legacy. Bush says, though, he will continue to focus on Africa, that clinic that he has worked on with his wife, Laura, which helps to diagnose and treat cervical cancer, has opened in the past few hours. And they are hoping it's going to save thousands and thousands of lives.

LU STOUT: All right, Robyn Curnow, thank you very much indeed for that. Robyn joining us live from Pretoria, South Africa.

You're watching News Stream. And coming up next, governments around the world tell Washington stop spying on us. We'll break down new allegations about America's National Security Agency.

Plus, imagine a sidewalk so hot it can melt your shoes? Now that has been the reality in California. We'll check the current temperature in a live report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now Egyptian protesters have stormed the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo and set it on fire. Hundreds of thousands of people have been protesting across the country. At least 16 people have been killed in the protests. Many of them are calling on President Mohamed Morsi, who is backed by the Brotherhood, to step down. Although large crowds of the president's supporters were also on the street at the weekend.

Nelson Mandela remains in a critical, but stable condition in hospital in Pretoria. South Africa's anti-apartheid icon has been hospitalized in June 8 with a recurring lung infection. Now eight days ago his health took a turn for the worse. And on Wednesday, a clan elder confirmed that the 94 year old is on life support.

Now 19 firefighters were killed as they tried to contain a wildfire in central Arizona on Sunday. You're looking at live pictures of one of the fires raging right now in the state with the smoky haze obscuring the horizon. Now they were all part of the same front line team trained to work up close to the fire. And they died when a blaze on a hillside northwest of the city of Pheonix overtook them.

At least 47 people were killed and 90 injured in two bomb blasts in Pakistan on Sunday. 17 died in an attack on a military convoy near the northwestern city of Peshawar, the other 30 were killed by a suicide bombing in a Shiite Muslim district close to the city of Quetta.

And there is outrage across Europe as officials react to a report that the U.S. National Security Agency spied on EU operations. And this Monday, the German government has likened the allegations to behavior seen in the Cold War. And the report that is so angering authorities came from the German magazine Der Spielgel. It reports that it has seen documents obtained by Edward Snowden, the man who revealed there was an American phone and email surveillance system. And they describe how the U.S. security agency bugged EU offices in Washington, New York and Brussels.

Now a separate article by Britain's Guardian Newspaper says that another document leaked by Snowden describes 38 foreign embassies and missions as, quote, targets for surveillance. It says operations in France, Italy, Japan, India and Turkey are on the list, among others.

Now Washington says it is using diplomatic channels to respond to a European demand for answers.

And Frederik Pleitgen is following the story for us live from Berlin. And Fred, these -- both of these reports allege a very, very long list of NSA targets. Can you walk us through these latest leaks?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A long list and a very large list, Kristie. The reactions that we're seeing from Europe are basically coming from two different sides. On the one hand, it's the governments that of course are very angry. And as you said, it's also the EU institutions themselves.

So apparently there was this largescale wiretapping that went on at EU institutions at the United Nations in New York, in Washington, as well as in Brussels in Belgium itself. And these involve two things. One of the things is that the offices, apparently, were wiretapped, but also that the internet communication was monitored as well.

That, of course, calls a lot of things into question. There's a lot of European politicians who are coming out and saying what sort of basis of trust do we have with the United States when we have, for instance, deeper trade agreements that are on the table right now. I want you to listen in to Martin Schulz, a senior member of European parliament who was very, very angry. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN SCHULZ, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: I am shocked in case that it is true. I feel treated as a European and a representative of a European institution like the representative of the enemy. Is this the basis for constructive relationship on the basis of mutual trust? I think no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So there you go. Some anger and some shock, but of course always with that caveat depending on how much of it is actually true. And that brings us to the second part of this equation, which is the European governments that are also very angry as well.

What's going on at this point in time, or around this point in time, is that the U.S. ambassador to Berlin, Philip Murphy, is on a phone call to the German foreign minister to elaborate on what exactly happened in some of this NSA wiretapping that allegedly went on.

The Germans are one of the European governments that are exceptionally angry at what's going on. They came out with a statement earlier today saying if all this is true, it would be absolutely unacceptable.

