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Greece Agrees To Tough New Bailout Deal; Hunt for El Chapo Continues; Iconic Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata Dies at 55; New Horizons Prepares Flyby of Pluto; Chinese Arrest Dozens of Human Rights Activists, Lawyers. Aired 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired July 13, 2015 - 8:00   ET

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

[08:00:32] ANDREW STEVENS, HOST: I'm Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong. Welcome to News Stream.

Euro zone leaders reach an agreement on Greece, but the marathon talks are just the beginning of the new bailout process.

Plus, the hunt for El Chapo, Mexico's most notorious drug lord, has escaped from a maximum security prison.

And the gaming world says bye-bye to Satoru Iwata. The Nintendo CEO has passed away at the age of 55.

Greece now has just a few days to enact a series of tough economic reforms in exchange for its third bailout.

European leaders reaching a breakthrough agreement after 17 hours of tense negotiations in Brussels. The deal, which still faces several

obstacles, would avert a so-called Grexit, that's when Greek exits the eurozone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT (through translator): From the beginning of this so-called Greek case, the

commission has repeated again and again that the Grexit we would not accept any form of Grexit. There is no Grexit and of form and substance we are

satisfied with the result that we have found.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: So no Grexit, but a very, very tough economic picture now facing Greece.

Here is what we know, it's a multi-year deal. And the International Monetary Fund will be involved. A special fund will be set up that

includes $55 billion worth of Greek assets which will be sold off to repay some of the country's debt that will be held in trust effectively. Athens

will not be able to sell that in its own right.

Now, Athens has until Wednesday to pass and start enforcing a raft of austerity programs. Once that happens, the other euro zone states will

need to approve the plan.

Well, Greece is to receive a bridging loan in those next few days.

Well, the German chancellor Angela Merkel says one of the biggest issues holding up the agreement was one of trust.

Let's bring in our senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen, he joins us from Berlin.

Angela Merkel talking about trust, Germany has been talking about trust throughout these negotiations, Fred. When we now see the deal that

has been laid down, has Germany shown any sign of offering concessions, or is this pretty much what they wanted in the first place?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's pretty much what the Germans wanted in the first place. And it also

is a lot stronger, a lot more restrictive on Greece than the original proposal that the Greek public obviously voted down in that referendum that

took place.

And so certainly this will be a lot more difficult for the Greeks and the Germans have certainly piled on extra conditions as well, probably the

most strong of those conditions is the fact that Greece now has to put in place that fund that will be in Luxembourg with about 50 billion euros

worth of assets, and that's something that the Germans say was quite frankly very important to them to make sure that the Greek government is

under pressure to initiate a lot of these reforms to actually put aside things for privatization that will get money into the Greek coffers.

And so certainly it seems as though the deal that was put through now is one that reflects the fact that there is a big lack of trust between

Greece and many of the other eurozone countries, especially of course between Greece and Germany.

The Germans had said that to them a lot of trust was destroyed by the fact alone that this referendum took place. Also, by the way, that a lot

of the negotiations took place. And I think that the Greeks were also quite shocked when the eurozone countries put forward their list of

demands, their things that they believe that the Greeks needed to do to get these new bailout negotiations going.

And so certainly a lot of trust was not only lost, but I think also a lot of the way that these countries deal with each other as well -- Andrew.

STEVENS: OK, Fred, just stay where you are.

We want to bring in Elinda Labropoulou now who joins us live from Athens. And Elinda, as Fred was just saying there, there was some pretty

tough conditions, a tough, tough negotiation conducted by the Europeans on this bailout. It is, again, as Fred points out, this is worse than the

deal that was rejected by the Greeks just a few days ago.

So, how difficult is it going to be for the prime ministers to sell this to the Greek population?

[08:05:15] ELINDA LABROPOULOU, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the deal is was, but also the financial situation in the country is worse,

because the central banks closed, the situation deteriorated dramatically. So, I think people are really aware that a solution is needed very quickly.

