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NEWS STREAM

Tensions High On Both Israel and Palestinian Sides After Attacks On Youth; Shia Militias Push Back Against ISIS; In Brazil, You Can Rent A Friend For a Day; Hurricane Arthur Heads Towards Hatteras Island, North Carolina; Xi Jinping Visits Seoul, Snubs Pyongyang?; Hong Kong's Disappearing Neon Cityscape

Aired July 03, 2014 - 8:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


AMARA WALKER, HOST: I'm Amara Walker at CNN Center, welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

Israel launches air strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza after rockets are fired into Israel.

And Brazil believes as they prepare for their World Cup quarterfinal against Colombia.

And an iconic Hong Kong site fades away. We'll tell you why neon signs are disappearing from the city.

The family of a Palestinian teenager who was snatched off the street and killed say they will hold his funeral when they receive his body from

authorities. That could happen today or tomorrow.

Now the father of 17-year-old Mohammad Abu Khedair says his son was on his way to a mosque for morning prayers Wednesday when three men forced him

into a car. His body was found an hour later.

His death sparked clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces. Police are investigating the possibility that he was killed in

revenge for the three deaths of the Israeli teens.

Now early today the Israeli military launched air strikes on 15 Hamas targets in Gaza. Palestinian sources say at least 10 people were wounded.

The IDF strike came after Gaza militants fired rockets into southern Israel.

Atika Shubert is following all of the developments in Jerusalem. She joins us live now.

And Atika, as the funeral of the 17-year-old Palestinian boy is set to get underway today or tomorrow, this is only going to inflame the tensions

in this already emotionally charged environment, right?

SHUBERT: Well, certainly that's the fear. I mean, funerals will always be an incredibly emotional time not only for the family, but for the

entire neighborhood, which obviously knew this teenager, many of the residents there extremely angry. And we saw that tension and anger boil

over in the street of Shuafat in north Jerusalem just yesterday.

But for today, it does seem that seems have settled down and it's a much calmer.

But, again, there is that simmering anger there. And the longer that the family waits for the body of their son, then the more angry they are

bound to get.

Of course, in Muslim tradition they need to buy that body very quickly. And so the longer they wait the more angry they're bound to get.

WALKER: And there is this concern, you know, that people may take the law into their own hands. I mean, from what you've seen and the people

that you've talked to, tell us a little bit more about this simmering anger that you talk about.

SHUBERT: Now there is simmering anger and grief, I should add, on both sides here. And what we've seen is that anger on the streets of

Shuafat yesterday with stone throwing. But you have to remember that the night before that, immediately after the funeral of those three Israeli

teenagers that were kidnapped and killed, we saw mobs of men in the streets of Jerusalem chanting calls for revenge and death to Arabs. And in fact

there were a number of assaults on Palestinian residents.

So what we're talking about here is a time of extremely high tension. And this is why Israeli authorities say what they're trying to do now is

actually de-escalate those tensions. It may not seem like it when you consider, for example, the stone throwing we had on the streets or, for

example, air strikes across Gaza last night hitting a number of Hamas targets. But in fact, according to the Israeli defense spokesperson

Lieutenant Colonel Lerner, he says that the army is actually trying to get to certain points in the west bank, to de-escalate and try and limit the

points of friction.

And even in Gaza, he says, they're -- even though they are in defensive positions there, the ultimate aim is to try and bring the

temperature down and de-escalate the situation.

WALKER: And now there are two investigations underway, two suspects have been identified who are believed to have kidnapped and killed those

three Israeli teens.

What's the latest on the investigation into the person or persons behind the killing of the 17-year-old Palestinian boy?

SHUBERT: We have now two ongoing investigations, of course. We have the investigation into Mohammad Abu Khedair's death and his kidnapping,

that is still ongoing, that autopsy we understand was performed a little while ago. That might give the police some extra insights into exactly how

he was killed. We understand the body was very badly burned and his parents actually had to be brought in for DNA in order to identify him.

But we still don't have any leads on who the suspects are in this case, which is surprising, because there is CCTV video of the event

apparently, of him being forced into the car, and police have that video. So we're waiting to see whether there will be an ID of those suspects.

