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Militants Take Golan Heights Crossing; Thailand Flooding; Ukraine Claims 1,000 Russian Troops Fighting For Rebels; Ebola Death Toll Reaches 1,500; Football Match Fixing Involves More Than Just Bribing Players; Hello Kitty Not A Cat?; More Indians Eating Meat

Aired August 28, 2014 - 8:00   ET

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

KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

Now Ukraine says Russia is moving more tanks and troops into the east of the country, calling it a sharp escalation in the conflict.

Caught up in the violence of a brutal militant rampage, we hear from the victims of ISIS.

Plus, the second part of our exclusive interview with a football match fixer. And we look at how a match is fixed.

A major escalation today in the Ukraine crisis -- in the past hour or so, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called off a trip to Turkey,

citing what he calls a sharp aggravation of the situation in the Donetsk region. As he says, Russian troops were brought in.

Now the Ukrainian government says that this video shows a Russian tank moving into an eastern city. Now CNN cannot confirm that. But one U.S.

official tells CNN intelligence now indicates up to 1,000 Russian troops have moved into southern Ukraine with heavy weapons and that they are

fighting there.

Now let's get straight to Phil Black. He joins me live from Moscow.

And Phil, tell us more about Russia's involvement and what Ukraine is calling a full-scale invasion.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, Ukraine has made allegations a lot recently about Russian military forces crossing over

the border into Ukrainian territory, but not like this, this is bigger. This is a much greater scale than what they've accused Russia of doing

before. But Ukraine now says that Russian military forces are now involved directly in the fighting near two key locations, near Donetsk that key

regional city, and also on the coast by the sea of Azov on the road towards the key port town of Mariupol.

And they're talking about significant number, too, not just a few armored personnel carriers, but they say infantry, armored vehicles, heavy

weapons, and they say they are making a significant impact on Ukrainian government forces in that region.

Now if this is true, it could be the Russian move that western governments have been talking about, and have shown great concern about for

some weeks and months now. Remember, in recent months the Ukrainian military has made significant gains, the momentum has gone their way.

They've taken back a lot of ground. They look to be driving home for an outright military win.

Western governments have feared that as that trend had continued, the chances of Russia intervening to try and reverse that progress have

increased. That's what they've been warning about, so as I say if this is true it could be what we are seeing on the ground now.

But at the moment, from the highest levels of the Russian government, there has been no comment. Some medium level government officials are

denying this, saying it's more lies from Kiev.

The Russian position throughout this crisis has not been to respond to every Ukrainian government allegation, but this is a big one. The Kremlin,

you would think, would have to respond. But up until now, remember they have said at every turn they are not directly involved in this fight,

Kristie.

LU STOUT: In the wake of all this, the prime minister of Ukraine has appealed to the west for a Russian asset freeze. What kind of impact would

that have?

BLACK: Well, the sanctions that western government have targeted Russia with now have been about preventing the sort of move that Ukraine is

now accusing Russia of -- a large scale military operation into Ukraine. It was about deterring Russia from taking that step, punishing them for

what has happened so far, warning them that more could happen yet.

The sanctions, largely targeted at key Russian individuals were widened with the doubting of MH17, targeting specific sectors, depriving

them of key technology and banking resources and that sort of thing. It was a significant uptick in the nature of the sanctions up until that

point, but Ukraine's belief, obviously, is that they have not done enough. Ukraine wants more. Ukraine wants Europe and the United States to do more

to implement more sanctions with greater teeth. But of course, the concern there, particularly for Europe if it does that, is Europe then becomes

vulnerable to retaliation from Russia, because the European economy is much more interdependent when it comes to Russia's economy.

And of course as we've been talking about, very dependent on Russian oil and gas.

But no doubt, further sanctions, further attempts to try and change Russia's behavior will be discussed by western leaders in the coming days

if the allegations that Ukraine is making prove true, Kristie.

LU STOUT: CNN's Phil Black reporting live in Moscow for us. Thank you.

Now in northern Iraq, a Kurdish official says that ISIS militants have set fire to oil wells near Mosul, possibly as a way to cover their

movements.

Now another official says that at least 50 ISIS militants have been killed in fierce fighting around the Mosul dam.

