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Japan Mourns Kenji Goto; Jordan Still Waiting for Proof Of Life; Australian Journalist Peter Greste Released From Egyptian Prison; Filmmaker Lends Voice To Occupy Generation; Boko Haram Continues Assault On Maiduguri; Peace Talks Stall In Ukraine

Aired February 02, 2015 - 8:00   ET

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

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

Now finally free, an Australian journalist imprisoned for more than a year in Egypt is headed home. But his colleagues are still behind bars.

Plus, concern grows for a captured Jordanian pilot after a Japanese journalist is apparently beheaded despite negotiations with ISIS.

And a rare look at the dangerous and ever present threats on Saudi Arabia's borders.

Celebrations over the release of an Australian journalist have been tempered by the fact that two of his colleagues remain behind bars in

Egypt. Now the family of Peter Greste say that they are ecstatic. He's been freed after 13 months in prison, but they say two other al Jazeera

journalists should also be released.

Now Greste and his colleagues were convicted of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in a case that was widely condemned around the world.

Now Greste is now in Cyprus where his brother said he is safe, healthy and very, very happy; but worried about the co-workers he left behind.

Now Ian Lee is in Cairo. He joins me now.

And Ian, Egypt has deported Peter Greste, but will it free his two colleagues?

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are rumors, Kristie, right now that possibly at least one of his colleagues could be

freed, that is Mohamed Fahmy. He is a dual national, he holds Egyptian and Canadian citizenship. And what we're hearing is if he surrenders his

Egyptian nationality then he could be deported the same way as Greste was.

Now Bahar Mohammed only holds Egyptian nationality, although his family members are optimistic if the other two are released then he will be

released as well.

This case has been very embarrassing for the Egyptians. Diplomats from around the world, not just Australia where Greste is from, or Canada

where Fahmy has nationality, but diplomats from other countries have been pressing the Egyptian government to get these journalists released.

There's also been a large media campaign.

President el-Sisi has said previously that he wishes they were deported and this didn't come to trial in the first place. Well, as saw

yesterday Greste is deported.

His family very excited about that. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JURIS GRESTE, FREED JOURNALIST'S FATHER: : I have to say that from my point of view there is still a sense of unreality about it all, you

know, much like the day 400 whatever three days back when we received the call one night that Peter is in a an Egyptian prison.

To me, it is yet to quite sink in where we are, what's happened. And you know it'll take another day or so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEE: Both Peter and his family have said that they will work tirelessly to make sure the other two journalists will be released,

Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Ian, remind us what are the two remaining al Jazeera journalists accused of? And if they are not released when will they go to

trial again?

LEE: Well, we're in the second -- or rather the second phase of this trial procedure. They were convicted prior and sentenced to seven years in

prison. Bahar Mohammed was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Well, a court on January 1 overturned that paving the way for another retrial. If they

were found guilty in that, then that paves the way for a third possible appeal.

Now, this legal process has been going on for quite some time, but for us we've been observing it, we haven't seen any hard evidence that ties

them to the accusations of being part of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group or spreading false news. Even the star witnesses of the prosecution

at times would contradict themselves.

So for us when that first verdict came down there was a lot of shock that it would -- that they were actually found guilty, Kristie.

LU STOUT: CNN's Ian Lee reporting live from Cairo for us. Thank you, Ian.

Now Peter Greste's family has lobbied very hard for his freedom. And CNN's Christiane Amanpour spoke to his parents in Brisbane, Australia and

got their reaction to his release.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How did you first hear that your son was basically free and being deported?

LOIS GRESTE, FREED JOURNALIST'S MOTHER: Well, we heard first (inaudible) and weren't too sure, you know. It was pretty difficult to

actually take it in that this was really going to happen.

But then a couple of hours later we got a call from Peter to say he was in the airport and about to hop onto the plane.

JURIS GRESTE: He was just as surprised as anybody that he was asked to pack his small amount of gear and be ready to leave.

