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Ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy Receives 20 Year Sentence; Are Wearables Appealing To Women?; New Light Shined On Why Boat Capsized in Mediterranean; Xenophobic Violence Continues in Johannesburg Suburb. Aired 8:00-9:00a ET

Aired April 21, 2015 - 8:00   ET

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


[08:00:20] KRISTIE LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

New details emerge about the disaster at sea. Survivors shed light on what may have caused the death of hundreds of migrants in the

Mediterranean.

Plus, 20 years for Egypt's former president. Mohamed Morsy's party calls it a travesty of justice.

And, a weeklong look at wearable continues. Do gadgets need to be specially designed for women?

In what may be the deadliest migrant sea disaster ever in the Mediterranean, the ship's commander and a member of the crew have been

arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and manslaughter.

Their ship capsized over the weekend. At least 800 people are estimated to have been on board. Only 28 have made it to Sicily alive.

And for more on the investigation, let's go straight to our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman. He joins me now live from Catania

in Sicily. And Ben, what more have you learned about the arrests and also what caused the migrant ship to capsize?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We understand from the prosecutor in Catania that these two men have been charged with shipwreck

manslaughter, multiple manslaughter and abetting clandestine immigration.

Now the two men, one apparently was the captain of the ship. His name was Mohamed Ali Melik (ph). He's a Tunisian, 27 years old. And another

shipmate, his name was Mahmoud Baheed (ph), a Syrian 26.

And of course, obviously this investigation is going to take some time to really nail down the details, because it's not even clear at this point

what exactly happened. The initial version of events that we heard from Italian authorities was that the ship capsized when this Portuguese

merchant vessel approached the ship in question. And many of the people on the upper deck rushed to the side and caused the boat to capsize.

It's a 23 meter long fishing vessel, according to the prosecutor here in Catania.

But we heard a different version, however, from a spokeswoman for the UNHCR. This is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLOTTA ASAMI, UNHCR SPOKESWOMAN: They said there was a point in which they were very close and probably what happened is that, you know, a

big ship creating a big wave, they were approached in a very strong manner. And they lost balance. And they -- and this is how it happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: And we actually spoke to two medics who were on the scene shortly after the ship capsized. And they were describing being out at

1:00 in the morning on the Black Sea, seeing what he described, one of them described, as a carpet of bodies bobbing in the water.

Now as they approached this group of bodies in their dinghy, apparently they heard a man cry out. They brought him on board. And

shortly afterwards as they went further in recovering bodies, they also saw one man floating with his face up and his eyes open. They couldn't tell if

he was alive or dead. However, when they reached out to pick him up, he grabbed the arm of one of these rescuers. They brought him on board.

Apparently, however, he was suffering from extreme hypothermia.

So the Italian investigators trying to nail down the details of this.

But what is clear is that hundreds of people have died. We've heard anywhere between 400 and 950 could be the number of victims from this

catastrophe.

LU STOUT: Such a harrowing description of what they found at sea. And I would like to dig in more to the issue involving the merchant vessel

then. I mean, the role of commercial ships in rescuing migrants at sea. I mean, what are these cargo ships, these commercial ships require to do.

And are they protect it all if things go wrong?

WEDEMAN: They are required by international law to come to the rescue of any ship in distress. And that's what they've done. In fact, tens of

thousands over the last year of migrants have been rescued as a result of the efforts of these merchant vessels. But they aren't necessarily trained

for this sort of rescue operation. The Italian Coastguard, the Maltese navy, obviously, they are accustomed to this sort of thing. They have the

proper training, the proper equipment. But oftentimes you have these merchant vessels, tugboats for instance, out in the sea. And they have to

come to the rescue.

They don't necessarily have the kind of medical treatment that many of these migrants need when they are fished out of the ocean. They don't have

the kind of supplies. The kind of food and water that you need when sometimes -- we're talking about well over 100 migrants being pulled in at

one time.

So they are definitely challenged by this.

And in addition to this, of course they are out -- they're supposed to be going on -- you know, bringing merchandise from one part of the world to

the other. In some instances, these are tugboats that service oil rigs off the coast of Libya. So there's also a financial cost involved as well.

And the merchant -- a group representing these merchant vessels has made it clear that not only are they undertaking a very important

humanitarian mission, but it's also being done at a significant expense to them as well -- Kristie

[08:06:21] LU STOUT: All right. Ben Wedeman reporting live for us from Catania, Sicily. Reporting on the migrant crisis in the

Mediterranean, the scale absolutely staggering. Ben, thank you.

