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NEWS STREAM
World Shocked As Al Jazeera Journalists Found Guilty In Egypt; U.S. Secretary of State Arrives In Baghdad; Portugal's Last Second Goal Saves World Cup Hopes; Chinese Animal Rights Activists Try To Chance Dog Eating Tradition; Disabled Boy Tied To Mumbai Bus Stop Symbol Of Broken System
Aired June 23, 2014 - 8:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MONITA RAJPAL, HOST: I'm Monita Rajpal in Hong Kong. Welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.
An Egyptian court is facing international condemnation after sentencing three al Jazeera journalists to prison.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Baghdad as the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate.
And Portugal break American heart to snatch a draw and stay alive in the World Cup.
Many government's and activists around the world are condemning the fail sentences imposed on three al Jazeera journalists by an Egyptian
court. The trial were convicted of spreading false news and conspiring with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Peter Greste and Mohamed Fahmy received seven year sentences, Bahar Mohammed got 10 years. 11 more defendants not present in court were
sentenced to 10 years.
Amnesty International says the verdicts are, quote, "an absolute affront to justice."
AFP reports the Netherlands summoned the Egyptian ambassador after a Dutch national was found guilty despite being absent from the trial.
Britain's foreign minister William Hague says he is appalled by the verdict and will summon the Egyptian ambassador in protest.
Australia had lobbied Cairo on behalf of al Jazeera correspondent Peter Greste. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop reacted with disbelief to his
seven year sentence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIE BISHOP, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: This is a very complicated case. It's a very complex situation. And it's very difficult for us at
this distance to understand all of the nuances and complexities of it. But you will appreciate that al Jazeera is not the favorite news channel in
Egypt. And so my fear is that Peter Greste was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And we are doing what we can to have this Australian
journalist brought home as soon as possible. But of course we are shocked, utterly shocked by this verdict.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJPAL: Well, the Qatar-based al Jazeera network has released a statement on the verdict saying they defy logic, sense and any semblance of
justice.
For more on this, let's go to Cairo now and Ian Lee. Ian, what happens next now in this case?
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Monita, once the shock kind of subsides, there's going to be an appeal process. This is another long
drawn out process that can take months if not over a year. And they're getting ready for that as well. I've been talking to family members of
both Peter Greste and Mohamed Fahmy. They say their looking forward to that.
They're also hoping another route will bear some fruit, and that's a pardon from the president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. They hope that he will
pardon these journalists, but we haven't heard anything from the president's office.
During the trial, though, we heard from Mohamed Fahmy. He yelled out, "where is John Kerry?" Commenting on the fact that the Secretary of State
was in Cairo yesterday. He commented on the trial saying that he believes that these journalists should be set free as well.
But it really came down to the judges. They listened to what the prosecution had said. They believed them. They thought there was enough
evidence, despite this evidence being called into question by the defense, by people saying it really wasn't hard evidence. They said it was enough
to send these men to seven years in prison, Monita.
RAJPAL: The word shock has been used by governments and of course journalists alike when this verdict was handed down. That said, many
journalists are still working in Egypt right now. So what kind of impact does this have on those journalists like yourself who are continuing to
report on the country?
LEE: Well, it definitely casts a cloud over the reporters here in Egypt. The government giving a strong red line that these -- if you
threaten, or if they believe you threaten national security with your reporting, that you can face tough sentencing like this. And there's been
a lot of journalists -- and these aren't the only journalists in jail, there's other journalists for local news outlets that are also in jail.
And so it really does bring a cloud over the profession here in Egypt. The Committee to Protect Journalists have said that they fear that
journalists will now self-censor themselves because of this verdict definitely not something that freedom of the press, something that Egypt
has been aspiring for since the revolutions.
RAJPAL: Family members of those journalists affected, they've accused this case of being politically motivated. What more do you know about
that?
LEE: Well, that's right. There has been a lot of speculation this case is politically motivated. We've been hearing in the trial before
where Mohamed Fahmy has yelled out that he says that this court is politically motivated. And what they're pointing to is the fact that Qatar
right now has poor relations with the Egyptian government. The Egyptian government is saying that Qatar, and through al Jazeera, supported the
Muslim Brotherhood, which the government here in Egypt calls a terrorist organization. And so they believe that al Jazeera was supporting them,
something that al Jazeera adamantly denies.