AMANPOUR: And Lois, you're a mother. What are you going to do the first minute you see him?

LOIS GRESTE: Yes, and I'll put him over my knee and give him a whack.

(LAUGHTER)

AMANPOUR: Tell him not to worry his parents so much in the future.

LOIS GRESTE: Exactly. But I don't know. Foreign correspondents have a habit of doing things like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The overjoyed parents of Peter Greste speaking there. And you can watch the full interview on Amanpour 7:00 p.m. London time.

Now, Japan is mourning the death of -- the apparent death of journalist Kenji Goto. Now ISIS released a video on Saturday that appears

to show his beheaded body. Now his family has thanked the public for the outpouring of support and the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is vowing

to protect Japanese citizens and to continue working with the international community to fight terrorism.

Now Will Ripley is in Tokyo. And he joins me now live. And Will, earlier today we heard some strong words from the Japanese prime minister

as the nation and the world mourn for Kenji Goto.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, and the Prime Minister Abe's strong words reflect the sentiment of the Japanese public -- anger and

outrage here over the apparent murder now of two Japanese citizens Haruni Yukawa and the journalist Kenji Goto who has dominated the headlines. He

has come into almost every Japanese person who watches television's home on a nightly basis. People felt like they grew to knew him. They were rooting

for him. They were hoping for a reunion and then the awful video of his apparent beheading.

The prime minister saying that ISIS will pay for its crimes and laying out the steps that Japan plans to take. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHINZO ABE, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (through translator): We are going to increase humanitarian assistance to the Middle East with food and

medical aid and going to fulfill our responsibility as a nation with a resolute attitude and the international community fighting against

terrorism.

We are not going to forgive these horrendous and despicable terrorists. To make them make up for their sins, for sure, Japan will work

with international community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Kristie, Japan as you know, is a pacifist country. Its military only acts in self-defense. But Prime Minister Abe is expected to

push legislation to try to change that, to expand the role of the Japanese Self-Defense Force, possibly allowing them to engage in operations beyond

the borders of Japan if they are rescuing or protecting Japanese citizens. That had been a hugely unpopular idea here domestically, but it will be --

it will be important to see how the public feels now that this has happened now that two Japanese citizens have apparently been brutally murdered by

ISIS.

LU STOUT: Yeah, the people of Japan rallying around the apparent death and the life of Kenji Goto.

And you spoke with people who knew the veteran journalist very well. What did you learn about him?

RIPLEY: Some really sad notes, takeaways about this remarkable man's life. He devoted his career to going to some of the most dangerous places

in the world. And yet he always took time when he was on assignment to call his family, one of his friends, a war zone journalist that I spoke to

said he would often borrow his satellite phone just he could call and check on his wife children.

That really struck me, considering the fact that ISIS used him in their propaganda messages to deliver pleas directly to his wife.

He volunteered a lot of his time to speak about the plight of children in Syria. He volunteered for UNICEF here in Tokyo. He was a very familiar

face on the lecture circuit just trying to spread the message to anybody who would listen about the plight of especially children in war zones who

were suffering including children who had lost their parents and so now to know that his young daughters will grow up not knowing their father very

sad, but also they will have a lot of people, Kristie, telling them stories about what he did and how he lived his life and the conflict that he

devoted himself to covering to try to help people who were in a lot of trouble.

LU STOUT: Kenji Goto, he was a journalist. He was a father. A man of both compassion and courage. CNN's Will Ripley reporting live from

Tokyo for us. Thank you, Will.

Now in Jordan, there is mounting concern over the fate of the air force pilot who was also being held by ISIS. Now there had been talk of a

prisoner swap to gain his freedom, but Jordan says it has yet to receive proof that Moaz al-Kassasbeh is still alive.