Of course, the other investigation that's also ongoing is into the kidnapping and killing of those three Israeli teenagers. Now those

suspects have been identified by Israeli authorities. They say they are Hamas operatives, they have blamed Hamas. And there have been hundreds of

arrests over the last few weeks here in the West Bank. And a number of people have died in those arrests.

But, still, those two men are on the run and they have not been apprehended. So it seems that for all the effort that the Israeli forces

have put out, they have not been able to get the two men they suspect of carrying out those kidnapping and killings.

WALKER: OK, Atika Shubert, thank you for that update watching the developments there from Jerusalem.

Well, U.S. embassy in Uganda says it has been warned by police of a specific threat against Kampala's international airport involving an

unknown terrorist group. It says intel shows the attack is planned for later today.

Now this comes after the United States announced on Wednesday increased security measures for some overseas airports with direct flights

to the United States. And now, the UK says it is also tightening aviation security. Chief U.S. security correspondent Jim Sciutto has more now on

the new intelligence and the response.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are the first line of defense for the American homeland, foreign airports

with direct flights to the U.S. And now the Department of Homeland Security is directing those international airports to step up their security

screening. In a written statement, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said, "we are sharing recent and relevant information with our foreign allies and are

consulting the aviation industry."

Among the changes passengers may see, more screening of electronics and shoes, more explosive detection machines, and, in some cases, extra

screenings at boarding gates. Driving the new directive is increasing concern that terrorists from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP,

are refining bombs designed to avoid detection by current airport screening methods.

SETH JONES, RAND CORPORATION: Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has long looked for vulnerabilities in airport security and in particular

finding ways to put together using bombs using nonmetallic material that could make its way through metal detectors, but also trying to hide bombs

in body crevices that will not be easily identified by some of the newer machines in place at airports.

SCIUTTO: This is the man believed to be behind the threat, AQAP master bombmaker Ibrahim al Asiri. In recent months, U.S. officials have warned

that Asiri and AQAP terrorists trained under him were improving designs of new explosive devices such as shoe bombs that could fool screening systems.

We spoke about the new measures today with former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff.

SCIUTTO (on camera): How concerned should flyers be about what this means about the threat?

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, CHAIRMAN AND CO-FOUNDER, THE CHERTOFF GROUP: I would be mindful of the fact that there is probably increased risk. I don't think

it's dramatically different. I wouldn't not fly. The good news here is that the government's sharing information with others in other parts of the

world is responding to this.

SCIUTTO: We can get a sense of the urgency of this threat from two things, one, how fast DHS is acting within days, but also that it has

specific cities and airports overseas in mind. This is a threat the DHS wanted to respond to right away.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: So as we mentioned earlier, the UK is also increasing airport security measures following Washington's announcement.

Matthew Chance joins me live now from London.

So, Matthew, we just heard that this could mean more screening of electronics and shoes. Are we talking about significant delays here?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPNDENT: Well, first of all, the British transport officials that are talking about this issue aren't

going into any detail whatsoever in terms of what specific new security arrangements will be made to meet this new threat that's been detected.

There are already strict measures in place. They will be added to. But I think, you know, given the words from some of the public statements to some

of the officials, they say they're not anticipating any major delays to ordinary passengers, that much of the security measures that are being put

in place now will take place behind the scenes. They will just add to those already in place.

Having said that, there's at least one airport in Britain at the moment in the city of Manchester in the north of England, there are reports

of extended delays of passengers as they go through these much more rigorous checks as they board planes, some of them bound for the United

States or other destinations as well.

And so I think inevitably, whatever the new security measures are, it is going to have an impact on journey times, or rather on waiting times at

airports.

WALKER: And as we heard in that report, Matthew, driving the security changes is this apparent threat from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in

Yemen. If you can talk a little bit more about that, because AQAP has been trying for several years to build these hard to detect explosives and bring

them on to airplanes.

CHANCE: Yeah, it has indeed. And there have been a number of thankfully failed plots that have illustrated that.

Think back to 2001, the shoe bomber, Richard Reid, on a flight to Miami attempting to detonate a device in his shoe. Then five years after

that, there was a plot that was foiled by British security services, which involved liquid explosives, targeting at least seven airliners.

Then in 2009, a Nigerian national was stopped from blowing up explosives that were put in his underpants.

