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Employee Riot Forces Foxconn To Shut Down Plant After; Former Chongqing Police Chief Sentenced To 15 Years; Brandt Snedeker Wins FedEx Cup

Aired September 24, 2012 - 16:00   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. And we begin in China where there has been a new twist in one of the country's biggest scandals in memory, the sentencing of a former police chief.

Also ahead, disturbing reports of children killed in Syria's latest violence. As world leaders gather at the UN, what can be done to end the bloodshed?

And cleared in court, but facing a new hearing, why England footballer John Terry is back in the headlines.

Now the man who triggered China's biggest political scandal in recent memory has learned his face. Now a court in Chengdu sentenced Wang Lijun to 15 years in prison. Now the former top cop says he will not appeal the ruling. And during his two day trial Xinua reported Wang confessed to charges of defection, bribe taking and abuse of power.

Now Wang, of course, was the right-hand man of disgraced politician Bo Xilai. And Bo's name was not mentioned in the verdict. But court documents reveal that Wang told his boss about accusations against his wife Gu Kailai. Now she was suspected in the murder of British businessman Neil Haywood. And according to witness testimony, Bo became enraged and slapped Wang when he raised the issue. And that allegedly led Wang to seek asylum in the U.S. consulate in Chengdu.

And he left a day later and went on to give evidence again Gu.

Now Gu was convicted last month of killing Haywood saying she feared he would harm her son Guagua. Wang's cooperation with authority helped him get a lenient sentence.

Bo Xilai, he remains under investigation for unspecified violations of party discipline. It is unclear if he will face criminal charges.

Now let's find out more about what all this means for Bo Xilai. Jamill Anderlini is the Beijing bureau chief at the Financial Times. And he wrote the new book "The Bo Xilai Scandal: Power, Death, and Politics in China." And he joins us now live from Beijing.

And Jamil, first let's talk about the sentence, why only 15 years for Wang Lijun?

JAMIL ANDERLINI, FINANCIAL TIMES: Well, technically he could have got the death penalty, but in light of his assistance to the investigation into Gu Kailai and presumably also for the dirt he gave up on his former boss Bo Xilai, he's been given only 15 years. And in the Chinese system that's actually a pretty, pretty light sentence.

He could with good behavior be out in half that time.

LU STOUT: So he likely gave up some critical information for this lighter, more lenient sentence, what does the ruling mean for Bo Xilai? Could Bo Xilai be facing criminal charges?

ANDERLINI: Well, as you alluded to in your introduction there, the court documents or the official account of the trial of Wang Lijun made it -- hinted that Bo Xilai himself could eventually face some sort of trial. Of course it's not going to be an open trial with a jury or foreign journalists allowed anywhere near it, but there is a good chance.

First, he has to be kicked out of the Communist Party officially. And we think that might happen sort of some time around the middle of next month. And that will pave the way for possible criminal charges.

There are some people who think he may never face justice in a Chinese court, that instead like some previous Chinese leaders who have fallen from grace, he may end up just under house arrest until he lives out his days under house arrest perhaps, sort of locked away from the world. But we'll just have to wait and see in the next month or two see how things turn out.

LU STOUT: Yeah, and the next month or two very critical. All this comes as China is preparing to select new leaders, this happening the weeks ahead.

The Bo Xilai scandal has been called the biggest political crisis in China since Tiananmen. Why is that? I mean, why does it have such a profound political impact?

ANDERLINI: Well, I -- I mean, if you look at what -- when you step back I think in 10, 20, 30 years we'll look back and we'll say this was a moment really that many people in China and indeed around the world really realized just what goes on in China's elite -- world of elite politics. Until now, most people had assumed, and the government was able to convince many people inside and outside China that although the system was relatively corrupt, the people in the top were mostly clean, that they were -- they had the best interest of the nation in mind and that they went about governing for the greater good of the masses.

But really what this case has shown us is that even at the very top of the system there are people who murder, pillage, there hasn't been that much talk about corruption in the official trials, but journalists, you know, many of the foreign media here have turned up a lot of evidence of corruption involving Bo Xilai's family.

So, I mean, I think that when we look back on this case we'll say this was the moment when the illustion of China's -- the good emperors in China was smashed, I think.

LU STOUT: So the moment that it seriously eroded the people's faith or belief in the authority of the Chinese Community Party. If we can get back to the Wang Lijun case, Jamil, take us back to February when this first came to light and the scandal came out into the fore as it were. With what Wang Lijun knew about Gu Kailai, the wife of Bo Xilai, why did he make that decision to go to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu and not Beijing? Why did he decide to do that and go there?