Now for more, Jomana Karadsheh she joins me now live from Amman, Jordan. And Jomana, is Jordan still willing to exchange the militant it's

holding for the captured Jordanian pilot? And Jomana, is Jordan still willing to exchange the militant it's holding for the captured Jordanian

pilot?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, here's the thing, Kristie, the Jordanians are saying that those lines of communication

that were open with ISIS, those indirect negotiations that were taking place to try and secure the release of the Jordanian pilot Moaz al-

Kassasbeh are still open, but they're very tight-lipped about what is really going on behind the scenes, we do not know. The little we know is

what the government is saying publicly.

And do say that they are still willing to release that convicted would-be suicide bomber Sajida Rishawi as ISIS was demanding, but here is

the issue here, Kristie, is ISIS never demanded Sajida Rishawi in exchange for Moaz al-Kassasbeh, they were offering to exchange her for Kenji Goto.

And they said if that does not happen, they will kill the Jordanian pilot.

We do not know what ISIS wants to release the Jordanian pilot. This has never been made public. There have been no public demands since his

capture on December 24. We don't even know if his release is on the table, if this is anything that ISIS is offering to do in these indirect

negotiations with the Jordanian government.

But of course the most critical remains the issue of proof of life. So far, the Jordanian government says they have not received that. They

have asked for this for some time now, they say, in these indirect negotiations. And also they have renewed that call for proof of life

publicly in the last week when this issue has really become under the spotlight. But so far no proof of life, unclear what the fate of Moaz al-

Kassasbeh is something that is really got many Jordanians on edge, very concerned about the fate of this pilot, especially after that apparent

beheading of Kenji Goto -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: All of Jordan on edge, a terrible waiting game for the nation.

Jomana Karadsheh reporting live from Amman, thank you.

Now you're watching News Stream. And coming up on the program, Saudi Arabia's security challenge.

Now, the kingdom is strengthening its border with Yemen in the face of growing threats.

Hong Kong's umbrella movement inspire a cinematographer's vision of life in this city. I speak to Christopher Doyle about his Hong Kong

trilogy.

A super bet on the Superbowl. Two Hollywood stars square off on Twitter and it's all for a good cause.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. 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 the release of journalist Peter Greste from Egyptian jail. And later violence sends terrified residents of

Ukraine searching for safety.

But now, let's turn to Saudi Arabia. It is facing unprecedented security challenges from ISIS and the political collapse of its neighbor

Yemen.

Now the kingdom is investing billions of dollars to boost its defenses, but as CNN's Nic Robertson found out, it may not be enough. Now

he takes us on this exclusive ride with Saudi border patrol agents now struggling to guard the line with Yemen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saudi border police on the gun. They're right next to Yemen. We're racing

alongside the border fence. It's rare access. Yemen is falling apart. And Saudi Arabia is on the front line of the fallout.

(on camera): We just spotted a group of smugglers right over there. They're walking towards the border. And we just raced up here along the

border fence with these gun trucks to try to catch them.

(voice-over): No one knows who they are, terrorists, gun runners, drug mules. Earlier in the day...

(on camera): So, you have a great view here back -- right back along the border.

(voice-over): Commanders take us to see how the Yemenis are crossing the border.

(on camera): You can see some people walking across the river there.

(voice-over): Saudis say they are spending almost $3 billion building new border roads, watch towers and high-tech surveillance. Their biggest

fear, terrorists slipping into the kingdom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See the Houthi? Just behind.

ROBERTSON: In recent weeks, Iranian-backed Houthi tribesmen have taken control of Yemen's capital, creating instability that Al Qaeda is

exploiting, threatening attack in Saudi. But high in the hills, the terrain is so torturous there isn't even a fence. (on camera): And it's not just

this border with Yemen snaking through the mountains that the Saudis are trying to secure. To the north, the border with Iraq has come under attack

from ISIS.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are life situations now.

ROBERTSON (on camera): What's happening?

(voice-over): Back at the border post, more people keep coming.

(on camera): Oh, there's someone right there. Here.