Now Ben has also written an article for our website reflecting on the origin of this crisis. You can learn more about where many of the migrants

are coming from and how Europe plans to tackle the situation. You can find it all at CNN.com.

Now he was Egypt's first democratically elected president. But now he is being sent to a maximum security prison.

A Cairo court has sentenced former President Mohamed Morsy to 20 years in prison without parole, plus an additional five years probation.

And keep in mind, this is just the first of several tries for Mohamed Morsy. He could still be handed the death penalty.

Now Morsy stood trial with 14 co-defendants, including some of his presidential staff. And there are reports that 12 Muslim Brotherhood

leaders received that same 20 year sentence alongside Morsy.

Now for the latest, let's go to Jon Jensen in Abu Dhabi. he joins us now live. And Jon, I mean, again, he was once the democratically elected

president of Egypt. Now he faced 20 years in prison. Could you tell us more about today's verdict and the additional verdicts Morsy could be

facing?

JON JENSEN, CNN CORREPSONDENT: Well, that's right. They're calling it a travesty of justice, that coming from the Muslim Brotherhood in a

statement shortly after the verdict was handed down to their former leader and the former president of Egypt Mohamed Morsy of course.

Now the defense team expected a complete and full acquittal. We talked to them just this morning. And they were somewhat shocked at what

happened at the judge was reading down the sentence. We understand that the defendants inside the dock started clapping, not in joy, of course, but

apparent sort of cynical response to the verdict.

Just to put this into context for you, Kristie, the verdict today is the latest in a series of what many observers have called fairly harsh

penalties for members of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood. You'll recall last year in one mass trial some 600 people were sentenced to death at one

trial.

Just this month, the group's spiritual leader Mohamed Badie was also given a death sentence, his fourth.

Now for Mr. Morsy this is not the end of the road by any means. There are at least three more trials that he will face. He is going to be

charged in two of those with espionage.

Now that's a capital crime in Egypt. So he could yet received the death penalty.

But right now his lawyers say he will appeal this sentence and any other future sentences he receives -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And let's talk about the Muslim Brotherhood. The group has, as you've said, they've called this trial a travesty. They've called

for protests on the back of today's verdict. How much support is there on the streets of Cairo for the Muslim Brotherhood?

JENSEN: well, just earlier this week there was a protest on the campus of Cairo's largest university. It's called Cairo University. And

several dozen young student protesters came out and held banners that decried the coup alliance, they're calling the current president Abdel

Fattah el--Sisi, a leader of a coup.

Now that protest was quickly dispersed by security forces. And it did turn violent. But the real question is whether or not this verdict is

going to resonate on the streets of Cairo, the capital city of the Arab world's most populous nation.

You know, ever since 2011 when the Arab Spring first broke out the country has been in almost a perpetual state of protest. And there appears

to be a sense of fatigue among many Caireans (ph) and many Egyptians alike, they want to move on from this chapter. And they'd like to put this all

behind them and they just want to get their economy back on track -- Kristie.

[08:10:21] LU STOUT: All right. Jon Jensen reporting live from Abu Dhabi. Thank you, Jon.

An American woman and her boyfriend have been sentenced for her mother's murder in Bali. 19-year-old Heather Mack was given 10 years in

prison for helping stuff her mother's body in a suitcase last August. Her boyfriend was sentenced to 18 years in jail for beating the mother to

death.

Now you're watching News Stream right here on CNN. And coming up next, as fighting intensifies in Yemen, Washington steps up its naval

presence in the Arabian Sea. We'll tell you why that is provoking a strong reaction in Iran.

And the streets of South Africa are calmer after days of anti- immigrant violence. And now comes the question, how to prevent it from happening again. We'll have a report from South Africa.

Plus, a massive storm bears down on Australia, washing away homes and knocking out power in the city and elsewhere. A weather forecast coming

up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now we are watching what could be a dangerous escalation to the crisis in Yemen. The United States is sending an aircraft carrier and

a guided missile destroyer to the Gulf of Aden. Those ships join other coalition vessels in the region. And they're being sent to monitor Iranian

ships suspected of carrying weapons to Houthi rebels.

Onshore, missiles continue to rain down on targets in the capital of Yemen. Yemeni health officials tell CNN 46 civilians were killed in a

Saudi-led airstrike on a weapons depot on Monday.

Now the maneuvering of U.S. warships towards Yemen, it comes at a delicate time diplomatically. Iran and world powers are about to start

talks on the technical details of their nuclear framework agreement.