This as Iraqi fighters try to repel ISIS from the town of Amirleaf (ph) which has been under siege for two months with little food or water

and no power.

Now the U.S. is considering airstrikes and air drops to help nearly 20,000 Shiite Turkmen who are trapped there.

Anna Coren is in Irbil in northern Iraq. She joins us now live. And Anna, first, ISIS now targeting another key facility in Mosul, the oil

wells there. What more can you tell us?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Kristie, there's a fierce battle going on in Zuma, which is close to Mosul

dam and to that key city of Mosul, which is Iraq's second largest claimed by ISIS militants back in June.

It also makes sense why there's been so much focus on U.S. airstrikes in that region, because of the fighting that's going on. The Peshmerge,

the Kurdish forces, trying to clean out that region, trying to push back these ISIS militants.

The operation, we understand, form the Peshmerga began early 5:00 this morning. They claim they've killed at least 50 militants in battle today.

We do understand, too, from the Kurdish officials that the militants are lighting up these oil well and blowing up the gas pipeline, they say,

to disguise, to hide, cover their movements as they move around the township.

But certainly, Kristie, this is one of the battles that is raging here in Iraq where ISIS is creating fear and panic amongst the local population.

We visited the township of Kirkuk, which is about an hour's drive from us here in Irbil. And this is what we found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: Sitting silently in a hospital bed, 10-year-old Aya (ph) gently touches her face. the horror of her injuries more than enough to

bear. Her brother is dead, but no one wants to tell her.

This was the terror unleashed on Aya (ph), her family and the city of Kirkuk. When three car bombs and a roadside explosive went off within

minutes, killing 20 people, injuring ore than 100.

CCTV footage capturing one of the deadly blasts.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the weekend attacks, designed to inflict as much pain and trauma as possible.

"My children didn't deserve this," says Aya's (ph) father who was driving his family when one of the bombs went off just meters from his car.

"No one's children should have to suffer like this."

While it struck panic and fear into the mixed community of Shia, Sunnis and Kurds, Kirkuk is yet to fall under ISIS control. When Iraqi

soldiers fled from their outposts following the sudden fall of Mosul back in June, it was the Peshmerga from Kurdistan who came in to defend the city

and its valuable oil fields.

But despite the presence of these soldiers and the newly built defensive positions, the Islamic extremists are on the doorstep.

"ISIS is just over there in those Arab villages," explains General Nadi Amiya (ph). "They fired on us against last night."

Not all ISIS militants are operating out in the open. Intelligence officials tell us that many are infiltrating Kirkuk, quietly recruiting

young, disaffected Sunnis, including this influential emir from Mosul who was recently arrested.

"They come to Kirkuk, because of all the minorities," says intelligence chief Idriss Rafat. "It's easy to blend in."

Due to Kirkuk's diversity, this is a city that is exposed and vulnerable to ISIS. According to authorities, they've arrested dozens of

members in the past few months, including the emir. And they strongly believe there are sleeper cells planning to attack.

For these bombing victims, recovering from their gruesome injuries, they know too well the danger the Islamic extremists pose in their mission

to create a Caliphate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I ask from the god to revenge from this terrorist (inaudible). Please, god, help us. Help the Iraqi people.

COREN: A desperate plea from a young engineering student who just wants to live in his country without fear.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN: And, Kristie, there is concern amongst security officials that we are going to be seeing more car bombings, more suicide bombings in

towns, in cities, because ISIS will be changing its tactics on the battlefield. The U.S. airstrikes, they've been underway now for more than

two weeks, there have been 101 to date, according to U.S. central command. They are forcing ISIS to really change how they operate. So that is why

there is concern that they will be seeing this war go into the urban areas, and we will see more carbombings and suicide attacks.

LU STOUT: Indeed. ISIS is terrorizing families and communities across Iraq. Anna Coren there, we thank you for your reporting. Anna

Coren reporting live from northern Iraq there in Irbil.

Now ISIS has warned that U.S. airstrikes in Iraq must stop and says that if they don't captive Steven Sotloff will die.

Now the American journalist appeared in that ISIS video showing the beheading of American journalist James Foley.

