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NEWS STREAM

Battle for Tikrit Rages; Interview With Princess Awesome Founders; The Mysterious Craters of Siberia; Afghan Men Protest for Women's Rights; Jihadi John As a Teenager

Aired March 06, 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 the battle against ISIS rages on near Tikrit, but the militant group strikes a blow against Iraq by bulldozing an ancient city.

We'll show you new video that's emerged showing the early life of the militant known as Jihadi John.

And two women through girls should have to (inaudible) so they created clothing with designs inspired by science.

Now a fierce battle is underway in northern Iraq as Iraqi forces try to retake the city of Tikrit from ISIS militants. It is their biggest

offensive yet against ISIS.

Now Iraqi soldiers trained and armed by Iran and joined by Sunni and Shiite militia have been able to liberate several villages in their push to

Tikrit.

Now our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman made it close to the frontline. And he filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tikrit is the target. Heavy rounds fired into a city now the focus of

Iraq's biggest yet offensive against ISIS. The group overran the city last June. There are no signs of life there. Many civilians have already fled as

well as some ISIS fighters, according to the soldiers here.

(on camera): We're at a base just two miles or 3.2 kilometers from Tikrit. ISIS is just on the other side.

(voice-over): That was an outgoing round. Our visit was organized by the Hushdashobi, a Shia paramilitary force created when the Iraqi army

nearly collapsed during last summer's ISIS onslaught. Increasingly, Hushdashobi is playing a central role in the fight against ISIS. Muin Al

Kadhami, one of the Hushdashobi commanders, has learned a lot over the last few months about ISIS' tactics.

Their basic strategy, he tells me, is to avoid face-to-face confrontations. They depend on improvised explosive devices and snipers.

The forces received training, ammunition, weapons and high- level battlefield advice from Iran.

Our tour included a stop at this mosque east of Tikrit. Until just a few days ago, it was deep inside ISIS-controlled territory. Iraqi

parliament member, Sitar Al Ghanim, visiting the troops was quick to praise Iran for its backing in the fight against ISIS.

Today, the Iranian support is much larger than the American support which is limited, he says, praise for Iran mixed with criticism for the

U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition. Unfortunately, says spokesman Abbas Zaidi, we've seen no effort by the international coalition here and that really

doesn't reflect well on them. The Iraqi government has said it didn't request assistance from the coalition for the Tikrit operation. If this

operation is successful, these fighters and Iran will take the credit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Now let's get more on the situation there now. Ben Wedeman is back in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. He joins us now.

And Ben, in your report a lot of praise for Iran in that Tikrit operation. Do you think with Iran's help that momentum is building for

Iraqi forces to retake Tikrit?

WEDEMAN: That certainly seems to be the plan. The Iranians -- we know that have around 100 advisers in Iraq, compared to around 3,000 from

the United States. But Qasem Suleimani, the head of the elite Iranian al- Quds force is also on the ground outside Tikrit helping direct the battle.

And what's interesting today is we received a video handout from the Hash al-Shabi (ph), that popular mobilization units that many of which are

trained by Iran.

And in that handout, it included some video of Iranian advisers huddled around a map on the ground speaking in Farsi. So they definitely

are there and helping in whatever way they can. And of course as I mentioned in that report, lots of complaints about the absence of American

-- or rather coalition air cover.

Now the Iranian involvement, of course, is not new. Last year, they were present on the ground during the attempt to break the siege of the

town of Amerli to the north of Tikrit. And we know that Qasem Suleimani was present and on the ground along with Iranian advisers when the Iraqi

army and the militias retook an area called Jafar Sahar (ph), which is to the southwest of Baghad.

So the Iranian role is definitely very important in this operation. And U.S. officials have said, actually, that if they help defeat ISIS in

Iraq, it's not a bad thing -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Iran playing a critical role in this critical operation.

Now Ben, last week you filed that report screening video evidence of cultural cleansing of antiquities in Mosul. And now today reports that

ISIS is destroying the ancient Iraqi city of Nimrod. What have you learned?