Now CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran getting reaction to all of these developments. And he joins us now.

And Fred, a lot to get to, but first, how is Tehran reacting to the charges, the allegations that it is directly involved in the conflict

inside Yemen?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT; Well, it certainly says that those charges and those allegations are absolutely not true. Of

course the Iranians have been very critical, especially of the Saudi operation that's been going on, the air campaign. They've accused the

Saudis of, quote, genocide in all of that, because of that air campaign.

The Saudis for their part, and the Americans, have been accusing the Iranians of fueling the insurgency by the Houthi rebels and that is

something that the Iranians flat out deny. They say that this is something that was homegrown, that this is an inner-Yemeni conflict, that they have

nothing to do with it.

Now, as far as their warships are concerned in that area. They say that the warships that they do have near the Gulf of Aden, also near the

coast of Somalia, that those warships are there to combat piracy. They say that this is something that's inline with international law and is

something that they have been doing for a very long time.

However, they also told me, the commander of the navy did, that the Iranians are not going to take any lectures from the U.S. or from Saudi

Arabia. Let's listen in to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:15:01] UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We don't let anyone give us warnings and threats, because we are working to

international law and regulations. And we work for the security of our country and other countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So, that is the commander of Iran's regular navy. He is saying that, that they have no desire to move their boats towards the coast

of Yemen. The Iranians are saying that they would like to supply humanitarian aid. It's actually quite interesting, Kristie, because right

before starting our live shots here, we were at an aid distribution center of the Iranian Red Crescent where aid was actually being loaded onto

trucks. However, they say they haven't been able to deliver any since the conflict really broke out.

However, they say they're going to try and bring some in with a ship as well. It's set to go from Tehran to the coast. And then they want to

send it over to Yemen. Of course, it is very much unclear if an when that aid would reach its destination, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Fred, a question about Iran and the United States. Just a few weeks ago, Iranians were taking selfies with President Obama on

TV. And now we have U.S. warships heading to the Arabian Sea. I mean, during this very critical diplomatic time, what is the thinking there about

the relationship between U.S. and Iran?

PLEITGEN: It certainly is evolving. And it really is interesting to see the way that the Iranian leadership, at least the political leadership,

the government is trying to compartmentalize its relations with the United States.

On the one hand you do have the confrontation with the U.S. as far as Yemen is concerned. You also have a highly critical Iranian government as

far as the fight against ISIS is concerned, where the Iranians believe that they are the ones who are doing the right things. That their training of

Iraqi militias is what is making the difference there on the battlefield. They're very critical of the U.S. airstrikes.

But on the other hand, you also have the nuclear negotiations where things seem to be getting better. Where the government says that it wants

a deal.

I spoke yesterday to this country's vice president. She said she believes that a deal is possible is it is one that is fair to the Iranians.

So it is interesting how all of this is compartmentalized. But of course we also have to keep in mind that this is a diverse country with a

lot of opinions as well. And there are also a lot of hardliners here, especially among the religious clergy that want to see a hard line toward

the U.S. and that's certainly something that the government here has to take into account as well, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right. Fred Pleitgen reporting live in Tehran for us. Thank you, Fred.

Now the South Korean prime minister Lee Wan-koo has offered to resign amid a growing political scandal. A businessman's suicide triggered the

latest scandal. He left behind a note claiming to have bribed several top politicians.

Paula Hancocks has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: South Korea's prime minister has offered his resignation as part of the latest financial

scandal to hit this country. Lee Wan-koo has tendered his resignation. It's not clear at this point whether or not President Park Guen-hye will

accept it. She has said that the offer is regrettable. And she is currently out of the country, so we're not expecting a decision until next

week when she returns from Latin America.

Now this latest financial scandal started earlier this month when a property tycoon was involved in an apparent suicide where he was hanging

from a tree by his necktie. Police believe it was an apparent suicide. He was under investigation for fraud and bribery at the time of this apparent

suicide.

We do understand that police, according to local media, found a handwritten note on his body, which had a number of names, some top

political names in this country next to a number of figures which are allegedly amounts of bribes that this property tycoon gave to some top

politicians.

A local newspaper saying in the hours before his death he also gave an interview to them implicating those top politicians.

The prime minister was the most notable of that, an allegation that the property tycoon gave him $27,000 dollars in political funds. You're

not allowed to give more than $100 in this country and remain anonymous.

Now the prime minister up until this point had said that he was innocent and had said that if any evidence was found, then he would give up

his life. He had been maintaining his innocence. So it's unclear why he has decided to offer his resignation at this point.

