Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

Investigators Begin Collecting MH17 Wreckage In Ukraine; New Report Estimates 36 Million Are Enslaved; Family, Friends, Remember Peter Kassig; Art of Movement: Weta Digital

Aired November 17, 2014 - 8:00   ET

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

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

Now murdered -- what's being called an act of pure evil. We'll tell you more about Peter Kassig, the American aid worker killed by ISIS.

Plus, recovery crews in Ukraine start to remove the wreckage of MH17. Can investigators finally piece together what happened?

And shining a light on modern-day slavery. A newly released report says nearly 36 million people are trapped in this horrifying practice

today.

We begin this hour with the investigation into the death of American Peter Kassig. Now ISIS released a videotape over the weekend showing the

aftermath of his beheading. And the White House confirms, it is authentic.

But his family and friends, they want Peter Kassig to be remembered for his life, not his death, and for his humanitarian work with Syrian

refugees.

Now he was detained in the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor and held by ISIS for more than a year before his death.

The 26-year-old is survived by his parents, Ed and Paula Kassig. They released a statement saying how incredibly proud they are of their son for,

quote, living his life according to his humanitarian calling.

Now CNN has firsthand footage of Kassig's service on the ground. And two years ago, our Arwa Damon met him when he was caring for Syrian

refugees.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The first time we met Peter was during the summer of 2012. It was quite the sight. Peter, a

former Army Ranger -- pale, tattooed -- and though at the time speaking only a handful of Arabic, tending to wounded Syrians with a compassion that

transcended the language barrier.

KASSIG: We each get on life and that's it. We get one shot at this. We don't get do-overs, you know. And like for me, it was time to put up or

shut up. The way I saw it, I didn't have a choice, you know. Like, this is what I was put here to do. I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic and I'm an

idealist and I believe in hopeless causes.

DAMON: For Peter, doing something meant starting his own nonprofit. Just months after we met him, he was already delivering humanitarian aid

and medical assistance to Syrian in refugee camps and inside the war-torn country profoundly touching all who lived and worked with him.

In the words of this Syrian activist, he would treat everyone. No one was exempt. He trained many on first aid. He lived in the house with us.

He was extremely kind. He was sad during our times of sorrow and happy for our times of joy.

Dr. Ennis (ph) recalls his last conversation with Peter saying, "I asked him if he was afraid he would be killed. And he said, no. My life

is not worth more than yours. And that he considers himself to be like any other person who was part of the Syrian revolution.

Peter was kidnapped shortly afterwards in October 2013. At some point during his captivity he converted to Islam and took on the name Abdul-

Rahman.

In this letter drafted to his parents during that time he wrote, "if I do die, I figured that at least you and I can seek refuge and comfort in

knowing that I went out as a result of trying to alleviate suffering and helping those in need."

And that is how Peter will be remembered, for his humor, laughter, but mostly his drive and compassion and the way he inspired us all more than he

could ever imagine

KASSIG: There is this impression, this belief that there is no hope, you know. That's when it's more important than ever that we come in

against all odds and try to do something.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: That profile from CNN's Arwa Damon.

Now the execution video is under close scrutiny. And some analysts say it shows hints of desperation by the terror group.

Now for more on this, let's bring in Atika Shubert. She joins us live from our London bureau. And Atika, this video is said to be very, very

different from previous hostage killing videos from ISIS. How so?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is very different. In previous videos of western hospitals they've been dressed in orange

jumpsuit in the style of Guantanamo prisoners. They've looked directly into the camera and delivered the sort of ISIS propaganda before being

killed.

In this video, which is 15 minutes long, the video is actually dedicated to a sort of propaganda history of ISIS. It's not until the very

end that we get to the killing of Peter Kassig. We never see him actually being killed on screen. We never see him alive. He never addresses the

camera. We simply see his body and standing over him is the masked militant with the British accent who has become known here in the British

press as Jihadi John. He's the one the that sort of delivers the propaganda threat at the end.

Now unfortunately Peter Kassig is not the only one who is killed, there were also earlier in the video what can only be described as highly

choreograph of mass murder of more than a dozen of what appears to be Syrian soldiers and that is also lead by that same mass militant.

But this time, he is actually leading more than a dozen ISIS fighters who are not masked and are easily identifiable. And in fact that is what

investigators are now looking for trying to identify each of those fighters and also the location of where all of these events on film may have taken

place.