(voice-over): The camera operates and tells the patrol where to go. They move in, arrest the suspect.

(on camera): That man was picked up just down there where that van is coming around the bend in the road. And what the border police are telling

us is that in the last three months alone, they picked up more than 42,000 people. And the problem is those people could be just anyone, smugglers or

even terrorists.

They just brought us down to the one guy they captured that we saw on camera there.

(voice-over): He tells me he's poor, been sneaking into Saudi to work illegally for the past 20 years. But, recently, because of the security

improvements, it's become much harder.

(on camera): Late in the afternoon, we've come to another base and they've told us they've captured some smugglers, some cat smugglers. These

are -- these are -- these are children.

(voice-over): It turns out, the youngest is 10. The second time he's been caught smuggling in Yemeni's drug of choice, the stimulant, cat,

leaves of a shrub which are chewed. He says he gets $50 per trip from drug barons.

(on camera): So, well, sir, what do you do with him?

(voice-over): The answer, send him back to Yemen. It turns out, though, their tiny haul is a drop in the ocean.

(on camera): Well, look at this pile of tusks (ph) right here. Huge.

(voice-over): In the past three months, he tells me, along the 500- mile border, more than half a million tons seized. Street value, close to

$100 million.

Back on the dust chase with the gun trucks, the fleeing men are caught. They say they are poor Yemenis, unarmed, on their way home, only

here to earn money. So for (ph) some say Saudi jail is better than freedom in Yemen.

(on camera): And how do you know if any of these men aren't connected with some terrorist group?

He tells me they get fingerprinted. If they have a record, the police will know right away.

As the sun sets, trucked off to a nearby police station. Minutes later, more young drug mules apprehended. This day, this night, tomorrow,

next week and beyond, the desert kingdom threatened at its borders.

Nic Robertson, CNN, on the Saudi/Yemen border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: In Thailand, authorities are investigating two pipe bomb explosions in the capital. Now they went off at the entrance of a popular

mall in downtown Bangkok. Now the first explosion forced an elevated train nearby to stop service. Now police say there were no injuries in the

Sunday night attack.

Now the Umbrella Movement may be gone from the streets of Hong Kong, but an award-winning filmmaker is immortalizing the protester's call for

change. We'll tell you more after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream. Now thousands of yellow umbrellas are back on the streets of

Hong Kong this weekend. Now protesters called for universal suffrage during a march yesterday. Organizers say while the turnout fell short of

expectations, the march proved that the Occupy Movement has not been forgotten.

Now the civil disobedience movement demanding real elections shut down major highways in the city for some 79 days last year.

Now throughout the months of the occupation, Hong Kong students, they stood proudly at the protest front lines. And they intrigued and inspired

filmmaker Christopher Doyle who was making a film about Hong Kong's youth. Now I spoke to Doyle about his film and how he tried to capture the voice

of the Umbrella Generation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER DOYLE, DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHER: The only thing that you can celebrate in film and in life is the voice of the people. So, what we

did is we go to the kids, preschool. We go to the preoccupied kids and we go to the preposterous older people and we think what's really happening

now in our generation, in their generation in this space in this time in Hong Kong?

LU STOUT: So this is a quasi documentary you start with the kids of Hong Kong.

DOYLE: It's their voice. I think all we're doing is like we're doing today is trying to give a voice to what matters.

LU STOUT: Yeah, what was interesting in your first film Preschooled, you introduce a kid and his name is Vodka Wang (ph). And that made me

chuckle when I saw that in the trailer. Were you making sort of a nod or analogy...

DOYLE: That's his real name...

LU STOUT: That's his real name?

DOYLE: Why would you call your kid Vodka if you didn't really care about how you drink.

LU STOUT: So you didn't make that up?

DOYLE: No, no, no. I think this is the great pleasure of this process that this doesn't come from us, it comes from this space, it comes

from the people in whom we engage. It's their voice. And then we just give it a form.