One of the things that this magazine Der Spiegel alleges is that apparently the NSA monitored some 500 million internet and phone conversations every month, that's about 7 million every day. So certainly a lot of very elaborate monitoring going on.

And one of the things that the Germans are especially angry about is that apparently as far as the categories for monitoring are concerned, they were lumped in with nations like China and Iran. So certainly they're saying they don't really feel like very close allies at this point in time, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah. And that's what I'm trying to understand. Of course there is anger, there is shock among European and German officials to these reports. Again, Der Spiegel reported that NSA targeted Germany more than any other European nation. Why would that be?

PLEITGEN: That's a very good question. It's certainly something that the Germans are trying to find out themselves. There are some who believe that there could be some economic aspects that maybe there was some economic espionage going on as well. But one of the things is certainly also the fact that Germany obviously plays a very lead role in Europe and in shaping European policy. It's not exactly clear what went on.

There are some people who allege that possibly the espionage went up all the way to Angela Merkel's office. Now it's unclear whether or not she herself was wiretapped, but certainly the Germany government isn't very happy.

And just to give you the numbers that were in there in that Der Spiegel article, we're talking about something in the range of 7 million communications in Germany that were monitored every day. In France, apparently, it was only about 2 million. So it's a very large discrepancy. The Germans are trying to find out -- and of course, they are I'd say downright hurt by the fact that they were monitored so heavily and that apparently they were lumped in to a category with other nations that clearly are not allies of the United States.

But certainly the Germans are saying they need additional information. And they also, of course, want a lot of this wiretapping to stop very quickly, Kristie.

LU STOUT: It's an incredible story. The NSA surveillance net just much wider than anyone had anticipated. Frederik Pleitgen joining us live from Berlin, thank you.

And while all this is unfolding, the man leaking the NSA documents remains in diplomatic limbo. Edward Snowden, still believed to be in the so-called transit area in Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport between the arrival gates and passport control.

Now hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Hong Kong to push for greater democracy, but pro-Beijing factions are stating counter rallies as Hong Kong marks the 16th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule. And Nic Robertson spoke to people along the route of the protest march.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRRESPONDENT: This is Hong Kong's biggest annual protest held every year on the anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China from Britain in 1997. People come here to weigh the changes since then against their aspirations and protest the imbalance.

Almost every year it rains, no different this year.

One of their main concerns, Beijing is not going to give them the democracy they promised back at the handover.

This is Emily Lau, one of the main pro-democracy legislators here. Emily, if I may interrupt you. What's your main issue today?

EMILY LAU, PRO-DEMOCRACY HONG KONG LEGISLATOR: Well, we want to fight for democracy, to have the right to elect the government by universal suffrage. But we have to fight. And we hope our friends in the international community would support us.

ROBERTSON: Was Edward Snowden right that this was a place where you could put your faith in the justice system? In the end, it seems, he was let out if you will by Beijing.

LAU: Well, I think most of us still have a lot of confidence in the independence of the judicary. But Snowden's case did not reach the judiciary. I think the central government intervened. And then they gave Snowden some gentle reminder to go away, which is sad.

ROBERTSON: And this is an implication of what may be to come for Hong Kong, greater interference from Beijing. That's what you fear, right?

LAU: That's exactly the point. We want Beijing to keep its promise.

ROBERTSON: It's an absolute cacophony here of different pro- democratic voices. But what brings so many people out in the rain is the idea of use it or lose it. They have democratic freedoms here to protest that they just wouldn't have in mainland China, not just protests, but call for the ouster of the chief executive here, Hong Kong's top politician.

LAU: CY Leung (ph) is not listening to anybody but Bejing, that's why many people will march and ask him to step down.

ROBERTSON: The chief executive's popularity is slumping. But even so, these protests are peaceful, nothing like those in Egypt and Turkey. And the pro-Beijing groups are not offering confrontation, but rather pop concerts and cut price shopping.

It seems, though, that most of the people here would rather take their chances with the weather and make a stand for democracy.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Great report. And you also saw how wet it was there for Nic Robertson with the tropical storm in the region. So let's go back to Tom Sater at the world weather center for the forecast -- Tom.