LU STOUT: This video is very bloody, it is very graphic, why was this video released now? is this a show of desperation by ISIS?

SHUBERT: It is extremely graphic and brutal. And it's very clear that the aim of the video is to sort of show that ISIS continues to grow

despite being under pressure from these airstrikes. And it's particularly brutal perhaps to sort of scare and horrify ISIS's enemies.

Now having said that, that's the message they're trying to project, but is that the reality? Well, we simply don't know. We have to remember

that just a few days before there were reports that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, had been severely wounded in an airstrike. There is

also a report from a British tabloid here that Jihadi John was injured in an airstrike and in fact had been identified. That may be one reason why

we see the release of this video at this time.

It may indicate that they are trying to project this image of strength when in fact they are under increasing pressure and desperation.

LU STOUT: All right, CNN's Atika Shubert reporting. Thank you very much indeed for that.

Now on the ground inside Syria, there's been fresh violence today in the besieged border town of Kobani.

Now this video from a short time ago shows columns of smoke rising from the embattled city. These clashes come after a series of U.S.-led

airstrikes zeroed in on ISIS targets over Kobani on Sunday. It has been nearly two months since the Sunni militants launched an offensive on the

Kurdish town along Syria's border with Turkey.

Now let's go to the White House now for more on Washington's reaction to Peter Kassig's murder and we've already heard some scathing words from

President Barack Obama who has called Kassig's beheading an act of pure evil.

Now CNN's senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns is in Washington. He joins us now with more.

And of course Mr. Obama, he was the one who confirmed the killing. What more did he say about the death of Peter Kassig?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, clearly the White House is trying to temper its words at this stage, because this is not the first time

they've had to deal with something like this.

In some ways, of course, this is the very worst video out of all of them that ISIS has released. And it comes at a time when U.S. authorities

say they're beginning to make some headway against this group. Western analysts are still trying to sort out what it all means.

Oh, I'm sorry, Kristie, I thought we were going to our piece.

The bottom line here at the White House is that the administration is trying to temper what it says about this. They are pointing to the

depravity of it, of course, another atrocity here for this family from Indiana. And the White House does not want to continue to feed the

publicity that actually feeds that ability of ISIS to recruit its members every time it puts out one of these videos, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Joe Johns there. And our apologies, we couldn't get that video up there for you. But our viewers can go online, CNN.com,

they can find your package report there. Joe Johns reporting live from Washington. Thank you so much indeed and take care.

Now you're watching News Stream. Still to come on the program, the wreckage of Malaysian passenger plane is finally being removed in eastern

Ukraine. We'll give you a live report.

Plus, China and Australia have sealed the deal on a major free trade agreement. What it means for both countries coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And you're looking at a visual version of all the stories we've got in the show today.

Now we've already told you about American aid worker Peter Kassig who was murdered by terrorists in a country he tried to help. Later, we'll

bring you the latest figures on modern-day slavery.

But now let's turn to Ukraine.

Now recovery crews are finally able to collect what remains of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 some four months after the crash in war-torn

eastern Ukraine.

Now Dutch investigators on Sunday began hauling away fragments from the crash site. And they hoped to rebuild part of the plane to confirm

what happened.

Now western countries blame pro-Russian rebels for shooting it down, but Moscow has always denied that.

Now meanwhile, some dramatic new video has surfaced that appears to show the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.

And there in the video, you could see residents they are scrambling to make sense of what had just happened very, very close to their homes.

Now this crash, it took place on July 17 and it killed all 298 people on board.

The dispute over who shot the plan down and Ukraine's accusation that Russia continues to arm separatists only adding to the tension.

For that and more Phil Black joins me now. And Phil, the wreckage removal finally underway. How is that proceeding and what will it

ultimately reveal?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, as you say this is all part of the investigation being run by Dutch authorities to

piece together what actually happened. Because of the large number of Dutch people that were killed in that disaster, the Dutch government have

shouldered the burden, the responsibility of this investigation and of all -- and much of the work, I should say, that has been taking place through

the conflict at the site itself.

Over the next few days they will be overseeing the removal of key pieces of the wreckage. They don't hope to get all of it, but enough of

it, as you say, to piece together, to recreate key important parts that will reveal, or help to reveal, what they believe actually brought that

plane down.