Now Steven's mother, Shirley, has appealed directly to the leader of the militant group to spare her son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIRLEY SOTLOFF, MOTHER OF STEVEN SOTLOFF: Since Steven's capture, I have learned a lot about Islam. I've learned that Islam teaches that no

individual should be held responsible for the sins of others. Steven has no control over the actions of the U.S. government. He's an innocent

journalist.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Shirley Sotloff says her son was only trying to report on the suffering of Muslims.

You're watching News Stream. And coming up this hour, the Ebola epidemic is raging across West Africa and one top disease control official

tells CNN that no one has ever seen an Ebola outbreak like this.

Also ahead, how a gun instructor was fatally shot in the U.S. when his young student lost control of an automatic weapon.

Plus, CNN talks to the man who has been called the world's most notorious football match fixer. Millions of dollars have passed through

his hands in an underground business that has tainted the beautiful game.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: As ISIS rages a war across Iraq and Syria, the rival militant group the al Nusra Front and other rebels are battling with

government forces in Southern Syria.

Now shelling was exchanged earlier at the crossing with the Israeli controlled Golan Heights. On Wednesday, the militants took control of the

crossing. The Israeli military has closed the surrounding area.

Let's get the latest from the Golan Heights. Our Ben Wedeman is there. He joins us now live. And Ben, what kind of military activity are

you seeing there?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Kristie, we saw this morning some fairly intense artillery or mortar barrages between the

Syrian army and the rebels. The rebels, of course, they seem to be a coalition of various factions, but it includes, and it seems to be that one

of the largest components is the Nusra Front, the Jubhat al Nusra in Arabic, which is affiliated with the al Qaeda movement.

Now yesterday, those fighters were able to take control of the Syrian checkpoint at the Quneitra crossing.

I'm going to step out of camera. We're going to try to zoom in on basically this panoramic view we have here. So, what you're seeing in the

distance, that is Syrian controlled territory, but it's hard to say which Syrians are controlling it. That clump of white buildings over there is

the Israeli border crossing. And if you move to the left there, there's a small outpost for the Syrian army, which according to both the Israeli army

and sources within Syria was taken over by the rebels yesterday after noon.

Now, what we saw earlier today was incoming rounds in the old city of Quneitra, which is further left, which was abandoned back in 1967, during

the 1967 war between Israel and Syria. We were fairly close to Quneitra earlier today when we heard some intense small arms fire coming from the

town itself.

So there appears to be an ongoing battle there at the moment.

Now yesterday, several Israelis, including an Israeli army officer was wounded by what the Israeli army is describing as errant shells coming from

the Syrian side. The Israelis did respond at the sources of that firing. But by and large their attitude here has been to reinforce their positions,

to close off a lot of the areas adjacent to the demarcation line telling farmers and others to stay away from areas which have come under shelling

in the past.

So very tense and very significant, of course that essentially on that road behind me, the distance separating Israeli forces and what amounts to

an affiliate of al Qaeda is just 200 meters -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Ben Wedeman there, giving us the lay of the land and the latest on the fighting there in Golan Heights. Thank you very much indeed,

Ben.

Now the Ebola epidemic in West Africa has gotten much, much worse in the past few weeks. The World Health Organization says that this outbreak

has been accelerating with more than 40 percent of the total number of cases occurring in just the past three weeks.

The death toll has also reached another grim milestone. The WHO says more than 1,500 people have died in this outbreak.

Now Tom Frieden, he's the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, he told our Nima Elbagir that the situation is, quote, "even worse

than feared."

Take a listen to his assessment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FRIEDEN, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: No one has ever seen an outbreak of Ebola like this with this kind of explosive spread in urban

areas. We've seen clusters in hospital and terrible, hundreds of cases in other outbreaks, but we're in the thousands here.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The World Health Organization has spoken about an underestimation of the death toll.

They've also spoken about a secret patient caseload. Is that the sense you've got here on the ground that this is actually -- it could be so much

worse than we know right now?

FRIEDEN: It's definitely worse than the total numbers, how much we don't know. But we know that not all the cases have been reported, not all

the cases have been diagnosed, not all the cases have been tested. So it's a much bigger problem than anyone anticipated.