And this really, you know, for these journalists who are in jail for now, there's also a fear for Mohamed Fahmy's health. I was talking to his
fiancee after the trial and she said she's extremely concerned about his shoulder, which is injured, said his health is deteriorating and when they
were pulling him away, the police who were pulling Mohamed away who was holding onto the bars of the cell that they hold him in during the trial,
they were grabbing his shoulders, he said, that they'll just hurt him even more.
So there is a lot of concern from the family as well that this case is political, but also that this is going to affect the health of Mohamed
Fahmy.
RAJPAL: All right, Ian, thank you for that. Ian Lee reporting to us there live from Cairo.
America's top diplomat is in Baghdad as Islamist militants from the group ISIS advance closer and closer to the Iraqi capital. U.S. Secretary
of State John Kerry is meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. He is also holding talks with Sunni and Shiite leaders.
Kerry is urging them to rise above religious and ethnic divisions as more Iraqi territory continues to fall to ISIS by the day.
ISIS fighters are, as we say, marching toward Baghdad from the north and the west. And you can see here in red the cities that have already
fallen to them. They include al Qaim in Anbar province in western Iraq. Officials say the militants now control at least 70 percent of it. And
with al Qaim is there -- in their hands. They now have a direct line from Syria to Baghdad's western outskirts.
But Iraq's military says it made a strategic withdrawal in some areas and has not lost as much territory as some believe.
CNN's senior international correspondent Arwa Damon joins us now from Urbil in northern Iraq with more on that -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi.
And one of those areas where the Iraqi military most certainly did not make a strategic withdrawal is in northern Iraq. And in many instances, we
saw the Kurdish fighting force known as the Peshmerga who was already present on the ground in some of these areas such as the province of Kirkuk
beef up their presence there to try to continuously push back ISIS fighters.
But even up here in these areas that are being held by the Peshmerga, ISIS is continuously testing their resolve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON: 24 hours before we arrived south of Tutormatra (ph) ISIS had attacked, catching the Kurdish Peshmerga unit off guard. It won't happen
again.
Peshmerga commander Colonel Hakim Karim Ahmed (ph) watched ISIS appear just an hour after the Iraqi army withdrew, casually staking their claim
without firing a single shot.
"That used to be with the army." He points out a two story building just a couple hundred meters away.
That's the ISIS flag right there.
Another planted on the water tower.
The battle lines drawn, but for over a week not crossed. Then came the ISIS assault.
"They came at us from three directions," Colonel Ahmed (ph) tells us. "The battle lasted for six hours."
In the distance, an Iraqi military vehicle commandeered by ISIS.
The intersection that this combat outpost is protecting is incredibly strategic. Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit in that direction, to the
north the oil rich city of Kirkut, Soleimani (ph) in Iraqi Kurdistan to the east and then to the south a two hour drive, a straight shot to the
capital.
There were gunmen with them, people from the area, Colonel Ahmed (ph) remembers. It was ISIS fighters and also people from the tribes.
It's a murky, dangerous alliance, opening multiple fronts towards Baghdad and testing the Peshmerga's resolve in the north.
They had two casualties during the firefight, one of them happening right here, one of their commanders was killed. And he was just saying
that this is some of the blood stains. They're still here.
The Kurds, a population with a long and tormented history, vow they won't give up this land as ISIS and Sunni fighters carve out their
territory, the Kurds are making sure they stay out of theirs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON: But despite those efforts from a military perspective at keeping ISIS out of their territory, of course when it comes to the long-
term solution to the violence in Iraq that, as everyone has been saying, needs to be political.
Now one prominent Sunni tribal leader we've been speaking to had a very clear message for the Americans, as Secretary of State John Kerry has
been conducting those high level visits in Baghdad. And he said that the Americans need to remember the lessons that they learned in Iraq. And one
of those key lessons was you cannot defeat a terrorist organization without the help of the Sunni tribes.
However, at this point in time, the Sunni tribes and the Sunni insurgency is viewing Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki himself and his
predominately Shia government and its polarizing politics as being an even bigger threat to the country than ISIS. And what he is saying to us is
that if ISIS is to be defeated, Maliki needs to go. And once he's gone, the tribes will take care of the terrorists.
RAJPAL: Arwa, the -- some people would say that the political solution is what they've been searching for ever since the Iraqi invasion
began, that that was the goal, that there would be a political solution that would provide stability in the country. Ten years on, that political
stability and that political solution has still not be found regardless of the fact that there have been democratic elections taking place in the
country.
So, what else should be done that hasn't been done before?