Where they're actually working, where they're focusing at the moment, is the main crash site. Remember, the MH17 broke up in the skies over

eastern Ukraine. The main center part of the fuselage, including the wings, the under carriage, the engines, came down in one location --

actually, it's the same wreckage section that you see burning up in that new video that has just been released, an incredible inferno very, very

seriously damaged, very little that is recognizable that is left.

But they're hauling those pieces on to trucks, cutting up some of them to make them a bit smaller, to make them more manageable. From here,

they'll be shipped to Kharkiv and then flown back to The Netherlands.

It's important they're doing this now, because there's going to be a lot of snow in those part of the world very soon. That would have ruled

out the possibility of a substantial recovery for some months further.

And it's also important, because as they're moving these pieces around now, they are still finding human remains. They've only identified 289 of

the 298 people who were aboard that aircraft, nine are unaccounted four. So the more of the remains that they find, the greater the chance that that

remaining nine will be successfully identified, Kristie.

LU STOUT: This is a very, very delicate task. And as the wreckage is being removed, what is the Russian troop presence inside Ukraine? Is there

a Russian aid convoy there in Donetsk?

BLACK: In the center of Donetsk, there is no visible sign of this, no. But according to the Ukrainian government, according to NATO,

according to European observers on the ground in this separatist held territory they all claim to have evidence, or to have seen a sudden influx,

a buildup of Russian soldiers, heavy weapons and armored vehicles.

The Ukrainian government believes that a major offensive operation is coming. Russia, the separatist leadership themselves here, they deny all

of this, but the Ukrainian government is very concerned.

Meanwhile, the fighting itself does actually continue in the near distance from where we are standing out towards the direction of Donetsk

airport, there is the constant heavy thud of heavy weapons being used. This has been a flashpoint of violence that has continued despite the

signing of a ceasefire back in September, it is one area, one contact point, the officials describe it as, that has continued where the fighting

has been maintained, despite that agreement that was reached back then.

It is further proof that that ceasefire hasn't really amounted to much, although the lines of the conflict have remained unchanged -- they're

occupying the same territory on either sides, there has been no major offensive operation, the artillery, the heavy weapons, the rockets, they

have continued to fly back and forth, that's happening right now as we speak. But the fear of the Ukrainian government is there could be imminent

further escalation and imminent offensive operation of some kind, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, CNN's Phil Black reporting live from inside Ukraine there in Donetsk, many thanks indeed for that update.

Now the wife of an Ebola patient being treated in the United States says she is confident he is now getting the care he needs, but Dr. Martin

Salia remains in extremely critical condition at Nebraska Medical Center. He was diagnosed with Ebola in his native Sierra Leone and was taken to

Nebraska for treatment over the weekend.

Now Dr. Salia is a legal U.S. resident and treated several Ebola patients becoming infected.

Liberia, one of the nations hardest hit by the Ebola epidemic has set a goal of having no new cases by Christmas.

Now President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made that announcement on Sunday saying she thinks her country is making strides in stopping the spread of

Ebola.

Now more than 2,800 people have died in Liberia since the outbreak began, but recently the WHO said that there were signs new cases are on the

decline there.

Now the fight against Ebola is getting a boost from an unlikely quarter: the music industry.

(MUSIC)

LU STOUT: A new generation of pop stars, including One Direction and Ed Sheeran has joined older stars to release a new version of the hit song

"Do They Know it's Christmas." It's hoped people will buy the single, not just watch it online. And the money will go toward tackling the Ebola

crisis.

You're watching News Stream. And still to come on the program, a major trade deal between Hong Kong and Mainland China, it kicks off today

and we'll tell you what it means for foreign investors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now Hong Kong student protest leaders tried to take their pro- democracy fight to Beijing over the weekend, but didn't even make it on the plane. Airline authorities stopped them from boarding saying Mainland

officials had voided the student's travel permits.

Now China has refused entry to activists critical of Beijing in the past, but rarely before they leave Hong Kong.

Now the students say they want answers.

Now talks to resolve their main grievances have stalled and the local government is said to be working on securing permits to clear out the

protest sites.

Now China's doors may be shut to student protesters for now, but they have been thrown open to foreign investors. A new project to boost trade

between Hong Kong and Shanghai just launched today. It marks the first time international investors can buy stocks in Chinese companies listed in

Shanghai without having to be preapproved.