ANDERLINI: That's really the one major -- or one of the biggest unanswered questions in the trial that we saw. That really didn't answer that big question that's hanging over this. The trial transcript release from the official state media in China said he fell out with Gu Kailai and their relations worsened and eventually he was -- he went to Bo Xilai, told him what he knew and Bo Xilai got very mad and boxed him around the ears. And because of that he ran away.

That doesn't really explain his motivation. I mean, running away to the U.S. consulate is tantamount to treason, really. He was lucky to get off with a defection charge, I think.

So we really don't know at this stage what happened. In my book I hypothesize that potentially he was under investigation by enemies of Bo Xilai that there was an investigation that was going on as early as beginning of last year that we -- you know, we've uncovered in his former place where he worked in northeast China. So there was an investigation into some of his former colleagues. And they were all arrested for corruption and various things.

So what we have -- what I have hypothesized and others had said is possible is that he was actually felt the heat from an investigation into his activities. He went to Bo Xilai, explained to him that he had this very damning material on his wife that could very badly damage Bo Xilai and asked for protection. Bo Xilai, instead of offering him that protection, say, OK, you make that case go away and I'll look after you, he turned on him. And he fired him actually. And it was a couple of days after Wang Lijun was fired that he ran to the U.S. consulate and a few days after he'd been boxed around the ears.

So, I mean, that's one theory. We don't know, and we may never know, and the official account doesn't explain it at all at this stage.

LU STOUT: Well, Jamil, thank you for helping us to make sense of this blockbuster scandal that's been taking place in China. Jamil Anderlini of the Financial Times joining us live from Beijing, thank you.

Now, let's stay in China and the Apple supplier Foxconn. He was forced -- or the company was forced to close its plant in the city of Taiyuan on Monday. It says, quote, "a personal dispute between several employees escalated into a brawl that involved around 2,000 factory workers on Sunday night." Now a worker described the scene as a riot.

And these pictures, these were taken on Monday this morning, they showed police securing the area around the plant. And according to Foxconn, some 40 people were taken to the hospital and a number of individuals have been arrested.

Now that particular Foxconn plant in central China employs around 79,000 workers.

Now still ahead, the vicious cycle of violence in the Syrian capital. We'll take you to Damascus where residents are rebuilding their lives over and over again.

Another chapter in the growing dispute between China and Japan over an island chain in the East China Sea.

And jumping before he was pushed? We'll follow John Terry quits the England team ahead of a hearing ahead of hearing on allegations of racist abuse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now in Nepal, eight people are confirmed dead and three are still missing following an avalanche on one of the world's highest mountains. Now it happened early Sunday on the slopes of Manaslu in the north of the country.

Now a French mountain guide tells the Agence France Presse news agency that rescuers have given up hope of finding anyone else alive.

Now early estimates have said as many as 38 people were missing. Now, though, all but three have been accounted for.

And for the latest, let's go live for Sumnima Udas in New Delhi. And Sumnima, what is the latest on the search and recovery opeation?

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: The search and recovery operation has basically ended for the day. In the morning, three helicopters went out to try and find as many bodies and the survivors as they could find. Eight bodies have been found so far, most of them are European nations. One of them is Nepali. And three climbers are still missing, but helicopter officials told us earlier that they haven't been instructed to go out and to try to find these three missing climbers right now. But they also said the reality is they don't think they will be able to find any survivors at this point.

Remember, this happened more than 24 hours ago. We're talking extreme temperatures, extreme altitudes. But 21 climbers have been rescued so far. And they've all been brought to Katmandu. And they're undergoing various treatments, most of them are suffering from frost bite, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now, there has been some confusion out there about the numbers and nationalities of those who died in the avalanche. What have you been able to learn?

UDAS: Well, we know that eight bodies have been recovered. Out of those eight bodies, four are French nationals, one is German, one is a Spaniard, and one is Italian and one is Nepali.

Now the difficulty really was that the officials didn't really have a count of how many climbers were there in the first place. There were more than about 20, 25 groups up there. So it took them awhile to figure this out. But right now we're slowly getting more information. And by the end of the day hopefully the government will come out with some of the latest facts.

LU STOUT: All right. Sumnima Udas reporting live for us on the story. Thank you

Now Syria's civil war, it will be high on the agenda when world leaders gather at the United Nations in New York this week for the General Assembly. And today, UN and Arab League special envoy Lakhtar Brahimi will brief the UN Security Council behind closed doors on his recent meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Now the fighting, it continues inside Syria. Opposition activists say at least two dozen people have been killed across the country, including several children in Aleppo.

Opposition leaders from more than 20 groups, they met in the capital Damascus on Sunday. And they agreed to pursue, quote, non-violent resistance to accomplish the goals of the revolution.