DAMON: Well, that's a great question, and one that is unfortunately very difficult for anyone to even begin to answer.
A lot of the problems lies in what took place very shortly after the U.S.-led invasion where there was a rush to draft a constitution that is
fundamentally flawed and fails to concretely address some of the key underlying issues in this country. There was a rush to hold the first
democratic elections.
And, yes, what's happening here could be considered a democracy on the one hand. But after those so-called democratic elections take place, you
then have a very lengthy process that leads to government formations that allows for the interference of external forces, that allows for all sorts
of meddling to take place at a plethora of different levels.
And without having real building blocks in place that are based on national unity where individuals are given certain government positions
from the president on down because of merit rather than sector or ethnicity, this country is going to continue to be plagued by the same
kinds of problems that we're seeing it plagued by today.
Developing a national identity needs to have its key roots in the nation in and of itself, not in an individual sect or ethnicity, and that
is something that the Iraqi population is going to have to deal with on its own.
But at the same time, external players need to also realize that they have been meddling throughout this entire process, whether it's Iran or
even the United States, and that by and large that meddling has been incredibly counterproductive and contributed greatly to the violence that
we're seeing unfolding here today.
RAJPAL: Yeah, good point there.
Arwa, thank you so much for that. Arwa Damon there live for us from Urbil in northern Iraq.
You are watching News Stream. About a month ago, a boy was tied to this bus stop in Mumbai because his grandmother says she felt it was the
safest place for him. Ahead, the dangers of being poor and disabled in India.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RAJPAL: So, there was a dramatic finish to Sunday's World Cup action that kept a European action that kept a European power in the tournament.
The U.S. came from behind to lead 2-1 against Portugal with this goal from Clint Dempsey. And at that point, Portugal were heading out of the World
Cup.
But, with seconds to go, star Christiano Ronaldo crossed for Varela to head the equalizer and keep Portugal just barely alive.
Earlier, Belgium confirmed their place in the knockout round after squeezing past Russia 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Origi. And Algeria
notched their first World Cup win in 32 years after battering South Korea. Algeria won 4-2 continued their surprising performance before this year.
They hadn't even scored a goal at the World Cup since 1986.
Well, lots of unexpected twists so far and we're just halfway through the tournament.
Let's go straight now to Brazil and CNN's Amanda Davies joins us now from Rio de Janeiro.
Amanda, I think even if you weren't a football fan, you would start to be simply because of the drama on the pitch.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Monita. It has been an incredible tournament so far. It really has been a case of
expect the unexpected and that USA-Portugal result sets up a real cracker on Thursday as the USA square off against Germany, two sides with so many
connections. They'll be battling it out for the top two spots in that group and the places in the second round.
Portugal, though, were just seconds from exiting the tournament after just two games. And Christiano Ronaldo and his teammates knew it. This is
what Ronaldo had to say afterwards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANO RONALDO, PORTUGUESE NATIONAL TEAM PLAYER (through translator): We did our best. Obviously, we're frustrated and sad for what
happened. We're leaving sad.
I'd be lying if I were to say that we were at the top of our game. It wouldn't be true. Too many limitations. We played with a very limited
team and obviously it showed in the result.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIES: Well, Ronaldo disappointed with his side's performance, but it's a really tough one Monita, for the United States. They were so close,
yet so far from that victory that was going to take them straight into the second round. And that late, late Portugal equalizer pretty much seemed
like defeat for the U.S. side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINT DEMPSEY, U.S. NATIONAL TEAM PLAYER: You're disappointed not to get three points, but at the same time you have to take the positives from
the game. We played better than what we did in the first game. I thought we moved the ball better, created some good chances, showed a lot of
character, especially conceding the first goal and fighting our way back into the game and even going ahead with the go ahead goal.
But, yeah, disappointed not getting three points, but still we're happy with four points and here's everything to play for in the last game.
TIM HOWARD, U.S. NATIONAL TEAM PLAYER: The draw is just blah. You know, had we been down 2-1 and we came back and scored, everybody would be
happy. So it ebbs and flows. It's a draw. It's a point. It keeps us in the hunt. And, you know, that's what we always wanted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIES: So, they've got four days to pick themselves up and gear themselves up for the big one against Germany.
And even though both sides know that only a draw is what they need to take them through to the next round, Jurgen Klinsmann, the U.S. team boss,
said he is adamant his side will be going all out for the win, Monita.