And so there were all sorts of measures that have been taken, attempts that have been made by al Qaeda affiliates, other groups as well, to try

and circumvent the scanning, the screening process already in place at airports.

One of the other things that security officials here in Britain and the U.S. say they're concerned about is that these hard to detect bombs

being married with foreign fighters, perhaps people who have fought with the rebels in Syria, other conflicts like that, who crucially have western

passports, that makes this whole issue particularly dangerous, particularly hard to detect.

WALKER: All right, Matthew Chance, thank you for that. Live for us there in London.

All right, still to come here on News Stream, we're just one day away from Brazil's quarterfinal World Cup match with its northern neighbor

Colombia. We'll look at how the home team is getting ready.

And Xi Jinping is in South Korea on a two day visit. Is the Chinese president giving Pyongyang the cold shoulder?

Also, creeping towards Baghdad's front line, how a group of Shia fighters is using their experience fighting U.S. troops to take on ISIS

militants.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: It has been an unpredictable World Cup, hasn't it? And after three exciting weeks just eight teams remain in the running. One of the

most anticipated games is Brazil's match against Colombia this Friday. It pits the hosts against one of the surprises of the tournament. Amanda

Davis checks out how the home team is getting ready for the quarterfinal clash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's only one reason all these fans are lining the streets here on the edge of the

national park in Teresopolis, some two hour drive away from Copa Cabana Beach in Rio, and that is because this is where the Brazil national team

has been planning and training and pouring their into claiming that sixth World Cup title right here on home soil.

Luiz Felipe Scolari is putting his side through their final training session before they head to Fortaleza for Friday's quarterfinal against

Colombia. And his squad are in no doubt about the challenge that lies ahead.

LUIZ SCOLARI, BRAZILIAN NATIONAL TEAM COACH (through translator): We know in this final stretch there's no margin for error. And I hope we'll

raise our performance.

DAVIES: So much attention has been focused on 22-year-old Neymar from both the media and the opposition alike. He suffered some crunching

challenges against Chile that put his appearance against Colombia in doubt. But the team are doing all they can to make sure their star man is back to

full fitness.

SCOLARI: Let me tell you this, Amanda, this boy is very special. This boy is very, very, very special.

JULIO CESAR, BRAZIL GOALKEEPER: This is a 22-year-old arriving at his first World Cup in Brazil. And when you see him on the pitch, it's as if

he is playing with his friends on the streets.

DAVIES; If there was any doubt about whether or not this side have won over the nation, just have a look at the number of fans who turned out

to send them on their way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are very happy to be here, and to be a lot of fun with the team. And we respect the Colombians -- zero, and Brazil two

goals.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone is so happy. We really want to do this. It's us. We're going to win.

DAVIES: So, the quarterfinal is calling, there's still a feeling that this is a squad yet to produce its best. And there's no doubt they'll need

to raise their game against Colombia on Friday to keep the dream of that sixth World Cup alive.

Amanda Davies, CNN, at the Brazil training camp in Rio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: It's going to be a lot of fun.

Ahead on News Stream, the leader of North Korea's most powerful ally is in Seoul. The president of China and South Korea are holding talks.

And it could put pressure on the North's Kim Jong-un.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DAVIES: Forget turbulence, some passengers aboard a Qantas Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia got soaked instead. A

water pipe started leaking on the upper deck of the super jumbo jet shortly after it took off Wednesday. Water poured down the stairs and through the

aisles. Passengers were given blankets to dry off. The Airbus A380 turned back to Los Angeles and landed safely. Qantas says it's investigating and

that there was no danger to anyone on board.

Well, China is North Korea's most powerful ally, but in what some are calling a snub, Xi Jinping is making his first trip as Chinese president to

the Korean Peninsula and Pyongyang is not his first stop, it's Seoul.

He held a news conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye a short time ago.

Let's get more now from David McKenzie live for us there in Beijing.

So, David, what can one make of Beijing braking with tradition and visiting Seoul before Pyongyang.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's most likely that this is a move that was done on purpose, because for a

decade the Chinese leader would go to Pyongyang first to show the level of the cozy relationship between China and North Korea.