Now from Syria's commercial hub to its capital, few areas are untouched by the civil war that is raged for 18 months now. Now senior international correspondent Nic Robertson takes us to a Damascus suburb, which has been caught in the crossfire, even as residents try to go on with their daily lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tanks and a trail of traffic mark the government checkpoint. Graffiti, "Assad is our leader, his brother is the eradicator," a warning for those entering this Damascus neighborhood.

Inside, repairs following weeks of regime shelling are underway. This storekeeper, back home for the first time in more than two weeks, not expecting the government to fix damage wrought by its army.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are trying to do it by ourselves.

ROBERTSON: To repair everything?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. In order to make it easy and faster.

ROBERTSON: Fifteen minutes drive from the center of Damascus, Imterma's residents are picking up the pieces of their shattered lives. A bakery, turning bags of flour into flat loaves as fast as people can carry it away.

It feels like things are getting back to normal a bit here, but everyone we talk to is still very cautious. They don't want to say who is responsible. Was it the government or the rebels. They just say that they left and got out of the way. You get the sense that people are still very afraid.

What is happening here: rebellion, repression, reprisal is writ large across the capital this summer. Imterma is just emerging from the reprisal phase.

At the government checkpoint, soldiers told us it could be dangerous driving in here. Since we've arrived, people have told us there are Free Syrian Army fighters here. It seems whatever battle was fought, it was far from decisive and perhaps still far from over.

A teenager offers to take me to see a bombed damaged school.

We want to see where the bomb hit.

But when we get there, the head mistress won't let us in. She's afraid of repercussions. I soon realize, she is not alone.

I just met a local official. He didnOt want to speak to me on camera, but he told me about 200 people died in this area. We asked him how did it happen? He said people moved in from other areas: fighters, Free Syrian Army fighters moved in and the government forces came. He says, the Free Syrian Army left the area. And all those people he said who couldn't afford to get out, those were the ones that bore the brunt of the fighting.

But I soon find out the Free Syrian Army, FSA, really are back. These two men tell me they've been watching us since we arrived 30 minutes ago.

But the army is like two miles away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (subtitles): We have it under control. They need two day to make it to here.

ROBERTSON: Down back streets, we see other fighters with guns. We're told not to film them.

Taking us down here to see something special, they said. Can't show any faces.

They explain they didn't run from the army, just ran out of ammunition and withdrew against overwhelming odds.

This is a bomb, or what is it here? A shell? MiG .

Several houses destroyed from above how bad revealed.

This is a strike by a MiG fighter jet we're told. 15 people were killed here. 10 days ago they tell us. And already the rebuilding has begun. Look in here, the walls are being plastered. Even so, the outside of the building is cracked with the explosion.

In Imterma , neither regime nor rebels could land a knockout punch, the cycle of rebellion and reprisal far from over. For now, they rebuild as long as the stalemate holds.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Imterma , Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And coming up, former England captain John Terry makes a major career announcement on the eve of his hearing. We'll give you the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now English footballer John Terry is facing a disciplinary hearing over racism charges. Now Terry was already cleared in a criminal court of racially abusing an opponent, but this hearing has been arranged by England's Football Association. And while a criminal requires the charges to proved beyond a reasonable doubt, the disciplinary panel only requires proof beyond reasonable doubt.

And it looks like that may have led Terry to make a major career decision. Let's get more now from Alex Thomas -- Alex.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, hi, Kristie. John Terry is retired from international football. The former England captain says today's disciplinary hearing has made his position untenable. Terry is accused of using racist language towards Anton Ferdinand in an English Premier League match last year. The FA were let puzzled by Terry's announcement saying they considered the hearing separate to his England career.

England manager Roy Hodgson has released a statement saying he reluctantly accepts Terry's decision, but is disappointed.

In Spain, Real Madrid's hopes of climbing La Liga's table were hit by suspected sabotage over the weekend. After Christiano Ronaldo and the other Los Blancos stars warmed up for the game against Ray Vallecano, the flood lights went out and officials discovered the power cables had been cut. It meant the match was called off and the champions languish in 16th place with only one win so far this season. They're already 11 points behind the leaders Barcelona.

Brandt Snedeker's more than $11 million richer today after beating Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and other more famous golfing names to the FedEx Cup bonus by winning the tour championship in Atlanta on Sunday. There was a lot more than trophies at stake for the elite 30-man field at East Lake, but Snedeker refused to be overawed by the prospect of his biggest payday, rolling in a birdie putt at the eighth to go eight under par. And he never looked back, really.

On the penultimate hole here, he chips in for another birdie to enjoy a sizable lead and banish any nerves going down the final hole.

In the end, Snedeker actually dropped a shot at the par 3 18th, but it didn't matter, victory by three strokes from England's Justin Rose while McIlroy and Woods were just two who faltered badly on the final day.