RAJPAL: All right, Amanda, thank you very much for that. Amanda Davies there live for us from Rio.
So we've got -- we had your football action. We've got some tennis as well.
Still to come here on News Stream, queuing for Wimbledon, the All England Club's annual tennis tournament gets underway in London. Stay with
us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RAJPAL: Welcome back.
We want to take you now to a story out of Mumbai in India that highlights the plight of the poor and the disabled. A 9-year-old boy with
multiple disabilities roped to a bus stop near the city's main government office. Mallika Kapur has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lakan Kali (ph) has cerebral palsy, is deaf and mute. he spent many days and nights tied to a
pole by this lady, Sakubai (ph). She's his grandmother.
This is a bus stop Lakan's (ph) grandmother used to tie him to. In fact, the rope she used you can see it's still here. She says she had to
do it, she had no choice.
"If I didn't tie him up, he'd wander off," she says. "He can't hear traffic coming. If he ran onto the road, he'd be killed."
She couldn't leave him at home, because this is where she lives -- the sidewalk.
She and others desperately poor like her sleep and eat here. All her belongings fit into these two bags.
Sakubai (ph) is Lakan's (ph) only caretaker. His father is dead. His mother deserted the family. The grandmother says no one came forward to
help, not even the VIPs who pass this way every day, she says.
The bus stop is a stone's throw away from Mumbai's main government office.
Last month, these pictures appeared in a local newspaper, and the local police took Lakan (ph) to this social worker.
MEENA MUTHA, MANEV FOUNDATION: When I saw him first I did feel he needs help. He needs a home.
KAPUR: She took him to this government home. We were not allowed to film inside.
Across Mumbai, there are many children with special needs without access to resources faced with the same stigma.
In Taraviya (ph) slum, we meet 12-year-old Abdel Razak (ph). He suffers from a severe case of cerebral palsy.
When his mother goes to work, sometimes she locks him inside their home.
Dr. Shabnam Rangwala says addressing the needs of the disabled is not a priority for the government.
SHABNAM RANGWALA, ADAPT: We just need to do a lot of implementation of our policies. They are there on paper and on rhetoric, but in reality
they're not getting translated. Disability is being left out.
KAPUR: In a heaving city of nearly 20 million people, children like Abdel (ph) and Lakan (ph) are almost invisible.
Lakan's (ph) grandmother says, "I miss him. But if I die tomorrow, at least he has a roof over his head."
That's more than she could give him on the sidewalk.
Mallika Kapur, CNN, Mumbai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RAJPAL: Well, the last government census put the number of Indian citizens living with disabilities at almost 27 million people, but
activists say the real number is closer to three times that.
Rajive Raturi works with Disability Rights Promotion International and heads the Asia-Pacific region. Earlier, CNN's John Vause asked him about
the group's chances, realistically, of improving the rights of people with disabilities in India.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJIVE RATURI, DISABILITY RIGHTS PROMOTION INTERNAITONAL: We, as a country, have ratified the UN convention. And I think it's very important
for India as a country to now implement the convention and the spirit of the convention. It's very important for the disability law to be brought
about which recognizes rights and entitlements of all persons with disabilities and which promise, which brings about the paradigm shift that
the UNCRPD promises to disabled persons across the world.
So it's very important for us to have a good law and a law which needs to be implemented by the duty bearers, a law which has strong penal
provisions if there is discrimination and a huge amount of awareness creation needs to be done so that people realize that disability is an
issue, which cannot be ignored anymore in India. It's a huge number if you look at our numbers. We have more than the population of some European
countries put together.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good point.
And finally, here, even if you get some law passed by parliament, which seems like an uphill battle to say the least at this point, even if
you get those laws through, isn't the issue here law enforcement, because what we've seen time and time again in India, quite often the police are
reluctant to enforce those laws, which are on the books.
RATURI: Absolutely. We have excellent laws in the country, but enforcement is very, very pathetic. And enforcement can only happen if
there are very strong punitive measures. If the defaulters can be taken to task and be penalized for not implementing the law, I don't think there's
going to be a change.
We need strong laws with strong punitive measures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJPAL: That was Rajive Raturi, Asia-Pacific director of Disability Rights Promotion International. He was speaking earlier to CNN's John
Vause from our bureau in New Delhi.
Still to come here on News Stream, America's top diplomat has a message for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. And the U.S. Secretary of
State is delivering it in person as Islamist militants inch closer to Baghdad.