The world cannot isolate Liberia and West Africa. That won't help and it will make it harder to stop the outbreak and ultimately will increase

the risk in other places, because every day this outbreak goes on, it increases the risk for another export to another country.

So the sooner the world comes together and helps Liberia, Liberians and West Africans to stop it, the safer we'll all be.

We're already seeing survivors. I interviewed on this morning. We saw people there who are feeling well enough to complain about the food.

So there's definitely hope for individuals. And we can turn this around.

What we have to do is basically two things, stop spread among caregivers in health care and in the homes, and stop spread through the

burial process.

ELBAGIR: What is your sense about experimental drugs. You know, we've heard about ZMapp, and that's been used in some cases successfully in

some, in others not. Do you think that's something that perhaps should be explored here?

FRIEDEN: The key right now is getting good, quality care to as many patients as fast as possible. That means helping them with the symptoms of

diarrhea and vomiting, bringing their fever down, giving them medications for pain and perhaps most importantly giving them rehydration, oral

rehydration and whenever possible intravenous rehydration.

These are lifesaving, proven interventions. Experimental drugs are experimental. We don't know if they work. And we don't have many of them,

or lots of them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A lot worse, and the head of the CDC there.

Now starting next Monday, do catch CNN's special coverage of the Ebola crisis with Isha Sesay. It's on at 7:30 p.m. in London, 8:30 in

Johannesburg. And you can tweet us your questions about the outbreak using the hashtag #CNNEbola or post them to our Facebook page. We'll have

experts answering your questions live on CNN News Center.

Now you're watching News Stream. And right after the break, a family vacation goes horribly wrong -- how a young girl got hold of a submachine

gun and accidentally killed her shooting instructor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now serious questions are being raised after a child, just 9 years old , accidentally shot and killed her instructor. Now she was handling an Uzi

submachine gun at a range that caters to tourists in Las Vegas.

David Mattingly reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bullets and Burgers, the gun range where a young girl firing a machine gun accidentally

killed her instructor is part of a Las Vegas area tourism niche that's growing almost as fast as the bullets are flying. And critics say there

are no laws keeping children from firing away.

MICHAEL MCLIVELY, LAW CENTER TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE: This tragedy just illustrates how you never know what could happen. And we really do

need to use common sense when thinking about when a child can have access to a weapon like that.

MATTINGLY: Authorities say the girl seen in this video is just 9 years old, firing a mini Uzi submachine gun. The only restrictions at the range,

you have to be at least 8 years old and accompanied by an adult if you're under 18.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How does a 9-year-old get an Uzi in her hand?

SAM SCARMARDO, BULLETS AND BURGERS OPERATOR: Well, a 9-year-old gets an Uzi in her hand when the criteria is 8 years old to fire firearms. We

instruct kids as young as 5 on .22 rifles and they don't get the handle high firearms, but they are under the supervision of their parents and our

professional range masters.

MATTINGLY: The Bullets and Burgers Web sites lists tour packages costing up to $1,000 to shoot different weapons. They offer bachelorette

parties, birthday parties, weddings. Bullets and Burgers is one of about a dozen gun ranges around Las Vegas now catering to tourists around the

world. Authorities say the young girl was with her parents visiting from New Jersey.

BOB IRWIN, THE GUN STORE: This is an aberration. It is -- I have never seen anything like this in all my years.

MATTINGLY: Bob Irwin of The Gun Store takes credit for getting tourism gun firing started in the '80s. In this promotional video, you see how

Irwin's customers pay to fire off heavy-duty automatic weapons, but he says that's only if they're physically able to handle them.

IRWIN: It appears that the girl just had too much gun for her and the gun was too small and too fast.

MATTINGLY: Irwin says the Uzi she was using is capable of firing off five rounds in a third of a second. She was gripping it with both hands

when she pulled the trigger and lost control.

David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Such a disturbing story there.

This is News Stream. And still ahead, this man says that he fixed up to 100 football matches and that three or four football associations knew

what he was up to.

More on the shady side of the sport next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko cancels a planned trip to Turkey to, quote, a sharp aggravation of the situation in southeastern Ukraine

where he says Russian troops have been brought in. A Ukrainian military official calls it a full-scale invasion. And the U.S. official tells CNN

intelligence indicates up to 1,000 Russian troops are now fighting in southern Ukraine.