Well, after the biggest win of his career, Snedeker spoke to our own Patrick Snell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to East Lake. I'm with a very happy Brandt Snedeker who has really recorded an important career victory: $11.44 million as well. But you've spoken, Brandt, about how that is not the most important thing in your life. Give us some perspective on that.

BRANDT SNEDEKER, 2012 FEDEX CUP CHAMPION: Yeah, with that money comes great responsibility, but you know, most important thing to me is my family. You know, I've got a little boy on the way. My instructor right now is going through a really tough time. His son was in a bad car accident last week and he's in -- he's actually in Atlanta, I got to see him this morning. Going through some extensive therapy for some brain issues he's got.

And, so you know, that was a great thing to kind of really put in perspective what's really important. And the people around you and the people you surround yourself with and family.

SNELL: You made a hospital visit earlier Sunday ahead of your final round. How did that calm you, if that's the right word, how did that inspire you?

SNEDEKER: It did both. You know, to see Tucker fighting the way he is, to see the Todd and Stacy , his parents, going through what they're going through really puts golf in perspective. And as nervous as I got out there today I kept reminding myself that it's just golf, it's just a game, just do the best you can and it should be good enough. And it was. And that was a great calming influence on me all day.

SNELL: You seemed calm, you seemed utterly in control of what was going on. Talk about that. And also the fact that you went in as leader, a co-leader, and you held on to that lead for the first time. What does that mean to you?

SNEDEKER: It means a lot, you know, that's kind of been my MO out here. I haven't been able to win with a lead before. And it's something I've done my whole life. And I hadn't really explained why I hadn't been able to do it on the PGA tour. And to do that today under the pressure proves -- obviously to everybody else, but more importantly myself -- that I can handle the pressure, that I am able to kind of deal with the demons that come in, in the middle of a round and overcome it and play some great golf.

SNELL: Are demons a factor? Have they plagued you over the years?

SNEDEKER: I think every good professional golfer has demons. And if they say they don't then they're lying to you. It's just a matter of how you control them, how you handle them, and how you're able to overcome them.

SNELL: Your proud father was looking on. What did that mean to you?

SNEDEKER: It's huge. You know, he hadn't been to many golf tournaments. You know, to have him come up this weekend and watch me play was very special. It's a memory we'll have the rest of our lives. And, you know, it's just something that's just kind of a storybook ending for me, really.

SNELL: Finally as we wrap up, life is pretty good right now. Another baby on the way. And, oh, the Ryder Cup. What are your plans for that? What does it mean to you to be one of four U.S. rookies?

SNEDEKER: It's huge, you know. And I can't help but think that Davis played a big role on the day. You know, him picking me, gave me the confidence to know that I am one of the best players in the world. And, you know, I look at this as a validation of what he did. It was the right thing to do. And I look forward to next week of showing him why it was a good idea to pick me and to come in there and play some really, really good golf.

SNELL: All right. Brandt Snedeker, many thanks. We appreciate it. Thanks for talking to us. FedEx Cup champion here. It's back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

THOMAS: Patrick Snell with a really interesting interview with Brandt Snedeker there, interesting guy, fun guy.

Now we've got more on World Sport later on, including former England and Liverpool striker Stan . We've got him all live in the studio and the start of this Ryder Cup week we hear from Europe's captain Jose Maria Olazabel.

For now, back to you in Hong Kong, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Alex, thank you very much indeed. You're watching News Stream, and coming up next, tensions escalate between Japan and China over islands in the East China Sea. And now Taiwan may be wading into the dispute.

Plus, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his own words, speaks out to CNN about an anti-Islam film that has ignited protests, the ongoing dispute with Israel and the nuclear standoff.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now a court in China has sentenced the former chief of police in the city of Chongqing to 15 years in Prison. Wang Lijun was found guilty of bribery, abuse of power, and defection. And Wang, you will recall, he fled to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu in February and revealed details about the murder of British businessman who was killed by the wife of fallen politician Bo Xilai.

The Foxconn Technology Group has temporarily shut down a manufacturing plant in central China after fighting broke out drawing in about 2,000 workers. Now the company says a small dispute spiraled into a larger incident on Sunday night at the facility in Thaiyuan. Several people were arrested and 40 had to be treated in hospital.

Now three mountain climbers are still missing in Nepal after an avalanche struck on one of the world's highest peaks. It happened fully on Sunday on the slopes (inaudible) northwest of Kathmandu. Eight people are confirmed dead.

Now former England football team captain John Terry has quit international soccer. The decision comes as he faces a hearing at the Football Association to answer allegations that he racially abused an opposite. Terry says the FA's decision to pursue the allegation against him left him with no choice but to go. In July, a court cleared him of uttering racist abuse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: A territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo over a group of islands in the East China Sea appears to be escalating. Now China calls them Diaoyu; Japan calls them Senkaku.