They realized by now that they weren't going to get a very good deal out of Europe. And many people are very disappointed about that.

And I think they felt that with its prime minister and with its government that they would be able to get their point across, you know,

through this referendum that we had that's just enough of austerity and let's do something else, let's try something else.

They didn't get that out of Europe. And as a result they will be disappointed, but I think most people are at least happy that this Grexit

has been avoided, that there is some stability ahead. And there is also some hope that. And if these reforms voted in and implemented, that there

will be some debt relief as well.

STEVENS: Well, just on that point, I want to go back to Fred. This question of debt relief, Fred, it hasn't come up yet. And that was such a

key issue in the leadup to this deal, that the fact that Greece -- a lot of people were saying needed some form of debt relief, otherwise this would

almost be an endless cycle, yet we haven't seen it. Why was Germany not prepared to budge at all on debt relief on this particular negotiation.

PLEITGEN: Well, because they'd have a lot of trouble selling that to the German population as they've started talking about debt relief and

saying that all this money that's been put up for Greece so far was essentially lost.

Now it was interesting to hear Angela Merkel in the press conference that happened right after this deal here came through where she said, look,

there might be some debt relief in the future. There might be some accommodation towards the Greeks in the future, but there is not going to

be a nominal hair cut. And I think that that's something that's going to be very important not only when the German's sell this to their population,

but also when Angela Merkel sells this to some of her colleagues in the German parliament, to some of the conservative MPs who so far have said

that it's very difficult for them to explain to their constituencies why another Greek bailout program should be something that they should vote

for.

So, this is certainly something that will help her sell this at home. And they do expect that down the line there will be some form of debt

relief, but it's not something that is going to be nominal, Andrew.

STEVENS: OK, thanks, Fred.

So, turning back to Elinda, talking about the conditions which are now being imposed on Greece, just how tough and how big an impact is it going

to have on the economy? On your average Greek, you know, are we back in recession? When can they get their money out of the bank?

LABROPOULOU: Well, the prime minister himself when he tried to explain all about this deal and what he actually achieved in Brussels. He

did say that a lot of these measures are recessionary measures. So he didn't try to hide that from the Greek people. What he did do is try to

balance this with his idea of growth at 35 billion euros will be going to growth out of this new package. This whole possibility of breathing space.

So it's not just a question of what the measure are, it's also a question of how they will be managed, how they will be handed out, and

whether it will be a gradual process or something that we see thrown at the Greek people all at once.

But we are looking at rises (inaudible). They are looking at pension cuts, so basically a lot of the government's red lines until now seem to be

completely overlooked at this point.

STEVENS: Certainly tough times ahead, at least in the short-term for the Greeks. Elinda, thanks very much for that.

Elinda Labroupoulou joining us live from Athens and Fred Pleitgen in Berlin, thanks to you both.

Now the demands that are being made on Greece are dividing Twitter users, there was a surge in people using the hashtag #thisisacoup at the

weekend, expressing anger at Greece's treatment.

Just a short while ago, Spiras (ph) wrote, "EU has managed to effectively create the first debt colony within the EU. Who is next?"

In response, the hashtag #thisisnotacoup has also cropped up. Colin (ph) just tweeted, "if you can't pay, you shouldn't borrow. Furthermore,

you shouldn't hold the entire world hostage to your ridiculous demands."

Now, the Iranian President is the latest to join a chorus of optimism on the nuclear talks in Vienna. Iranian media are quoting him as saying an

agreement is close, but still under work.

Well, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also says that he's hopeful that a deal will come, although a few more issues still need to be

resolved.

CNN's Nic Robertson is following the talks closely in Vienna. And he joins us now.

Nic, it seems to be a recurring line here, a few more issues need to be resolved. It goes on and on. Is there a sense that they are actually

getting very, very close now?