Now Xi Jinping has gone to Seoul. And it does point out that both China, I think, is frustrated with North Korea continuing to pursue nuclear

weapons and its also trying to show that it is building this relationship with South Korea from a foreign policy and of course an economic

standpoint. It's been a virtual love fest on Chinese TV and in the Chinese newspapers today talking all things South Korea food, diplomacy, trade,

pushing that relationship to the Chinese people.

So certainly this is a significant meeting. It's the latest in a series of meetings between President Xi and President Park. They didn't

say anything particularly new their joint statement, but it does show that at least on some issues they're trying to put out a united front.

Yeah, there's a lot of regional issues going on. Japan, by the way, recently saying that they're trying to make its military play a stronger

role. You've had these territorial disputes for some time now with the East China Sea and what have you.

So how do all of these regional issues play into this meeting and China's intentions?

MCKENZIE: Well, at the top of the agenda, of course, is North Korea and they both have said that the two leaders, they want to pursue six party

talks, which have long been stalled, those talks with North Korea to try and bring it out of the deep freeze that it put itself in, most say. But

then there's also the issue of regional tension outside of North Korea. Japan, as you say, Prime Minister Abe has announced they want to change

their constitution in the coming months to allow it to have a more aggressive military on certain issues. And certainly that worries both

South Korea and China who have a very long and bitter relationship with Japan, of course, historically.

So China, I think is trying to court South Korea in creating a kind of regional bloc, but the big issue here really against that is that the U.S.

is a key ally of both Japan and South Korea. It's very unlikely that South Korea will turn its back on the U.S. But it does show that China is

wanting to become a major regional player on the political sphere.

On the economic sphere, they said in those meetings they discussed trying to accelerate the free trade agreement between China and South

Korea. That would be an important step economically. And it does show that both countries are kind of putting money first on some level and

putting aside some of their differences, but at the moment at least they're trying to put forward this united front on many issues and certainly it

does appear that China is on some level winning the PR battle right now when it comes to its influence in the region versus that of the United

States.

WALKER: OK. Thank you for that, David. David McKenzie live for us there in Beijing.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he plans to ease sanctions on North Korea in exchange for information on Japanese citizens abducted by

Pyongyang in the 1970s and 80s. He says it's a case of rewarding an action with an action. Will Ripley is in Tokyo with the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fact that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acted so quickly on this should tell you something, it should

tell you just how seriously Japan takes this abduction issue. This really has driven a huge wedge between North Korea and Japan and it's huge news in

this country the fact that North Korea has promised to set up this special investigative team to look into a string of unsolved abductions from the

late 70s and early 80s.

That promise was made on Tuesday. Just two days later, you have the prime minister saying he's prepared to ease economic sanctions, but only if

North Korea actually delivers on its promise to deliver the truth about what happened to these people.

SHINZO ABE, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Under the principle of action being repaid by action, we want to lift part of the

sanctions Japan has imposed. However, this is just a start.

RIPLEY: Just a beginning, he says, of a very slow, long process of thawing the icy relationship between North Korea and Japan.

What could that mean down the road? Well, perhaps a diplomatic relationship, maybe economic health for North Korea. But what Japan needs

in exchange is the truth, the trust not only about the people they know were kidnapped, but also dozens of others who they think may have been

kidnapped. They want answers, answers for this country and answers for all of those families who have been waiting far too long to know what happened

to their loved ones.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Just ahead on News Stream, the battle for territory in Iraq is heating up as ISIS gains more ground, Iraq's neighbors are looking on

nervously. We take you to the front lines in the fight against extremist insurgents. That report is next.

Plus, we look at one of the most iconic features of Hong Kong's cityscape -- neon signs and the struggle to preserve a dying craft.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: I'm Amara Walker at CNN Center. You're watching News Stream and these are your world headlines.

The Iraqi capital is reeling from new violence. Eight people were killed and 17 wounded in western Baghdad Wednesday after two blasts

targeted people leaving a Shiite mosque.

Also on Wednesday, Iraq's prime minister declared an amnesty for Sunni tribesmen who fought against the government, but did not kill any troops.

The move is aimed at easing sectarian tensions.

The U.S. embassy in Uganda is warning of a specific threat of an attack on the Entebbe International Airport in the capital Kampala. It

says it has information that an unknown terrorist group will attack the airport later in Thursday.