And Japan's coast guard says two Chinese surveillance ships were seen patrolling near the islands on Monday, prompting Japan to launch an official protest. And now fishermen from Taiwan say they want the right to fish near the islands. A Taiwan fishing group says it could send as many as 100 boats to the area escorted by the Taiwan coast guard.

Now earlier this month, Japan had announced that it was buying the islands from a family that owned them, and that touched a raw nerve with China.

CNN's Alex Zolbert reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX ZOLBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are some of the most hotly contested pieces of property in the world, disputed islands, called the Senkakus by Japan and the Diaoyu by China. And the Japanese government's purchase of the remote property has touched off a firestorm, igniting widespread protests in China and heightening tensions between two of the world's largest economies.

ZOLBERT: And it's here in a small office in the middle of Tokyo that we meet Hiroyuki Korihara . It was his family who sold the disputed land earlier this month.

We're talking about mainland China, North and South Korea, and then Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan and then show me where the Senkaku --

HIROYUKI KORIHARA (PH), FORMER PROPERTY OWNER: Senkaku, yes, this here.

ZOLBERT: What is your reaction to what you've seen with the protests in mainland China?

ZOLBERT (voice-over): "I'm not surprised," he says, "but I also think it's all staged by the Chinese government, and I'm worried that things could get out of hand."

Hiroyuki tells me his family took possession of the islands in the 1970s from close family friends, who had a fishing business there, dating back to the 1890s.

ZOLBERT: So this man here in the white, this grainy image, is the original owner, who then passed on these islands to your family? Is that correct?

ZOLBERT (voice-over): These photos Hiroyuki took himself in the 1970s. He says his family decided to sell because his brother is getting older and they were worried the Japanese government was maneuvering to claim the land for itself.

"This is where we built a monument," he tells me.

ZOLBERT: When you see the protests in China and people talking about going to war over these islands, and that possibility, what do you think?

"Yes, I am," he says, "I am worried about a possible confrontation."

He says an international body, like the United Nations, needs to step in to try to resolve the issue. And while he will be watching closely to see how this will play out, he says his family has no regrets about selling the disputed islands -- Alex Zolbert, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Iran's president is denouncing the amateur anti-Islam film that sparked deadly protests across the Middle East last week. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sat down with CNN's Piers Morgan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (through translator): What took place was ugly. Offending the Holy Prophet is quite ugly. This has very little or nothing to do with freedom and freedom of speech. This is the weakness of and the abuse of freedom. And in many places, it is a crime.

PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: There were protesters all over the Middle East, now threatening the staff of American embassies, threatening to kill them, to behead them. Do you think they should stop?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): You see, I cannot determine what people or nations should do. But I do think that extremism gives birth to following and subsequent extremism.

Perhaps if the politicians take a better position in the West vis-a-vis offensive words or thoughts or pictures towards what we hold -- what we hold holy, I think conditions will improve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now the Iranian leader also addressed rising tensions with Israel over Iran's controversial nuclear program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Do you fear that war is imminent? Do you fear that there will be military conflict, perhaps even before the end of this year, between your country and Israel?

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): Of course, the Zionists are very much, very adventuresome, very much seeking to fabricate things and I think they see themselves at the end of the line. And I so firmly believe that they seek to create new opportunities for themselves and their adventurous behavior.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT (voice-over): Now you can see Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's entire interview of "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" (inaudible) 9:00 am Tuesday here in Hong Kong.

Now the Iranian president is in New York for the annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations' General Assembly, and he will address other world leaders at the U.N. on Wednesday. Our world affairs reporter, Elise Labott, turns us now from CNN New York.

And, Elise, Ahmadinejad, he's set to speak on Wednesday, and then Benjamin Netanyahu will speak on Thursday. So what tone are the two leaders likely to take on?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, you know that President Ahmadinejad always has a fiery speech. In fact, several delegations have walked out in previous years, so much so that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said to him, as he arrived here, look, you might want to tone it down this year. There's a lot of tension in the air.

Certainly the Iranian nuclear program and the backdrop of what Israel could do, a preemptive strike, will certainly be on the minds of many people here. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton going to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the week.

And I mean, a lot of these, you know, what goes on in the halls of the United Nations is one thing. But these side meetings are certainly going to be another thing. The members of the so-called P5+1 on Iran will be meeting this week and a lot of talk about how -- if there's any way to help curtail this Iranian nuclear program.

STOUT: And also, Elise, at the U.N. General Assembly, the issue of Syria, will there be any breakthrough in regards to Syria and the deadlock over that crisis?