[08:10:07] NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is a sense. I mean, certainly there are diplomats here, European diplomats, who

will tell you that they believe a deal is now close and that it can be done. It's more likely than unlikely.

But, you know, when you examine very closely the language that we've been hearing even yesterday when it sounded positive Secretary Kerry

talking about having positive meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that he though that decisions were being taken, they

needed to be taken, was -- it sounded positive, because that was the sort of language that wrapped around it.

But still at the center of it, it has come down to these two or three key issues that we continue to hear about late into last night, and even

into today, that those need to be addressed, the Iranian foreign minister today saying that he -- the talks wouldn't be extended beyond today, but on

this -- you know, on this key -- on these key issues, it still required a political decision on the U.S. side.

You get the sense that they've come awfully close. No one wants to walk away. There's a sense it's really within grasp, but they're just

holding out and holding out down down to the wire.

And what we've heard in the last couple of minutes quite literally is that the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini has gone into a

meeting now with the Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. We didn't get a readout of the meeting this morning between Secretary Kerry

and his negotiating partners, but the cameras that went into the room for that meeting that lasted a little over an hour, all the key players in

there -- Secretary Kerry, foreign ministers of China, Russia, France, Germany, EU foreign policy chief all looked very stony faced. So it seems

to be close, but not there yet Andrew.

STEVENS: Do you know what role, if you like, the Russians are playing in this -- these negotiations, Nic.

ROBERTSON: Well, certainly they've played a role that would support Iran in some of its demands. I mean, Iran has made it very clear that it

would not sign the broader nuclear agreement unless a UN sanctions enforced arms embargo was lifted. The Russians and the Chinese have indicated to

the Iranians and publicly as well that they believe that all sanctions against Iran should be lifted, phased, you know, that should be negotiated

how it's going over time, but including that arms embargo should be lifted. That's the Russian position, that's what the Iranians want, but that's not

something that Secretary Kerry seems to have been willing or able to give until now.

What we heard from the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi going into the meeting this morning was interesting. He said that no deal was perfect.

And perhaps that was a message for everyone around the table there that not everyone is going to get everything they want.

But of course both the United States, Secretary Kerry and the Iranians need to take this back to their capitals and be able to sell it. And the

United States potentially giving in to Russia's position of supporting, lifting this arms embargo, could be a push too far for Secretary Kerry to

sell back home in Washington -- Andrew.

STEVENS: Nic Robertson in Vienna. Thanks very much.

You're watching News Stream. Still ahead, a major manhunt in Mexico, a notorious drug lord pulling off a daring escape from a maximum security

prison. And it's not the first time he's done it either.

And reports that dozens of human rights lawyers and advocates have been detained in China, some accused of running a criminal gang. I'll tell

you what that means in just a moment, we'll be joined by Ivan Watson from Beijing.

Plus, condolences pouring in from the gaming world and beyond for Satoru Iwata. We'll look back on the life and times of a man who brought

us the Nintendo DS, not to mention the Wii console.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:46] STEVENS: Welcome back.

Now in Mexico, a manhunt is underway for the leader of one of the world's most powerful drug cartels. Joaquin Guzman, also known as El

Chapo, escaped through elaborate tunnel from a maximum security prison. And this is his second major prison escape. And Mexico's president is

promising the fugitive will be recaptured.

Well, let's head straight now to Mexico for the very latest. Polo Sandoval joins us now from the city of Almoloya de Juarez. And let's just

start, Polo, there must be a massive manhunt underway right now.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORREPSONDENT: Right, one of the main reason, Andrew, is as you just mentioned, he's an extremely powerful man. But

Joaquin Guzman also a very dangerous, very ruthless individual. He's also very much a wanted man, not just here in Mexico, but also across the border

in the United States. And already well over a day into the search and still no sign of this cartel's kingpin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: This morning, a massive international manhunt for one of the world's most powerful and deadly drug trafficking kingpins is underway.