The U.S. is considering airstrikes and humanitarian air drops to help thousands of Shiite Turkmen who the UN says are facing the threat of

imminent massacre in the Iraqi town of Amilie (ph). Now meanwhile, a Kurdish official says ISIS militants have set fire to oil wells near Mosul

and we're hearing that 50 ISIS militants have been killed in fighting near the Mosul dam.

The World Health Organization says the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa continues to accelerate. The WHO reports more than 1,550 people

have now died from the disease in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The total number of cases is approaching 3,100.

Billions of fans around the world watch football matches each and every season, but there is an ugly side to the beautiful game that often

goes under reported.

Match fixing has become one of the most serious problems in the sport. And on this show on Wednesday, we introduced you to Wilson Raj Perumal, a

convicted match fixer who spent time in prison for his crimes. Now Perumal is now helping authorities crack down on corruption in the sport.

Don Riddell explores how far his influence over match officials reached.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Match fixers like Wilson Raj Perumal don't just bribe players to underperform -- it might start out that

way, but it's not long before their manipulation becomes much more sophisticated. FIFA's former investigator Terry Steans has seen it

firsthand.

TERRY STEANS, FORMER FIFA INVESTIGATOR: There was a mini-tournament held in Antaliya (ph), Turkey that involved four international teams, an

empty stadium, no ticket sales, and yet the game on for betting. And I sat and watched match fixers with a briefcase full of cash pay referees.

RIDDELL: This was in February 2011. Fixers working for an Asian- based syndicate had approached the football association in Bolivia, inviting them to an all expenses paid tournament. Bulgaria, Latvia and

Estonia also accepted the invitation. But they were all duped, because the referees had been paid to fix the results.

STEANS: We found what we found. It was an empty stadium and two international matches. And seven penalties.

RIDDELL: FIFA later banned the referees for life.

Perumal says he wasn't involved in the Antaliya (ph) operation. His former associates were behind it, though.

But he's very familiar with the strategy. He perfected it with the company he set up called Football 4 U International, which no longer

exists.

How many international football federations do you think you had in your pocket?

WILSON RAJ PERUMAL, FOOTBALL MATCH FIXER: I will say I have about three or four football associations in my front pocket and there were other

associations who were not aware of what I was doing, like take Bahrain for -- Bahrain Football Association, for example. They were not aware that I

was into match fixing.

RIDDELL: So they were unwittingly--

PERUMAL: Yes.

STEANS: Wilson Raj Perumal had 38 countries in one (inaudible) contacts list. He had officials and players from those 38 countries. It's

one match fixer. And we know that there are far more than Wilson Raj Perumal. So more than 38 countries. FIFA have 209 associations and one

man has 38 of them in his contact book. That's one contact book.

If you then go to his laptop address book, there were over 50. So now we're talking a quarter of FIFA's associations for one fixer.

RIDDELL: Having their contacts doesn't make them guilty, but perhaps more importantly Perumal also had a direct line to football officials who

were supposed to be untouchable.

You didn't just approach players, though, you also approached referees and FIFA accredited international referees. You're smiling when I say

that. Why are you smiling?

PERUMAL: I mean, these are people who are supposed to uphold the laws of the game, but sad to say that, you know, FIFA doesn't really pay these

referees that well. They get about $1,000 or maybe $1,500, which is a very small of money. In my opinion, FIFA should pay them a lot more, or they

should start to professionalize this officiating.

RIDDELL: How easy was it to corrupt FIFA referees?

PERUMAL: You have -- you look at the African referees. They are very poorly paid. And they don't have a very stable job. And they're paid very

little. So if you go to them with $50,000 or $60,000 U.S. dollars, that's a lot of money for them.

RIDDELL: CNN asked FIFA about the payment of referees. The organization replied, "corruption does not depend on how much you're paid,

but instead, and above all, honesty and values of the individual."

While Perumal was able to corrupt match officials, he quickly realized that some were better than others.

PERUMAL: And then he will give -- he gives away another penalty in this match. An experienced referee would have waiting in the last 15

minutes, but he rushed this penalty.

