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Disturbing New Video Surfaces Depicting Aftermath of MH17; Four U.S. Marines Killed In Mass Shooting in Tennessee; Google's Cultural Institute; Japan Scraps Controversial Design for Olympic Stadium; German Parliaments Votes for Greek Bailout Plans. Aired 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired July 17, 2015 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:31] ANDREW STEVENS, HOST: I'm Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong. Welcome to News Stream.

Authorities investigate the killing of four U.S. marines as the country deals with another mass shooting.

A year after MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, disturbing new video emerges of the aftermath.

And German lawmakers are set for a crucial vote on whether to proceed with a bailout for Greece.

We begin this hour in Chattanooga, Tennessee where a terrorism task force is now investigating Thursday's deadly mass shooting. Four U.S.

marines were killed and three people were wounded in the shooting rampage at two military centers.

Police killed the suspected shooter, identified as 24 year old Muhammad Youssuf Abdulazeez. Born in Kuwait, he had a Jordanian

citizenship, but was a naturalized U.S. citizen.

There are reports he may have traveled to the Middle East recently, but he was not in any of the U.S. databases of suspected terrorists.

Well, the FBI director briefed the U.S. president after the fatal shootings. Barack Obama then addressed the nation, sending his

condolences to the families.

He also promised a very thorough and prompt investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My main message right now is obviously the deepest sympathies of the American people to the four

marines that have been killed. It is a heartbreaking circumstance for these individuals who have served our country with great valor to be killed

in this fashion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Witnesses say there was so many bullets fired, they lost count. Law enforcement officials tell us Abdulazeez was carrying 30 round

clips, which helped him keep police at bay for some time.

CNN's Victor Blackwell has more on how this attack played out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the aftermath of 24-year-old gunman Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez's rampage. He

targeted U.S. military personnel at two with locations. This is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

BILL KILLIAN, U.S. ATTORNEY: This is a sad day for the United States.

These service members served their country with pride and they have been the victims of these shootings.

BLACKWELL: Shortly before 11:00 a.m., Abdulazeez drove up to a military recruitment center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, pulled out a high

powered rifle and opened fire according to witnesses.

GINA MULE, WITNESS: I seen the guy in the car, silver mustang, and he had a high-powered rifle. It wasn't simultaneously but it was pow, pow,

pow. And he was firing shots over here right next door to us and to the air force, Navy and marine office. I mean, I can't -- I don't even know how

many shots he fired but it was a lot.

BLACKWELL: The suspect then headed to a nearby naval reserve center about seven miles away. There, Abdulazeez opened fire killing four marines

and wounding three others, including a policeman and military serviceman. He was engaged by authorities and he is now deceased, ending a 30 minute

long incident.

CHIEF FRED FLETCHER, CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE POLICE DEPARTMENT: What we do know is this somebody brutally and brazenly attacked members of our

armed services.

BLACKWELL: Tonight, authorities are doing a thorough forensic examination of the suspect's car hoping to find any evidence or clues it

might hold. It is believed that he acted alone. FBI and ATF are actively investigating and declared it a federal crime scene. A former recruit is

devastated to see the aftermath.

MATTHEW SPURGEON, FORMER RECRUIT: That door with bullet holes all over it was the door that I walked through in 2009 to join the military and it

hurts me.

BLACKWELL: And you know, one of the things that both the media and investigators are hoping to find in situations like this is video, possibly

surveillance video. Well, we learned from the property manager at the Lee highway, the location where that recruitment center is, that there is one

surveillance camera that points at the parking lot right next to the recruitment center. And we're told that the FBI has been in contact to try

to get that video. That is if video was recorded, no confirmation that it was. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:05:14] STEVENS: Victor Blackwell there.

Now a jury in the U.S. State of Colorado, meanwhile, has found James Holmes guilty of multiple counts of murder for opening fire inside a

crowded movie theater, killing 12 people and wounding 70. Holmes had not visible reaction when the verdict was read. He had pleaded not guilty by

reason of insanity to the 2012 attack. the 27-year-old could be sentenced to death.

Now we have this just coming in to us here at CNN. German lawmakers have voted to move ahead with a third bailout for Greece.