Joaquin Guzman, known as El Chapo, and a major supplier of heroin, cocaine and marijuana in the United States staged a brazen escape from this Mexican

prison.

It's his second escape, and this time he busted out of a maximum security federal prison just west of Mexico City.

Prison officials said guards at Altiplano federal prison performed a routine check of camera feeds and noticed Guzman was missing on Saturday

evening.

At 5'6", Mexican authorities believe El Chapo, Spanish for Shorty, fit through a carved 20 by 20 inch hole located near the shower of his cell.

Beyond that, a vertical passage with stairs leading to a tunnel stretching nearly a mile.

The escape infuriated U.S. law enforcement officials who pushed for Chapo's extradition to the United States at the time of his recapture last

year. They cited fears of corruption and questioned the ability of Mexican officials to keep him behind bars.

TOM FUENTES, LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It's estimated that he may have murdered or order the murders of more than 10,000 people. so this is not

somebody that's playing around with prison officials, he pretty much controls what he wants to do. And they go along with it. They look the

other way to keep their families alive.

SANDOVAL: Guzman got out by way of an elaborate underground escape route complete with electricity, lighting, and tracks for a motorcycle and

even ventilation.

Investigators swarmed a half-built house at the other end, but Guzman was nowhere in sight.

The now two-time escapee broke out of prison in a laundry cart back in 2001 on the lam then for more than a decade. A break in that case came in

2013 when investigators discovered seven houses in Mexico. They were connected by an intricate web of secret passageways. Guzman evading

authorities through a hidden hatch under a bath tub.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And back out live here, west of Mexico City I could tell you that manhunt does continue. In fact, there's a partial perimeter

that's been set up in and around the prison facility itself. And also the nearby town of Toluca, but so far, as we mentioned, no sign yet. Lasting,

I should mention, Andrew, there -- it's almost obvious that Guzman had help from the outside, but now this morning there's concern that he may have

also had help from the inside.

At least 18 prison guards from this facility are in Mexico City right now. They are being interviewed by federal prosecutors. So, again, that's

very much a possibility that he had help on both sides -- Andrew.

STEVENS: Absolutely extraordinary that that tunnel a mile long, ventilation, electricity, you name it, it was there. Wondered it didn't

have a lot of coffee machines on the way. But extraordinary story.

Polo, thanks so much for that. Polo Sandoval joining us with the very latest.

Now, the media mogul Rupert Murdoch is challenging the U.S. billionaire Donald Trump after comments the Republican presidential

candidate made about illegal immigration in the United States.

Trump said some people crossing the border from Mexico are, quote, rapists and criminals.

Well, Murdoch, who is the owner of Fox television tweeted his disapproval on Sunday saying, Mexican immigrants as with all immigrants,

have a much lower crime rate than native born.

He cited El Paso in Texas as one of the safest cities and added, quote, Trump wrong.

Now, he interviewed -- excuse me, he introduced thousands from all walks of life to the world of gaming. The beloved and innovative Satoru

Iwata has passed away at the age of 55. We'll be taking a look back at an incredible gaming community that he helped build.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:22:58] STEVENS: A beautiful clear night here in Hong Kong.

Welcome back, you're watching News Stream.

Now content creation site Reddit is starting the week with a new CEO, its original co-creator Steve Huffman. Well, Huffman took the job after

CEO Ellen Pao resigned on Friday amid controversy. Huffman immediately taking to reassuring users on the website's Ask Me Anything page. The

popular site has nearly 230 million unique monthly users.

Outrage exploding on Reddit after a popular employee was fired and also when several forums known as sub-Reddits were banned as part of an

anti-harassment policy. Thousands calling for Pao to resign.

Well, Huffman is promising to deal with the backlash, but he has also defended Pao, saying that she stepped up during a very difficult time.

Well, Huffman has assured users that he'll work on a more transparent content policy to support free speech, while keeping the site free from

harassment.