WEDEMAN: Well, what we understand from the Iraqi ministry of tourism and antiquities is that yesterday ISIS from Mosul dispatched bulldozers to

this town, which is -- this ancient city, which dates back to about 1300 BC to basically destroy the ruins that are there.

This is a huge complex just about 30 kilometers south of Mosul. And really is just the latest act by ISIS and basically cultural vandalism, the

erasing of humanity's history, not of course just Iraq's history and heritage.

But it comes against a backdrop of not only ISIS sort of vandalizing for ideological purposes, but keep in mind that since 2011 with the so-

called Arab Spring, we have seen in Libya, in Egypt, in Syria and now Iraq wholesale looting of these -- massive -- huge number of archaeological

sites not for ideological reasons, simply because of the collapse of state authority and its open season on all these sites across the region --

Kristie.

LU STOUT: And I'm trying to understand the logic of this. Why is ISIS destroying Iraq's cultural treasures? Is it just vandalism or does it

stand to gain something from this action?

WEDEMAN: Well, it's -- they stand to gain in terms of sort of validating their rather obtuse interpretation of Islam. Their attitude is

that anything pre-Islamic or heterodox, in other words, anything that's related to Shia Islam or anything along those lines they consider

essentially to be the work of infidels and therefore must be destroyed.

And it's not even limited to non-Sunni Islamic things. Even, for instance, yesterday what we saw outside of Tikrit was a shrine to a local

saint worship by -- not worship, but revered by local Sunni Muslims, but they found that offensive, too, and destroyed it, demolished it. So it

really is just a result of this incredibly narrow, obtuse interpretation of Islam that is very much of their own making.

LU STOUT: Yeah, just indiscriminate violence and vandalism. Ben Wedeman reporting live for us from Baghdad, thank you, Ben.

Now Jerusalem is on edge after police say a Palestinian man rammed his car into several people. And authorities are calling it an act of terror.

They say the driver was shot and severely wounded while trying to escape. He is now in custody.

Now four Israeli border police and cyclist suffered light to moderate injuries in the attack. A Hamas spokesman took to Facebook to applaud the

attack.

A town in northeastern India is under curfew after thousands of people stormed a prison and beat a rape suspect to death. Now police describe the

man as a 35-year-old illegal immigrant from Bangladesh who was accused of assaulting a local woman last month. Now that attack raised ethnic

tensions in the area.

Now the crowd was protesting against Bengali speaking settlers when they dragged the rape suspect into the street.

Authorities say they tried to rescue him, but it was too late to save him.

You're watching News Stream. And coming up next, the life of this woman was change forever when her husband vanished a year ago together with

more than 200 others on Malaysia Airlines flight 370. Her heart wrenching story is next.

Plus, new video of Jihadi John, the man who appears in ISIS execution videos during his younger years. Find out what he was like as a teenager.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now it has been a year of grief and frustration for those with loved ones on board Malaysia Airlines flight 370. Now the 8th of

March last year the plane set off from Beijing for Kuala Lumpur with 239 people on board. About an hour later, it vanished from Radar. And the

mystery deepened when authorities determined that the plane had eventually turned south.

Since then, search crews have been scouring the Indian Ocean for any trade of the wreckage.

And some families are still holding on to hope that their missing loved ones will one day be found.

Now CNN's Andrew Stevens talks to a mother of four whose husband served as the lead steward on MH370.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAQUITA GONZALEZ, PATRICK GONZALEZ'S WIFE: Every now and then, once in awhile, now I do call his phone. Yeah. And it goes to voicemail. So,

you never know. He might pick it up or someone who has them would let them have the phone and, you know, I -- the hope is there, you know. Every

little hope that come along, you know, it's something.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jaquita Gonzalez has never lost hope. Every day in almost every way, her husband remains part

of her life.

GONZALEZ: Not a single day goes by without his name being propped up in my head, not a single day, you know. I turn into this room, I see

Patrick. I turn into the other room, I see Patrick. I see his friends, I see Patrick.

And his children are with me. I see them every day. And it's Patrick.

I try not to break down in front of my children, because then they will have me to deal with as well.