And activists try to save puppies from a dog meat festival in China. But critics say they're defying tradition.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RAJPAL: I'm Monita Rajpal in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are the headlines.
An Egyptian court has convicted three al Jazeera journalists of aiding the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Peter Greste and Mohamed Fahmy were
sentenced to seven years in jail and Bahar Mohammed to 10 years in jail. All three men deny the charges against them.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is holding talks with leaders in Baghdad to discuss ways to end the violent advance of ISIS militants. Over
the weekend, ISIS took control of several key border towns in western Iraq. And police now say at least 70 prisoners and five officers were killed when
militants attacked a convoy transferring inmates from one prison to another.
A fugitive South Korean soldier accused of killing five of his comrades has been captured after authorities say he shot himself during a
standoff with the military. The suspect, identified as Sergeant Lem (ph), has now been transferred to hospital. The defense ministry says the
soldier's father and brother had tried to persuade him to surrender.
And the U.S. and Portugal fought out a thrilling draw at the World Cup on Sunday. Clint Dempsey gave the U.S. the lead late on, but Varela
rescued a point for Portugal with seconds to go to keep his country in the World Cup.
More now on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's high stakes mission to Iraq. He is urging the country's leaders to unit for the safety of
their country as Islamist militants edge nearer to the Iraqi capital.
Chief U.S. security correspondent Jim Sciutto joins us now from Baghdad. With this very tough mission ahead of him -- Jim.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No question, Monita.
You can feel the heat here literally and figuratively. It's more than 100 degrees in Baghdad. But the atmosphere as well, U.S. officials tell us
one of extreme anxiety on the part of Iraqi officials.
Short time ago, the Iraqi speaker of parliament saying to Secretary Kerry these are difficult times for Iraq and the world if we don't
cooperate.
They have real fear that their country is falling apart. They have fear for their lives. Friends and family have been killed in the fighting.
They've lost their homes in the north just as the country has lost roughly a third of its territory to these ISIS fighters. That's the situation that
Secretary Kerry has flown into. And he has a dual message. One is, the U.S. stands with Iraq. It will support with some military advisers --
political, diplomatic support, et cetera. But also that Iraq has the responsibility to get its political house in order, that essential to any
solution here is a more inclusive government, something that Iraq has failed to achieve over the last eight years, that is the mission now. And
that is the mission that Secretary Kerry, other U.S. officials say is necessary to move forward. But that's happening at the same time that
these militants are gaining more ground.
It's a real sense of crisis here in Iraq. And a real tall mountain to climb for the Iraqis, for the Americans, for all involved.
RAJPAL: Getting more involved in Iraq is perhaps the last thing the Obama administration wants to do, right? That would be a tough sell to the
domestic audience, his domestic electorate to say that they needed to go back in, especially in a military capacity.
That said, what would it take for the Americans to decide that more -- that they needed to do more to get in to help the Iraqis out?
SCIUTTO: Well, you know, it's a good point. Up until this point, ending the war in Iraq was a chief foreign policy achievement of the Obama
administration. Of course, the war in Iraq is not over. There is a war raging in this country right now.
So the question is how much military support does the U.S. supply? And how effective is it? You know, it's the opinion of the Obama
administration that military support helps, but you need political settlement on the ground as well.
But, you know, you have two problems now. One is just holding the line so that ISIS doesn't advance further. There is confidence that
Baghdad, with its Shia dominated government, largely Shia population that the army and military divisions here will be more loyal and be able to hold
back this ISIS offensive.
But what about gaining back that ground from ISIS? That's a whole other thing. And when you hear U.S. assessments of the Iraqi military,
they say that they just don't have the capacity for a counteroffensive.
That's the next challenge -- one holding the line, the next is gaining back this ground.
So you're looking at clearly months of involvement at a minimum here, perhaps the return of the American military, at least American military
assistance to Iraq, but also the U.S. asking not just to depend on us.
We had a U.S. official say to us yesterday that Iraqis, they want help, but they also have this impression that there's some magic wand that
the Americans can wave and the problems will be over. That is something that Secretary Kerry and others want to dissuade the Iraqis of and say that
this is really about building your capacity to respond to this.
But I'll tell you, being on the ground here now it's difficult to see that they have the capacity, today at least, to solve this problem, gain
back that ground.
RAJPAL: So then what kind of a role, Jim, does the U.S. want to play in the situation when everyone is saying that the only solution and the
only way forward now for Iraq is a political solution where all the factions have an equal amount of power perhaps within this government?