Now there is a daily trading cap of $2.1 billion.

Now in turn, Mainland Chinese investors will have access to Hong Kong's equity market. And for now, only major listed companies are on

offer.

Now a landmark free trade deal between China and Australia is set to expand their trading relationship. Now Australia will ease curbs on

Chinese investment, and China will open up markets worth billions of dollars to Australian companies.

David McKenzie has more from Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After nearly a decade and 21 rounds of negotiations, Australia and China have signed a

major bilateral free trade agreement on Monday in Canberra.

TONY ABBOTT, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: This is a very good day for our countries. In particular, it's a very good day for Australia. And

this agreement is the first that China has concluded with a substantial economy, with a major economy. And it's the most comprehensive agreement

that China has concluded with anyone.

MCKENZIE: The agreement will cover many goods. And Australia says that within four years 93 percent of exports from Australia will be tariff

free coming in to the massive Chinese market -- things like minerals, agriculture and finished products will all enter China more easily.

And it will also open up the huge Chinese market to the service trade industry from Australia, moving from the so-called mining boom to the

dining boom as Australian politicians like to call it.

China will also be allowed to more freely invest in the Australian economy.

There's broad-based support for the deal in Australia, though some critics have said that China should freely float its currency to allow for

a level playing field between the two countries.

The deal of Prime Minister Abbott's administration comes on the back of similar deals with both South Korea and Japan this year.

David McKenzie, CNN, Beijing, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Well, stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region closed mostly lower this session. And Wall Street looks set to follow Asia's lead

when trading gets underway in about an hour from now.

Stay tuned as Maggie Lake and the World Business Today team break own the latest market movements in the next hour.

Now, we want to bring you some live pictures now from Kobani in Syria. Just moments ago, there was a huge column of smoke rising from the besieged

city and this is where local Kurdish fighters have been trying to hold off ISIS militants for weeks now. Live pictures there from Kobani. You can

still see the lingering smoke in the air there.

Now the location of numerous coalition airstrikes against ISIS targets of course there in Kobani. And we will continue to monitor the situation

and bring you developments as we get them here at CNN.

Now you're watching News Stream. Still to come on the program (inaudible) still exists despite having been formally abolished in every

country worldwide. A look at a new report on the many forms of modern-day slavery is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

And we have just learned that the only Ebola patient currently being treated in the United States has died. Dr. Martin Salia was diagnosed with

Ebola in his native Sierra Leone. He was taken to Nebraska for treatment over the weekend. But the hospital has just issued a statement saying that

he has died.

After Salia was a legal U.S. resident, he treated several Ebola patients before becoming infected.

Now the White House confirms that ISIS has murdered a fifth western after a video surfaced online on Sunday.

Now President Obama called the beheading of the American aid worker and former soldier Peter Kassig an act of pure evil. Kassig's family says

he was detained in Syria and held hostage for more than a year before his death.

Meanwhile, on the ground in Syria, the battle rages on inside the strategic border town of Kobani. Now this video from just moments ago

shows two huge columns of smoke rising from the besieged city after a massive explosion.

Now the Vatican says Pope Francis next year will make his first trip to the United States as the head of the Catholic Church. he will be in

Philadelphia for the world meeting of the families in September. It is not clear if the pope will visit other U.S. cities during the trip.

Right now, an estimated 35.8 million men, women and children are trapped in modern-day slavery, that's according to the just released Global

Slavery Index for 2014. It's published by the Walk Free Foundation.

The organization says Mauritania has the highest percentage of its population enslaved. But in terms of absolute numbers, India tops the list

with nearly 14.3 million people enslaved.

Now let's get more now on this report. Kevin Bales is the lead author of the 2014 Global Slavery Index. He joins me now live from London.

Kevin, thank you for joining us here on CNN.

According to your report, almost 36 million people around the world are enslaved. Could you break down the report for us, who are the victims?

KEVIN BALES, LEAD AUTHOR, GLOBAL SLAVERY INDEX 2014: Well, the people are enslaved around the world today are people who are vulnerable to

enslavement. And one of the key things that we measure is vulnerability.

But in those countries where there is both conflict, say, Syria the situation you have just been describing in your broadcast, the situations

in Syria which drive people into refugee status and make them very easily enslaveable because they're vulnerable, sometimes it's about natural

disasters, economic problems and so forth, and especially corruption and the lack of the rule of law creates a context in which people can be

enslaved.