RIDDELL: You mean, an experienced corrupt referee.

PERUMAL: Yes.

RIDDELL: That's what you mean by that.

His favorite became a referee from Niger, Ibrahim Chaibu (ph).

PERUMAL: This is his first game for us. This guy is very bold.

RIDDELL: Was he your favorite ref?

PERUMAL: He was the best, not from FIFA's point of view.

RIDDELL: In the summer of 2010, shortly before the start of the World Cup tournament, Perumal was in South Africa.

What were you doing in South Africa in 2010? What were your reasons for being there?

PERUMAL: Well, I was there to watch the World Cup at a later stage, but I had this idea to influence warm-up friendly matches without the

knowledge of the association concerned. So I remember writing a formal letter to the football association requesting that my company, Football 4 U

will supply referees from Africa for that at our expense.

RIDDELL: It was an elaborate scheme. In this letter, addressed to the president of the South African football federation, and signed by

Wilson Raj Perumal, the fixer talks at working closely with your good office, detailing how they would supply the referees for international

friendly games, a breach of FIFA rules.

What happened next became the subject of a FIFA report seen by CNN, though it hasn't been released publicly. It details how several games in

the buildup to the tournament were, on the balance of probability, fixed. And Chaibu's (ph) involvement is laid bear.

At the game between South Africa and Guatemala, the referee makes several debatable calls.

PERUMAL: This is Chaibu's (ph) first match that he is working for us. All right, that's when I realized that this guy is crazy because this is

not a penalty (inaudible) outside.

The offense took place outside the box, but I knew it was outside the box.

RIDDELL: So what was the referee's job in this game?

PERUMAL: Just allow -- total goals, that's all.

He has given one penalty there, right. And then he gives one penalty for Guatemala for a ball that hits the chest. You see the ball hits the

chest, it's not a hand ball, but the referee gives the penalty.

RIDDELL: FIFA's report noted that both penalties, plus this one in the second half were debatable. Testimony from the fourth official, who is

not under suspicion, and who cooperated with the inquiry, stated that Chaibu's (ph) two assistants were very nervous.

PERUMAL: I think this final score is--

RIDDELL: 5-0.

PERUMAL: We paid him very good money.

RIDDELL: Did you ever speak with the referee afterwards about what he thought of the experience? Do you think he enjoyed the experience of

performing under that kind of pressure?

PERUMAL: No, usually after the match we just shake hands. Good job. OK. Put -- pay his money. We don't do a postmortem on his performance

whatsoever. Just say -- but when something go wrong, of course we'll go through it, what the hell happened? Why didn't you do this? Why didn't

you do that, you know.

RIDDELL: FIFA concluded that the match was indeed manipulated for betting fraud purposes. When contacted by CNN, an emotional Chaibu (ph)

declined the opportunity to be interviewed, saying, "I've put an end to my career and everything is finished. What is past it past."

Earlier this year, he told the New York Times that he'd never had any contact with Wilson Raj Perumal. FIFA's report, however, revealed that the

contact details for Chaibu (ph) were found in the fixer's phone.

And Perumal claims that he was close to fixing games at the World Cup itself.

Did you have any intention to fix games at the World Cup in 2010?

PERUMAL: I had some relationship with some referees. And prior to the World Cup I did speak to this referee concerned. And he turned me

down. He said, no, I don't think it is possible.

RIDDELL: How much would you have been prepared to pay him?

PERUMAL: I was prepared to offer him half a million U.S. dollars for a single match.

RIDDELL: Was he close to accepting, do you think? Had you worked with him before?

PERUMAL: Yes, I had worked with him on previous occasion on one occasion. And I don't know why he didn't want to, like, accept. Half a

million is a healthy sum of money.

RIDDELL: The seven matches FIFA considered to be suspicious before the World Cup, 10 different teams were competing. By the time the report

was written, not one of the referees involved had been made available to be interviewed by their federations.

The report noted that several SAFA employees were complicit in a criminal conspiracy to manipulate these matches. It's proof that not just

the players can be corrupted, if the individuals are so inclined, quite literally everyone can be in on a fix.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Well, let's bring in Don Riddell now. He joins me live from CNN Center. And Don, Perumal, he shows you how he did it. He

criticizes FIFA for not coming up with enough strategies to fight match fixing. So, what can be done here?