What kind of a role does the U.S. then expect to play and can play?
SCIUTTO: I would say that the role they want to play is facilitator, not dictator, either on the military side or the political side. On the
political side first there was a lot of speculation that Secretary Kerry was coming to the country to push Nuri al-Maliki out, find a new prime
minister. Secretary Kerry said in no uncertain terms yesterday we will not choose, we will not select, we will not advocate for, that's up to the
Iraqis to decide.
And then on the military side, President Obama has said no more U.S. boots on the ground, this is an Iraqi battle. We will support them, but
we're not going to fight it for them, in effect making the point that the U.S. has done that in the past and look what happened.
So it's facilitating, it is helping where it can, but it does not want -- the U.S. does not want this all on its shoulders again.
The trouble is, you know, these things are easy to get sucked into because, you know, if ISIS continues to gain territory unabated and the
Iraqi military is not up to it, what then? That's the question that still hasn't been answered, frankly, and will only be answered over time.
RAJPAL: Indeed. Jim, thank you so much. Jim Sciutto there live for us from Baghdad.
Well, fighting in Iraq and Syria is proving fertile ground for would be jihadists as countries across Europe watch a growing number travel there
to take up the cause.
The fear is that they could return home radicalized and bring the war with them.
In a three part series, CNN's Atika Shubert looks at the rise of these western jihadists. She begins by speaking with one already in Syria about
the discontent he felt back home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I grew up in the south of England. I grew up in a middle class family. And life was easy back home. I had a job. I had a
car. But the thing is, you cannot practice Islam back home, because in Britain there is no such thing as freedom to practice religion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJPAL: That's a look at the rise of western Jihadists starting Monday on the premiere of CNN's new show "The World Right now" with Hala
Gorani. Tune in at 8:00 p.m. in London, and it's 9:00 p.m. for you in central Europe.
Now, if you are a pet owner or a dog lover, in particular, you might want to step away for a moment. Over the weekend, the city of Yulin in
southeast China celebrated its annual dog meat festival. Residents say the tradition dates back generations, but each year there is more opposition.
Anna Coren has this report. And we do warn you, some of the images are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Early morning on the outskirts of Yulin in southern China a deal is underway. A dozen dogs
crammed into cages are about to be sold for slaughter. But before money is exchanged, animal rights activists ambush the meeting.
"We want to buy them. Don't kill them," pleads protest organizers Du Yu Fong (ph). Go ahead, run me over.
This is the fourth year Du (ph) and her volunteers have come to Yulin to protest against the city's annual dog meat festival.
"I'm not going to sell them to you," yells the dog meat trader. "I don't care how much money you give me."
Another motorcycle arrives, this one carrying puppies.
An average dog sells for approximately $60. A butcher will then double that when he sells the meat at the market.
But as the activists negotiate to buy the dogs and some kittens stuffed into a bag, the trader suddenly triples his price.
"This dog criminal is too greedy. We can't afford it. We have to walk away."
For the volunteers, it's another crushing defeat as more people arrive to sell their dogs.
"My heart hurts," cries this activist. "I'm really sad that we couldn't save them."
China is one of several countries where dog meat is considered part of the culture and the daily diet.
"This is our tradition and something that's been passed on for generations," explains this woman.
As she chops up the carcass, her own dog cowers in the corner. She assures us he's not on the menu.
In recent years, the festival has brought unwanted attention. The Chinese government has even distanced itself saying it's no longer
involved, banning signage advertising dog meat.
But despite the negative publicity, locals remain defiant.
"Don't you eat beef?" Asks this man. "If you stop eating beef, we'll stop eating dog."
"We eat it every day all year around. It tastes good," says this diner.
That's something these animal welfare activists are refusing to accept.
So far they've rescued over 400 dogs, some still wearing collars, a sign they were once someone's pet.
Considering the hundreds of thousands of dogs that are slaughtered across China each year, rescuing just these handful seems like and
ineffective and piecemeal approach. But the activists hope that through education awareness and shaming those involved, they will eventually be
able to bring an end to this cruel and inhumane tradition.
Shifting a cultural mindset will be an uphill battle, but they believe that's a fight worth having for man's best friend.
Anna Coren, CNN, Yulin, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RAJPAL: An unofficial referendum for democratic reforms is underway here in Hong Kong, but China calls the move a farce. The weeklong vote is
organized by the lobbying group Occupy Central. The crux of the issue at hand is how Hong Kong will choose its next leader in 2017. The mainland
promises the city will be able to vote through universal suffrage. Here's the catch, China will still handpick the candidates on the ballot.