So, it's not a surprise that in many of the countries that we see large proportions of the population in slavery are also those countries

that are beset by conflict like Syria and by other economic and environmental problems.

LU STOUT: The number of enslaved people is up 23 percent from previous estimates, that's almost a -- I mean, 23 percent up. How do you

explain that jump in the number of victims?

BALES: Well, actually, Kristie, it's not 23 it's 20.1 percent. But the key thing here is to explain that we do not believe that it's actually

an increase in the number of people in slavery, we believe that the increase is primarily due to the fact that this year we've been able to

bring much more powerful analytical survey techniques to the job of measuring the people in slavery.

In other words, our microscope has gotten much more clear, much more sharp.

We've been finding that in some places we actually have a reduced number of people in slavery like Pakistan, according to our best estimates,

but in other places where we've been able to bring new techniques, we are beginning to see more.

LU STOUT: Still, 36 million people around the world enslaved today.

What is your message to groups fighting modern-day slavery? I mean, the task it could seem so daunting. Do they need to rethink their

approach?

BALES: I don't know that they need to rethink their approach, certainly the groups that are fighting because those are the people who

tend to be involved with those who are in slavery.

I think the governments of the world who are not doing such a great job in actually eradicating the slaves that they have passed laws against -

- I mean, they've passed laws against slavery in every country, but they're not necessarily putting the resources into the job of getting it done.

Those are the countries that I'd say why are you failing to enforce the laws that you have?

And you know with the report, we're often critical of the very richest countries. So Norway, for example, with a great police force, very little

corruption, very solid surveillance and good conditions for people within the country, still has people in slavery. And you have to say, you know,

Norway has no excuse to have anyone in slavery. It's a country where they really should have solved the problem by now.

LU STOUT: That's right. Absolutely no excuse at all. And it is a shocking statistic according to your report 36 million people around the

world today enslaved.

Kevin Bales, thank you so much for sharing your findings with us. Thank you.

BALES: It's been great to be here, Kristie. Thank you.

LU STOUT: Now you're watching News Stream. Still to come on the program, we examine the magic at work in the movies. And we visit the

company that's bringing motion capture technology to the big screen. Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now special effects in the movies have come a long, long way in recent years. And one company that's mastered the art of motion capture

technology is New Zealand's Weta Digital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Known for perfecting the groundbreaking craft of motion capture, Weta Digital has been responsible for bringing some of the most

magical cinematic worlds and characters to life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do not come back.

DAN BARRETT, SUPERVISOR WETA DIGITAL: It's been a significant breakthrough, you know, I think that our ability to have actors now on

stage, you know, playing other creatures, you know, or on location, on set, has been fantastic both for the performances of the creatures that they're

portraying, as well as those, you know, perhaps the human characters they're playing off in the scene.

LU STOUT: The process begins with the actors being dressed in plain body suits and black shoes. More than 50 tracking markers are

strategically placed, allowing the computer to detect where they're body parts are, how tall they are, and their movements.

Today, two actors are performing part of a scene from the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. This set has 84 cameras to capture their performance.

Motion capture technology, unlike traditional animation, is not a frame by frame process. Instead, it provides a fluid model for animals to

then tweak and perfect, bringing a new level of authenticity to the movement.

BARRETT: It's not that we couldn't do it ourselves as key frame animators, it's just that that kind of work takes a long time. And so,

yeah, it gives us believable motion a lot quicker and gives us time to concentrate on what we consider to be perhaps more important like facial

performances.

LU STOUT: The challenge comes with actors being physically able to actually perform each action. For this scene, they have to wear arm

extenders, since apes have longer arms than humans. This helps shift their weight so they'll move like an ape.

CRAIGYOUNG, ACTOR; To realize how hard it is to jump up to a high thin, or jump down something in animation, because it's fake, you can just

make it work. But actually doing that with your body a lot of this stuff is a lot harder and physically demanding.

LU STOUT: As the technology has continued to improve, whether it's facial cameras to capture the nuance of emotion, or the ability to film

outdoors, it has allowed actors like Andy Serkis who plays Caesar in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to bring the true art of movement to the big

screen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: I love watching that.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere, World Sport with Amanda Davis is up next.

END