RIDDELL: Well, it's very, very difficult, isn't it? I mean, FIFA and UEFA and football governing bodies are aware of the problem. They are

doing something. It remains a question to be asked as to whether they're doing enough, and whether they're spending enough on combating a very, very

difficult problem.

FIFA, for example, has its own investigation unit, but it's very, very small. And they allow football federations to investigate themselves,

which some people would find rather curious, especially given some of the information you've just heard in that report.

FIFA has also given a lot of money, $10 million, to INTERPOL, which I think is a recognition that's it's not just a football issue, it's also

international crime.

But again, proving that fixing has happened, proving a conspiracy is very, very difficult. It's not enough just to go and say, well, the

referee or the goalie had a bad game, because that might have happened anyway quite innocently. You won't win a court case like that.

So you need investigators, you need information, you need analysis of the betting markets to demonstrate the things that are actually going on.

And of course, one of the biggest problems is that you need everybody within the sport to be honest and to have integrity. And in this world

that can't always be guaranteed.

Match fixers and the people that work with them know that the chances of getting caught are slim. And they know that if they do get caught, the

punishments are likely to be weak. So it's a very, very difficult problem to get on top of.

LU STOUT: Yeah, a very difficult problem. Your report is definitely sparking much needed debate and discussion on the issue. I have a feeling

it's going to prod FIFA to do something about it.

Don Riddell, thank you so much. Take care.

And Don will have much more on the interview on World Sport. It's about three-and-a-half hours from now right here on CNN.

You're watching News Stream. Still to come this hour, biting into the meat market in India as the expanding middle class leaves vegetarianism

behind.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

And time now for your global weather forecast, including an update on the rising water levels in Thailand. Let's get the latest on the floods

there with Mari Ramos. She joins us from the World Weather Center -- Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kristie. Again here across Southeast Asia we're dealing with a kind of the tail end of the

rainy season. We've had rain that's been coming down since June and July, August was -- has been a very rainy month. And as we head into September

now, we'll still see quite a bit of activity across this area here.

Now I want to show you some pictures from Thailand in particular. And some of -- those are some of the latest images. And they're getting ready

for even more rain. Water levels are already extremely high. Many provinces already suffering from widespread flooding. Reservoirs that are

threatening to burst their dams with a near record high levels of water, all of these are dangerous things -- crops that have been completely

flooded. These are all things that they have to deal with when we get toward this later part of the rainy season and the water levels become so

high.

The concern is that so many people already have been trapped by floods, are living in flooded areas, that any amount of rain, any new

amount of rain that falls, could really cause some serious problems.

And as we head through the next few days -- come back over to the weather map -- we're dealing with even more rain headed to that area. Very

strong monsoon trough.

As far as the rainfall totals in Thailand, 56 millimeters of rain on Thursday, 76 as we head into areas farther to the north. And this is

pretty significant rainfall as you've seen there.

If you notice, a little bit of that circulation, yeah, it's there. There's an area of low pressure here that has a low chance of developing

into a tropical storm, mainly because it's so close to land it won't have a chance to develop.

But as this disturbance moves inland, the concern is that it's going to bring some extremely heavy rainfall already across northern parts of

Vietnam, through Laos, Cambodia, also Thailand and eventually into Myanmar with this monsoonal trough that will continue to be very, very active

across this region.

Cambodia has had some significant flooding as well. And over 40 people have been killed there already from the flooding that happened last

week. And now more heavy rain is in the forecast, the heaviest, as you can see, will be here in areas to the north.

But remember that all of those rivers, like the Mekong River, for example, draining to areas to the south will bring some very heavy rain and

more, I should say, additional flooding to areas that are already suffering from that.

Heavy rain also across the Philippines. You had another strong tropical wave move across the north and the rainfall totals have been

pretty significant. I think as we head through the next 24 hours it's going to be the central and southern Philippines that get the heaviest, the

heaviest downpours.