STEVENS: The family home in Kuala Lumpur unchanged since Patrick left for work as inflight supervisor on MH370. His black work shoes still in

their usual place outside the front door. His awards after 35 years at Malaysia Airlines, the family portraits that reveal a doting father and

grandfather, the wedding albums, the newspapers left as they were almost a year ago.

GONZALEZ: What's this book about?

CHILDREN: Swimming.

GONZALEZ: Swimming. And look, do you do this when you...

STEVENS: But life goes on for Jaquita the kindergarten and day care center she runs in Kuala Lumpur is a lifeline.

GONZALEZ: It has helped me keep sane, actually. I really need it, because if not we're just sitting down and waiting and thinking about

things.

STEVENS: Each day that passes is a day in limbo waiting for news, any news, and then maybe closure.

GONZALEZ: If there's debris and it's there in the Indian Ocean, we can have closure and we can lay him at peace, because right now I don't

think he's at peace. You know, I'm sure he wants to come home wherever he is anyhow. So if they do find, I can put him at peace.

STEVENS: By that, you mean lead him to where his next stage of his...

GONZELEZ: Yeah, yeah, so he's not wandering, you know, and he's with Jesus, in Jesus's arms. It's where he's -- you know -- eventually, we all

will go, but I didn't think it would be soon, you know. We are hoping that, you know, it'll be a little bit longer.

STEVENS: Andrew Stevens, CNN, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now a vigil is being held right now in Kuala Lumpur and CNN's Anna Coren is there and she joins us live.

And Anna, the memorial is taking place in Malaysia right now. What is the mood? Set the scene for us.

COREN: Yeah, Kristie, a vigil being held here tonight, but also over the weekend, particularly on Sunday. That has been the major vigils will

be held to commemorate the one year anniversary of MH370 that disappearance as you heard from Andrew Stevens report that particular family member just

grappling for answers. And that is what we are encountering. Every single family just desperate for information, for some idea, really, as to what

happened to their loved ones on the 8th of March, 2014.

Kristie, as we know a search is underway in the southern India Ocean. It's taking place 1,000 nautical miles off the coast of western Australia.

They are about 40 percent through the priority search area. They're hoping to complete it by May.

Of course the fear of the families is that if this area is (inaudible) no debris from the wreckage is found, they are concerned the (inaudible)

would be wrapped up. And as far as the families are concerned that is not enough. They need answers. They want their loved ones to be returned,

which as we know -- you know, may not happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMAD JAUHARI YAHYA, MALAYSIA AIRLINES CEO: They say lightning don't strike twice in the same place, but we got hit twice. And I mean, I could

not believe -- I didn't believe the first time I got a call in saying that we lost another 777. And I said are you sure? And I said just call back,

you know, once you have that confirmation.

I got a call half an hour later. They said they actually sighted the wreckage. And, you know, my mind just goes blank for awhile, but we got to

do what we have to do: get ourselves back on our feet and deal with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: That was the CEO of Malaysia Airlines there. And earlier, Anna Coren reporting live from the Malaysian capital where a vigil is

taking place right now in Kuala Lumpur.

You're watching News Stream. And coming up next, a new look at the man behind the mask: Jihadi John as a teenager. We'll hear what his

teacher has to say about the shy student.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: And that is Hong Kong on a Friday night. Welcome back. You're watching News Stream.

Now the actor Harrison Ford is lucky to be alive after a dramatic plane crash in California. He was piloting a World War II era aircraft

when the engine apparently failed. Investigators are trying to figure out what went wrong.

Now Ford tried to make it back to the airport, but crash landed onto a golf course. You can see the plane's nose bent into the ground.

Emergency responders say the 72-year-old was alert and conscious when they arrived. And for his publicist says he is expected to make a full

recovery.

Now Ford is an experienced pilot, though he has had mishaps in the past. He made a hard emergency landing in 1999 while flying a helicopter

with a flight instructor.

But he also has used his personal chopper to fly rescue missions, volunteering to help search teams in Wyoming.

Now, let's change gears here, and new pictures of Jihadi John have emerged.

Now the masked man who appears in ISIS execution videos. And it shows Mohammed Emwazi as a teenager in west London.