SATER: Kristie, 21 millimeters fell in Hong Kong. And the totals will continue to go up. Our tropical storm is now a typhoon, barely, but it is a typhoon.

Here's a large, large picture here. They even had some heavy rainfall in Kolkata, a lot of flooding there and Bangladesh.

But let's get a little bit closer in view here and you're going to start to see what we're talking about. Explosive thunderstorm development. You can see where Hong Kong is. The system is about 387 kilometers, that is south-southwest of Hong Kong. But because you are to the east, you're getting into a little bit of the flow, these little feeder bands. So with the exception of maybe some choppy seas, you're going to see mainly rainfall.

I do expect -- this is a picture, of course, just of them earlier in the day. And you can see the rain squalls moving in.

The numbers will get higher.

Wave heights right now in the water are about five-and-a-half meters. So with the exception of maybe some small craft advisories for the most part vessels getting anchored down, the system moves in very quickly in about eight hours. And it quickly dissipates.

So it's not a large typhoon. Again, barely a typhoon status. And you notice the winds here in red, those are typhoon strength. We're all tropical storm here, because it's barely over the threshold.

Not a very large system as well. Makes landfall -- again, I think the bigger factor here will be the winds, the possibility -- or not winds, but the rainfall, and the possibility of some flash flooding and even some low lying flooding that will occur.

Heavier thunderstorm activity seems to want to stay on the western flank, that's good news for the coastline. Most of Shangdong (ph) coast.

But again as it makes landfall quickly downgraded you here to 75 kilometers per hour.

Now wind gusts are getting up to 150. So, again, you're going to have some debris flying around the area. Not so much in Hong Kong. Notice the rainfall. We'll take a look at our chart to the top here of about a good 30, maybe 50 millimeters additional. Again, most of it will stay out into some of the open waters.

As this system makes landfall, we're watching another one more toward the north into the Korean peninsula, Japan as well.

Notice the numbers, still quite warm. I've got to end with this picture. this is a block of ice, Kristie, that is used in schools now to try to cool things down as the rain moves in with that tropical cyclone, of course. A typhoon now, but again minimal status on that. Let's just hope everyone doesn't have to put up with the flash flooding. And we'll keep the temperatures a little bit cooler inside for the kids.

LU STOUT: Indeed.

Great picture there. That's one way to cope with the hot temperatures. Yeah.

Tom Sater there. Thank you.

Now the western United States is sweating under a record heat wave. And it's not expected to break any time soon. From California to Texas, people are trying to stay cool. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back to News Stream.

And earlier in the show, we told you about the deaths of 19 firefighters in Arizona. The state is one of several in the western United States locked in a major heat wave. Now the hottest temperatures have been recorded in California. Death Valley hit 53 degrees Celsius on Saturday and on Sunday. The Valley is considered the hottest place in the world. The surrounding range traps and radiates heat down into it.

Now it's about quarter to six in the morning right now in California. And Tory Dunnan is live for us from Death Valley. And Tory, how hot does it feel out there right now?

TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORREPONDENT: So, Kristie, when you walk outside it feels like a ton of bricks is hitting you when you feel this heat, especially when the wind is whipping around, which it is right now. But when we first arrived here at 2:00 in the morning local time, it was already 102 degrees.

We'll take a look at this thermometer here behind me. It's about 5:45 or so. It is 107 degree Fahrenheit. And those temperatures, they're only climbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TORY DUNNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A deadly heat wave broils from Texas to the Western Seaboard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's too hot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to take a toll on your body.

DUNNAN: Scorching through southern California, where a hiker died and in Arizona where a firefighter was taken to the hospital for dehydration.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want to come out here in the middle of the heat.

DUNNAN: The sweltering temps may be to blame for the death of an elderly Las Vegas man. It's affected flights in Arizona and California where dozens of small planes were grounded.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When it's 110 to 115 degrees, the air is thinner. The thinner the air, the less lift on the airplane.

DUNNAN: Animals are feeling the burn. At the Houston zoo, monkeys turn to popsicles.