Moving on now, said to the other side of the Pacific. And this is Tropical Storm Marie. It was a hurricane, it was a category 5 hurricane

with winds in excess of 250 kilometers per hour. Now winds are down to about 80 kilometers per hours, 85 kilometers per hour. But the energy from

the story is still propagating across the ocean bringing some very heavy surf here across this West Coast, the south facing beaches of the West

Coast of the United States.

I've got some pictures to show you, they are pretty impressive.

Look at this, Kristie, this is in Newport Beach, California on Wednesday. Isn't that amazing?

People, only the bravest of the brave were out there in the water -- and that includes, by the way, the lifeguards. They had to do a lot of

rescues of people that got into trouble in those very high waves.

The water depth here where these people are surfing is only about maybe five feet, maybe a meter and a half or so as far as depth in the

water. So if you get slammed by one of those waves you are going to be in a lot of trouble.

Amazing pictures.

And this one right over here, you can see the surfers one more time.

Authorities were actually like not discouraging people to go out there, but just pretty much telling them, hey, you know what this is not a

great idea for people to be out there in those beaches. A dangerous surf, those dangerous conditions expected to continue to today, but they did peak

yesterday. Kind of starting to go down now as we head into the weekend. But that's amazing, those waves.

LU STOUT: Yeah, surfs up, way up there in Southern California.

And I know it's dangerous, but those waves were pretty awesome.

RAMOS: I know. I know.

LU STOUT: Very awesome.

Mari Ramos there, thank you. Take care.

You're watching News Stream, keep it here, because still to come Hello Kitty is not who you think she is. We have got a stunning revelation for

you next on News Stream.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now India has traditionally been a nation of vegetarians, but now that maybe changing. The emerging middle class is increasingly putting meat on

the table. Mallika Kapur reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOATPE)

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: From street stalls to fine dining to home food, vegetarianism has traditionally dominated Indian

kitchens.

Many, like the merchant family, refuse to bring meat into their homes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was predominately a vegetarian home. There was a time when even eggs were not allowed.

KAPUR: All of that is changing with the changing India -- the politics, the culture, Indians are earning more, traveling more and

acquiring a taste for new foods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Friday I had chicken. I've had seafood. I've eaten rabbit before.

KAPUR: Top of the list in India, chicken. In fact, India is now one of the top chicken consumers in the world.

Film actor Perizaad Zorabian put her film career on hold to focus on her family's premium chicken business instead.

PERIZAAD ZORABIAN, ZORABIAN CHICKEN: Business has boomed. We're growing larger and larger as they come.

KAPUR: She says there are many reasons Indians are turning into non- vegetarians.

ZORABIAN: I think it's the whole health wave and the health conscious wave that's hit the new generation.

KAPUR: 100 grams of chicken gives you much more protein than a cup of cook lentils. Plus, India's middle class is growing. And the average

Indian's spending power has increased. When that happens, people typically buy more non-vegetarian items.

ZORABIAN: And because there are so many players in the market now the market prices, you know, haven't totally shot the roof. And so chicken is

really, really affordable.

KAPUR: Indians are consuming a lot more chicken than ever before, but not necessarily at home. Many of them are closet non-vegetarians.

That means they eat meat only outside the home, just like Mikel Merchand (ph), bringing it home would upset his father who said this when

he found out Mikel (ph) had tasted chicken.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you really need to indulge in something and turn into a carnivore? So, I'm like, no. It's -- you know what, it's part

of my life.

KAPUR: And it's become part of many Indian's lives, especially the youth who frequent fast food chains. Many refuse to talk about eating

burgers and nuggets on camera, because their families don't know their secret.

There are still cultural taboos on partaking.

In India, everything isn't what you think it might be, sometimes.

Mallika Kapur, CNN, Mumbai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And finally a debate that's been raging on the internet, is Hello Kitty a cat? It might sound like a weird question ,but just look at

her. According to the Los Angeles Times, she is in fact not a cat, she is actually a girl, specifically she's a third grader who lives near London

and loves Apple Pie.

Now the gaming site Kotaku spoke to Hello Kitty's creator Sanrio who clarified that she is the personification of a cat and it sparked plenty of

debate online and, also a little bit of fun. An official Peanuts Twitter account said this, quote, we can confirm Snoopy is a dog.

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

END