Meanwhile, gamers are mourning the loss of Nintendo's president. Satoru Iwata passed away on Saturday after a long illness. The 55 year old

was famed in the industry for finding success by doing things his own way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: A CEO with a difference. Satoru Iwata was known for his YouTube broadcasts like this, delivering the news about Nintendo's latest

games directly to its fans.

Iwata spoke to gamers because he was a gamer.

He started as a programmer at Hao Laboratory (ph), working on the Kirby series and other popular titles for Nintendo. That's where he caught

the eye of Nintendo's long-time leader Hiroshi Yamauchi who chose him as his successor in 2002.

Iwata took over a Nintendo in decline, struggling to compete against giants like Sony and Microsoft. But within five years, he'd turned the

company around. His plane was to let his rivals fight for hardcore gamers. Instead, he created the DS and Wii, two consoles designed to attract people

who don't play games.

It worked.

Scenes like this became common: senior citizens bowling on the Wii, proof that Nintendo and Iwata had expanded the definition of gamer.

But that success would not continue.

Nintendo's next console, the Wii U flopped. And many wondered just how long Nintendo's handhelds could hold out against smartphone gaming.

These troubled times for Nintendo came at a tough time for Iwata. He didn't attend E3 in June, gamings biggest annual show, but Iwata had a

typically quirky solution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're ready to start filming the Nintendo digital event for E3 2015.

IWATA: OK, thank you.

STEVENS: Iwata gave his presentation on YouTube as a muppet, speaking to gamers one last time as only he could.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Well, tributes to Iwata have been flowing in. Even executives at Microsoft and Sony paying tribute to their rival. And this

quote from Iwata may explain why gamers felt so much affection for him, "on my business card I am a corporate president, in my mind I am a game

developer, but in my heart I am a gamer."

Satoru Iwata dead at 55.

Now, News Stream will be back in just a moment.;

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEVENS: I'm Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong. And you're watching News Stream. These are your world headlines.

Eurozone leaders have reached an agreement that paves the way for a third bailout for Greece. The deal would be worth between 91 and 96

billion dollars over the next three years. But for it to be finalized, the Greek parliament must approve deep economic reforms by Wednesday.

A manhunt is underway in Mexico for the leader of one of the world's most powerful drug cartels. Joaquin Guzman, known also as El Chapo,

escaped through an elaborate tunnel from a maximum security prison. This is the second prison escape. Mexico's president promises the fugitive will

be recaptured.

Diplomats from Iran and six world powers say that they may be close to a deal on Tehran's nuclear program. Iranian negotiators say they've been

examining a 100 page document, the possible precursor to a deal.

Malala Yousafzai turned 18 on Sunday and celebrated her birthday in an extraordinary way. The Nobel Peace Prize winner opening a school in

Lebanon for Syrian refugee girls. Reuters says the school can host up to 200 girls ages 14 to 18.

OK, let's return now to our top story, that agreement on a new bailout plan for Greece. Our Nina Dos Santos has been following reaction to the

deal from London, and she joins us now.

The markets always have a fairly strong reaction to deals of this nature. What's been thumbs up or thumbs down -- Nina?

[08:30:51] NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thumbs up, but it hasn't been completely 100 percent up, it's been sort of like this if you

like on the dial, Andrew.

These European markets, yes, they're appreciating to the tune of about 1.5, 1.8 percent, but it's nowhere near the kind of 2, 2.5 percent plus

appreciations that we saw when, you know, before this referendum was on the table, before the bad blood had been spilled in the room. And these

fraught negotiations had taken place.

Nevertheless, it is being viewed as a good thing for the markets. So, let's talk about this deal. Greece's third potential bailout in five years

is what we're talking about, worth around about 96 billion dollars, so an awful lot of money, but it will be contingent upon Greece putting forward

these reform proposals and passing them within just three days' time.

And then after that it has to go through another five parliaments, including the mighty Germany Bundestag, which has become increasingly anti-

Greek.