Tensions flared overnight in Jerusalem over the killing of a 17-year- old Palestinian boy. Protests and clashes started near where the boy was abducted and then spread to other neighborhoods. Now, at midday, the

situation has calmed down. Israel's prime minister has promised a speedy investigation into the killing.

And the eagerly awaited U.S. jobs report has just been released. The U.S. economy added 288,000 jobs in June. Economist had predicted a rise of

200,000 jobs. And the jobless rate fell to 6.1 percent.

We'll have much more on World Business Today in the next hour here on CNN.

All right, let's turn back now to Iraq where Shiite militias have joined the fight against ISIS militants near Baghdad. Arwa Damon spent

some time on the front line with one group. She joins me now from the Iraqi capital -- Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Amara, this particular group fairly unconventional, but securing a very critical front line. The

U.S. has released its initial intelligence assessment, believing that Iraqi security forces will stand and fight for the capital, but they've been

expressing growing concerns about ISIS advances from the northwest. And that's exactly where we went with this Shia militia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON: We find the front line about 25 kilometers from Baghdad's airport. These Shia fighters are with the Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas brigade.

Many of them are hiding in the open field in front us.

You can see them in the distance. You can see them in the grass.

Mortars fired by conventional Iraqi forces thud in the distance. That is where we are told the ISIS positions are.

The sounds of the mortars that we're hearing are outgoing. And this village they moved into it at dawn about a few hours before we arrived.

And we can see their men that are at their current front line just over there.

At 5:00 a.m we began creeping in, just to the edge of the orchards," battalion commander Abu Mou'amal al-Lami says. "Our special forces entered

first, just with knives."

These men are experts in unconventional guerrilla warfare. Al-Lami was trained as a special forces officer under Saddam Hussein. He then

became a member of one of the Shi'a militias that fought the Americans, though he won't tell us which one. In fact, many of these men are now

applying skills they learned from attacking U.S. troops.

And they are fresh off the battlefield in Syria where the brigade was formed by Abu ali al-Darraji. He was in Syria with his family, applying

for asylum in the west when the Syrian revolution took a sectarian turn.

"Our holy shrines are a red line," he says.

Fighters from Iraq flooded in to protect the Syrian shrine of the prophet's granddaughter, Sayyida Aaineb, sacred for the Shi'a.

The brigade grew in strength battling alongside the Syrian regime's tanks against the rebels.

"We returned to Iraq about a month and a half ago," al-Darraji tells us. "We knew that ISIS would be planning on coming to Iraq."

Now wearing Iraqi military uniforms, for these hardened fighters deployed to one of the fiercest front lines, it's a battle to the death.

After overrunning an ISIS position, they show us what little the ISIS fighters left behind.

60 millimeter mortar round that they found with them.

This is a scope for an anti-tank weapons system that they also found.

Pumped by their successes, they dance.

"Where are you ISIS today? We will damn you," they chant.

But it is perhaps this country that is already damned. Al-Darraji still plans on applying for asylum in the west someday. Once the Shi'a

shrines are safe, he says, there is nothing more to keep him here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON: And the reason why he feels that way, Amara, is because he has very little faith that Iraq's various political leaders are going to really

be able to come together and create the kind of national unity government that is going to be needed, because politics and violence here do tend to

go hand in hand.

WALKER: Yeah, and we're hearing these reports, Arwa, about Saudi Arabia sending 30,000 troops to its border with Iraq and this border that

they share is very long, about 800 kilometers. I mean, how imminent and real is this threat from ISIS that they could erase even more borders as

they did between Syria and Iraq?

DAMON: ISIS at this stage is arguably the most powerful terrorist organizations that has existed, by far surpassing al Qaeda in terms of the

terrain that it has managed to control and its declaration of the Islamic caliphate that extends from Aleppo in Syria all the way to Diyala in Iraq.

They have more money, they have more heavy machinery, heavy artillery, weaponry than al Qaeda ever did when it was operating in this region. So

precautionary measures are very understandable.

That being said, there is quite the international effort underway at this stage to make sure that ISIS does not gain more territory. So

presumably if it were to begin to start advancing towards, say, the Saudi border, if it were to begin really making inroads into Jordan, another

country that is very concerned about this one, could expect an even bigger international response to make sure that that threat is eradicated.