In Death Valley, the wind is like a hair drier rather than a cool breeze.

(on camera): The high today being Sunday was --

JAY SNOW, DEATH VALLEY PARK RANGER: Was 128.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very beautiful. So, it's worth it.

DUNNAN (voice-over): Tourists are flocking at the chance to witness record breaking temps.

(on camera): Describe how you are feeling?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very hot. DUNNAN (voice-over): But down here, it's not too hot to handle. They put the phrase, hot enough to fry an egg to the test.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just not bad.

DUNNAN (on camera): Did you really just eat that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really did. I really It's not bad.

DUNNAN (voice-over): The West Coast has turned into a life-like oven.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DUNNAN: OK, so right now it's about 42 degrees Celsius, to put it in other words. But basically what we know is happening today is park rangers here in Death Valley will actually be checking a thermometer which is not far from here. It's the official thermometer. And they're going to try to get the highest temperature from the last 24 hours.

So Kristie, it's clear that they're looking at records, but at the same time, they also need to get the temperature so they can get the information out to people and make sure that everyone stays safe.

LU STOUT: You know, we're looking at the thermometer behind you reading 107 degrees Fahrenheit, that's 41 degrees Celsius, extremely hot, hot enough -- and we saw it -- to cook an egg and even eat it too. That was pretty incredible.

But what are residents being advised to do right now to keep cool and to keep safe?

DUNNAN: Basically what they're being told is don't go outside unless you need to. That's one of the main reasons why they check these temperatures so often here in Death Valley is to put the information out there so people know what it is. So don't go hiking, don't spend a lot of time outside. And don't go running, although people have been doing that, because Death Valley really is one of these attractions where people come here, Kristie, to feel the heat, because they've never felt anything like it.

LU STOUT: And you're there to cover. And to keep cool, do keep safe for us. Tory Dunnan reporting live from Death Valley. Thank you, Tory.

Now, Haiti is one of the world's most deforested countries. The landscape there is largely dry. So when CNN special correspondent Philippe Cousteau heard about an urban garden flourishing in one of the country's poorest communities, he was interested. And today, as part of our Going Green series, he takes us to the unlikely site of an impressive achievement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: For most Haitians, to think of the environment is not an option. We chose to travel to Haiti for Going Green: Earth in search for seeds of hope. It seems if anything can grow here, it can just about anywhere.

Our first stop, one of Haiti's most impoverished neighborhoods, City Soleil (ph), is also known as one of the most dangerous slums in the entire western hemisphere.

Local resident Daniel Toyies (ph) is an unsung hero around here.

Daniel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bon soir, Philippe.

COUSTEAU: Bon soir, very nice to meet you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very nice to meet you, too.

COUSTEAU: He leads me to the sanctuary he created for the community, turning one of the garbage dumping areas into this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is jardin taptap (ph).

COUSTEAU: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Half an acre, but the largest urban garden of the all country. (inaudible) City Soleil (ph).

COUSTEAU: You built a Garden of Eden here in the middle of this city. It's incredible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

COUSTEAU: It's absolutely extraordinary.

It's green and flourishing. Hundreds of locals are growing fresh produce. Being here, you soon realize the process is empowering to its people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In (inaudible) produce that we get from this garden, they use it for the soup kitchen. And whatever we have has extra, we try to sell it and create a market. So when they start their own garden, they know they can actually get the jobs out of urban gardening.

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

COUSTEAU: Peppers, egg plants, radishes, and this shard, this is a cornucopia of healthy green vegetables that would rival any community farm I've ever seen anywhere else in the world.

I mean, that's a pretty impressive egg plant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

I want them to be able to eat, to be able to make money out of the garden and to feel like more peace through the garden. And if I can see these three things happen, I will feel that I have fulfilled my dream.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Gorgeous scenes there.

And that is just a glimpse of CNN Going Green's half hour feature Earth from Haiti. And tomorrow Cousteau shows us how Haitians are turning a sewage problem into a growing solution. And each day, we will highlight a different part of the journey.

Be sure to watch the program Going Green: Earth this weekend.