Now, this deal also includes 27 billion dollars to recapitalize Greece's broken banks. That chunk of money will be coming from a special

55 billion dollar fund which will be set up, located in Greece, but crucially administered by the creditors, and that will keep the

privatization track record going as well, because a lot of what will be inside that fund will be assets that will need to be privatized,

privatization was something that was very much lacking in progress over the last two bailout terms.

I want to bring you the kind of note of optimism that Francois Hollande, the French president, brought to the table a few hours ago after

those negotiations concluded. The French were very much desperate to see this deal done. Here's what we had to say, Andrew.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): Greece didn't want to lose its sovereignty, and it was right. And it battled.

Alexis Tsipras battled for the fund to be in Greece. It should be managed by the Greeks with the help of the European Commission and the

institutions, and that these funds should be used for Greece's growth and investments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOS SANTOS: So, what he's talking about there, Andrew, is that 55 billion dollar fund. Now there was some interesting moments throughout the

course of the last 24 hours when Germany apparently had reportedly insisted that that fund not be based in Greece at all, that it be based in

Luxembourg. And Germany also at one point was insisting that Greece take a five year sabbatical from the single currency to try and get its house in

order before lending it any more money.

Just some news that's come in to us over the last five minutes or so. We are finally have that response from the European Central Bank, the other

key creditor in these negotiations. Not saying anything that we weren't expecting here, but it has agreed to continue to lend to those Greek banks

on the same conditions that it was before, but not upping the amount of money that they're giving them. So that means that the Greek banks are

probably going to stay closed and probably it's going to be 60 euros a day as we've seen the people at ATMs. And that's been the scenario for the

last two weeks.

STEVENS: Two weeks, the pain of just surviving on 60 euros a day. Thanks, Nina.

Now, let's quickly look at what's been happening in the Chinese markets for a start of the new week. And the two main indexes climbing for

the third day in a row on Monday.

The Shanghai Composite up more than 2 percent. The tech heavy Shenzhen index also up. Shanghai now up 13 percent since last Wednesday

when it bottomed out from panic selling and the government moved in to stop the rout.

A key new development today, though, hundreds of companies relisting on the stock exchange after they'd halted trading last week, effectively

avoiding the selloff. The share prices of most of those smaller companies rising on Monday. In fact, the small company index was up more than 6

percent at the close, that's its best performance in more than six years. So things continue to calm down in China.

Now rights groups say Chinese authorities have detained dozens of lawyers and activists, a number of them belong to a law firm that's

represented petitioners as -- well, as at least one journalist.

Let's get the details now from our senior international correspondent Ivan Watson. He joins us now from Beijing.

And Ivan, first of all, what more can you tell us about these arrests?

[08:34:56] IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The scale of the police raids and arrests have sent ripples of alarm through the aid --

the human rights community here as well as abroad.

According to a Hong Kong-based lawyers advocacy group that advocates for rule of law, it's named more than 100 people that it says were rounded

up, mostly over the course of the weekend in at least 10 different Chinese cities, all human rights activists and human rights lawyers, and in some

cases their relatives. The vast majority of them have been released, but at least 24 people remain in custody.

The Chinese police have put out a statement. And they say that they were targeting what they describe as criminal groups that are suspected of

paying for illegal organized protests. And in particular, the police statement names a Beijing-based law firm called the Feng Rhee (ph) Law

Firm, that's where, according to an employee, at least 10 lawyers from that law firm have been arrested.

And the details from one of them, a well known woman named Wong Yu (ph), she described, according to the Hong Kong based advocacy group in

text messages how her internet and electricity were cut off to her Beijing home in the pre-dawn hours on Thursday and then about an hour later, she

sent a text saying that somebody was trying to break into her apartment. And then she disappeared and her phone went dead.

Subsequently, her husband and her 16-year-old son were detained. The son has since been released.