Parliament had to give approval in order to move ahead with negotiations, but some members of the governing party do not support that

deal.

Well, speaking ahead of the vote, the chancellor Angela Merkel said it would be negligent and irresponsible not to help Athens.

Fred Pleitgen joins us now from Berlin with the latest.

And in the end, how close was this vote, Fred?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It wasn't close at all, Andrew. I just got the most recent tally just now of the 538 members

of parliament who were voting on all of this, 439 said yes, 119 said no, and 40 abstained from the vote, those 40 mostly from the Green Party. Many

of them said they would abstain from the vote.

The no votes coming mostly from the left wing party.

So, far the votes haven't actually been tallied. There was a vote by name, so at some point we're going to find out how many members of Angela

Merkel's governing coalition actually did not vote for this measure. There were some who said that they would vote against it, some very prominent

members of the coalition, in fact.

Now, Angela Merkel in the speech running up to this vote was adamant about the fact that there was no alternative to this plan. She said that a

Grexit is not something that she believed was in the cards, or could be in the cards. And she kept talking about the solidarity within Europe.

Let's listen in in to what Angela Merkel had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMANY CHANCELLOR(through translator): No matter large the differences, we are going to engage and get involved in

overcoming Greece's problem, because the UE and the euro is not only a currency, it is the fundamental concept of European unity. And the fact

that Europe has become a community combined in good and bad futures and that those -- that and good futures -- cover all countries and go across

borders, that is a fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: That's Angela Merkel there speaking earlier today.

And of course there were several points of contention. On the one hand, you have the opposition parties, especially the left wing party who

felt that the conditions that were placed on the Greeks were simply too tough, especially the most left wing party in German parliament is

affiliated with Greece's Syriza Party.

And then of course as we've been talking about, there were those who felt that this goes too far, that Germany is offering too much help for the

Greeks. There's many who believe that even this new bailout package, where the negotiations are going to start very soon, that even that will not

solve the Greek debt crisis and that in fact there might have to be a haircut for the Greeks.

So, certainly Angela Merkel taking flak from both sides very concerned about the conservative members within her own parliamentary faction.

However, the vote itself not even close, Andrew.

STEVENS: And she's also being taken flak, hasn't she, across Europe about her stand, particularly from many people saying that Germany should

have offered some sort of debt relief, because there just is no end in sight for the Greek paying without debt relief.

Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, obviously, Fred.

But I wonder how damaged has Mrs. Merkel been by this politically? Is she a diminished figure politically now in Germany?

PLEITGEN: I don't think she's a diminished figure at all. I think that this -- the people in her faction who voted against this is a setback

for her. I don't think that it diminishes her standing here within Germany. I don't think that it diminishes the power that she currently

has. Also in the light of the fact that there really isn't much of a political alternative to Angela Merkel here at this point in time. If you

look at the opinion polls in Germany, then her party, the CDU and CSU are about 42 percent. The next closest party is at about 23.

So, still it doesn't damage her in the long-term. However, one of the things that many believe is that it has damaged Germany's standing within

Europe.

I mean, you were talking about the fact that Germany was heavily criticized in places like France in places like Italy as well, of course in

places like Greece as well. And there were German members of parliament who were also saying, look, we don't like this stance that Germany is

taking where it appears as though it's a more selfish stance, possibly a less European, a less pro-European stance than we've seen before.

So this is certainly something where they believe that this has done a lot to undermine Germany's position and its popularity within Europe. And

there are Germans who are very, very concerned about that, Andrew.

[08:10:17] STEVENS: Fred, thanks very much. Fred Pleitgen joining us live from Berlin.

Now, banks in Greece have been shut for nearly three weeks. They are still waiting for the government approval to open on Monday.

Some Greeks feel that they'd be better off without that bailout we've been talking about, but others are resigned to it.

Here's what some people in Athens have to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): In my opinion, we must be within the community despite their and our mistakes. We need to have

calmness as a people and tend to be impulsive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The course that they have chosen, in my opinion, won't bring a solution. I think the problems are

much deeper and they are internal and not exterior.

UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE (through translator): The conditions we're facing are very tough. So I think that all of us are hoping for the same thing

regardless of our political beliefs, development and growth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Some voices from the streets of Athens.

Well, Greece, also has more debt payments coming due. The next big one is to the European Central Bank, and that's due on Monday.

You're watching News Stream. Still ahead on the show, a teenage refugee asks Chancellor Angela Merkel why she can't stay in Germany. And

it all played out on television.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEVENS: Welcome back to News Stream.

And you're looking at a visual version of all the stories we've got on the show today.

A little earlier, we told you about German lawmakers voting to approve a bailout for Greece. Well, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel managed to

come out on top despite opposition from her own party. Merkel also came under fire on Thursday for a completely different reason over how she

handled an exchange with a young Palestinian girl.

Well, during a question and answer session on television, the girl started crying because she and her family faced deportation. Ms. Merkel

tried to comfort the girl while defending her country's policies, but critics say she appeared a little awkward.

Atika Shubert has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel is widely seen as one of the most power power women in the

world. And on a Wednesday talk show, she was explaining why Germany had to limit the number of refugees coming in when she was confronted by a

Palestinian teenage refugee who identified herself as Rheem (ph). She and her family now face deportation, she told the Chancellor in fluent German.

UNIDENITIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I have goals in life like everyone else. I want to go to university. That's a goal I want to

achieve.

SHUBERT: But when Merkel began to explain her tough political decision, Rheem (ph) began to cry. And the chancellor went to her side,

sharply rebuking the moderator who tried to interject.

MERKEL (through translator): I know this is a very difficult situation. But I just wan to give her a hug now. We don't want to put you

in a such a situation, because we know how hard this is for you. You have done so well to explain to many, many others of how one can get into this

situation.

SHUBERT: This is a rare emotional and public moment for Chancellor Angela Merkel, but it is a real and pressing issue for German voters. This

year alone there are projected to be some 400,000 new applications for asylum in Germany, that's more than double the number from last year.

Many arrive in Bavaria, the south of the country, where army barracks, gymnasiums, camp sites, even shipping containers have been pressed into

service as temporary homes for refugees.

But none of that makes it any easier for the chancellor to explain to a teenage refugee why her family can't stay in Germany.

Atika Shubert, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: It's been exactly one year since Malaysian Airlines flight 17 was shot down in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

Memorial events are being held around the world to honor the victims.

In Australia, families and dignitaries gathered for a ceremony at Parliament House. 39 Australians were on that light.

And across The Netherlands, Dutch flags are flying at half staff as people mourn. The country was home to most of the passengers of MH17. The

flight was traveling from Amsterdam to Malaysia.

Meanwhile, new video has emerged of what appears to be the immediate aftermath of that crash. It was obtained by News Corps Australia. They

say pro-Russian separatists recorded this video. And you can hear people speaking Russian in the background, telling civilians to leave.

News Corps reports the men realize the plane was commercial aircraft as they go through what appears to be the personal belongings of

passengers. CNN has not independently confirmed the authenticity of this video, but the Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop says that it's

consistent with investigation findings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIE BISHOP, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: It is disgusting to watch that video footage. I can't verify the authenticity of it, but it is

certainly consistent with all that we were told, the advice that we received 12 months ago that flight MH17 had been shot down by a missile in

eastern Ukraine and that the pro-Russian separatists were involved.

This footage is very disturbing. And coming as it does exactly 12 months to the day just adds to the inconsolable grief that the families and

friends of the victims aboard that flight must be feeling today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: And we'll be crossing live to CNN's Kelly Morgan in Moscow after the break.

You're watching News Stream. Also ahead on the show, faced with heavy criticism and skyrocketing costs, Japan scraps the design of its new

Olympic stadium. We've got more on that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:21:44] STEVENS: Friday night here in Hong Kong.

That's the view looking across Victoria Harbor. Welcome back to News Stream.

I want to go back now to one of our top stories today. It's been one year since Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was shot down. The investigation

into the plane's fate is still ongoing. As you just heard, many western countries believe pro-Russian rebels shot down the plane.

Well, CNN's Kellie Morgan joins us now from Moscow.