But at the end of the day if we're going to be talking about defeating ISIS once and for all, this is not something that is going to be

accomplished militarily both inside Syria and in Iraq. There's going (inaudible) anyone that comes to how the international community deals with

it. There are going to have to be political solutions.

And also at the end of the day the very reason that ISIS is able to attract so many jihadis, those need to be addressed as well, the various

grievances of Muslim communities that these extremist organizations are able to exploit, Amara.

WALKER: All right, Arwa Damon with the latest there in Baghdad. Arwa, thank you for that report.

And Iraq's military has also been taking steps to beef up its air power as part of its ongoing fight against ISIS insurgents. And it's

finding help from Russia.

Let's take you now to Moscow where our Phil Black talked to an expert about the new firepower joining the Iraqi air force.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Some people call the SU- 25 the AK-47 of the skies, because it's pretty simple, low tech, but it's considered very reliable and can be devastatingly effective. It's also

called a flying tank, because it is really heavily armored. It's designed to fly low and close to enemy ground targets where it can deliver some

pretty devastating firepower.

That's why people who know this plane well say it could be a gamechanging factor in the Iraqi government's efforts to battle ISIS.

RUSLAN PUKHOV, DEFENSE ANALYST: Better protected than any attack helicopter. You can hit them. You see and you kill them and then you

return to the base, you load once again. So qualified pilot and if technicians are good, can make up to seven, eight sorties during the day.

BLACK: So who is going to fly it in Iraq? Well, Iraqi government says it still has experienced pilots. The SU-25 used to be part of the

Iraqi air force. But that was some time ago. That was before the U.S. invasion in 2003. Experts say it's pretty likely the pilots could come

from other countries that have continued to fly the SU-25.

PUKHOV: They can somehow lease unofficially or officially the pilots either from Iran or from Syria, because those Iraqis who knew how to fly it

I think they're supposed to be either old or out of country or simply dead, because the Saddam air force was already in a very poor state even 11 years

ago before the invasion.

BLACK: The Iraqi government turned to Russia because it's still waiting on delivery of American war planes. And Russia closed the deal

quickly. The first jets were on the ground in Baghdad within days.

Analysts say this is yet another message from the Russian government that this country has a big role to play on the world stage.

Phil Black, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Well, the Ebola outbreak has now forced health officials and governments from nearly a dozen African nations to convene in an emergency

conference in Accra, Ghana.

The World Health Organization says drastic action is needed, at least 467 people have died in the outbreak since March.

Now most of those deaths have been in Guinea where more than 300 people have died from the virus. In Sierra Leone, the death toll stands at

99, while in Liberia at least 65 people have lost their lives to Ebola.

Liberia's health minister says one of her biggest concerns is the spread of information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNICE DAHN, LIBERIAN HEALTH MINISTER: Our biggest challenge is denial here in (inaudible) people are very much afraid of the disease.

People do not believe this is -- they are afraid, but they do not believe it exists. And so because of that, people get sick, they community must

hide them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Well, earlier, CNN's Christiane Amanpour spoke to the scientist who co-discovered the Ebola virus. Peter Piot said despite the

fact there is no cure for it, prevention is not that difficult.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER PIOT, CO-DISCOVERED EBOLA VIRUS: What we can do is, in theory, very simple. You are -- soap and gloves; that's what you need. You don't

reuse injections, I mean, syringes...

AMANPOUR: Which is obvious.

PIOT: Obvious -- it's all obvious.

AMANPOUR: So you're saying very basic sanitary measures can control this.

PIOT: Absolutely. This is -- these are outbreaks -- this is an epidemic of dysfunctional health systems, because the -- who dies first?

It's nurses and doctors who take care of them. And then the next wave is their own funerals, when the body is cleaned and washed and these

bodies, when someone who dies from Ebola is -- are full of virus.

AMANPOUR: So there's this vicious cycle, if you like?

PIOT: Exactly. And then we have also the fear of the virus. And the lack of trust in government, in the health system, is as bad as the actual

virus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And you can watch the full interview with the scientist who co-discovered Ebola. It's on the web at CNN.com/Amanpour.

Coming up, love them or hate them, Hong Kong's skyline wouldn't be the same without those famous neon signs. But now the bright lights are slowly

fading. We'll tell you why next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Colorful and vibrant or seedy and garish. However you see them, neon signs have long been an iconic part of Hong Kong. But one day

the signs that dot the cityscape maybe nothing but a distant memory.