Now CNN's Atika Shubert has verified it is indeed Emwazi in that video. She joins us now with the story. And Atika, what is he like as a

teenager in this video?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, I think for a lot of his classmates and people who knew him as a young

teenager, it's really hard to imagine that this is the man who would eventually become the masked executioner in those horrific ISIS videos.

Take a look at what he was like at around age 15.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SHUBERT: Teenagers mess around with a basketball at a west London secondary school. One wearing a backpack shows off some fancy footwork but

closer inspection of this amateur video reveals a now famous face.

Mohammad Emwazi confirmed by officials to be Jihadi John. The executioner who was always hidden behind swaths of black clothing in ISIS

video. Here, too, the Kuwaiti-born, accused killer appears shy -- an attribute his former head teacher who identified him in this video also

recalls.

JO SHUTER, FORMER HEADMASTER, QUINTIN KYNASTON ACADEMY: He was reserved. He didn't have a huge circle of friends but he had a few good

friends. He was bullied a little bit because he was quiet and he was reserved. But generally he was fine.

JIHADI JOHN: Our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people.

SHUBERT: It was his distinctive British voice that led to Emwazi being identified. Since then a fuller picture is emerging. He's described as

being a polite young man from a middle class family. Photographs as a student at London's Westminster University and more recently in Kuwait, a

purported audio recording from 2009 released by a British Muslim advocacy group, Cage U.K.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you (inaudible) -- this is the wrong thing. What happened was wrong. SHUBERT: But for the people who knew him, it's

difficult to fathom that the football loving teenager they knew as Mohammad Emwazi has emerged as the man behind the mask.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SHUBERT: Now, Kristie, what investigators will be trying to figure out now is how he went from being a teenager who didn't even want to be

filmed to somehow volunteering to be that masked murderer you see on those ISIS videos, Kristie.

LU STOUT: That's the focus for the investigators, but I know that you've been studying the process of radicalization as a reporter for a long

time now. So how do you think he was able to make that transition to become radicalized from this polite, young, shy 15-year-old to become an

ISIS militant?

SHUBERT: I think each case is different. And there is never one thing that can pinpoint an individual deciding to join a group like ISIS.

What we know from him is that he had a number of friends, for example, in his high school who did go to fight in Somalia. One of them was killed

in a drone strike there, for example.

And then it was sort of in this circle of sort of radical friends.

But it's not clear if that is actually what compelled him to then go to Syria.

We've also heard from the advocacy CAGE UK that he was harassed, in his words, by MI5. And he was constantly coming under suspicion of being

in these extremist circles. That may have driven him further along the path to leaving the UK.

He may not have felt any more like a British citizen.

But why it is then he decided to become the man that you see in those videos brutally beheading some of those victims, that is another question

altogether.

LU STOUT: And the challenge for British authorities and authorities around the world here how do you stop teenagers from becoming radicalized

and joining militant groups like ISIS?

SHUBERT: I think one of the big problems now is that unlike conflicts in the past such as in Afghanistan, this is very much a conflict being

waged also online. Many of the teenagers that are leaving to go to Syria, their first approach is from ISIS recruiters on Twitter or Facebook and

then they go to more encrypted sites where they can carry on their conversations in secret.

And so this is one of the big problems for investigators and also for families who may have no idea that their children are involved in this

world until it is too late?

LU STOUT: Atika Shubert, always appreciate your reporting. Many thanks indeed for that, Atika.

You're watching News Stream. And still to come, this Kickstarter project is working to break down gender barriers one dress at a time.

We'll introduce you to a project called Princess Awesome.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now the UN says fighting between Iraqi forces and ISIS has forced thousands of people to leave their homes in the north. Now the Iraqis,

armed and trained by Iran, are trying to recapture the city of Tikrit. Now further north. The government says ISIS has destroyed the ancient city of

Nimrod.

Now search crews have scoured the Indian Ocean since Malaysia airlines flight 370 disappeared last Marc, but one year later there are

still no answers. Now family and friends of the 239 people who were on board are attending a vigil happening right now in Kuala Lumpur.