Now still to come, we will see highlights from the Confederation's Cup final where the world champions met the hosts of the next World Cup. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

And it looks like Apple is one step closer to launching a smart watch. The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has filed a trademark application for iWatch in Japan. Now there has been widespread speculation that Apple is developing a smart watch. Now CEO Tim Cook only added to the speculation when he spoke at the All Things D conference back in May.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM COOK, APPLE CEO: I think wearables is incredible interesting. And I think it could be a profound area for technology. I think the wrist is interesting. You know, I'm wearing this on my wrist. It's somewhat natural.

But as I said before, I think for something to work here, you first have to convince people it's so incredible that they want to wear it, because where you two guys are wearing watches. If we had a room full of 10 to 20 year olds and we said everybody stand up that has a watch on...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That just tells time -- just a time.

COOK: I'm not sure anybody would stand up. I don't see it.

I mean, you look at what kids are wearing...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what company...

COOK: Their watch -- their watch is this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: That was Tim Cook back in May.

Now Apple could face plenty of competition. Sony unveiled their second smart watch just last week. It runs Google's Android. And the Wall Street Journal says Google is also working on its own watch.

So what do smart watches actually do? Well, let's use this, the Pebble smart watch as an example. It wirelessly connects to your phone so when someone sends you a text message it appears on your watch. You can also control things like your phone's music player through the watch.

And all that has made the Pebble the biggest project in Kickstarter's history so far with over $10 million pledged.

Now, to sports. As football's world champions met next summer's World Cup hosts when Spain faced Brazil in the final of the Confederation's Cup. And he hosts came out on top.

Now Fred, scored twice. But the best moment of the night belonged to Neymar as Brazil's newest super star scored this spectacular goal to lead his country to a 3-0 win over Spain.

So things went right for Brazil on the pitch, but the tournament was the catalyst for protests off the pitch. Brazilians expressed their anger at the government for spending too much money on sporting events.

Pedro Pinto was at the final for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PEDRO PINTO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: A familiar story on the streets of Brazil. Military police preparing for protests. As the Confederation's Cup drew to a close, around 10,000 were on duty in Rio de Janeiro for the final day of the competition.

But shortly before kickoff, there were no signs of any animosity or tension between fans over here and police. And we're just a few yards from the Maracana Stadium, which is down the street.

Some violence did occur, but not on the scale seen previously in the tournament. A small group of protesters clashed with police. And tear gas was once again used to disperse them.

Inside the stadium, Brazil gave their fans a huge boost with a dominant display to take the title. Man of the match, Neymar scoring one goal in a convincing 3-0 win against reigning world and European champions Spain.

The victory sparked wild celebrations across Rio. And fans told us just how much it meant to them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really amazing to beat the Spanish team at Maracana tonight for us Brazilians. It's a really something special now because those guys, the Spanish team, they've been playing good for so long, you know. And everybody has been so afraid of them. But right now, we just beat them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brazil is the best team and it's still -- the champion is back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's a great feeling to be in this party. And everyone here behaved in a civilized way. Brazil is improving as a football team and as a country as well.

PINTO: So perhaps for the first time during the Confederation's Cup, the story is more about the football rather than the protests. However, the Brazilian government has a lot of work to do to make sure that next year's World Cup runs smoothly both on and off the pitch.

Pedro Pinto, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And while it's always nice to win something, Brazil probably shouldn't get its hopes up too much after this victory. In 2005 and 2009 they also won the Confederation's Cup, but a year later they crashed out of both World Cups at the quarterfinal stage. So not the best omen for the 2014 World Cup hosts.

Now, to go over and out there. And it seems in China bigger really is better. Now officials in Chengdu say that the southwestern Chinese city is now home to the largest freestanding building in the world. This is the New Century Global Center. It is 500 meters long, 400 meters wide, 100 meters high. At 1.7 square meters, it is three times the size of the Pentagon in Washington, or to put it another way, it could house 20 Sydney Opera Houses.

Now this huge structure, it contains shopping malls, hotels, theaters, and offices. But it also features a full Mediterranean village and a water park.

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

END