Kristie Lu Stout met one man determined to preserve the signs, and with them a key part of Hong Kong's history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORESPONDENT: Layers and layers of neon signs from restaurants, banks, boutiques, all competing for

attention on the streets of Hong Kong. They have defined Hong Kong's cityscape for decades, emitting an intoxicating glow that has inspired

artists and filmmakers the world over, including Ridley Scott and his vision of a neon lit dystopia in Blade Runner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Neon signs have a very unique quality of light, but they also have incredible associations. I mean, they really mirror the

way cities have developed throughout the 20th Century and the associations with them have changed from sort of glam and glitz to kind of seediness and

the risque to (inaudible) prosperity as was the case in Hong Kong.

LU STOUT: Right above me is the iconic neon sign for Sammy's Kitchen, a local restaurant that dates back to the 1960s. It was sketched by its

owner Sammy Yip (ph). But this little bit of Hong Kong history has a shelf life. It'll be taken down in a matter of months.

They are being taken down for a variety of reasons -- not passing code and not being cost effective or as energy efficient as LED signs.

Hong Kong's Neon glow is fading.

We go into the studio of one of the city's remaining neon artists. Lau Wan started his craft when he was just 12-years-old.

LAU WAN, NEON CRAFTSMAN (through translator): During the boom seven or eight of us worked here together. Now, business is not so good. Many

craftsman are getting older, some have gone away. So there's just me left.

LU STOUT: Master Lau shows us the painstaking process of creating a sign, heating and bending the glass and adding the correct color and

chemical elements to set them aglow.

WAN: I'm not young anymore. I've stayed in this industry until now. My kids have grown up. I'm just here to pass the days. There's no hope.

What hope?

LU STOUT: It's a matter of time before these street scenes change. But Aric Chen is out to preserve and commemorate the city's glowing neon

landmarks online with the neonsigns.hk virtual gallery space and eventually in the real world when the M+ museum opens its doors in 2017.

Until then, he admires the craft and typography of the signs that still hang above him.

ARIC CHEN, DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE CURATOR, M+: You know, it's funny we always appreciate things more as we realize they're disappearing.

LEDs definitely have their advantages, but I think what we lose when we lose neon signs is a very sort of special quality, like a more sort of

analogue quality of light, let's say. And also a craft, because there is a really beautiful craft to making neon signs. It's sort of like a

difference between a digital recording and a vinyl record and there's room for both.

LU STOUT: On the streets of Hong Kong, neon may be flickering out, but in Hong Kong's archives, they have risen in status to works of art.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Let me show you now what the sign maker in that piece was working on. Take a look. Yep, you see it there. Our very own CNN neon

sign. It took the 75-year-old Lau Wan just about an hour to make this vibrant colorful sign. And as you can see, there's something unique about

the soft glow of neon lighting. It's something very unique with -- about that skill.

All right, ahead on News Stream, solo at the World Cup. No problem. Find out how some fans are pairing up with a friend for the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Hurricane Arthur is headed towards the eastern coast of the United States. Samantha Moore is at the world weather center with the

latest track on Arthur -- Samantha.

SAMANTHA MOORE, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it looks like we're going to be watching this throughout the next 48 hours or so, Amara, as it

continues here off the coast of Charleston right around 380 kilometers east of Charleston right now -- or to the southeast of Charleston -- and it is

moving to the north-northeast picking up its pace now at 14 kilometers per hour and has maxed sustained winds at around 130 still keeping it in the

category one on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

So here's a look from the outer banks. The wind starting to pick up. The waves not so much. But even though the waves can look like they're

fairly calm, we can have a really mean rip current. There's a mandatory evacuation that you can see some of the folks here not heeding that as of

yet for Hatteras Island, which is that piece of land that sticks out here (inaudible) sound.

So hurricane warning is in place from Surf City, North Carolina all the way up to the Virginia-North Carolina border, which means that

hurricane conditions are expected in that area and they're imminent. So precautions and preparations need to be completed as soon as possible.