Activists say that method is not genuinely Democratic.
Although China's state council and Hong Kong authorities have called this referendum illegal and invalid, more than 700,000 people already voted
over the weekend, that's almost 20 percent of the city's registered voters.
Coming up here on New Stream. It wouldn't be summer in England without Wimbledon. Team tennis fans queue to watch the first day of the
world's oldest Grand Slam.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Well, one of the biggest sporting competitions of the year is underway in London. The 128th Wimbledon Law Tennis Championships has
defending men's champions Andy Murray opening the tournament on Centre Court. Reigning women's champion Marion Bartolli won't defend her title as
she retired from tennis last August.
Play is currently underway. Let's take you live now to Christina MacFarlane for the very latest there -- Christina.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: yes, Monta, the sun is up here and the fans have been queuing around the block all morning. And as
you say, play is underway here with defending champion Andy Murray very busy out there on Centre Court. You would think, Monita, that for Murray
the pressure would be off this year, having been the first British man to win the title last year in 77 years, but the world on everyone's lips this
year is can he do it again, can he do the double like his predecessor Fred Perry back in 1934 when he was able to take back to back Wimbledon
championships.
Well, he's currently out on court against David Goffin who is ranked 104. And we understand that he's taken the first step. So we would think
there would be smooth sailing for Murray in this opening round.
But if you think back just a year ago, Monita, we saw a lot of the top seeds tumble out of this competition in the opening rounds -- Roger
Federer, Rafa Nadal, Serena Williams. So this really is a tournament where anything can happen. And over the weekend, Nadal was saying that he
thought it was the most dangerous Grand Slam of the entire year. So it's going to be a very interesting couple of days while we keep glued to the
tennis to see if there's going to be any big upsets in this Grand Slam tournament.
RAJPAL: All right, Christina, thank you very much for that.
Often causing upset and making for an interesting tournament is the weather. Mari Ramos is at the world weather center with a look at that --
Mari.
MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: You know that there's only been four years where it hasn't rained at all, at all at Wimbledon -- yeah.
So, you know that it's part of it. It's part of -- part of the game almost -- or part of the location to get rain around this time of year.
You know, it won't be too bad.
This time around what we have is a beautiful day, 25, so it's even a degree warmer than I expected it.
So, winds coming light out of the north, humidity very low. It's a beautiful day. I think once we get into the mid-20s when people start
complaining about the heat, when it was in the lower 20s it wasn't too bad.
As we head through the next couple of days and actually including today. There you are. We thought it was going to be 24, got up to 25.
And that's in the shade. So once when you're in the sun it does feel a lot hotter than that.
Tuesday, all similar situation about 23 with a few high clouds coming into the mix.
And then by Wednesday we begin to see the winds pick up just a little bit and the temperature going down to about 20 degrees for the daytime
high.
And remember, these temperatures are in the shade.
So overall, looking good. We have that big area of high pressure in place across the northeastern portion -- there you go, how many
championships have there been no rain at all at Wimbledon? And the answer, there you see it. There were five. I was wrong, Monita. We've updated
this graphic since we last did it.
'78, '03, '08, '49 and '93. We'll see if this is going to be one of those years. I don't know.
We have high pressure in place, like I was saying, across this area, a little bit of moisture coming in here as we head back over toward France.
Some moisture coming in out of the south, so temperatures do remain very warm.
And again the possibility of getting some strong storms developing as we head into the late afternoon and evening hours across this region. And
notice back over here staying nice and dry and yes very, very warm.
Not warm at all, it's hot, steamy hot as we head over into south Asia. India and Pakistan again recording temperatures that are well above the
average for this time of year even for this part of the world.
A couple of things happening here. We have high pressure in place that makes things even hotter. The other thing is these -- the monsoon
hasn't gotten there yet. And the temperatures are really starting to take a toll not just in India, but also in Pakistan. Here you see a rickshaw
worker covering his face trying to shield himself from the sun. Very, very harsh conditions for people.
One of the main things that's happened here is that the monsoon has not made its way throughout this region as it should. We are seeing an
advancement of the monsoon, but by this time we should see it a little bit farther to the north. But it hasn't been until this weekend where we
really begin to see an advancement of the monsoon.