LABOTT: Well, I don't think there will be any breakthroughs. I mean, certainly there will be a meeting of world nations at the end of the week on Friday. There will be what they call a Friends of Syria meeting of some of the groups that -- in that conglomeration.

And they'll be talking about how to get the Syrian opposition more closely together, how they can help get some of the aid into some of the areas where the regime is not operating right now. How can they start planning for the (inaudible)?

This has been one of the things that has bedeviled the international community in terms of trying to move the Syrian conflict forward and try and get a resolution, is that they feel as if the opposition is not working together towards one common goal.

So once again, world nations getting together, trying to double down on working with the opposition to have a plan for the day after Assad falls, if he -- if he does.

STOUT: So attention on Syria, but really no significant progress on the uprising there, expected there at the UNGA. Now, (inaudible) behind the scenes question, Elise, how much of the real action at this annual gathering, how much of that real action takes place on the sidelines via private meetings between world leaders?

LABOTT: I would say most of it. I mean, there will be certainly -- there will be meetings of (inaudible) world nations to get together. There will be a big meeting on the Middle East and how do we continue to help develop some of these countries in transition, in North Africa and other countries that have gone through revolutions of the Arab Spring. There will be that big Syrian meeting.

I think a lot of them, the meat of what goes on -- this is really like some diplomats have called it diplomatic speed dating, getting together, trying to go over these issues one-on-one.

Secretary Clinton meeting today with the Libyan president about this horrible attack that took place last week, and meeting with some of these other leaders from countries like Tunisia, like Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, all of these countries where the U.S. has been the subject of massive protests and rage as a result of this Muslim film that decried the Prophet Muhammad. She'll be talking to these countries.

And I think that there's a lot of -- going to be a lot of discussion on how the U.S. engages with these countries. This kind of stuff is not done in the general assembly hall, although tomorrow President Obama is expected to make a very dramatic speech, talking about these revolutionary events and what's happened over the last year and over the last few weeks.

STOUT: All right. Elise Labott, reporting for us, live from New York. Thank you.

You're watching NEWS STREAM. Stay with us.

And coming up next, how buffalo are boosting bird life in a most unlikely place. Find out where after the break.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: All this week we're taking a special look at our mobile society, how our lives have changed through mobile technology. But we want to start the week by looking at how mobile handsets have changed over the years.

And let's start with the Motorola MicroTAC. It wasn't the first phone, but it was one of the first that you could put in your pocket, depending on the size of your pockets. Now this phone, it came out in 1996 and, of course, like all phones of that era, it has an antenna.

Now phones eventually became smaller and lighter and eight years after this handset, the same company released this, the Motorola RAZR. Now the phone's striking design was a radical departure from anything at the time. Motorola broke many of its own design rules to create it. It's one of the first to use real glass; it had a distinctive metal keypad and it was incredibly thin for the time. And it was one of the first phones that was popular, not for what it could do, but for how it looked.

Now if the RAZR represents form, this next phone became popular for its functions -- the BlackBerry. This big, chunky, plastic device with its built-in keyboard, it was a status symbol for business executives. And it seems basic now, but at the time, the idea of a constant mobile connection to your email was revolutionary. And the BlackBerry was seen as the simple, user-friendly device to enable that.

And if that seems hard to believe today, this next device was probably responsible for that change. This is the original iPhone, and it's almost impossible for me to list all the ways that the iPhone changed the phone industry.

It revolutionized design, user interfaces; it created a market for mobile apps. It even changed the relationship between networks and handset makers. And it's safe to say that virtually all current smartphones were influenced by the iPhone.

So where will phones go from here? Now it may be too soon to judge what phone today will be seen as an icon for the future, but judging by current trends, it could be this, the Samsung Galaxy Note.

Now for years, phones have gotten smaller and smaller, and the Galaxy Note broke convention by making the phone much bigger, a trend adopted by many Android handset makers and even by Apple with the latest iPhone.

So there you have it, over 16 years of mobile phones, as the phone evolved from a chunky plastic handset to sleek object of desire, to device that does more than just make calls. And then to the touchscreen slates of today that combine the best of the past.

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STOUT (voice-over): And we'll look at how mobile technology has changed our lives all week on NEWS STREAM. You could also see much more on our website, including the results of our mobile photography challenge. That's at CNN.com/mobilesociety.

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STOUT: Now it's time for your world weather focus. We have a strong line of storms moving through the U.K. right now. Let's get the details with Mari Ramos. She joins us from the World Weather Center.

Mari?

MARI RAMOS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Kristie, (inaudible) about 2,000 reports from our CNN mobile society on that photography challenge for the first day of fall or the first day of spring, so make sure you check that out. It's actually pretty cool stuff that's on there. But let's go ahead and talk about the weather right here.