A town in northeastern India is under curfew after thousands of people stormed a prison and beat a rape suspect to death.

Now police describe the man as a 35-year-old illegal immigrant from Bangladesh. He was accused of assaulting a local woman last month.

Now authorities say they tried to rescue the man from the crowd, but they were unable to save him.

Now this Sunday marks International Women's Day. It is a day where people are urged to celebrate the advances women have made while, yes,

addressing issues that women still face.

The World Economic Forum talked with CEOs around the world. And they say there is no country in the world where women earn an equal amount as a

man for doing the same job.

Now the report says it will take another 80 years for that gap to close.

Now in Afghanistan, a group of men are showing their solidarity with women, with a drastic wardrobe change. Now Isha Sesay takes a look at why

these men choose to stand up for women by wearing a burqa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Protesters dressed in blue Burqas marched through the streets of the Afghan capital on Thursday,

but take a closer look as these protesters lift their veils, revealing they're actually men.

There's an old saying, you don't truly know someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes, or in this case their Burqa.

ALI REZA YASA, ACTIVIST (through translator): The wearing of a burqa is imposed by men on women. We are here today to share our solidarity with

women and experience this pain by covering our faces with a burqa.

SESAY: About 20 Afghan men put on burqas in support of women's rights. Many carried signs reading equality and don't tell women what to

wear.

Several said it felt like a prison wearing the head to toe covering.

Many Afghan women would likely agree. During their hardline rule, the Taliban forced women to wear burqas in public. And for some, the garment

is a symbol of suppression.

MINA JAN, KABUL RESIDENT (through translator): This move today by men is a good one. They want to feel what it's like to be a woman by wearing a

burqa. This is also a protest against the recent violence on women in Afghanistan.

SESAY: Reaction to the march was mixed. A few observers laughed and heckled the protesters. Several said supporting women's rights encouraged

immoral behavior.

JAMILA JAN, KABUL RESIDENT (through translator): We, as Muslim and Afghan women condemn this action. If the burqa is removed, women will be

mislead and lose their morals.

GULL AHMAD, KABUL RESIDENT (through translator): My advice to women is if they are out on the street, they have to be covered. Today's protest

against the burqa is a western move. And women should not be deceived, because Islam gives women the best rights.

SESAY: And after the march, while the men removed their burqas, many women across Afghanistan will continue to wear the controversial covering.

Isha Sesay, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now in the United States, two moms are also using fashion to knock down gender barriers. And I spoke to the co-founders of Princess

Awesome on how they were inspired to design dresses that defy stereotypes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REBECCA MELSKY, CO-CREATOR OF PRINCESS AWESOME: Well, we started Princess Awesome about two years ago when my daughter, who is now 4-and-a-

half, she was 2 at the time, and she interested in wearing dresses every day, only dresses all the time. We could occasionally get her in a skirt

if we called it a two-piece dress, but she really just wanted dresses, but she also liked the pajamas that I would get for her from the boys section

with robots and spaceships and dinosaurs on them. And I thought like why don't they make dresses that have all those things on them -- spaceships

and dinosaurs, someone should do that. Maybe I should do that. How do I do that? And I turned to Eva and that was it.

LU STOUT: Now you've raised over $200,000 on Kickstarter. Why do you think your project has attracted so much interest and financial support?

EVA ST. CLAIR, CO-CREATOR OF PRINCESS AWESOME: I think it's because we've touched a nerve where people want to give their daughters access to

all the things that they like. So they -- little girls love -- most little girls love to twirl and spin in big pretty dresses and they also like

playing with dinosaurs, and they have so many interests. So we just kind of tapped into this nerve of what little girls want to do and be.

LU STOUT: And tell me about your designs and what makes them appealing to little girls and also to parents?

MELSKY: So, we spent a long time finding the right designs that were colorful and fun and clever and smart and interesting, and also have these

non-traditional themes. When we were first launching the company and first looking at creating our handmade dresses, we spent a long time searching

through fabrics and we felt that the fabrics that were specifically designed for boys quilting projects or whatever really didn't fit for us.

We needed something that was a little more interesting and colorful.