LU STOUT: And you also observed the 20-something generation. The second film is called Preoccupy. And while you were filming that, that was

when the umbrella movement had...

DOYLE: Because the Preoccupy, because the Occupy with their own identity, because they're Preoccupied with protecting themselves from the

rain, whatever the rain is, whether it's this rain or the rain from, you know, the Beijing...

LU STOUT: Or from pepper spray.

DOYLE: No. Well, no, the pollution from Beijing. I think that's what it's about. We're protecting ourselves from the pollution from

Beijing, because there's a lot of pollution. I'm not saying it's political, it's geographical, it's climate.

So I think this is -- so then we have to respond to that, because this is the only moment in our history that is so relevant. This is like for

Americans the Gettysburg Address, or the Alamo. This is...

LU STOUT: A critical moment in Hong Kong history.

DOYLE: This is a critical moment and an important moment to celebrate for whatever it is.

LU STOUT: And what was it like for you as someone who is such a keen observer of Hong Kong. You know Hong Kong so well to be there filming that

second part of your trilogy while the Umbrella Movement was unfolding and seeing the highways of Hong Kong absolutely clear, full of protesters,

tents. Was it surreal for you?

DOYLE: I wanted to be a skateboarder. I want to learn to skateboard, because you've never celebrated the city in this way, the peacefulness. I

think for me it wasn't Occupy, it was saying stop, think about this space.

We weren't stopping the traffic, we are stopping the ideas, we are stopping the time. We're saying, hey, settle down, think about what life

is about. That's what it meant to me.

The reason the city was stopped, the reason of the anxieties about money, the anxiety about family through the occupation all stopped because

you say, OK, it's about people.

LU STOUT: And what do you think about these 20-something kids of Hong Kong, the so-called Generation Occupy? It seems like you really admire

them. Do you also fear for their future?

DOYLE: Of course not, because they have the questions that nobody can answer. The great thing about filmmaking is you ask the questions and

there's no answer. We know there's no answer. But the process is what it's about.

LU STOUT: I want to ask you about the third part of your trilogy. And you name it preposterous. It's about the older generation in Hong

Kong.

DOYLE: Because we're all -- look at me, I'm a little bit -- am I not preposterous? I mean, look...

LU STOUT: I would say unconventional or eccentric, but not preposterous.

DOYLE: No, preposterous is a metaphor for, OK, don't get caught up with your own whatever. You know, don't get -- don't believe every -- this

is it. So we have to go back to the kids. We have to go back to the preschool, we have to go back to the preoccupy. We have to look back and

say, yeah, it's preposterous to believe that this is what life is about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now Doyle's trilogy adopts an unconventional approach to filmmaking and unconventional means of funding the films. Now he has

launched a Kickstarter campaign to back all the costs of film production.

You're watching News Stream. Still ahead on the program, Boko Haram's latest brazen attack in Nigeria raising alarm less than two weeks before

elections there.

Plus, we venture into a town at the center of Ukraine's fighting and show you the terrible toll the conflict is taking on families.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

An Australian journalist free from prison in Egypt is now resting in Cyprus. But Peter Greste's family says he is worried about the fate of two

fellow al Jazeera journalists who remain behind bars. Now all three were convicted of supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood in a trial widely

condemned around the world.

Japan is mourning the death of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto after ISIS released a video, which appears to show his beheaded body. It has

prompted an outpouring of sorrow and frustration across the country. Now Goto's family thanked the public for their prayers and support.

Now the former head of the International Monetary Fund is set to face another embarrassing legal proceeding. Dominique Strauss-Kahn is going on

trial in northern France for alleged pimping. Now this new case, it comes four years after he was accused of raping a hotel maid in New York. Those

charges were eventually dropped.