But this is very embarrassing for President Park, also her currents and former chiefs of staff. They also deny any responsibility and deny any

accusations of wrongdoing.

So we can see her approval rating is certainly dipping as many people in South Korea are simply fed up of a number of financial scandals that

have been happening over the years.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now the drummer for the rock band AC/DC has pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening to kill a former employee. Now Phil Rudd could

face up to seven years in prison after his guilty plea in a court in New Zealand.

He also pleaded guilty to drug possession.

The prosecutor says Rudd called and threatened to kill a former assistant several times last fall. His sentencing is scheduled for June.

Now tech companies are working to make wearable gadgets the next big thing. But are users, especially female users, sold on the look of

smartwatches and other wearable tech? I'll talk to an expert after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:23:34] LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong, you are back watching News Stream.

The Apple Watch is due to be delivered on Friday, but as you can see Beyonce is already wearing one.

This photo, showing the gold version on the singer's wrist. It's on the homepage of her website right now.

Now finding a balance between fashion and function is a tricky one. For a look at how wearable technology can be visually appealing as well as

useful, I'm joined by the Wall Street Journal's personal technology columnist Joanna Stern.

Joanna, thank you so much for joining us here on CNN.

The Apple Watch, you reviewed it. I know you've used it extensively. What is it like as a woman to use this device?

JOANNA STERN, WALL STREET JOURNAL: You know, it's funny, a lot of people commenting on my Apple Watch as I walk around New York City. And

you can see it right now. And what's really interesting to me with this particular design is that both men and woman really like this design. Both

men and women saying I want that specific one.

So this one is the one with the Milanese loop.

And what I think Apple has done really well here, better than any other smartwatch maker, which isn't really saying much at this point --

we're only really looking at Samsung, LG, another small company called Pebble -- is they've created a design to appeals to both men and women.

When you go into the Apple store you don't say I'm a woman and I'm looking for the Apple Watch female, right, I'm not looking for that

specific model, you look at all of these bands, which kind of appeal to men and women. They do have a sort of pink leather band that may be more for

women. But the design is really unisex.

And I think that makes the difference here. When you look at a lot of the Android Wear smartwatches, those look like they were designed just for

men.

[08:25:08] LU STOUT: Yeah, so they're able to be universally appealing across the genders. In your video review that I watched online,

you say that the Apple Watch has, as you put it, an interface for people with doll hands. Is usability an issue for both men and women with the

Apple Watch?

STERN: It's funny you ask that, actually, because -- so the interface on one of the screens is sort of a screen with all these little circular

icons, it's the one they show in the Apple watch commercial. and one of the things is it's really hard to hit those targets.

Now I have the smaller version of the Apple Watch, this is the 32 millimeter version. And what I found is that it's actually harder to hit

those targets on the smaller screen, but I prefer the smaller screen because I have a smaller wrist, right.

So I think that's going to be a little bit of a compromise. I think Apple is also going to obviously fine-tune some of this and obviously

people will sort of figure out what is good for them, which interfaces they have to go to, which ones they don't. I sort of avoid that whole little

app home screen at this point.

But, yeah, I don't have doll hands. I have I think normal sized hands. I don't know, that's what they tell me -- the manicurists tell me.

I don't know.

LU STOUT: Now let's widen our discussion a bit and talk about just wearables in general. Are there wearable devices out there that women in

particular will want to wear?

STERN: Yeah, a few companies are going straight at the female demographic. And they're doing that in an interesting way. They're sort

of creating jewelry that's disguised as tech, or tech that's disguised a jewelry.

I think this is a really interesting concept. They're definitely getting the fashion right in these areas. There's one startup called

Ringly. They're making a really cool ring with a Facebook alert thing. It sort of lights up when you get a Facebook alert or an email alert. Another

company is doing similar thing with a design that's actually -- it's called (inaudible) and it actually tells you if you should get out of the sun. It

looks like a brooch. It's a beautiful piece of jewelry, but it actually pairs to your phone and tells you when you should get out of the sun.

The big thing with these, they look really nice, but the functionality is not there. And so to me the biggest thing that has to happen with this

is the fashion is just as important as the functionality. If we're going to put a piece of tech on our bodies, even if it looks fashionable, it has

to do something for us. And I think that's where the Apple Watch is in the right direction. It's the first piece of technology I want to put on my

body and I actually want to wear as a wearable.