And what happens is if we don't get the monsoon happening on time across this area not only do we get very hot temperatures, but it also
causes some problems with agriculture.
And this picture very, very strange, but I want to explain to you what's happening here. Here is a man crossing a -- what appears to be a
flooded roadway, an area that was with a mudslide. And he ended up getting stuck in the mud, just another -- another situation. This is an area where
it has been raining very, very heavily and this time I'm taking you to China.
Now we had some very heavy rain over the weekend across the eastern half of China here and into the southeast. Hong Kong, you guys had over
100 millimeters of rain over the weekend, and gain it looks like you're going to be getting more rain across these areas. In some cases, very
heavy rain, but it looks like the heaviest rain this time around will stay a little bit farther inland. Hong Kong, you'll get about 10 millimeters of
rain.
Any amount of rain that falls across these areas could be a concern over the next couple of days, because it has been raining so heavily over
this region.
And our other big story, of course, it's the World Cup. And Monita, I want to finish up with this, because the weather actually expected to be
pretty good across cities where we're playing today.
We do have some moisture coming in across southeastern Brazil, again Porto Alegre, and Curitiva (ph). But Sao Paulo, looking pretty good over
the next 24 hours, maybe get a little bit of light rain and drizzle. The temperature looking good at 23. Looking good also in Brasilia with
temperatures that will remain into the lower 20s for Cameroon and Brazil.
And the last one I want to tell you about is the Mexico match in Recife. Here, we might get a little bit of a rain coming in. We'll have
to watch and see what happens once those thunderstorms get going a little bit later in the day for the Croatia-Mexico match in Recife.
RAJPAL: So basically you're saying the places to be in the world right now where the two biggest sporting events are taking place, either in
Wimbledon or in Brazil, somewhere there.
RAMOS: I wish I was there.
RAJPAL: Good to know.
I know, you and me both.
Mari, thank you very much for that.
You are watching News Stream. Still ahead, from the football pitch to an unusual canvas, Brazilian artists showcase their country's diversity.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RAJPAL: We are now exactly halfway through the World Cup. And we've gone through 32 of 64 matches. And every team has played exactly twice.
Who could believe that Spain could have already been eliminated? The defending champions have won three straight international tournaments, but
lost two straight matches in Brazil and now have no chance of defending their crown.
Now England's ouster was perhaps less shocking, but still pretty surprising. It is the earliest England have been knocked out of the World
Cup for decades, but instead of dwelling on the disappointments, let's celebrate the successes shall we. Like little Costa Rica who surprised
everyone by advancing from a group containing three former World Cup winners; or Algeria who scored their first World Cup goal almost 30 years
against Belgium; and it's been a good World Cup for goals. Verela's late header to save Portugal was the 94th goal of the tournament. This World
Cup is averaging almost three goals a game, the most since 1958. Hm, who know?
Well, away from the games, Brazil's street artists are giving the World Cup a more artistic flare.
Fred Pleitgen shows us how.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Far away from the glamorous World Cup stadiums, the soccer tournament is inspiration for
street art. Spray painters are customizing 20 giant footballs that will be shipped to cities across Brazil.
We caught up with curator and artist icon Marcelo Ment.
MARCELO MENT, GRAFFITI ARTIST: They tried to get some element of (inaudible), you know, some (inaudible) elements or some nature elements.
And for sure use bright colors and show some positive to people that goes to see the ball.
PLEITGEN: The project is called (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) "Energy To Cheer" and it showcases the color and the diversity of the World
Cup's host nation. The artists have very different styles. And while we were there, we got the curators to do a little art work for us.
Masio (ph) has agreed to spay paint one of our pelican cases, which is something that a company does on all our shoots. And he's going to make a
customized one for CNN and the World Cup.
Thank you very much, sir. And I look forward to it.
Colorful and with a Brazilian flavor true to the exhibition's motto.
We have our personalized CNN flight case. It's going to be the envy of all the CNN crews in the world. Now we can't wait to take it to Syria
next.
But there's also a serious side to all of this. Many don't feel the games are for everyone with ticket prices out of reach for many here.
MENT: We have a horrible system of politics. People think it's normal. It's still make advantage from you in some way, you know. That's
not normal, you know.
PLEITGEN: In the midst of all the World Cup hype, this project looks to take this country's passion for football and merge it with grass roots
street art.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RAJPAL: And I'm Monita Rajpal at CNN Hong Kong. That is News Stream, but the news continues. World Business Today is next.
END