Now the daughter of singer Whitney Houston is said to be in a medically induced coma. Now police say 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown

was found unresponsive in a bathtub full of water at her home on Saturday. Now her mother died under similar circumstances in February of 2012. Now a

source close to the family says doctors don't know yet the extent of the damage to Bobbi Kristina Brown's brain.

Now in Nigeria, a bold attack from Boko Haram for the second time in a week. The militant group tried to capture Maiduguri, the capital of Borno

state. Now witnesses say militants attacked the city from three fronts, but ground troops and fighter jets repelled them.

Last week, soldiers managed to defend Maiduguri from a similar attack, but they lost the nearby town of Monguno (ph) as well as a key military

barracks there.

Maiduguri is a major city in northeastern Nigeria. It's a key gateway to neighboring countries for Boko Haram.

Let's get more now from Diana Magnay, she's been following developments from Johannesburg. She joins us now. And Diana, tell us

more about how the Nigerian military has been responding to this new attack.

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Maiduguri is the center of Operation Flash, which is the Nigerian military's operation to

flush out Boko Haram from northeastern Nigeria. So it's incredibly important to the Nigerian military to keep that town under their control.

But effectively, most of Borno State, of which Maiduguri is the capital, is now in Boko Haram's hands. And Boko Haram is clearly intent upon capturing

the capital city for itself.

So, last Sunday, they stage a huge attack on a military base just outside Maiduguri. The Nigerian -- the Nigerian armed forces managed to

push them back, brought in fighter jets to conduct air strikes against them. Did push them back last Sunday.

And this Sunday the same thing happened, exactly the same sort of format. At around 3:00 a.m. in the morning military tried to attack the

town from three different fronts. And the Nigerian military responded again bringing in air power and driving them away.

But it's quite clear that Boko Haram will continue to try and take over Maiduguri. And let's not forget that the elections are coming up in

less than two week's time.

The Nigerian army is already very stretched. And when it has to ensure the security of ballot areas around the whole country it is going to

mean that in the northeast it's possible that there will be a vacuum, or certainly they'll clearly be overstretched at a time when Boko Haram

clearly feels empowered, emboldened, strong and having captured various military barracks over the last few weeks probably pretty well armed also,

Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, CNN's Diana Magnay reporting live from Johannesburg for us. Thank you very much indeed for that update.

Now in Ukraine now that peace talks have stalled, pro-Russian rebels say that they are planning a recruitment campaign. Now the leader of the

self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic says he wants to boost his fighting force by up to 100,000. His announcement followed failed

negotiations over the weekend and a sharp increase in violence.

Now much of the fighting has been in Debaltseve, it's a transport hub that could provide the rebels with a crucial link between two cities they

already control.

Now CNN's senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh went there as families were fleeing the violence. And a warning, you may find

some of the images in his story deeply disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This war is slowly tearing Ukraine apart, their soldiers hit by shelling as the separatists

advance speedily, peace talks an after thought now.

The dead keep coming and the living emerge shattered from the besieged down of Debaltseve. One soldier torn in half, put in a body bag here.

These minibuses hit, too. The youngest still feeling safest and warmest inside them.

The morgue in Archomosk (ph) is full. Military and civilian dead, they work 24/7.

Nearly 200 bodies this month so far, eight the day before, just here alone.

Shelling is the main cause of death and it is nearing. That day, the Debaltseve encircled now by separatists was hit again.

Well, these are among the last evacuees out of the city of Debaltseve, which we saw yesterday heavily shelled it seems by the separatists who say

they're encircling it.

The day before inside Debaltseve we saw where so many were sheltering from the shelling. It was hit this day by artillery. The hole in that

building seen here -- three injured, he tells us. The shelter now empty.

156 people said evacuated today, but some still there. Those who have fled feeling their politicians have failed them.

"Me personally," Pavel (ph) says, "I'll take any ruler, just don't kill me. All I want is bread and salt. Just don't kill me."

"We're hostages of the situation," she adds.

He says, "big politics is interested in killing simple people. They shoot and shoot and kill us."