And Kellie, there is video now circulating which appears to show rebels speaking Russian at the site of the crashed airliner with the

wreckage still very much smoldering. As I say, speaking Russian.

I'm not aware if the Kremlin knows about it. Have you heard anything? Are they responding to it?

KELLIE MORGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there hasn't been any reaction from the Kremlin today about this particular footage, which you

know as you say if it is authentic it does appear to show Russian -- a pro- Russian rebels there at the site of MH17 one year ago sifting through the wreckage and looking at people's belongings, talking about searching for

the black box, talking about two planes, and also -- you know, they're being filmed the moment that they recognize that this is a passenger plane

and not a military jet.

And there is a line there where you hear in a phone conversation where one of the men speaking Russian says who gave them permission -- well, not

the quite -- said that way -- but who told them they could use the corridor? Who gave them permission to fly in this area?

As we know, it was a conflict zone.

But nothing from the Kremlin. The Kremlin has of course expressed its condolences for the victims, but there have been other scenarios as to what

could have happened come out of Russia right throughout the last year, one of them -- one of those scenarios that has been suggested from a Russian

investigation committee here is that it would have been an air-to-air missile strike and pointing the finger there at a Ukraine military jet.

But this footage today, if authenticated, does owe -- well, it's hard to say, isn't it, but it does appear compelling it will now form part of

the investigation with that final report by the Dutch-led investigators due out in October.

STEVENS: OK, Kellie, thank you very much for that. Kellie Morgan joining us live from Moscow.

Now, the front page of the internet, as it calls itself, is making a few changes to what content people can actually see. Reddit has announced

that it's banning harassment and illegal activity. Communities that insight harm like one sub-Reddit that encourages rape, are to be banned.

However, Reddit is keeping some hate groups on its site, though they will be kept hidden and users will have to log in to actually access them.

Now Reddit's new CEO calls the site a place to have open and authentic discussions, but adss that unfettered free speech can make Reddit a less

enjoyable place to visit and can even cause people harm outside of Reddit.

Now Reddit is one of the biggest online communities, but also may be unfamiliar to many. It's essentially a collection of links to other

contents that users find interesting. The top stories you see here reached the top, because Reddit's users voted them to the top.

Now the community finds content and the voting system allows what's interesting to actually rise.

Now that's why stories that go viral actually often start right here on Reddit.

Reddie's communities like this gaming section, for example, are moderated by users appointed by other users. So the site has always felt a

degree of independence since users control the experience and the site imposes very few rules.

But that freedom has allowed an unsavory side to flourish, as we've been saying. For example, there are parts of Reddit dedicated to racism

and sexism. And they've been allowed to exist freely.

But now Reddit's founders are cracking down on that sort of content.

Now the conflict -- that conflict with the way the site has operated for years.

Now, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the design for a controversial Tokyo stadium will be scrapped after its costs skyrocketed.

Intended to be part of Tokyo's 2020 Olympics, the stadium attracted criticism after its pricetag reached $2 billion.

CNN's Will Ripley has the latest from Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:26:20] WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This empty lot was supposed to be the site of Japan's centerpiece stadium for the 2020

Tokyo Olympics. But Prime Minister Shinzo Abe just announced he is scrapping plans for the project. He says it's because it's become way too

expensive, and frankly way too controversial.

SHINZO ABE, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (through translator): A construction cost has been greatly inflated and there were criticism from

the public, including the athletes on the plan, which made me believe that we'll not be able to host the game that everyone in this country will

celebrate. RIPLEY: The original cost of the stadium was supposed to be around $1 billion. That figure has ballooned to more than #2 billion and rising, not

to mention a fury of criticism over the design, critics calling it glitzy and garish, a disgrace to figure generations.

Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid's designed has been compared to everything from a giant bike helmet to a turtle to a white elephant.

Rivals say they can build a cheaper, more attractive stadium.

Abe says he's been thinking about this for a month. And he's confident a new stadium can be ready in time for the 2020 Olympics and

Paralympics. But his decision comes with a price. Abe says the stadium won't meet the deadline for the rugby World Cup in 2019, but that cup still

will be played here in Japan.