LU STOUT: Yeah, it sounds like you're saying Apple Watch is delivering in terms of hitting that sweet spot of fashion and

functionality. But what about other makers, other companies who are also focusing on wearables. Are they listening to your criticism, what other

women are saying in particular? Will they focus on making wearable appealing and also less bulky for women while delivering that

functionality?

STERN: That's a great point. I think what we're seeing right now is the first generation of these wearables. That means they're really chunky

in many cases. If you look at the Android Wear watches, the one from Motorola, the one from LG, the one from Samsung, these are really big

watches.

Now chunky watches have been in style for women, but not ones that look like a smartphone glued to your wrist. I mean, that's not stylish and

that's not what I want to wear. When I actually wore the Motorola one, people -- I kept saying, like, yes, I know it looks like I'm wearing a

sundial on my wrist. That's not cool, that's not stylish.

And even if they perform the functions, or they have that technology in there I don't want to wear something like that.

So I think these other manufacturers definitely have to get in line with what Apple is doing, but the challenge is in that tech -- in the

technology parts. The components right now are just not good enough. And that's where I think even the Apple Watch is going to get so much better.

The batteries are going to be smaller, the screens are going to become more power efficient so the batteries don't have to be as big. There's a lot

that's going to happen with technology that's going to definitely influence the design of these products.

LU STOUT: Well, here's hoping your voice will be heard and the companies will deliver. Joanna Stern...

STERN: That's what I hope every day.

LU STOUT: Thank you. Take care.

Now you're watching News Stream. Still to come on the program, these deadly storms in Australia: high winds and flash floods have endangered

parts of New South Wales. We've got the details in the situation there straight ahead.

Now also ahead, a wave of xenophobic violence in South Africa. What the government is doing about it now. We go live to Johannesburg.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:31:45] LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

Now Italian police have arrested two members of the crew of a capsized migrant ship on suspicion of manslaughter and aiding clandestine

immigration. At least 800 people are estimated to have been on board, 28 have made it to Sicily alive.

An Egyptian court has sentenced for President Mohamed Morsy to 20 years in prison with an additional five years of probation. Morsy was

found guilty of inciting the killing of protesters in 2012. The verdict is subject to appeal.

Earlier this hour, a royal gun salute was staged in honor of Queen Elizabeth's 89th birthday. 62 rounds were fired off at the Tower of

London. Now the world's oldest living monarch is celebrating privately at Windsor Castle.

South Africa is deploying its army to the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg after a wave of violence targeting immigrants,that's according

to the defense minister spokeswoman. At least seven people have been killed in attacks on foreigners, many of them from neighboring African

nations.

Now for more on this, Diana Magnay joins me now from Johannesburg live. And Diana, the Zulu king, he has been appealing for calm. Has that

have any impact on helping to end the violence?

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The violence seems to have lulled, Kristie. There have been isolated incidents. Last night, for

example, in Alexandra, a Zimbabwean couple were shot at by gunmen who then fled, but the police at this stage don't know a motive can't prescribe

necessarily xenophobia to it.

As you said, though, South Africa's defense minister has said that she will deploy the army to assist the police across the country where they see

fit, because this is an emergency situation and she said there is a perception that South Africa is not protecting its foreign nationals

enough.

Alexandra township was where she made the statement. It is the scene of one of the ugliest incidents of this latest bout of Xenophobia, one that

was caught on camera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The looting seems to have run its course. The Somali shopkeepers won't be coming back here any

time soon, not until they feel safe again.

In Alexandra township in the north of Johannesburg never feels safe. It's one of the most impoverished and crime ridden places in the country.

Effluent pours from the hostel, the home from home for thousands of rural Zulus who have come to Johannesburg to seek work. Garbage lines the

streets.

And it was in a pile of garbage early Saturday morning that Emmanuel Sitole (ph) from Mozambique fought for his life, attacked by a gang of four

men who beat him with a wrench as he begged for mercy, then stamped him repeatedly.

JAMES OATWAY, THE SUNDAY TIMES: Despite the intensity -- and the way they moved...

MAGNAY: James Otwe (ph), senior photographer for South Africa's Sunday Times had come to photograph the looting. He captured this instead.

OATWAY: They wanted one thing and that was to kill Emmanuel. They wanted his blood and nothing was going to stop them from doing that.

MAGNAY: After the men fled, Oatway brought Emmanuel to hospital, but it was too late to save him. His death the seventh in this latest round of

xenophobic violence against migrants.