In a town center, that anger is growing. These women gathering against the war. Ukraine's army, so underfunded, its politicians are

hamstrung. But that has not exempted them from blame.

"We use snow to clean ourselves," she says. "And our new president didn't do anything, absolutely nothing."

But still the road to Debaltseve heaves with Ukrainian armor, coming, going. This war of such geopolitical import for Europe and Russia

trampling over Ukraine's people in its path.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Arkiomosk (ph), eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now it is Groundhog Day in the United States. And the annual event in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania centers around, of course, Punxutawney Phil,

the groundhog who is said to have this uncanny ability to predict the weather.

Now today he saw his shadow, that means six more weeks of winter. Now that may not come as a surprise to many Americans now shivering under some

bitter cold conditions.

A major winter storm has been burying the U.S. Midwest, in particular, in snow and it's about to do the same across the northeast. In fact, it

has been a nightmare for travelers.

Now meteorologist Ivan Cabrera joins us now with more -- Ivan.

IVAN CABRERA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, I think you know the folks in Chicago all the way up into New England would have gone after that

groundhog if he had predicted anything other than that, because that's exactly what we're in here.

By the way, accuracy 39 percent. So he doesn't do that great. But he is cute, so we'll leave it there.

This is the winter storm that has now been impacting the northeast over the last several hours. It's going to be mess. If you're traveling

into the U.S. probably not going to happen for you.

Well, at least smoothly throughout today, because we do have this big snow event going on. At this point now, north of New York -- New York is

actually icing up. We have rain falling on a surface that's below freezing, so that's going to ice up the roads. And then into Boston it is

going to be snowing with several centimeters of accumulation along with some very gusty winds.

As far as how much additional snow -- well, take a look at that. Anywhere from 10 to as much as 20 centimeters of snowfall in the next 24

hours.

And then on the backside of this storm, if you are headed in and then you're going to be traveling -- look at this, wind chills started off now,

but watch what happens. Arctic air mass moving in at anywhere from 20 to 30 below zero. That's how it's going to feel as you step out outside

that's just incredible.

Very uncomfortable, dangerous in fact, and also of course we're going to be talking about that snow sticking around with us here.

And now in Chicago we have now had our fifth largest snow event since we've been keeping records. That's 49 centimeters with this last snow

storm.

That's over for them now. So I think airport conditions there for you will be improving if you are connecting through Chicago.

But look at this, Sunday and Monday 4,500 cancellations. The worst of it now over for Chicago, but New York and Boston still impacted today.

Worst of conditions through Monday afternoon and then beginning to improve on Tuesday. So certainly good news.

But winter storm warnings continue to be posted. Again, I think very dangerous icy conditions for New York and then it's going to be all snow

further to the north so we will be once again digging out.

What a winter it has so far been -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Ivan Cabrera there. Thank you so much. Take care.

Now in U.S. football action, the New England Patriots they came out on top in their epic Superbowl battle against the Seattle Seahawks. They took

down the defending champions 28-24.

Now the Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was named most valuable player. Now World Sport will of course have all the dramatic highlights for you in

just a moment, but now I want to tell you about another closely watched matchup from Sunday.

Now Star Lord versus Captain America. OK, make that the actors who play them. You've got Chris Evans, a Patriots fan, challenged Chris Pratt

who roots for the Seahawks.

Now it all started on Twitter when Evans threw down the gauntlet. Now he told Chris Pratt this, "you are not my friend, you're my enemy.'

And Pratt later came up with a bet, writing this, "Seahawks win you fly yourself to Seattle, visit the Seattle Children Hospital as Captain

America waving the 12th Man flag."

Now the two actors, they ended up watching the game together. As you know Seattle lost and Pratt graciously conceded on Twitter and will visit a

cancer treatment center called Christopher's Haven in Boston.

But the actors, they will still visit the children's hospital in Seattle as well.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere. World Sport is next.

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