So now Japan has to come up with a new plan as soon as possible. The question is, what are they going to do? Are they going to build a new

stadium here? Will they refurbish the existing 1964 Olympic stadium? Critics say whatever they do will be better than that so-called bike helmet

which came this close to being an unwelcome Japanese icon for decades to come.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: And just for a mere $2 billion.

Now still to come the show, the Iran nuclear deal has angered several U.S. allies. And now it turns out the deal has yet another set of vocal

critics. Oil producers in Asia are among the (inaudible) among many skeptics as well. Details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:46] STEVENS: I'm Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong. And you're watching News Stream. These are your world headlines.

It's been exactly one year since Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was shot down in eastern Ukraine. New video appears to show the immediate aftermath

of the crash. News Corps Australia obtained the footage and says pro- Russian separatists recorded it . CNN has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the video.

A terrorism task force is investigating the shooting rampage in Tennessee on Thursday. Four U.S. marines were killed and at least three

people were wounded when a gunmen opened fire at two U.S. military installations. The police killed the suspected shooter 24 year old

Muhammad Yousseff Abdulazeez.

German lawmakers have given their support to the new Greek bailout agreement. Out of the 598 votes cast, 119 said no. With parliament's

approve negotiations now move ahead. It is the third financial rescue for Athens.

The UN security council is expected to ratify the nuclear deal with Iran on Monday. The timing has been criticized by U.S. Senate leaders

since congress has yet to weigh in on the agreement. Meanwhile, President Obama is to meet with the Saudi foreign minister at the White House. The

Saudis are not happy with the deal.

Now it's also bad news for Asian oil producers as it could see Tehran adding to the already big over supply of oil globally.

Outside the U.S., more oil rigs stand idle in Asia than anywhere else in the world.

I want to Singapore to catch up with oil producers there and they say they've already been hit hard by the existing low crude prices.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Celebrations on the streets of Tehran after a deal that's reshaping relations between Iran and the west with both sides claiming

victory. In exchange for limits on its nuclear activities, Iran will get relief from sanctions.

Eventually that could mean a global market for its huge oil reserves, and that would keep downward pressure on prices for some time to come.

And for Asia, that's bad news. The oil industry here is already struggling after the price of crude more than halved. New, unused rigs,

clog Singapore's harbor, the hub of southeast Asia's oil trading and services industry.

THOMAS TAN, CEO: The oil companies, the oil (inaudible) have actually suspended a lot of drilling activities.

STEVENS: Oil services chief Thomas Tan says producers right now don't want any more of these $200 billion platforms.

Low prices mean some firms would rather cancel operations than drill and have to spend $70,000 a day just to maintain the rig. Less than half

of all offshore rigs in southeast Asia are producing any oil at all, just 61 out of 123.

Outside the U.S., that's the lowest rate in the world.

TAN: There's a lot of over capacity. And there are a lot of new rigs coming to (inaudible) this year, which could be in the region of about say

70 rigs will be ready for delivery. and there are no contracts in.

STEVENS: Experts say this doesn't look like just short-term pain for producers, and that prices could remain week for years.

JEFF BROWN, PRESIDENT, FACTS GLOBAL ENERGY: Once we get past 2020, then we start to see prices recover again, because partly what's been

happening is CapEx is falling. People are spending as much, demand does continue to grow, even if it's not as fast, and then you start to get

pressure on the market gain.

STEVENS: The days of $100 barrel oil are a fading memory, and looking forward a distant dream.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Bad news for producers, good news, though, of course for consumers.

Now in half an hour from now, World Business Today will be taking a closer look at what this week's oil prices have been doing after the west

and Iran struck that deal. Make sure you stay tuned for that.

Still ahead here on News Stream, it's an unparalleled virtual art museum. WE explore Google's cultural institute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:36:51] STEVENS; So, it's Friday and you're probably thinking about your weekend plans right now.

Well, some people may be looking forward to a trip to the museum, but there is a way you can get a similar experience even if you're still at

work. Kristie Lu Stout spoke to the director of Google's cultural institute to find out more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMIT SOOD, GOOGLE: Since Google started, the mission has always been to organize and provide access to information. but that information also

pertains to culture. And the cultural industry, or the cultural market, so to speak, in terms of the content hasn't really taken advantage of the

internet at the moment. And so it's in our interest, but it's also in the interest of the museums to really embrace what's happening on the internet.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And with the Google Cultural Institute you've been working with exhibition spaces,

museums, curators all over the world, various projects, including here in Hong Kong, one on Hong Kong neon.