All four suspects have now made their first court appearance at the Alexandra magistrate's court. And police say that they were able to make

the arrests so quickly through the help of the local community who they say are fed up with criminals living in their midst.

And this time around, the police in stark contrast to previous episodes of xenophobic violence, have been praised for their visible and

proactive policing in the townships. And certainly for now, the violence seems to have calmed down.

[08:35:38] XOLANI GWALA, 70Q RADIO: The Sunday Times was able to change completely the way we talk about these ongoings and awful attacks.

MAGNAY: Xolani Gwala hosts an afternoon talk show on popular callin station 702. Xenophobia, the talk of the nation.

GWALA: Among other things that we're considering severing ties with South Africa...

MANGAY: He says people call in to say how shocked they are, but that they'll also raise the issue of immigration, much of it illegal.

GWALA: I think what is happening here is what is happening all over the world. The issue of immigration is such a big issue, but I don't think

that anyone not here, not in the world is able to address it directly and sufficiently. It's leading to the (inaudible).

MAGNAY: The Zulu king, accused of stoking xenophobic fires by saying foreigners should go home, held a special meeting on Monday to clarify,

calling on his people to protect foreign nationals. But even there, crowds sung xenophobic songs.

Nationalists, sometimes tribal sentiment, muddied by extreme poverty and a tendency towards violence, a toxic mix in Africa's southern most

nation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MAGNAY: And Kristie, the perception is that the Zulu king came out with those comments too late. Last week, xenophobic violence gripped

KwaZulu Natal (ph) and parts of Johannesburg and he could have retracted his comment in a much clearer way much sooner -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, CNN's Diana Magnay reporting live from Johannesburg, thank you.

Now powerful and deadly storms are battering Australia's New South Wales coast. Now police say the bodies of a woman and two men have been

found in one area north of Sydney. Some 200,000 homes and businesses are without power. Trees are uprooted. And people are being warned to stay

off the roads because of flash flooding and high winds.

Now you're watching News Stream. And still to come, armed guards in Kenya won't let this rhino out of their sights. I'll tell you why he is so

special next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now he is the most well-guarded rhino in the world, that's because Sudan, that's his name, is the last of his kind. Now conservationists in

Kenya are now in a race against time to preserve his species.

Now Kelly Morgan reports on the challenges they face.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELY MORGAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rare footage of a rare animal. This is Sudan, the last male northern white rhino in the world.

His keepers at this conservancy in Kenya encourage him to eat, but what they really want him to do is procreate with two females, Fatu and Nagin

(ph).

Now that's no easy task for a 42 year old rhino. He's old and not as fertile as he once was.

[08:40:07] DANIEL MWANKE: There are only five remaining in the world, three are here in (inaudible). And of course the last hope for saving the

species really relies on this one here.

MORGAN: On the brink of extinction, the rhinos are kept under armed guard around the clock. Patrol units are constantly on the lookout for

poachers who hunt the species fueled by a belief in Asia that the rhino horn can cure various ailments. The rarer the species has become, the more

lucrative the illegal trade.

MARTIN MULAMA: Most people are poor. And they are being used by these people to come and poach. So being given a lot of money. And

everyone get tempted to come and poach.

MORGAN: Even if they are protected from poachers, the surviving rhinos are likely to die within the next decade.

With time running out, the team here is investigating alternative methods of conception, including in-vitro fertilization using another

species of rhino as a surrogate.

At this dire stage, science is shaping as the northern white rhinos best change at thwarting extinction.

MWANKE: If we assisted the reproductive methods work, then we should be able to bring them back at a future date, should these ones go, you

know, die.

MORGAN: So, with the help of modern technology, Sudan could still save his species long after he is gone.

Kelly Morgan, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Just tragic to see that photograph of that last rhino there.

Now here is something else to consider, social media can be used as a tool for poaching, that's because of GPS tracking. Now many photos are now

geotagged with the coordinates of where they are taken. And this can make it easier for poachers to track down a rhinos location.

So if you are in a game park, do your part and turn off your smartphone's geotag function.

Now it might not be easy being green, but a newly discovered species of glass frog just found internet fame because of it. The Costa Rican

Amphibian Research Center put this photo on its Facebook page and delighted netizens. They quickly pointed out the amphibians bulging white eyes and

bright green skin are a striking resemblance to Kermit the Frog.

Now scientists were delighted by the real-life Muppet as well although for different reasons. They found Kermit's doppelganger hanging out in

Costa Rica. Now the last time a new glass frog was found in the country was over 40 years ago.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. World Sport with Christiana Macfarlane is next.

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