You know, it has been quite a drastic change for you here across the U.K. and actually across Europe, yes, definitely goodbye summer.

I really like this picture. It looks very calm, weather wise, right, just a little bit of light rain blowing. I think you're going to have a hard time hanging on to those umbrellas now, because the winds have been howling across much of the U.K.

These are some numbers from Sunday. Look at that. Almost hurricane force in some cases with these wind gusts (inaudible) storm system came roaring in. But guess what? It's still there. (Inaudible) winds close to 70 kilometers per hour.

And just in the last hour or so, we saw that another line of very strong storms that has moved through here, here's London, there's Birmingham and notice all the way up as we hit even into -- almost to Ireland, already, when we see this line, strong line of storms that extends all the way back over toward France.

Let me go ahead and zoom out a little bit so you can get a little bit more of perspective what we're looking at here. Clearly, you'll see that circulation in the clouds right over here. This is that area of low pressure continuing to lift. Here's that line of storms I was talking about. Notice how the rain is very widespread, though.

And we're starting to see some strong storms pop up here across -- all the way over toward Germany, through the Netherlands and Belgium, all the way up to Denmark and even back over toward Poland, we're starting to see a little bit of that as well.

There's a secondary line that should begin to form later today that's extending from France all the way to Switzerland, through Austria and even northern parts of Italy and back over here, as we head into western France, here we see another cluster of strong storms that's starting to move in.

So a lot of wind, a lot of rain. We're going to expect significant travel delays with this. London winds right now almost 30 kph; (inaudible) clocking in almost at 40 sustained for you in Paris. And notice all across France, we're still seeing some very strong winds with this weather system all the way back over into Belgium.

So what you can expect with this is as the storm continues to move toward the north and to the west, the weather will deteriorate for you here across central Europe and all the way down into the central Med. The tail end of this weather system, moving along even into North Africa.

So as you can see, definitely a change of seasons here with pretty strong weather system that's coming on through. Again, today, winds possible up to 80 kph. And the potential for flooding -- some of you might get up to maybe 40-50 mm of rain not out of the question as this continues to move along.

Have you ever been to Oktoberfest in Munich? I haven't. But it is going on right now, by the way. Maybe I'll book a ticket.

Here you see some pictures of Oktoberfest. It's going to be raining over the next couple of days here, by the way. But temperatures aren't too bad, 19 in Munich right now; 16 in Warsaw, 25 for you there in Rome.

Let's switch to the tropics and let's head to Asia because, yes, we are still dealing with some significant weather. This is a picture from manila, from over the weekend. Kristie, the rain has been pretty heavy and you know, even though there's Jelawat, this supertyphoon with winds of 200- plus kph, it's still offshore.

Because of the circulation here, it does bring some heavy rain all the way from Luzon, all the way down as we head even into Catanduanes and even areas farther to the south here. And this is going to be the norm, as the storm slowly begins to trail northward, we're going to see somewhat of an improvement here, still very high seas. So be extra careful with that.

And still some heavy rain associated with this weather system. There you see it right there, heading slowly to the north. There's one more right over here that just formed. We'll be monitoring this one as it moves along also generally in that same direction. This one right here is Jelawat and it should start to weaken just a little bit as it moves to the north.

Back to you.

STOUT: All right, Mari. Thanks for the forecast there.

Now when you think of Hong Kong, I mean, this is the image that will probably come to mind, the city's iconic skyline above Victoria Harbor. But there is a rural side to the city. And conservationists have enlisted the help of buffalo to keep one area thriving.

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STOUT (voice-over): In the shadow of Tianjin, the fifth most densely populated city on Earth, with a population of over 15 million, lies Mai Po Marshes, an area globally important for migrating birds. But the human impact is undeniable. While pollution and rampant development pose threats to the wider Deep Bay Estuary, one small band of people has battled for three decades to preserve Mai Po.

This is the flagship Hong Kong reserve of the World Wildlife Fund. And after years of hard work of its own, the group has discovered that the involuntary work of some new marsh dwellers is reaping even greater rewards.

In an effort to manage the natural environment more effectively, WWF introduced this single water buffalo to the reserve's freshwater pond in 2006. A second was introduced three years later. Economists began to see a very healthy effect on the bird life where they graze.

JOHN ALLCOCK, WWF HONG KONG: They're making the vegetation much shorter, which, in turn, is suitable for the birds. So the birds, the wetland birds, feeding around the wetland edge are able to look out for predators while they're feeding.

We found that bird population inside the enclosure has increased considerably, so there's now about five or six times the number of birds inside the enclosure compared to the areas immediately outside the enclosure.