So as we head into the next 24 hours, we should be seeing it make landfall here somewhere between Wilmington and Cape Hatteras as a category

one hurricane with the strong waves, the heavy rain right along the coastline. And it'll continue on up towards Nova Scotia as we head through

this holiday weekend, just kind of scraping the east coast.

So that means we could see some very heavy rain here and possible flooding along the low country, very low lying land so it floods very

easily. And of course fresh water flooding is the number one killer when hurricanes occur.

A lot of energy here with the warm Gulf Stream, temperatures of the water, the sea surface temperatures in the upper 20 to near 30 degrees so -

- in the upper 80s Fahrenheit. Plenty of energy to fuel these storms.

We are concerned about the storm surge in this case. And we have to add the mean sea level along with the high tide, which is going to be

around 1:00 to 2:00 in the morning here along the cape. Along with that we have the storm tide and the storm surge. We are expecting it to be about a

meter. So we could see that storm surge moving inland and that could cause some flooding as well as the fresh water flooding we could see some sea

level flooding.

The winds will be whipping up the coast. Hurricane force as it does make landfall.

And this isn't the only game in town. We're watching a tropical depression here in the western Pacific now moving west of Guam. We're

mainly concerned about its impact here on the Philippines. Right now it has 55 kilometer per hour max sustained winds, but it's going to be a big

rainmaker here not just for the folks in Guam, but also for the Philippines, although you really can't tell it from the cone, we're

expecting to see a lot of tropical moisture pulled across the Philippines here.

Also Japan has had so much rain as of late with the Mayu Bayu (ph) front in place, so saturated ground that's not going to take much rain to

see flooding in Japan as well, Amara.

So, we'll continue to keep our eye on the western Pacific as well as the Atlantic.

WALKER: Yeah, please do. Thank you for that, Samantha. Really appreciate it.

Well, hundreds of thousands of fans from across the glove are in Brazil for the World Cup and many of them are traveling by themselves. But

as Isa Soares found out, some are pairing up by literally renting a friend. And they're getting to see the sites like a local.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Stephane a tourist from France, is about to take a tour with a complete stranger, a local he has

just hired for the day to be his friend. He's paying Lais (ph), a lawyer based here in Rio de Janeiro, to be his local friend, to show him the

hidden spots of the city, places that a guidebook fail to show.

A friend of his also joins the tour to see what it's like. Their first stop, to try some of the city's best savory pastries.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can see there, Moearta (ph). And everybody come on Sundays and look at the sunset.

SOARES: Over a bite, they take in the view. And with Lais (ph) there, there is no need for a map.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was the building, you know, there's a cross.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mota Fogul (ph) there downtown.

SOARES: Renting a local friend has become a popular worldwide business, especially in Rio de Janeiro where tourists look for alternative

and creative tours during the World Cup. Created by Dennielle Cunha, the website Rent a Local Friend has more than 3,000 members, all of whom have

been approved by the company.

DANNIELLE CUNHA, CEO, RENT A LOCAL FRIEND: We have chefs, we have bankers, we have doctors, we have lawyers, we have people who work for

start-ups. So there's basically everything you can imagine. And the idea is some do it for complimentary income, and others -- and the majority --

they do it for the interesting meetups.

SOARES: For Stephane who is visiting Rio for only three days and has no time to lose, this is more than just about making friends, it's an

opportunity to see how Brazilians live and play, what it's like to be Brazilian.

STEPHANE BENFEGHOUL, TOURIST: That's why I did a local friend, because I do not really like standup tours, tailor made tours.

SOARES: So Lais (ph) is not taking him to Copa Cabana beach where all the tourists go. Instead, she showing him Rio's unspoiled and pristine

beaches.

BENFEGHOUL: And this place is not for local people?

UNIDNETIFIED FEMALE: I think it's more for local people.

BENFEGHOUL: Local people.

SOARES: For Lais (ph), this is an opportunity to show her Rio.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I live here alone in Rio and I want to make friends, but for me I like to show my favorite places and make extra money

in my spare time.

SOARES: For the local friend can charge anything up to $150 for four hours, from that, the company takes 30 percent. But for the local tourist

who has never been to Rio and who wants to see the city inside out, well it pays to hire a friend.

Isa Soares, CNN, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: It's a great way to really see the city.

That is News Stream, but the news continues at CNN. World Business Today is up next.

END