We filed a story on this last year here on News Stream. We find this to be very important. But why was this on Google's radar?

SOOD: Well, because it really is important that local ideas and local projects that are happening in the cultural space get a global audience, I

think. And this is a great example -- the neon project was a great example of something that's hyper local, but it's very interesting for anybody.

I've shown this to friends in New York, in London, and people are just amazed at this exhibition, because it's pretty fascinating.

You know, you know about Hong Kong, but you don't see Hong Kong from the eyes of neon lights, right. It's quite a fascinating idea.

LU STOUT: And Hong Kong now has its first gigapixel image. It's an image from the Hong Kong maritime museum. It's right here on the screen.

When you bring something up in a gigapixel version of it, what information, what additional insight does it offer to the viewer?

SOOD: Sure.

So all the objects, all the 6 million objects on our site, what's special a bout them compared to other sites is that they all allow you to

travel within the object. And travel equals zoom.

And so what we do with gigapixels, we add a little extra on top. And we allow you to zoom extremely close to the canvas, to a rock sculpture.

And this painting from the maritime museum, it's fantastic, because in each section there's a story. I've spent a couple of hours looking at different

things. There's an official here having his journey, you know, entering the city. And, you know, you can start noticing that there's a guy

following him quite humbly, and there's a monk over there. And you can really zoom in to close to his facial features.

And you know, this is the type of technology that allows people to engage more with the artwork. But you also have contextual information

with the details, with curatorial knowledge, so it's not just about zooming in and out.

ANDERSON: Right. But when we zoom in, that's when we get the full story of this painting.

SOOD: You get what you probably cannot even see with the naked eye when you're standing in front of it.

ANDERSON: You also have a feature called museum view, this 360 degree panorama view, takes you inside different museum spaces around the world,

including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. And here in Hong Kong, I thought it was really interesting that you selected the very little known

and slightly obscure Museum of Medical Sciences. Why did you choose this museum? And what's the thought process of selecting which museum gets to

have this Google treatment?

SOOD: Sure.

So, the first thing that I always say is that we don't choose the museums, the museums choose us. So, you know, what I like about the

medical sciences when they approached us and we started talking to them was they wanted to tell a story that's important to Hong Kong from a cultural

heritage standpoint. So we're not just restricted to beautiful paintings and the artwork. We want to talk about intangible culture. We want to

talk about what museums and archives are doing to preserve stories.

And this museum was set up I think during, you know, one of the play, one of the epidemics that happened. And they have amazing curios and

artifacts all around the museum telling the history both of the building, which is beautiful, and also about what they did to solve the problems that

people are facing.

[11:40:35] LU STOUT: And by putting museums online and museum art pieces and exhibitions online, how does it change the experience for the

museum goer.

SOOD: Well, so I think there are two groups here. One are people who already go to museums. And that for them I think it's a previsit planning

and first visit engagement opportunity.

But I'm actually more interested in the people who don't really go to museums, people who might consider to be a privileged notion, or people

might not have access due to financial reasons or logistical reasons.

So, for them this really changes things, because now you know sitting anywhere in the world you can travel to the palace of Versailles. You can

actually go to the White House and see its art collection, and you can be here in Hong Kong looking at, you know, the king of Calroon's (ph)

exhibition on street art.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Amit Sood there director of the Google Cultural Institute.

And finally before we leave you this weekend, I want to introduce you to a newly discovered super food -- (inaudible) super foods of course.

This one is seaweed. Well, seaweed has been harvested as food for centuries, we all know that. But U.S. scientists say that they've now

invented a new strain that when cooked tastes like bacon.

Researchers at Oregon State University say it's an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. They say it's twice the nutritional

value of kale.

Originally developed as food for farmed abalone, this seaweed is now being tested for us to eat.

Eggs and seaweed doesn't quite have the same ring, does it.

That is News Stream. Thanks so much for joining us.

END