Chinese state television has published televised confessions of at least one man said to be a lawyer from the Feng Rhee (ph) law firm,

describing illegal actions of the law firm. We don't know whether or not that televised confession was forced under duress.

STEVENS: So, what sort of reaction has there been from the rights groups, from other lawyers?

WATSON: Well, you know, we talked to one veteran dissident activist from Shanghai who says he was detained late at night on Friday and

interrogated into the early hours of the morning and then released. And he says that the message that the police was telling him was do not promote,

do not write about this on the internet the arrests of these lawyers.

The man says that he's been detained dozens of times in the last two years, and he wasn't very phased by this.

Now, Amnesty International has condemned this. The U.S. State Department has also condemned this roundup and suggested that this is China

interpreting a controversial new national security law that was just passed this month and that widely expands the definition of potential threats to

China, national security threats, the U.S. State Department suggesting that this law is being abused for the purpose of cracking down on human rights

lawyers.

Of course, we anticipate Beijing will continue to argue that these people were criminals and were trying to disrupt the public order.

It is a suggestion many critics put forward that President Xi Jinping, who has repeatedly argued in favor of expanding and strengthening rule of

law in this country, critics say instead he's been cracking down on people who criticize his own government in previous waves of arrest -- Andrew.

STEVENS: Ivan Watson in Beijing, thanks for that.

Now, multiple reports say a high profile Tibetan religious leader has died in a Chinese prison. Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was serving 20 years on

charges of separatism.

Now, it's not immediately clear how he died. Activists have been campaigning for his release for years now.

Tibet is an autonomous region within China. Many Tibetans dispute China's rule and accuse authorities of stepping on religious freedom.

You're watching News Stream. Just ahead, its taken nearly a decade, but NASA is now on course to take new up close images of Pluto. The

mission has already revolutionized the way we look at this icy world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEVENS: Lights, camera, action: Pluto is preparing for its closeup. NASA's New Horizon space probe is due to make its closest approach to the

icy planet. Jonathan Mann tells us more about the mission.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN MAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look at this fuzzy picture. Scientists have been waiting more than nine years to take it. See that

heart on the right? It's a bright area that may be frost. That dark area to the left of the heart? Scientists are calling it the whale and they are

eager to learn more about it.

They don't have long to wait. After traveling about five-billion kilometers to the very edge of the solar system, the space probe called New

Horizons will fly-by within 10,000 kilometers of the dwarf planet on Tuesday.

Pluto get ready for your close-up.

New Horizons is a marvel, designed to travel through space for years and years while its sensitive cameras and scientific instruments were

hibernating and covered up, to protect them. It started taking photos of the distant, icy planet in April.

As the probe approaches Pluto, the images are expected to be hundreds of times more detailed.

ALAN STERN, NASA PLANETARY SCIENTIST: It's got guidance systems and communication systems and propulsion systems and seven scientific

instruments on board. It's actually pretty high tech. It's the most sophisticated space craft ever sent on a first reconnaissance mission. And

I think the pictures of Pluto and its moons are going to knock people's socks off.

MANN: But be sure to buy more socks. New Horizons will continue to gather data after it goes by Pluto. Its power source allows it operate in

space for another 20 years.

STERN: But we can't predict what the discoveries will be and that's the best part. This is real exploration and nothing's been done, anything

like this really since the 1980s and the Voyager program. It's been a long time.

MANN: A long time and a very long way to go. And the closest any of us will probably ever get to seeing a distant world with a heart.

Jonathan Mann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Infinity and beyond.

Now you heard from New Horizon's principle investigator Alan Stern there. And tomorrow, make sure you tune in. I interviewed him and asked

about his thoughts on Pluto's -- among other things, Pluto's demotion to dwarf planet. He's not happy about. And he'll tell you why.

But right now, that is News Stream. Thanks for joining me. I'm Andrew Stevens. World Sport with Patrick Snell is just ahead.

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