STOUT (voice-over): Not just the numbers, but the variety of birds using the ponds began to blossom against the odds. And WWF took that success as its cue to expand the enclosure the animals inhabit and bring more buffalo to Mai Po.

ALLCOCK: We've just received our third buffalo on the reserve. We're hoping increase that population further. I hope that by the end of this time next year we will have at least five buffalo on the reserve. In the long term, we're looking to potentially about 10, 10 or 11 animals.

STOUT (voice-over): The reserve is gearing up for its annual influx of tens of thousands of wintering water birds. It's an oasis of wildlife in an overwhelmingly urban part of the world. And while Tianjin and Hong Kong set the standard for 21st century innovation, WWF is happy to be going back to buffalo basics.

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STOUT: A beautiful corner of Hong Kong there. You're watching NEWS STREAM and the Emmy goes to.

Well, you'll find out after the break. Now Sunday was a big night for U.S. television, as the 64th Annual Emmy Awards rolled out the red carpet for some of Hollywood's biggest name. We'll have the night's highlights and the upsets after the break.

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STOUT: Welcome back. Now many of Hollywood's finest were honored at the 64th Annual Emmy Awards on Sunday night. But not everyone can take home a statuette. So who were the night's top winners? Well, Kareen Wynter gives us a front row seat to the biggest night in U.S. television.

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JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: -- to the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like the categories they honor, the 64th Annual Emmy Awards were filled with drama --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.

WYNTER (voice-over): -- comedy --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I forgot my glasses.

WYNTER (voice-over): -- and for many, the reality that they won the biggest award in television.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- Julianne Moore.

WYNTER (voice-over): Four-time Oscar nominee and six-time Golden Globe nominee, Julianne Moore is now a primetime Emmy winner. The actress took home one of "Game Change's" four statues handed out Sunday night.

JULIANNE MOORE, ACTRESS: I feel so validated because Sarah Palin gave me a big thumbs down.

MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR: "Modern Family."

WYNTER (voice-over): For a third straight year, reigning king of comedy, "Modern Family," did it again, winning a total of four Emmys, including Best Comedy Series, Supporting Actress for Julie Bowen and Supporting Actor for Eric Stonestreet.

ERIC STONESTREET, ACTOR: I never knew I'd be on TV as a gay man, but I love the pictures of hairy chests you guys are sending me.

WYNTER (voice-over): "Two and a Half Men" star Jon Cryer and "Veep" Julia Louis-Dreyfus took lead comedy honors.

MOORE: And the Emmy goes to "Homeland."

WYNTER (voice-over): After four consecutive wins, "Mad Men" was dethroned by Showtime's freshman powerhouse, "Homeland," for the top drama prize. It stars Damian Lewis and a pregnant Claire Danes, who both won for lead acting honors.

CLAIRE DANES, ACTRESS: -- my husband, my love, my life, my baby daddy. This doesn't mean anything without you.

WYNTER: While his late night show, "Jimmy Come Alive" didn't end up winning the prize for outstanding variety series, the comedian did deliver on his promise to help the Emmy's with a twist.

KIMMEL: -- the people who are at home watching the Emmys right now to help me pull a big prank on the people who are not watching.

WYNTER (voice-over): The late-night funnyman asked the audience and viewers at home to post tweets and Facebook messages indicating that "30 Rock" star Tracy Morgan has passed out on stage.

KIMMEL: Just lie there for about, I don't know, 10 minutes or so.

WYNTER (voice-over): But instead of Kimmel, it was once again "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart that won its 10th variety series Emmy in a row.

JON STEWART, COMEDIAN: Years from now, when the Earth is just a burning husk and aliens visit, they will find a box of these and they will know just how predictable these (inaudible).

(LAUGHTER)

WYNTER (voice-over): Laughter, tears, talent and cheers, TV's golden night once again reminded millions of what host Jimmy Kimmel has known all along.

KIMMEL: I got to get outlast .

WYNTER (voice-over): Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.

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STOUT: Also on Sunday, "The Jetsons" turned 50.

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STOUT (voice-over): Yes, George Jetson; his boy, Elroy; daughter, Judy and Jane, his wife, made their debut back in 1962. The cartoon was set 100 years in the future. Now, remember, 1962 was the height of the space race. It was the year the first American orbited Earth one year after the Russians did it.

And "The Jetsons" launched just 11 days after John F. Kennedy's famous moon speech. It was seven more years before man landed on the lunar surface, and even today, the show remains a benchmark for technology.

How often have you heard someone say, "It's like something out of 'The Jetsons.'"? Now we still do not have flying cars, but we do have the Roomba. Not exactly Rosie the Robot maid; maybe another 50 years. And that is NEWS STREAM. But the news continues at CNN. WORLD BUSINESS TODAY is next.

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