And we found this one designer that we used -- that we found on Spoon Flower. And her name is Alishka Jepsen (ph). And she's amazing. And

she's a rocket scientist and a mom and her designs just really fit this vin diagram that we're looking for. They are colorful and fun and clever and

smart. And they touch on all these other -- these topics that usually don't find on girl's clothing.

LU STOUT: And you have all these different design themes from trucks to dinosaurs, to space, but why does this matter? I mean, why does wearing

a dress with dinosaurs all over it, why does it change the life of a little girl?

ST. CLAIR: We think it really changes the conversation for little girls. One thing that -- one of our guiding principles in our philosophy

is what you wear can really tell people about who you are. And children's clothing the options are fairly limited for little girls. And even if

they're cute, which so many of them are, and our daughters both love wearing all of their adorable little clothes with, you know, candy and

kittens and flowers on them. And we love them too. But that's -- it just doesn't tell you enough about the child.

And a lot of little girls want to wear things that express their interests. So dinosaurs especially are very popular with the 4-year-old

set, so we just really love the fact that we can give a little girl a dinosaur dress and she can wear it and say this is who I am. I am a person

who is interested in dinosaurs.

And it also means that when people see her wearing that they can ask her about her interest in dinosaurs, which is something that we've noticed

already with many of the children we know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now Princess Awesome just wrapped up its Kickstarter project, raising nearly $216,000. Now the money will be used to move

Princess Awesome dresses into factory production. And they are scheduled to ship this summer.

And we also got some business news just in, the U.S. economy added 295,000 jobs in February, that is ahead of expectations. Economists had

expected an additional 235,000 jobs.

Now the U.S. says the jobless rate went down to 5.5 percent. We'll have more on the U.S. jobs report in World Business Today. That's

happening about half an hour from now.

Now, you're watching News Stream. Still to come on the program, Mysterious craters are opening up inside Northern Russia. Some scientists

say global warming may be to blame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now NASA's Dawn spacecraft has connected with Ceres, making it the first to successfully orbit a dwarf planet.

Now Ceres is located between Mars and Jupiter. And these are some of the latest images taken of it. The Dawn spacecraft is expected to remain

in orbit around Ceres indefinitely.

Now, several giant craters have suddenly appeared in Siberia in northern Russia. And no one is exactly sure why. But there's a lot of

speculation ranging from global warming to meteorites.

Now Lynda Kinkade has more on the mystery.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A mystery at the end of the Earth. Giant gapping holes in the ground appearing out of nowhere.

It's happening in one of the most remote spots on the planet, in far northern Russia, Siberia's Yamal Peninsula. Translated, that's literally

"The End of the World."

The first crater appeared last summer, then came several more. Scientists were baffled.

ANDREI PLEKHANOV, RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (through translator): I've never seen such craters anywhere on Yamal where I've been. And I've

never heard my colleagues talk of anything similar.

KINKADE: Now they count at least seven large craters, some of them up to 100 meters across. Two have turned into lakes and one is just a few

kilometers away from a major Gazprom natural gas field.

Vasily Bogoyavlensky and a team of experts have made several expeditions to Siberia, taking samples, gathering evidence, even braving

sub-zero cold to climb down inside one of the deepest craters for a closer look.

Vasily suspects there are dozens more in the region and says they pose a serious threat.

VASILY BOGOYAVLENSKY, DEPUTY DIR. MOSCOW & GAS RESEARCH INSTITUTE: Yes, it's very serious. And if such craters will take place in the

industrial region, it could be quite (inaudible) disaster.

KINKADE: So, what's behind them? Early speculation ran wild from meteorites and stray missiles, to even UFOs and aliens.

Bogoyavlensky believes a more plausible theory is that the release of methane gas is sparking underground explosions, leaving behind the massive

craters, but that still does not solve the mystery.

BOGOYAVLENSKY: I mean, we don't know exactly from where this gas came.

KINKADE: Some experts say global warming may be causing Siberia's ice to melt, releasing the dangerous methane blasts.

While scientists continue to debate and investigate, for now the mystery only deepens.

Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Very strange and eerie indeed.

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

END